Graphical user interface with fisheye adaptation principle

• US 5,459,488 A
• Filed: 01/19/1993
• Issued: 10/17/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zentralabteilung Gewerblicher Rechtsschutz
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Geiser, Georg
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARVEY, MINSUN OH
• Application Number:
  US07/976,999
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155, 395/160, 340/712, 340/706, 178/18, 345/173, 345/156
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2477 for selecting a function from a menu display H04M1/2474 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for carrying out a variable dialog with technical equipment that has a display and an input, such as a television screen with a touch keyboard. According to the invention, the dialog is to be carried out by means of the fisheye principle, in which, by means of one or more multi-stage input elements, the extent or scope of the functions that are shown and accessible in parallel, by means of a threshold value indicator, is adjustable by means of an input operation.

Claims

1. A method of performing a variable dialog with a technical gadget that has a display which represents information at a plurality of points having (x, y) coordinates, and has an input element for inputting control information, comprising the steps of:

evaluating the relevance of the represented information according to the formula;

Relevance Function R(x, y;

x_o, y_o)=Importance at Point (x, y) less Diminution D of Importance from the Position of Fixation Point x_o, y_o (D(x-x_o, y-y_o));

specifying with the input element an amount of information to be displayed, by means of a threshold value k;

selecting by means of an input device, in an input operation, a number of information items to be displayed in parallel and functions to be .displayed and made available;

detecting a sophistication level of a user of said technical gadget; and

resetting said threshold value k in accordance with said detecting step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the display includes a screen and said input element includes a touch screen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display includes a screen and said input element includes programmable keys.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of selecting the functions includes the user selecting an extent of a viewing field with a multi-stage input element to set the scope of the functions offered in parallel.

5. The method of claim 1, further including the step of the user specifying a fixation point which the user wishes to encounter at the beginning of reuse of the gadget, by means of said input element.