Multi-media slide presentation system with a moveable, tracked popup menu with button and title bars

• US 5,500,936 A
• Filed: 03/12/1993
• Issued: 03/19/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sumtotal Systems Incorporated (Cornerstone Ondemand Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Asymetrix Corp.
• Inventors: Allen, Paul G., Gallup, Robert W., Bard, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Application Number:
  US08/030,944
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155-161, 395/154, 395/152, 395/153, 345/117-120, 345/122, 345/146
• US Class Current: 715/808
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A system for a multimedia slide presentation having a computer, display screen, sound system, video disc, video cassette recorder, photo compact disc drive, compact disc read only memory (CD ROM), and a pointing device (trackball or mouse). Each slide may contain photographs, text, graphics, and charts, or any combination of various media. By actuating and releasing the second control button of the mouse or trackball, a tracked, popup menu is displayed in the multimedia slide system and aids the user to make selections that operate on the slides and objects on the slides. The popup menu contains a button bar, a title bar, and a list of textual menu items. Buttons in the button bar provide an appealing "shortcut" to frequently used commands. The text menu items may also indicate another cascaded, popup menu when selected.

Claims

1. A system for providing a moveable, tracked popup menu comprising:

a programmed computer including an operating system;

a monitor coupled to the programmed computer for providing a display;

a pointing device coupled to the computer for positioning a cursor on the display, the cursor being generating by the programmed computer on the display, the pointing device having a first and a second button, a first button to select objects and icons and to initiate an action and a second button to actuate the popup menu, the pointing device being selected from a group consisting of a mouse and a trackball;

a plurality of multi-media devices coupled to the computer and operable from the popup menu for providing a multi-media slide presentation with the programmed computer, the multi-media devices include a sound system, a video disc drive, a compact disc read only memory, a photo compact disc drive, an video cassette recorder, the multi-media presentation including both visual an auditory information presented with aid of the programmed computer;

a graphical user interface for cooperating with the operating system for providing the multi-media slide presentation;

the popup menu displayed on the display by actuation and release of the second control button provided the cursor is positioned directly over an object on a slide of the multi-media slide presentation on the display, the popup menu having various graphical elements including text strings, icons, a button bar, a title bar, textual menu items with at least one menu item associated with a second popup menu, title bar icons associated with at least some of the icons, and title bar buttons, the button bar including a plurality of buttons, each button bar button and textual menu item corresponding to a user selectable operation on the object, the popup menu being context sensitive, the graphical user interface operative with the programmed computer for providing an operating environment in which to provide a visual image of the popup menu on the display, the popup menu not being anchored to appear at a same place on the display every time the popup menu is invoked;

the popup menu automatically sized to display the text strings and icons without overlap;

a keyboard coupled to the programmed computer for providing input for a user to shift focus from various graphical elements in the popup menu; and

the popup menu being moved about the display after the popup menu has been invoked and while the popup menu is displayed on the display by actuation and holding the first or second control button.