Method and system for facilitating the selection of icons

• US 5,564,004 A
• Filed: 04/13/1994
• Issued: 10/08/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schwartz, Michael S., McLean, James G., Pickover, Clifford A., Winarski, Daniel J., Grossman, Bertrand M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAUHAN, ULKA J
• Application Number:
  US08/227,149
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155-161
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/977 Dynamic icon, e.g. animated or live action

Abstract

A method and system for facilitating the selection of icons. Those icons which are next likely to be used are selected and automatically moved towards a cursor thereby facilitating selection of the icons. Additionally, those icons likely to be used or other icons selected by a user may track the cursor such that those icons are always close to the cursor and capable of being easily selected. Further, in order to facilitate selection of icons, icons are provided with the capability of announcing themselves when a cursor comes close to the icon. In addition, it is possible to reduce the amount of clutter on a computer display so that icons may be easily selected. In order to clean up a computer display, icons which are least likely to be used are faded, eliminated or shrunk to a smaller size. In another embodiment, icons that are not used very often may disappear into a master icon and further, icons which have a conceptual relationship between them may be linked by a visual graphical representation.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating selection of one or more of a plurality of icons located on a computer display, said method comprising the steps of:

determining which of said plurality of icons are next likely to be used, such that one or more likely icons are selected; and

automatically moving said one or more likely icons towards a cursor located on said computer display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically moving step comprises determining a location of said cursor on said computer display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining step comprises selecting from predefined likeliness criteria said one or more likely icons.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of updating said likeliness criteria.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting one of said one or more likely icons.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said selecting step comprises:

moving said cursor within a predetermined distance from an icon to be selected, said predetermined distance being close to, but not touching said icon; and

selecting said icon when said cursor has moved within said predetermined distance.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising computing said predetermined distance wherein said computing step comprises determining a Voronoi polygon associated with said icon to be selected.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising tracking said cursor by said one or more likely icons.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said tracking comprises:

determining a location of said cursor when said cursor moves; and

positioning said one or more likely icons within a predetermined distance from said location.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising said one or more likely icons announcing itself as it approaches said cursor.

11. A method for tracking a cursor located on a computer display, said method comprising the steps of:

determining a location on said computer display of said cursor;

selecting from a plurality of icons located on said computer display one or more icons to track said cursor; and

positioning said one or more icons within a predetermined distance from said location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said determining, selecting and positioning steps are repeated each time said cursor moves to a new location.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said selecting step comprises:

determining which of said plurality of icons are next likely to be used, such that one or more likely icons are provided; and

selecting from said one or more likely icons those icons to track said cursor.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said selecting step comprises selecting said one or more icons based on a predefined tracking criteria.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising updating said predefined tracking criteria.

16. A system for facilitating selection of one or more of a plurality of icons located on a computer display, said system comprising:

means for determining which of said plurality of icons are next likely to be used, such that one or more likely icons are selected; and

means for automatically moving said one or more likely icons towards a cursor located on said computer display.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said automatically moving means comprises means for determining a location of said cursor on said computer display.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said determining means comprises means for selecting from predefined likeliness criteria said one or more likely icons.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for updating said likeliness criteria.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for selecting one of said one or more likely icons.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said selecting means comprises:

means for moving said cursor within a predetermined distance from an icon to be selected, said predetermined distance being close to, but not touching said icon; and

means for selecting said icon when said cursor has moved within said predetermined distance.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising means for computing said predetermined distance wherein said computing means comprises means for determining a Voronoi polygon associated with said icon to be selected.

23. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for tracking said cursor by said one or more likely icons.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said tracking means comprises:

means for determining a location of said cursor when said cursor moves; and

means for positioning said one or more likely icons within a predetermined distance from said location.

25. The system of claim 16, further comprising means for said one or more likely icons announcing itself as it approaches said cursor.

26. A system for tracking a cursor located on a computer display, said system comprising:

means for determining a location on said computer display of said cursor;

means for selecting from a plurality of icons located on said computer display one or more icons to track said cursor; and

means for positioning said one or more icons within a predetermined distance from said location.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said selecting means comprises:

means for determining which of said plurality of icons are next likely to be used, such that one or more likely icons are provided; and

means for selecting from said one or more likely icons those icons to track said cursor.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein said selecting means comprises means for selecting said one or more icons based on a predefined tracking criteria.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising means for updating said predefined tracking criteria.

30. A method for facilitating selection of one of a plurality of icons located on a computer display, said method comprising the steps of:

moving a cursor located on said computer display within a predetermined distance from an icon to be selected, said predetermined distance being close to, but not touching said icon;

selecting said icon when said cursor has moved within said predetermined distance; and

computing said predetermined distance wherein said computing step comprises determining a Voronoi polygon associated with said icon to be selected.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said icon is selected when said cursor is located within said Voronoi polygon.

32. A system for facilitating selection of one of a plurality of icons located on a computer display, said system comprising:

means for moving a cursor located on said computer display within a predetermined distance from an icon to be selected, said predetermined distance being close to, but not touching said icon;

means for selecting said icon when said cursor has moved within said predetermined distance; and

means for computing said predetermined distance wherein said computing means comprises means for determining a Voronoi polygon associated with said icon to be selected.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said icon is selected when said cursor is located within said Voronoi polygon.