Method and apparatus for changing the appearance of icon images on a computer display monitor

• US 5,940,078 A
• Filed: 06/17/1997
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagarajayya, Nagendra, Keller, Fabrice, Vandenschrick, Vincent, Madhuchandra, Bangalore, Moss, Marc D., Lobel, Thierry J., Girons, Xavier de Saint
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Chadwick A.
• Application Number:
  US08/877,138
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 345/145, 345/334, 345/335, 345/339, 345/346, 345/348, 345/354, 345/355, 345/976
• US Class Current: 715/859
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for altering the appearance of an icon box when an event effecting the icon box occurs are disclosed. In one embodiment, a pointer entering an icon box or exiting an icon box is detected and an icon property is set accordingly. Also detected is an icon being set to activate its underlying function and the actual activation of an icon'"'"'s underlying function. Another icon property is set based on whether an icon is set to be activated or has been activated. A repaint procedure is used to retrieve a new icon image and replace the image in the icon before the event occurred. The repaint procedure uses an icon label and the icon property states to determine which image to retrieve and place in the icon box. The repaint method retrieves an image from a plurality of images reflecting different states of the icon. The icon is also capable of communicating any events effecting it to its parent object, such as a toolbar, thereby allowing the parent object to behave in an appropriate manner.

Claims

1. In a computer system that includes a display monitor that is configured to display a toolbar that contains an icon box, a method for altering the appearance of the icon box to indicate that an event effecting the icon box has occurred, the method comprising:

detecting when a pointer enters an icon box and setting a first property to an onbutton state when the pointer enters the icon box;

detecting when a pointer exits the icon box and setting the first property of the icon box to an offbutton state when the pointer exits the icon box;

detecting when the icon box is set for function activation and setting a second property of the icon box to a ready state when the icon box is set for activation;

detecting when the icon box'"'"'s function is activated and setting the second property of the icon box to an active state when the icon box is activated; and

calling a repaint method each time the pointer enters an icon box, each time the pointer exits an icon box, each time an icon box is set for activation, and each time an icon box has been activated, wherein when the repaint method is called, an icon identifier and at least an associated one of the properties is examined by the repaint method to facilitate identification of a refresh image that is then displayed in the icon box;

utilizing a set of foreground images including two icon box foreground images and a set of background images including two icon box background images wherein the refresh image is taken from one of the set of foreground images and the set of background images; and

utilizing a toolbar interface, at least one parent object, and at least one toolbar object, wherein the toolbar interface includes a plurality of specific methods defined by the parent object and the toolbar object includes a plurality of icon box objects, and whereby a parent object instantiates a toolbar object and the toolbar object uses the plurality of specific methods to notify the parent object of a new status of an icon box object;

whereby the two icon box foreground images and the two icon box background images are provided to indicate different status'"'"'s of the icon box thereby causing the icon box to be repainted to display a refresh image in the icon box that is different from an image displayed prior to the detection of an event.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further including:

sending a pointer movement event to a parent object each time a pointer enters an icon box and each time a pointer exits an icon box.

3. A method as recited in claim 2 wherein the pointer movement event is a pointer enter event if a pointer enters an icon box and is a pointer exit event if the pointer exits an icon box.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further including:

sending an action event to a parent object each time an icon box'"'"'s underlying function has been activated.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the image retrieved by the repaint method is one of the two icon box foreground images and the two icon box background images.

6. A computer system for altering the appearance of an icon box in a toolbar to indicate that an event effecting the icon box has occurred, the computer system comprising:

an icon box border detection mechanism for detecting each time a pointer has one of entered an icon box and exited an icon box and setting a first property to an onbutton state when the pointer enters the icon box and setting the first property to an offbutton state when the pointer exits the icon box;

an icon box activation mechanism for detecting when the pointer is one of set to activate the icon box and has activated the icon box and setting a second property to a ready state when the pointer is set to activate the icon box and setting the second property to an active state when the pointer activates the icon box'"'"'s underlying function; and

an icon repaint mechanism that changes an icon image each time the pointer enters an icon box, each time the pointer exits an icon box, each time an icon box is set for activation, and each time an icon box has been activated, wherein when the repaint mechanism examines an icon identifier and at least an associated one of the properties to facilitate identification of a refresh image to be displayed in the icon box;

a set of foreground images including two icon box foreground images and a set of background images including two icon box background images wherein the refresh image is taken from one of the set of foreground images and the set of background images; and

a toolbar interface, at least one parent object, and at least one toolbar object, wherein the toolbar interface includes a plurality of specific methods defined by the parent object and the toolbar object includes a plurality of icon box objects, and wherein a parent object instantiates a toolbar object and the toolbar object uses the plurality of specific methods to notify the parent object of a new status of an icon box object;

where the image is different from an image displayed prior to the detection of an event and whereby the two icon box foreground images and the two icon box background images are provided to indicate different status'"'"'s of the icon box.

7. A computer system as recited in claim 6 further including:

a pointer event transmission mechanism for sending a pointer movement event to the parent object each time a pointer enters an icon box and each time a pointer exits an icon box.

8. A computer system as recited in claim 7 wherein the pointer event transmission mechanism sends a pointer enter event to the parent object if a pointer enters an icon box and sends a pointer exit event to the parent object if a pointer exits an icon box.

9. A computer system as recited in claim 6 further including:

an action event transmission mechanism for sending an action event to the parent object each time an icon box'"'"'s underlying function has been activated.

10. A computer system as recited in claim 6 wherein the image retrieved by the repaint mechanism is one of the two icon box foreground images and the two icon box background images.

11. In a computer system that includes a display monitor that is configured to display a toolbar that contains an icon box, a method for altering the appearance of the icon box to indicate that an event effecting the icon box has occurred, the method comprising:

detecting that an event effecting the icon box has occurred;

setting a property associated with the icon box to indicate that the event has occurred;

calling a repaint method and passing to the repaint method an icon identifier and the property associated with the icon box, to cause the icon box to be repainted thereby displaying a refresh image in the icon box that is different compared to an image displayed in the icon box prior to the detection of the event;

utilizing a set of foreground images including two icon box foreground images and a set of background images including two icon box background images wherein the refresh image is taken from one of the set of foreground images and the set of background images; and

utilizing a toolbar interface, at least one parent object, and at least one toolbar object, wherein the toolbar interface includes a plurality of specific methods defined by the parent object and the toolbar object includes a plurality of icon box objects, and whereby a parent object instantiates a toolbar object and the toolbar object uses the plurality of methods to notify the parent object of a new status of an icon box object;

whereby the two icon box foreground images and the two icon box background images are provided to indicate different status'"'"'s of the icon box thereby causing the icon box to be repainted to display the refresh image in the icon box that is different from an image displayed prior to the detection of an event.