Computer system and method of manipulating multiple graphical user interface components on a computer display with a proximity pointer

• US 6,075,531 A
• Filed: 12/15/1997
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: DeStefano, George Francis
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thomas T.
• Application Number:
  US08/990,304
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 345/340, 345/342, 345/145, 345/343, 345/356
• US Class Current: 715/788
• 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 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

A computer system and method manipulate multiple windows or similar graphical user interface components using a proximity pointer that concurrently manipulates windows that are at least partially disposed within a proximity range located proximate the pointer. Windows may be concurrently moved or resized in response to movement of the pointer. In the alternative, windows may be concurrently moved or resized either inwardly or outwardly along radial lines extending from a common origin located proximate the pointer.

Claims

1. A method of manipulating a plurality of windows on a computer display, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a plurality of windows on a computer display;

(b) displaying a pointer on the computer display;

(c) defining as affected windows first and second windows from the plurality of windows, each affected window at least partially disposed within a proximity range defined around an origin located proximate the pointer; and

(d) in response to user input to move the pointer, concurrently manipulating the affected windows.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each window includes a boundary including at least one boundary segment, wherein each affected window includes an affected boundary segment that is at least partially disposed within the proximity range, and wherein concurrently manipulating the affected windows includes concurrently moving at least the affected boundary segments of the affected windows.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein concurrently moving at least the affected boundary segments of the affected windows includes moving the affected windows.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein concurrently moving at least the affected boundary segments of the affected windows includes resizing the affected windows by maintaining at least one additional boundary segment in the boundary of each affected window at a fixed location.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving user input to move the pointer along a first vector, and wherein concurrently moving at least the affected boundary segments includes moving the affected boundary segment of at least one affected window along a second vector.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second vector extends in the same direction as the first vector.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the second vector is perpendicular to the affected boundary segment.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising concurrently moving at least each of the affected boundary segments of the affected windows in one of an inwardly and an outwardly direction relative to the origin in response to user input.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively enabling defining the first and second windows as affected windows in response to a predetermined user input.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined user input includes user selection of a predetermined mode.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the predetermined user input includes user selection of one of a move mode and a resize mode, wherein in the move mode, concurrently manipulating the affected windows includes moving the affected windows, and wherein in the resize mode, concurrently manipulating the affected windows includes resizing the affected windows.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the pointer includes selectively displaying one of first and second pointer representations in response to whether defining the first and second windows as affected windows is enabled.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein concurrently moving at least the affected boundary segments is performed in response to a second predetermined user input.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second predetermined user input includes depression of at least one mouse button while defining the first and second windows as affected windows is enabled.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising highlighting the affected windows on the computer display.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein highlighting the affected windows includes highlighting the affected windows prior to receiving the second predetermined user input.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining the origin at a location pointed to by the pointer.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the proximity range includes an ellipsoid circumscribing the origin.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the proximity range includes a circle centered at the origin.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising selecting between first and second geometric shapes as the proximity range in response to user input, the first and second geometric ranges each circumscribing the origin and each extending generally in opposite directions from one another.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of windows are each defined at one of a plurality of levels, the method further comprising selectively increasing or decreasing the level of each affected window in response to user input.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of windows are each defined at one of a plurality of levels, wherein the proximity range includes a depth associated with a predetermined range of levels, and wherein defining the first and second windows as affected windows includes defining as affected windows only windows defined in the predetermined range of levels.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the proximity range includes separate geometric shapes defined at each level in the predetermined range of levels.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein concurrently manipulating the affected windows includes activating the first window.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein concurrently manipulating the affected windows includes updating positions of the affected windows, the method further comprising refreshing the computer display.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising updating the position of the pointer prior to refreshing the computer display.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein concurrently manipulating the affected windows includes performing an operation on the affected windows selected from the group consisting of closing the affected windows, minimizing the affected windows into individual icons, minimizing the affected windows into a single icon, and combinations thereof.

28. A computer system, comprising:

(a) a computer display upon which is displayed a plurality of windows and a pointer;

(b) a user input device configured to receive user input; and

(c) a processor, coupled to the computer display and the user input device, the processor configured to define as affected windows first and second windows from the plurality of windows, each affected window at least partially disposed within a proximity range defined around an origin located proximate the pointer, and, in response to user input to move the pointer, to concurrently manipulate the affected windows.

29. A program product, comprising:

(a) a program configured to perform a method of manipulating a plurality of windows on a computer display, the method comprising;

(1) displaying a plurality of windows on a computer display;

(2) displaying a pointer on the computer display;

(3) defining as affected windows first and second windows from the plurality of windows, each affected window at least partially disposed within a proximity range defined around an origin located proximate the pointer; and

(4) in response to user input to move the pointer, concurrently manipulating the affected windows; and

(b) a signal bearing media bearing the program.

30. The program product of claim 29, wherein the signal bearing media is transmission type media.

31. The program product of claim 29, wherein the signal bearing media is recordable media.

32. A method of manipulating a plurality of graphical user interface components on a computer display, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a plurality of graphical user interface components on a computer display;

(b) displaying a pointer on the computer display;

(c) defining as affected graphical user interface components first and second graphical user interface components from the plurality of graphical user interface components, each affected graphical user interface component at least partially disposed within a proximity range defined around an origin located proximate the pointer; and

(d) in response to user input to move the pointer, concurrently manipulating the affected graphical user interface components.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the plurality of graphical user interface components includes at least one window.

34. A method of manipulating a plurality of windows on a computer display, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a plurality of windows on a computer display;

(b) displaying a pointer on the computer display;

(c) defining as affected windows first and second windows from the plurality of windows, each affected window at least partially disposed within a proximity range defined around an origin located proximate the pointer; and

(d) in response to user input, concurrently moving at least a portion of each affected window in one of an inwardly and an outwardly direction relative to the origin.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein each window includes a boundary including at least one boundary segment, wherein each affected window includes an affected boundary segment that is at least partially disposed within the proximity range, and wherein concurrently moving at least a portion of each affected window includes concurrently moving at least the affected boundary segments of the affected windows.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein concurrently moving at least the affected boundary segments of the affected windows includes moving the affected boundary segments radially with respect to the origin.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein concurrently moving at least the affected boundary segments of the affected windows includes:

(a) moving the affected boundary segments inwardly toward the origin in response to first user input; and

(b) moving the affected boundary segments outwardly from the origin in response to second user input.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein concurrently moving at least a portion of each affected window includes moving the affected windows.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein concurrently moving at least the affected boundary segments of the affected windows includes resizing the affected windows by maintaining at least one additional boundary segment in the boundary of each affected window at a fixed location.

40. The method of claim 34, further comprising highlighting the affected windows on the computer display.

41. The method of claim 34, further comprising defining the origin at a location pointed to by the pointer.

42. A computer system, comprising:

(a) a computer display upon which is displayed a plurality of windows and a pointer;

(b) a user input device configured to receive user input; and

(c) a processor, coupled to the computer display and the user input device, the processor configured to define as affected windows first and second windows from the plurality of windows, each affected window at least partially disposed within a proximity range defined around an origin located proximate the pointer; and

, in response to user input, to concurrently move at least a portion of each affected window in one of an inwardly and an outwardly direction relative to the origin.

43. A program product, comprising:

(a) a program configured to perform a method of manipulating a plurality of windows on a computer display, the method comprising;

(1) displaying a plurality of windows on a computer display;

(2) displaying a pointer on the computer display;

(3) defining as affected windows first and second windows from the plurality of windows, each affected window at least partially disposed within a proximity range defined around an origin located proximate the pointer; and

(4) in response to user input, concurrently moving at least a portion of each affected window in one of an inwardly and an outwardly direction relative to the origin; and

(b) a signal bearing media bearing the program.

44. The program product of claim 43, wherein the signal bearing media is transmission type media.

45. The program product of claim 43, wherein the signal bearing media is recordable media.

46. A method of manipulating a plurality of graphical user interface components on a computer display, the method comprising:

(a) displaying a plurality of graphical user interface components on a computer display;

(b) displaying a pointer on the computer display;

(c) defining as affected graphical user interface components first and second graphical user interface components from the plurality of graphical user interface components, each affected graphical user interface component at least partially disposed within a proximity range defined around an origin located proximate the pointer; and

(d) in response to user input, concurrently moving at least a portion of each affected graphical user interface component in one of an inwardly and an outwardly direction relative to the origin.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the plurality of graphical user interface components includes at least one window.