System for generating an audible cue indicating the status of a display object

• US 6,111,562 A
• Filed: 01/06/1997
• Issued: 08/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Danneels, Gunner D., Downs, Terry
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US08/779,142
• Time in Patent Office: 1,331 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326-358, 345/978, 345/145, 345/146, 345/157
• US Class Current: 715/862
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L

Abstract

A system indicates the status of a display object using an audible cue. The system associates a particular audible cue with each display object. The audible cue associated with the display object is generated if a pointer is positioned proximate the display object. The display object has an associated object activation region and the pointer has an associated activation region. The audible cue associated with the display object is generated when the object activation region intersects the activation region associated with the pointer.

Claims

1. A method for indicating the status of display objects, the method comprising the steps of:

associating an audible cue with a display object, wherein the audible cue indicates the access status of the display object;

generating the audible cue associated with the display object if a pointer is positioned proximate the display object; and

arbitrating, if said pointer is proximate to plural remote networked objects, to determine a selected one of said plural objects according to a maximum intersection area between said pointer and said plural objects.

2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of associating an object activation region with the display object.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the audible cue associated with a particular display object is generated if the pointer is relatively positioned in a predetermined relationship to the object activation region associated with the particular display object.

4. The method of claim 1 further including the step of associating an activation region with the pointer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the pointer is a cursor.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the display object is a navigational link.

7. A method for generating an audible cue indicating the status of a display object, comprising:

identifying an object activation region associated with the display object;

identifying a cursor activation region associated with a cursor;

arbitrating, when said cursor intersects plural object activation regions, to determine the display object being selected by said cursor; and

generating the audible cue when the object activation region intersects the cursor activation region, wherein the audible cue indicates the access status of the display object;

wherein a display contains a plurality of display objects, and wherein said arbitrating determines the display object according to a maximum intersection between said cursor and said plural activation regions.

8. The method of claim 7 further including identifying a new cursor activation region in response to movement of the cursor.

9. The method of claim 7 further including identifying a new object activation region in response to movement of the display object.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the display object is a navigational link.

11. A method for generating audible cues indicating the status of display objects, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying an object activation region associated with each display object;

associating an audible cue with at least one display object, wherein the audible cue indicates the access status of the display object;

identifying a cursor activation region associated with a cursor; and

generating the audible cue associated with a particular object if the particular object has an associated audible cue and if the object activation region associated with the particular object intersects the cursor activation region;

wherein said identifying includes arbitrating when plural activation regions are associated with the cursor, said arbitration determining the cursor activation region as that region having a largest intersection with the cursor.

12. The method of claim 11 further including the step of identifying a new cursor activation region in response to movement of the cursor.

13. The method of claim 11 further including the step of identifying a new object activation region associated with a particular object in response to movement of the particular object.

14. A computer software product including a medium readable by a processor, the medium having stored thereon:

a first sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to associate an audible cue with a display object, wherein the audible cue indicates the access status of the display object;

a second sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to generate the audible cue associated with the display object if a pointer is positioned proximate the display object; and

a third sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to determine if said pointer is proximate to plural remote networked objects, and if so, to arbitrate to determine a selected one of said plural objects according to a maximum intersection area between said pointer and said plural objects.

15. The computer software product of claim 14 further including a third sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to associate an object activation region with the display object.

16. The computer software product of claim 15 wherein the second sequence of instructions generates the audible cue associated with the display object if the pointer is relatively positioned in a predetermined relationship to the object activation region associated with the display object.

17. The computer software product of claim 14 further including a fourth sequence of instructions which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to identify a new object activation region in response to movement of the display object.

18. A system for indicating the status of display objects, the system comprising:

a display device configured to display a plurality of display objects; and

a processor coupled to the display device, wherein the processor is configured to

associate an audible cue associated with a display object,

generate the audible cue associated with the display object if a pointer is positioned proximate the display object, and

arbitrate if said pointer is proximate to plural display objects to determine a selected one of said plural objects,

wherein the audible cue indicates the access status of the display object.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein each display object has an associated object activation region.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the audible cue associated with a particular display object is generated if the pointer is relatively positioned in a predetermined relationship to the object activation region associated with the particular display object.

21. A method for indicating the status of display objects, the method comprising:

associating an audible cue with a display object, wherein the audible cue indicates the status of the display object;

generating the audible cue associated with the display object if a pointer is positioned proximate the display object;

arbitrating, if said pointer is proximate to plural display objects, to determine a selected one of said plural objects according to a maximum intersection area between said pointer and said plural objects;

wherein the display object is a navigational link.

22. A method for generating an audible cue indicating the status of a display object, the method comprising:

identifying an object activation region associated with the display object;

identifying a cursor activation region associated with a cursor;

generating the audible cue when the object activation region intersects the cursor activation region, wherein the audible cue indicates the status of the display object;

arbitrating, if said pointer is proximate to plural remote networked objects, to determine a selected one of said plural objects;

wherein the display objet is a navigational link.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

identifying a new cursor activation region in response to movement of the cursor.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

identifying a new object activation region in response to movement of the display object.