Method and apparatus for unambiguous selection of graphic objects, keypoints and relationships

• US 6,124,861 A
• Filed: 11/20/1997
• Issued: 09/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intergraph Software Technologies Company
• Original Assignee: Intergraph Corporation (Hexagon AB)
• Inventors: Smith, Gary, Mawby, Eric, Russell, Mark, Lebovitz, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Jankus, Almis R.
• Application Number:
  US08/974,930
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 345/433-441, 345/326, 345/346, 345/348, 345/349
• US Class Current: 715/808
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

A computer system with an improved graphically-oriented user interface that permits the user to more easily select for manipulation one object from a number of objects that overlap or are in close proximity to one another at a common location in a graphic display. In a preferred embodiment, the invention presents the computer user with the opportunity to preview all possible objects that the cursor might be identifying at its current position and the ability to select one of those objects for manipulation. Thus, rather than cycling through the entire list of objects available for selection at a location in the display, the user can immediately narrow the list down to the desired selection only. The present invention prevents selection errors and drastically reduces the number of user inputs required to select an object.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a visual display for display of graphic images comprising a plurality of objects selectable by a cursor, a method of resolving ambiguities in object selection comprising:

identifying a position for each object of the plurality of objects;

identifying a position of the cursor;

identifying which objects of the plurality of objects are within a selection range, thereby being in-range objects, wherein the in-range objects comprise hidden objects and visible objects;

displaying a list of the in-range objects; and

selecting one of the in-range objects from the list of the in-range objects.

2. The method of resolving ambiguities of claim 1 wherein identifying a position of the cursor further comprises moving a mouse.

3. The method of resolving ambiguities of claim 1 wherein identifying the in-range objects further comprises identifying objects on the visual display directly underneath the position of the cursor.

4. The method of resolving ambiguities of claim 1 wherein viewing the list of the in-range objects further comprises viewing an iconic representation of each of the in-range objects.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein selecting one of the in-range objects further comprises selecting an iconic representation of the one object.

6. The method of resolving ambiguities of claim 1 wherein displaying the list of in-range objects further comprises displaying a selection box.

7. The method of resolving ambiguities of claim 6 wherein displaying the selection box further comprises displaying a plurality of cells, each cell corresponding to one of the in-range objects.

8. The method of resolving ambiguities of claim 7 wherein selecting one of the in-range objects further comprises selecting one of the plurality of cells corresponding to said one of the in-range objects.

9. The method of resolving ambiguities of claim 8 wherein selecting one of the in-range objects further comprises:

positioning the cursor on said one of the plurality of cells corresponding to said one of the in-range objects; and

receiving a selection of said one of the plurality of cells corresponding to said one of the in-range objects in the computer system.

10. In a computer system having a visual display for display of graphic images comprising a plurality of objects selectable by a cursor, a graphic image display control system for resolving ambiguities in object selection comprising:

means for identifying a position for each object of the plurality of objects;

means for identifying a position of the cursor;

means for identifying which objects of the plurality of objects are within a selection range, thereby being in-range objects, wherein the in-range objects comprise hidden objects and visible objects;

means for displaying a list of the in-range objects; and

means for selecting one of the in-range objects.

11. The graphic image display control system of claim 10 wherein the means for identifying a position of the cursor further comprises a user input device.

12. The graphic image display control system of claim 10 wherein the in-range objects further comprise objects on the visual display directly underneath the position of the cursor.

13. The graphic image display control system of claim 10 wherein the list of the in-range objects further comprises an iconic representation of each of the in-range objects.

14. The graphic image display control system of claim 13 wherein said means for selecting further comprises means for selecting an iconic representation of the one object.

15. The graphic image display control system of claim 10 wherein the list of the in-range objects further comprises a selection box.

16. The graphic image display control system of claim 15 wherein the selection box further comprises a plurality of cells, each cell corresponding to one of the in-range objects.

17. The graphic image display control system of claim 16 wherein the means for selecting one of the in-range objects further comprises a means for selecting one of the plurality of cells corresponding to said one of the in-range objects.

18. The graphic image display control system of claim 17 wherein the means for selecting one of the in-range objects further comprises:

means for positioning the cursor on said one of the plurality of cells corresponding to said one of the in-range objects; and

means for receiving the selection of said one of the plurality of cells corresponding to said one of the in-range objects to the computer system.

19. In a computer system having a visual display for display of graphic images comprising a plurality of objects selectable by a cursor, a method of resolving ambiguities in object selection comprising:

selecting a position on the visual display;

determining a set of in-range objects from the plurality of objects that have at least a portion within a selection range from the position on the visual display;

displaying a list of icons on the visual display;

each icon on the list associated with a unique in-range object;

moving the cursor to one icon from the list of icons on the visual display;

highlighting an object from the set of in-range objects associated with the one icon;

selecting the one icon; and

selecting the object on the visual display associated with the one icon.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

moving the cursor to another icon from the list of icons on the visual display; and

highlighting another object from the set of in-range objects associated with the another icon.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the one icon from the list of icons on the display comprises a reduced representations of the object.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the set of in-range objects represent three-dimensional objects.

22. A computer program product for a computer system having a processor and a visual display for display of graphic images comprising a plurality of objects selectable by a cursor for resolving ambiguities in object selection comprising:

code that instructs the processor to identify a position for each object of the plurality of objects;

code that directs the processor to identify a position of the cursor on the visual display;

code that directs the processor to identify a set of in-range objects from the plurality of objects that have at least a portion that are within a predetermined distance from the position of the cursor on the display;

code that directs the processor to display a selection box comprising cells on the visual display each cell in the selection box associated with a unique object from the set of in-range objects;

code that directs the processor to receive a selection of one cell from the selection box; and

code that directs the processor to select an object from the set of in-range objects associated with the one cell on the display;

wherein the codes reside on a computer-readable media.

24. In a computer system having a visual display configured to display of graphic images comprising a plurality of objects, a method for resolving ambiguities in object selection with a cursor comprising the steps of:

receiving a position of the cursor on the visual display;

determining a set of in-range objects from the plurality of objects that have at least a portion that are within a pre-determined distance from the position of the cursor on the display;

displaying a selection box comprising cells on the visual display each cell in the selection box associated with a unique object from the set of in-range objects;

receiving a selection of one cell from the selection box; and

selecting an object from the set of in-range objects associated with the one cell.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the selection box comprises at least a row of cells.

26. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

receiving another position of the cursor on the visual display, the another position on top of at least part of the one cell; and

highlighting the object associated with the one cell on the visual display.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the one cell comprises a reduced representation of the object.

28. A computer system for resolving ambiguities in object selection comprising:

a visual display configured to display a plurality of objects, configured to display a list of icons, each icon on the list of icons associated with a unique object from a set of objects, configured to display a highlighted representation of an object from the set of objects associated with an icon from the list of icons; and

a processor coupled to the visual display configured to receive a first position and a second position of a cursor on the visual display, configured to identify the set of objects from the plurality of objects that have at least a portion within a pre-determined distance from the first position, configured to identify the icon from the list of icons associated with the second position, configured to receive a selection of the icon from the list of icons, and configured to select the object from the set of objects associated with the icon, in response to the selection.

29. The computer system claim 28 wherein the processor is also configured to receive a third position of the cursor on the visual display, configured to identify another icon from the list of icons associated with the third position;

and

wherein the visual display is also configured to display a highlighted representation of another object from the set of objects associated with the another icon.

30. The computer system of claim 28 wherein the icon from the list of icons displayed on the visual display comprises a visual representations of the object associated with the icon.

31. The computer system of claim 28 wherein the object is arranged below other objects from the set of objects.

32. The computer system of claim 28 wherein the set of in-range objects represent objects in three-dimensional objects space.

33. A computer program product for a computer system having a processor and a visual display for display of graphic images comprising a plurality of objects selectable by a cursor for resolving ambiguities in object selection comprising:

code that instructs the processor to identify a position for each object of the plurality of objects;

code that directs the processor to identify a position of the cursor on the visual display;

code that directs the processor to identify a set of in-range objects from the plurality of objects that have at least a portion that are within a predetermined distance from the position of the cursor on the display;

code that directs the processor to display a selection box comprising cells on the visual display each cell in the selection box associated with a unique object from the set of in-range objects; and

code that directs the processor to receive a selection of one cell from the selection box; and

code that directs the processor to select an object from the set of in-range objects associated with the one cell on the display;

wherein the codes reside on a computer-readable media.

34. The computer program product of claim 33 wherein the selection box further comprises at least a row of cells.

35. The computer program product of claim 34 further comprising:

code that directs the processor to receive another position of the cursor on the visual display, the another position on top of at least a portion of the one cell; and

code that directs the processor to highlight the object associated with the one cell on the visual display.

36. The computer program product of claim 34 wherein the one cell comprises a representation of the object.