System and method for processing content changes of on-screen items

• US 6,825,859 B1
• Filed: 11/13/2000
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Corel Corporation (Corel Holdings LP)
• Inventors: Fraser, Jennifer, Xu, Rex Fang, Cooperman, Cory, Severenuk, Tony, Subramanian, Ramesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US09/711,406
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: 345/762, 345/764, 345/839, 345/853, 345/840, 345/841
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

When a content of an on-screen item representing a feature of an application program is changed without user'"'"'s direct interaction, the present invention provides a visual cue that indicates the content change of the on-screen item to help attracting user'"'"'s attention to the change.

Claims

1. A system for processing a content change of an on-screen item representing a feature of an application program, the system comprising:

a mode change detector for detecting a mode change of the application program caused by a user action;

a content changer for, in response to the mode change detector, changing a content of an on-screen item which is indirectly related to the user action; and

a visual cue controller for providing a visual cue that indicates the content change of the on-screen item, by changing the appearance of the on-screen item in addition to changing the content.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the content changer has a property changer for changing a property of the on-screen item; and

the visual cue controller has an appearance changer for changing the appearance of the on-screen item.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the appearance changer gradually changes the appearance of the on-screen item to a different appearance for a predetermined time period.

4. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the appearance changer is configured to change colour, design and/or shape of the on-screen item.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the content changer has an item changer for changing the on-screen item from a first mode item representing a first feature to a second mode item representing a second feature; and

the visual cue controller is configured to provide an animation showing the change from the first mode item to the second mode item.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the visual cue controller is configured to provide a scrolling animation showing that the first mode item is scrolled off to change to the second mode item.

7. A method for processing a content change of an on-screen item representing a feature of an application program, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a mode change of the application program caused by a user action;

changing, in response to the mode change of the application program, a content of an on-screen item which is indirectly related to the user action; and

providing a visual cue that indicates the content change of the on-screen item, by changing the appearance of the on-screen item in addition to changing the content.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the content changing step changes a property of the on-screen item;

and the visual cue providing step changes the appearance of the on-screen item.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the visual cue providing step gradually changes the appearance of the on-screen item to a different appearance for a predetermined period.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the visual cue providing step changes the colour, design and/or shape of the on-screen item.

11. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein

the content changing step changes the on-screen item from a first mode item representing a first feature to a second mode item representing a second feature; and

the visual cue providing step provides an animation showing the change from the first mode item to the second mode item.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the visual cue providing step provides a scrolling animation showing that the first mode item is scrolled to change to the second mode item.

13. A method for providing a visual cue of a content change of an on-screen item representing a feature of an application program, the method comprising the steps of:

allowing a user to select an object displayed on the screen; and

displaying a visual cue that indicates a content change of an on-screen item, which content change is caused indirectly by the selection or movement of the object by the user, by changing the appearance of the on-screen item in addition to changing the content.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the displaying step displays the visual cue for a predetermined time period.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the displaying step provides a change in the appearance of the on-screen item when a property of the on-screen item is changed.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the displaying step gradually changes the appearance of the on-screen item to a different appearance for predetermined time period.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the displaying step changes the colour, pattern and/or shape of the on-screen item.

18. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the displaying step displays an animation showing a change of the on-screen item from a first mode item representing a first feature of the application program to a second mode item representing a second feature of the application program.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the displaying step scrolls off the first mode item to change to the second mode item.

20. A computer readable medium storing instructions or statements for use in the execution in a computer of a method for processing a content change of an on-screen item representing a feature of an application program, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a mode change of the application program caused by a user action;

changing, in response to the mode change of the application program, a content of an on-screen item which is indirectly related to the user action; and

providing a visual cue that indicates the content change of the on-screen item, by changing the appearance of the on-screen item in addition to changing the content.

21. A computer readable medium storing instructions or statements for use in the execution in a computer of a method for providing a visual cue of a content change of an on-screen item representing a feature of an application program, the method comprising the steps of:

allowing a user to select an object displayed on the screen; and

displaying a visual cue that indicates a content change of an on-screen item, which content change is caused indirectly by the selection or movement of the object by the user, by changing the appearance of the on-screen item in addition to changing the content.