Mouse driven splitter window

• US 6,874,128 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2000
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Informa Business Intelligence, Inc. (Informa PLC)
• Original Assignee: Zephyr Associates, Inc. (Informa PLC)
• Inventors: Becker, Thomas, Moore, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Mylinh T
• Application Number:
  US09/520,403
• Time in Patent Office: 1,847 Days
• Field of Search: 715/792, 715/803, 715/781, 715/759, 715/784, 715/788, 715/798, 345/792, 345/803, 345/781, 345/759, 345/784, 345/788, 345/798
• US Class Current: 715/792
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

A mouse driven splitter program and algorithm is disclosed herein. The invention is a user interface which solves the problem of interactively designing splitter window layouts by combining maximum flexibility and generality with user-friendliness. The invention allows a program user to create every possible combination of panes and nested splitter windows with no limitation on the nesting depth. The entire process is purely graphical, employing only the mouse as a tool. Similarly, the user can place content, such as a particular chart in any pane using the mouse only.

Claims

1. A mouse driven splitter program comprising:

means for splitting a display window on a display by dragging a mouse from a begin point in the display to an end point in the display;

means responsive to said mouse dragging to split said display window into two separate split display windows, each of said split display windows having a newly-formed shared edge substantially aligned with a line that would pass through said begin and end points.

2. The mouse driven splitter program of claim 1, wherein said edge is oriented horizontally.

3. The mouse driven splitter program of claim 1, wherein said edge is oriented vertically.

4. A mouse driven splitter program comprising:

means for splitting a display window on a display by defining with a mouse two points in said display, said two points defining a line;

means responsive to said line defining to split said display window into two separate split display windows and dispose said split display windows on opposite sides of said defined line.

5. A method for splitting a display window comprised of a plurality of original panes comprising:

receiving a set of coordinates relative to the display window, the coordinates defining a line transecting two or more original panes; and

dividing two or more of the original panes each into two divided panes, each of the two divided panes that correspond to each of the divided original panes having a segment substantially aligned with the transecting line as a newly-formed common edge.

6. A method of splitting a display window comprising:

dragging a cursor from a begin point in the display window to an end point in the display window; and

dividing the display window into two separate split display windows, each of said separate split display windows having a newly-formed edge substantially aligned with a line that would pass through the begin and end points.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

providing a scrollable list box associated with each of the split display windows, each list box containing one or more display options for display in the associated window; and

selecting one of the display options for display for each of the split display windows; and

displaying within each of the split display windows a visual display associated with the selected display option.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein one or more of the list boxes includes graphical representations of the display options for display.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the dragging of the cursor is carried out using one of a mouse, touch screen, touch pad or light pen.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein dragging of the cursor is carried out using one of a joystick, pointing stick, or stylus and tablet.

11. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for controlling a computer system to execute splitting of a display window, the instructions including:

obtaining coordinates of a line defined by dragging of a cursor from one point in the display window to another point; and

dividing the display window to form two separate split display windows, each of the split display windows having a newly-formed shared edge substantially aligned with at least a portion of the line.

12. A computer readable medium having stored therein a computer program having instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method of splitting two or more original panes of a display window, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a set of coordinates relative to the display window, the coordinates defining a line transecting the two or more original panes; and

(b) dividing two or more of the original panes into each into two divided panes, each of the two divided panes that correspond to each of the divided original panes having a segment substantially aligned with the transecting line as a newly-formed common edge.

13. A system for splitting a display window comprising:

a display;

a computer, including a processor operably connected to the display; and

a cursor movement device providing input to the computer;

the processor being configured to display on the display one or more original window panes and to divide each of the one or more original window panes on the display into divided panes along a line transecting the one or more window original panes, the line being formed by the cursor movement device, each of the divided panes that correspond to each of the divided original panes having a segment substantially aligned with the transacting line as a newly-formed common edge.

14. A method for splitting a plurality of existing display windows in a display, comprising:

(a) moving a cursor in the display from a begin point to an end point; and

(b) dividing at least two of the existing display windows each into two separate split display windows, each of the split display windows that correspond to each divided existing display window having a newly formed shared edge substantially aligned with a line that would pass through the begin and end points.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the dividing occurs when the begin and end points are disposed at predetermined distances from an edge of one or more existing display windows.