Scroll bars with user feedback

• US 6,882,354 B1
• Filed: 09/17/1997
• Issued: 04/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Jakob
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Greta
• Application Number:
  US08/932,239
• Time in Patent Office: 2,771 Days
• Field of Search: 345/784, 345/781, 345/341, 345326-358, 345123-125, 345/768, 707/102
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels

Abstract

A graphical user interface uses scroll bars having a single pixel width and a much larger scroll button or thumb. Both the scroll bar and the scroll button may be controlled to have selective degrees of transparency so that they underlying image information may be seen under certain conditions. In one application, the scroll bar itself is invisible until a cursor approaches to within a specified proximity. The graphical user interface permit scroll bars to be displayed which follow an arbitrary path in either two or three dimensions.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

a. a computer having a display; and

b. a graphical user interface running on said computer, said graphical user interface configured to display at least one scroll bar of a single pixel width,

wherein opacity of the at least one scroll bar is controlled by proximity of a cursor to the scroll bar or by the selection of a scroll button.

2. Apparatus of claim 1 in which said scroll bar is invisible until the cursor is within a certain proximity of said scroll bar.

3. Apparatus of claim 1 in which said scroll bar is displayed with different degrees of opacity based on the proximity of the cursor.

4. An apparatus comprising:

a computer having a display; and

a graphical user interface running on said computer, said graphical user interface configured to display at least one scroll bar of a single pixel width in which the scroll bar is displayed with a scroll button having a size much greater than a single pixel in each of two dimensions.

5. Apparatus of claim 4 in which said scroll button is displayed with different degrees of opacity.

6. Apparatus of claim 5 in which said opacity is controlled by proximity of a cursor to the scroll button or by the section of the scroll button.

18. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a network,

wherein the computer is connected to the network.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a computer having a display; and

a graphical user interface running on said computer, said graphical user interface configured to display at least one scroll bar of a single pixel width, in which an input/output device for controlling a cursor provides tactile feedback to a user when the cursor approaches or crosses a scroll bar.

8. Apparatus of claim 7 in which said input/output device provides tactile feedback to a user when the cursor approaches or crosses a scroll button for a scroll bar.

9. Apparatus of claim 7 in which said input/output device provides resistance to movement of the cursor away from a scroll path when a scroll button is selected.

19. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a network,

wherein the computer is connected to the network.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a computer having a display;

a graphical user interface running on said computer, said graphical user interface configured to display at least one scroll bar of a single pixel width; and

an eyetracker,

and in which the scroll bar has a scroll button thereon in which the opacity of the scroll bar is determined as a function of the length of time a user gazes at said scroll button.

11. Apparatus of claim 10, in which selection of said scroll button is determined by the amount of time a user gazes at the scroll button.

12. Apparatus of claim 11 in which location of said scroll button can be changed by first selecting a scroll button as a function of the amount of time a user gazes at the scroll button and by then detecting a change in location of the user'"'"'s gaze.

20. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a network,

wherein the computer is connected to the network.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a computer having a display; and

a graphical user interface running on said computer, said graphical user interface configured to display at least one scroll bar of a single pixel width, in which a path defined by said scroll bar is non-linear.

14. Apparatus of claim 13 in which said path can be any path in N dimensional space.

15. Apparatus of claim 14 in which N=2.

16. Apparatus of claim 14 in which N=3.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a network,

wherein the computer is connected to the network.

17. A computer program product, comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program comprising instructions for generating a single pixel scroll bar and instructions for controlling the transparency of the scroll bar as a function of the proximity of a cursor to the scroll bar or as a function of the selection of a scroll button.

22. A method of controlling a view of information in a window on a computer having a display comprising the steps of

displaying at least one scroll bar of a single pixel width;

and

controlling a view in a window based on a position of a scroll button on the at least one scroll bar,

wherein transparency of at least one of the scroll bar and the scroll button is controlled based on proximity of a cursor.

23. The method of claim 22 in which the scroll bar is invisible by default.

24. The method of claim 22 in which the transparency of at least one of the scroll bar and the scroll button is controlled based on whether the scroll button is selected.

25. The method of claim 22 in which the transparency is controlled as a function of relative weights given to one or more pixels from an image plane and corresponding pixels from a overlay plane.