Method and system for manipulating a plurality of graphical pointers

• US 7,696,979 B1
• Filed: 12/09/1994
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Skergan, Timothy Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): OSORIO, RICARDO
• Application Number:
  US08/353,008
• Time in Patent Office: 5,604 Days
• Field of Search: 345/145, 345/119, 345/123, 345/146, 345/157, 345/159, 345/160, 345/204, 715/754, 715/711, 715/856
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

An improved method and system for manipulation a plurality of graphical pointers utilizing a single graphical pointing device are disclosed. A plurality of graphical pointers are displayed within a display device. A user may then temporarily select one graphical pointer among the plurality of graphical pointers. During the selection, the selected graphical pointer is manipulated in response to operation of a single graphical pointing device. A point within the display device specified by the position of the selected graphical pointer is selected in response to closure of a switch associated with the selected graphical pointer.

Claims

1. An improved system for selecting within a display device of a data processing system, the system comprising:

a processor system that causes the display device to simultaneously display a plurality of graphical pointers within a graphical user interface having one or more windows, wherein each of the plurality of graphical pointers is separate from the one or more windows, graphically movable with respect to the one or more windows, and repositionable independently from the one or more windows;

a graphical pointing device interfaced to said processor system such that a temporarily selected graphical pointer among said plurality of graphical pointers is moved with respect to the one or more windows in response to manipulation of said graphical pointing device during said selection; and

a switch associated with said selected graphical pointer among said plurality of graphical pointers, wherein closure of said switch selects a graphical object within said graphical user interface graphically underlying a position of said selected graphical pointer within the graphical user interface.

2. The improved system for selecting points within a display device of claim 1, wherein said graphical pointing device is a mouse.

3. The improved system for selecting points within a display device of claim 1, wherein said switch is a mouse button.

4. The improved system for selecting points within a display device of claim 1, wherein said plurality of graphical pointers comprises a plurality of arrows.

5. The improved system of claim 1, wherein the processor system varies a number of the plurality of graphical pointers displayed within the graphical user interface in response to an input.

6. The improved system of claim 1, wherein the processor system causes the temporarily selected graphical pointer to move along a path within the graphical user interface in response to manipulation of the graphical pointing device in accordance with a non-linear relation.

7. The improved system of claim 6, wherein the processor system varies the relation in response to an input.

8. The improved system of claim 1, wherein:

each graphical pointer among the plurality of graphical pointers has a respective default home window among the one or more windows in which that graphical pointer is initially positioned.

9. The improved system of claim 1, wherein:

the switch is one of a plurality of switches each associated with a respective one of the plurality of graphical pointers.

10. The improved system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of pointers have graphically distinct appearances.

11. A computer program product for use with a data processing system having a graphical pointing device and a display device, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium; and

instruction code stored within the computer readable storage medium that is executable by the data processing system to control a plurality of graphical pointers presented in a graphical user interface, wherein said instruction code includes;

instruction code that causes the data processing system to simultaneously display a plurality of graphical pointers within a graphical user interface having one or more windows, wherein each of the plurality of graphical pointers is separate from the one or more windows, graphically movable with respect to the one or more windows, and repositionable independently from the one or more windows

instruction code that causes the data processing system to permit temporary selection of a selected graphical pointer among said plurality of graphical pointers;

instruction code that causes the data processing system to move said selected graphical pointer with respect to the one or more windows in response to manipulation of said graphical pointing device during said selection; and

instruction code that causes the data processing system, responsive to closure of a switch associated with said selected graphical pointer, to select a graphical object within the graphical user interface graphically underlying a position of said selected graphical pointer.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said instruction code that causes the data processing system to permit temporary selection comprises instruction code for causing the data processing system to permit temporary selection of a subset of said plurality of graphical pointers, said subset including said selected graphical pointer and at least another graphical pointer.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein said instruction code that causes the data processing system to move said selected graphical pointer includes instruction code that causes the data processing system to move all graphical pointers among said subset of said plurality of graphical pointers in response to manipulation of the graphical pointing device.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said instruction code that causes the data processing system to move said selected graphical pointer comprises instruction code that causes the data processing system to move the selected graphical pointer along a path within the graphical user interface in response to manipulation of the graphical pointing device in accordance with a non-linear relation.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said instruction code that causes the data processing system to simultaneously display a plurality of graphical pointers varies a number of the plurality of graphical pointers displayed within the graphical user interface in response to an input.

16. A method of selecting a point within a graphical user interface presented in a display device of a data processing system having a graphical pointing device, the method comprising:

simultaneously displaying a plurality of graphical pointers within a graphical user interface having one or more windows, wherein each of the plurality of graphical pointers is separate from the one or more windows, graphically movable with respect to the one or more windows, and repositionable independently from the one or more windows

permitting temporary selection of a selected graphical pointer among said plurality of graphical pointers;

moving said selected graphical pointer with respect to the one or more windows in response to manipulation of said graphical pointing device during said selection; and

in response to closure of a switch associated with said selected graphical pointer, selecting a graphical object within the graphical user interface graphically underlying a position of said selected graphical pointer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein permitting temporary selection comprises permitting temporary selection of a subset of said plurality of graphical pointers, said subset including said selected graphical pointer and at least another graphical pointer.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein moving said selected graphical pointer includes moving all graphical pointers among said subset of said plurality of graphical pointers in response to manipulation of the graphical pointing device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said moving said selected graphical pointer comprises moving the selected graphical pointer along a path within the graphical user interface in response to manipulation of the graphical pointing device in accordance with a non-linear relation.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, and further comprising varying a number of the plurality of graphical pointers displayed within the graphical user interface in response to an input.