Patent · US Expired

Computer user interface with multimode selection of displayed controls

US5546525A · kind A · utility

33Cited by
7References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 13, 1989
Grant dateAug 13, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 13, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F40/18
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A computer user interface includes a system and methods to provide a control hierarchy, control marking, a hybrid grammar, and resized and/or repositioned dialog boxes. Control hierarchy divides controls, assigns each control a label, displays the labels according to a design hierarchy, and operates on the controls according to a functional hierarchy. Control marking distinguishes controls, via addition of graphic elements or changes in labels--referred to as glyphs. Hybrid grammar simultaneously allows a user to specify operations and data objects in a noun verb relationship or verb noun relationship. Finally, resized and/or repositioned dialog boxes enable a user to select a control that requires selection of data objects that are possibly obscured by the dialog box.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.