Patent · US Expired

Computing system having delayed keyboard shortcut hints

US5973688A · kind A · utility

44Cited by
6References
31Claims
0Family size

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateOct 31, 1997
Grant dateOct 26, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 31, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F3/0238
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Information about shortcuts available from a keyboard is provided to a user of a computing system. When a user selects a special key sequence and the special key sequence remains selected for a predetermined length of time, information on shortcuts available for key combinations which include the special key sequence is displayed. While the special key sequence remains selected for the predetermined length of time and the user presses an additional key, forming a new key combination, a help note for the new key combination is displayed. When the user places a cursor over a button for a history stack, the history stack is displayed. When the user places the cursor over an entry within the history stack or over an entry within the information originally displayed on shortcuts, a help note for the entry is displayed. Thus an entry for a particular function can simultaneously be displayed in a help note, a history stack and/or within the information on shortcuts originally displayed. The function is executed when a cursor is placed over any entry for the function and the user clicks a button on a pointing device.

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