Patent · US Expired

Method and system for efficiently managing the manipulation of large documents displayed within a computer screen

US6044385A · kind A · utility

48Cited by
6References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 10, 1997
Grant dateMar 28, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 10, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S707/99948
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system for efficiently managing the manipulation of documents too large to be legibly displayed within a computer screen. Initially, a window is provided within which only a portion of an entire document may be displayed legibly. A graphic representation of the entire document is then exhibited within the window. A portion of the graphic representation of the entire document is displayed as a human discernable representation. A remaining portion of the graphic representation of the entire document is displayed as a compressed representation of a portion of the document. The compressed representation is iconic in nature such that a representation nearest the bottom and the top of the document, and furthest away from the human discernable portion, appears as increasingly iconic characters or graphics. The graphic representation itself is composed of a lens bar that allows a user to interpret an entire document displayed within a computer screen at one time on a global scale, while providing the user with an enlarged view of a local area of interest.

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