Displaying menu choices adjacent to spatially isolating regions enabling different cursor movement speeds and other user notification means
US6559873B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 17, 1999 |
| Grant date | May 6, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 17, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F3/0482
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system, method, and program of the invention enables a separating region to be displayed adjacent to at least one side of a problem menu choice within a menu list in a user interface. The problem menu choice may be any menu choice that has the potential for causing undesirable effects if it is inadvertently selected by a user, such as by overshooting a desired menu choice with a displayed pointer. The separating region creates a non-selectable area that buffers the problem menu choices from the other menu choices. The user is notified if the user moves the displayed pointer into the separating region. The notification may include any one or more of the following: i) changing the rate of movement of the displayed pointer, ii) causing the displayed pointer to change in appearance, and iii) causing an audible sound. The separating region may be partitioned into zones wherein certain characteristics of the notification is dependent upon the zone location of the displayed pointer. In addition, the displayed pointer may change in appearance or a tone may sound at various frequencies, pitches or volumes dependent upon the location of the displayed pointer in the separating region or wit…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.