JPH07234772A - System and method for control of cursor of computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To reduce the time for rearranging a cursor in a position which a user intends by analyzing the shift of the cursor when the user operates a cursor control device and predicting the intended cursor shift position. CONSTITUTION: The cursor control system 10 analyzes the shift of the cursor when the user operates a cursor control device 18 and predicts the previously decided position which is intended based on the shift of the cursor. When the system 10 predicts the intended position, the system 10 automatically arranges the cursor in the intended position. It is especially effective when the present position of the cursor is far from the intended position, when the user excessively shifts the cursor control device 18 by a manual operation, and it is not necessary to shift the cursor to the desired position, for example. Thus, time required for rearranging the cursor in the position which the user intends by the manual operation can be reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates generally to systems and methods for controlling a cursor on a computer display screen.

[0002]

Background of the Invention Computers are becoming common in the workplace and at home. Early computer systems required extensive knowledge of computer programming to operate the computer efficiently. Modern computers have been designed to be easy to use, even for those without a formal background in computer science. Operating systems, such as Microsoft's Windows operating system, provide a graphical environment in which a computer can be used by people with little or no experience using the computer. Therefore, the operation of computers is becoming easier and their use is becoming more prevalent.

As computers become more commonplace, what is important is that the computer user must be able to operate the computer more easily. For example, the use of a cursor pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, etc. allows easy manipulation of the cursor on a visual display connected to the computer. However, even moving the cursor with the mouse
There are situations where it is not efficient. Therefore, there is a strong need for a system and method for controlling cursor pointing on a computer display to simplify cursor pointing on a visual display.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is embodied in a system for controlling the position of a cursor on a computer display. The first storage area stores position data corresponding to the first position of the cursor on the first screen display on the computer display. The changing means changes the first screen display to generate a second screen display by a certain method. The second screen display is
May be generated as a result of opening a computer window, launching an application program, or selecting a menu item. The second storage area stores position data corresponding to at least a first intended (scheduled) position of the cursor on the second screen display. The arranging means positions the cursor at the first position on the second screen display in response to the generation of the second screen display.

In one embodiment, the second storage area stores position data corresponding to a plurality of intended positions of the cursor on the second screen display. Further, the system includes selecting means for selecting one of the plurality of intended positions as the first position on the second screen display. The selecting means selects the intended position,
Flag bits may be used. Optionally, the selecting means may determine the intended position based on the size and shape of the plurality of objects displayed on the computer display.

The system further includes repositioning means for placing the cursor at the first position on the first screen display when the computer returns to the first screen display.

The second screen display is
It may include a plurality of predetermined locations on the computer display that correspond to a plurality of user selectable options. The second screen display has the first position on the second screen display corresponding to one of the plurality of predetermined positions. The system may further include user selectable means allowing the user to select one predetermined position as the first position on the second screen display. Optionally, the system may also include automatic selection means for automatically selecting one of the predetermined positions as the first position on the second screen display. This automatic selection can also be made based on a previously made selection of said predetermined position. Optionally, the automatic selection means is based on a plurality of previously made selections for the one predetermined position,
It is also possible to select a predetermined position. These previously made selections are given by means of a time-weighted average, the predetermined position being designated as the first position on the second screen display. May be determined as follows.

In an alternative embodiment, a system for controlling the position of a cursor on a computer display predicts the intended user's destination of the cursor on the display as an input means for inputting cursor position data to the computer. And a placement means for placing the cursor on the intended user's destination based on the intended means and the predicting means for predicting the intended user's destination. The placement means predicts the intended user's destination by examining cursor position data to determine a cursor movement direction, and the cursor movement direction substantially matches a user selectable option. Determine whether or not The user-selectable option is designated as the intended user's destination when the direction of cursor movement approximately matches the user-selectable option.

In another alternative embodiment, the system provides that when the cursor is near the control,
Change the sensitivity of the cursor control device. This change in sensitivity is such that the distance of a given movement unit of the cursor control device is smaller than it would be if the cursor were not in the vicinity of the control. This allows the user to easily position the cursor on the control.

In yet another embodiment, the system comprises:
Determines a correction signal that moves the cursor toward the control when the cursor is near the control. This correction signal may take the form of a vector added to the cursor control signal. The magnitude of this correction vector may be a constant value or may depend on the distance between the position of the control and the cursor on the display. In an alternative embodiment, the magnitude of the correction signal depends on the relative importance of the controls. Controls are designated as having a relative importance value. The correction signal tends to move the cursor towards the control that has a relatively high importance value.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention allows a user to enter commands into a computer with less physical movement of the mouse than required by prior art systems.
Although the description below is for a mouse, it will be readily appreciated that the principles of the invention are equally applicable to other cursor pointing devices (eg, trackballs, joysticks and keyboards). Let's do it. The invention can be easily incorporated into any computer, from personal computers to mainframe computers.

The present invention automatically positions (places) a cursor at a predetermined position on the visual display of a computer in response to a user command. In a graphical environment such as the Windows operating system, each time a window is opened or closed, the present invention can place the cursor at a new predetermined location on the computer display. The present invention determines the new position of the cursor and automatically positions the cursor when a new window opens or when a menu is displayed on the computer display. The invention returns the cursor to the position before the opening of a new window or the selection of a menu when the window is closed or when a menu selection is made by the user. The present invention is not limited to a windowing environment and will work in computer systems that do not display graphical windows on the computer display. Any change on the computer display caused by opening a window, closing a window, displaying a menu, etc. can be considered a change in the computer display and is encompassed by the present invention.

The present invention is embodied in the system 10 shown in the block diagram of FIG. The central processing unit (CPU) 12 executes the analysis function described below. CPU 12 may be any of many well known devices. System 10 includes memory 14. The memory 14 can include both random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). Computer visual display 16 (eg LED or CRT display)
Also included in System 10. Display 16 generally comprises an array of pixels arranged in two orthogonal dimensions to form a two-dimensional display. The XY coordinates are used to indicate the position of each pixel in this array. Display 16 may be a component of system 10 or may be a stand-alone device, such as where system 10 is incorporated into a laptop computer.

The system 10 also includes a cursor control device 18 which controls the position of the cursor generated on the display 16. The cursor control device 18 includes a mouse, a joystick, a trackball, a keyboard and the like. The present invention is not limited to a particular form of cursor control device 18. The cursor control device 18 produces an electrical signal indicative of the desired movement of the cursor. The CPU 12 interprets the electric signal from the cursor control device 18 and changes the current position storage area 24 accordingly. If the cursor control device 18 is a mouse, trackball, etc.
There are generally two electrical signals corresponding to movement of the cursor control device 18 in one orthogonal dimension.
The electric signal from the cursor control device 18 is converted by the CPU 12 into a cursor control signal corresponding to the XY coordinates of the display 16.

System 10 also includes a cursor sensitivity storage area 19. The cursor sensitivity storage area 19 has a sensitivity value that relates the amount of movement of the cursor control device 18 to the amount of movement of the cursor on the display 16. Generally, the user
Select a sensitivity value for the movement of the cursor control device 18 for two orthogonal dimensions (ie, XY coordinates). The CPU 12 uses both the electric signal from the cursor control device 18 and the sensitivity value of the cursor sensitivity region 19 to determine the value of the cursor control signal. When the sensitivity value is relatively high, the cursor moves more for a given unit of movement of the cursor control device 18 than when the sensitivity value is low. Generally, the user selects sensitivity values for both orthogonal dimensions (ie, the XY dimensions).

The system 10 also includes a command input device 20. The command input device 20 may be a button of the cursor control device 18 or a button of a keyboard (not shown). The system 10 may include a second command input device such as a cursor control device 18 or a second button on a keyboard (not shown). The user can place the cursor at the desired location on the display 16 and press the command input device 20 to activate the computer command associated with the selected location on the display. Various components of system 10 are connected to bus 22. The bus 22 can carry power as well as data signals.

Current position storage area 24 of system 10 contains cursor control signals (ie, XY coordinates) corresponding to the current position of the cursor on display 16. The current position storage area 24 may be a part of the memory 14. When the contents of display 16 are changed, system 10 determines a new cursor position associated with the changed display and stores the new position in current position storage area 24.
Prior to determining a new cursor position and updating current position storage area 24, system 10 stores the current position of the cursor in return position storage area 26. This ensures that when the contents of display 16 return to its previous state, system 10
Can return the cursor to its previous position. The return position storage area 26 may be a part of the memory 14. For example, system 10 may be used with an operating system such as the Windows operating system. New window (eg dialog
When the Box window) is opened, the system
10 stores the current position of the cursor in the return position storage area 26. Then, when the new window is closed and the previous window is reopened, the system 10 returns the cursor to its previous position. In a graphical environment such as the Windows operating system,
The previous window is automatically reopened when the new window is closed. When another new window is opened, the system 10 saves the return position of each opened window in the return position storage area 26. Each window has a return position and an identifier (window ID) associated with it, and returns the cursor to its previous position when the associated window is no longer in use (end of launch). Therefore, the user does not have to manually change the cursor position on the display 16 by moving the mouse or manipulating the trackball,
You can select options from multiple windows.

The system 10 has a control list storage area 28. The control list storage area 28 is
Store a list of possible cursor positions on the new screen display. The contents of the control list storage area 28 corresponds to a list of options that the user can select. The options the user can select may vary from one application to another. For example, control list storage area 28
Has a list corresponding to locations of user selectable options such as control button icons or menu items displayed on the display 16. For convenience, user-selectable options are referred to herein as controls that indicate that they perform some control function of the software running on the computer. This control is defined by the particular application in a well-known manner not described here. Generally, one of the controls in the control list storage area 28 corresponds to a predetermined default selection for a particular application.
On operating systems such as the Windows operating system, the default selection is the flag
Indicated by data bits. This flag data bit is also stored in the control list storage area 28. The system 10 scans the control list storage area 28 to determine if one of the controls on the new screen display has a default selection. When the default selection is found by system 10, the system places the cursor at the location on display 16 that corresponds to the default selection. It should be noted that in a graphical environment (eg Windows operating system) the position of the control is fixed relative to the corresponding window. If the window itself is moved on the display 16, the position of the controls on the display will also change to maintain a fixed positional relationship to the window. If no default selection is found, the system 10 does not move the cursor when a new screen display is displayed. If the new screen display is part of the application program, the system 10 examines the new screen display and determines if any object on the new screen display corresponds to the control. To do. The system 10 analyzes the size and shape of the new screen display object to determine if any object corresponds to the control. Optionally, a graphical environment (eg Windows
Application programs written for the operating system) may use flag data bits to indicate a default selection, as described above. Controls are button icons, menus,
It should be noted that it can be an item, etc. Alternatively, the user can select a default location, such as a cell in a database application program. By placing the cursor in a position where the user can perform additional functions without additional manipulation of the cursor control device 18, the system 10 improves processing efficiency and enhances cursor movement functionality. The present invention is not limited to any particular display of controls.

System 10 allows a user to manually select a default selection for a screen display. Selection of a new default selection can be done by many well-known techniques.
One such example is the display of a dialog box that asks the user to make the current selection the default selection. Another example is a cursor control device
Using a second command input device (not shown) such as 18 second buttons or buttons on a keyboard (not shown),
There are indications to the system 10 that the user has chosen a different choice as the default choice. The new default selection can be marked with the flag data bit as described above.

System 10 includes a mechanism for automatically determining a default selection based on previous usage. This dynamic adaptive process is particularly useful when the user is not familiar with computer operation and the default selection cannot be easily changed manually. For example, in one mode of operation, the system 10 may use the previously used selection for a particular screen display as the default selection when that particular screen display is then displayed on the display 16. specify. Automatic selection of default selections can also be made based on other configurations with previous usage. For example, using an average of several previous selections or a time-weighted average of some previous selections for a particular screen display. When computing the time-weighted average, the most recent selection of the multiple choices is given greater weight. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that other techniques can be used to most preferably determine a user's choice among controls. Such techniques are included in the present invention. The system 10 places the cursor on the default selection.
The default selection can be manually selected by the user or
This is done either by the system, or by a combination of user and automatic selection.

The processing of system 10 is shown in the flow chart of FIG. 2 and is described below using the sample screen displays of FIGS. When a user initiates a computer process, the system 10 is activated by an automatic load of user commands or software to perform the system process. Display at Start 50 (Fig. 2)
16 activates the first window 29. display
16 includes a cursor 30 (arrow in FIG. 4). Display 16 may include one or more controls such as FILE button 32. User clicks the FILE button
Place the cursor 30 over the 32 and enter the command input device 20
Depressing (FIG. 1) selects the function associated with the FILE button 32. In response to the selection of the FILE button 32, the system 10 stores the current position of the cursor 30 in the return position storage area 26 in step 52. As mentioned above,
The system 10 uses this data stored in the return position storage area 26 to place the cursor 30 in its original position after the user selects a control or after the newly launched window has finished launching.

In step 54, the system 10 changes the screen display on the display 16 in response to a user selection or the launch of a new window.
This modified display is shown in FIG. FILE button
Multiple controls associated with 32 are displayed. These controls are predetermined by the particular software program running on the computer and can change by moving from one window to the next. In the example of FIG. 5, the controls are NEW button 34, OPEN button 36 and CLOSE button.
Contains 38. The NEW button 34 is used to create a new file. The OPEN button 36 is used to open an existing file. CLOSE button
38 is used to close the opened file. At step 56, various controls are loaded into control list 28 (FIG. 1) as the contents of display 16 are modified. The location of the controls on the display 16 is also predetermined by the particular software program running on the computer. In the example of FIG. 5, the NEW button 34 is the default selection.

The system 10 has a control list 28
The control in (Fig. 1) is analyzed sequentially and the cursor
Select the position where 30 will be placed. At decision step 58, the system 10 determines if the analyzed control matches the desired style. The "desired style" refers to a specific characteristic of the control. As mentioned above, the types of controls in the control list 28 are
Change from system to another. The process of matching controls to the desired style depends on the particular operating system, and whether the new screen display is a new window, menu, or
Or it depends on other factors such as whether it is an application program. For example, software such as the Windows operating system has flag data bits associated with the default selection, as described above. The system 10 uses this data flag bit to identify the default selection. In this example, the data flag bit identifies the control that has the desired style. In the application program, the display 10 may not have a data flag bit to identify the default selection. In such a situation, the system 10
Analyze the data on 16 and try to identify patterns such as buttons, menu items or other controls. In this example, the desired style is a pattern on the display 16 that appears like a button, menu item or other button.

If the analyzed control does not match the desired style, the result of decision step 58 is NO. In this case, the system 10 proceeds to decision step 60 to determine if the control parsed in the control list 28 is the last control in the list. If the control in control list 28 is the final control, the result of decision step 60 is YES.
Therefore, the system 10 ends the process in step 62 without changing the position of the cursor 30 (FIG. 5). If the analyzed control is not the final control on control list 28, the result of decision step 60 is NO. In this case, in step 64, the system 10
The next control is retrieved from control list 28 (FIG. 1) and control returns to decision step 58.

If the analyzed control matches the desired style, the result of decision step 58 is YES. In this case, in step 66, system 10 retrieves position data for the selected control. The position data for each control is provided to the operating system by individual application programs. This information is stored in memory 14 (FIG. 1) and retrieved by system 10. In step 68, the system positions the cursor 30 on the display 16 in the center of the position of the selected control (FIG. 5). In the example of FIG. 5, the system 10 places the cursor 30 in the center of the NEW button 34. The system 10 ends the cursor 30 placement process in step 70. Thus, when the user opens a new window, the cursor 30 is automatically located in the default position. In FIG. 5, the user is FI
The LE button 32 is selected and the system 10 automatically places the cursor 30 on the NEW button 34. Thus, the system 10 eliminates the time required for the operator to manually move the position of the cursor and reduces the fatigue experienced when manually moving the cursor.

Next, the user inputs the command input device 20.
The NEW button 34 of FIG. 5 can be selected by simply pressing (FIG. 1). When the user wants to select a control other than the NEW button 34, the user manually moves the cursor to another selection (eg, CLOSE button 38) (FIG. 6). When the user selects the CLOSE button 38, the system
10 displays the dialog box 40 shown in FIG. 7 according to the procedure described above. Dialog box 40 is essentially a new window that displays a message asking the user if they want to save the contents of the file. In addition, the dialog box 40 includes a YES button 42. This button causes the computer to save the contents of the file before closing it. The NO button 44 closes the file without the computer saving the file. The CANCEL button 46 cancels the file close selection. In the example of FIG. 7, the YES button 42 is the default selection. Because the user
This is because it is common to want to save any changes in an opened file. When the dialog box 40 is opened, the system 10 places the cursor 30 in the center of the YES button 42. If the user wishes to select the YES button 42, the user can select this default selection by simply pressing the command input device 20 (Fig. 1). Otherwise, the user uses the cursor control device 18 to move the cursor 30 to another control and presses the command input device 20 to select that control.

As mentioned above, when a new window is closed or a menu item is selected,
The system 10 returns the cursor 30 to its previous position. When the user selects the CLOSE button 38 in FIG. 6, the software running on the computer will see the NEW button 34,
Change the display 16 to erase the OPEN button 36 and CLOSE button 38. On the other hand, the system 10 moves the cursor to the previous position (that is, the FILE button 32) shown in FIG.
Do not return 30. This is because the display 16 (FIG. 1) displays another new window (dialog box 40) as shown in FIG. 7 by selecting the CLOSE button 38. Therefore, the display 16 does not return to the display of FIG. 4, and the cursor 30 is not placed on the FILE button 32.

On the other hand, the user selects YES button 42 or NO in FIG.
Selection from either button 44 or CANCEL button 46 causes the computer to close dialog box 40, return display 16 to the display shown in FIG. 4, and place cursor 30 on FILE button 32. This is system 10
Results from using the data stored in the return position storage area 26 (FIG. 1) to return the cursor 30 to the position where the display 16 has the display shown in FIG.

System for closing windows
The process of 10 is shown in the flowchart of FIG. The system 10 proceeds in step 78 to the current window (eg,
The dialog box 40) in FIG. 7 is deactivated. The deactivation may be done automatically as a result of the user selecting an option, such as selecting the YES button 42 in Figure 7, or the user may manually close the window by methods well known to those skilled in the art. As a result.

At decision step 80, the system determines the window ID of the current window and the stored window.
Compare with the list of IDs to determine if the current window ID is on the stored list of window IDs. As mentioned above, the window ID and return position are
It is stored in the return position storage area 26 (FIG. 1). If the current window ID is not in the stored list of window IDs, the result of decision step 80 is NO. In this case, the system 10 ends the window deactivation processing in step 82 and does not move the cursor 30. If the window ID is in the list of stored window IDs, the result of decision step 80 is YES. In this case, in step 84, system 10 positions cursor 30 at the return position associated with this particular window ID. In step 86, the system 10 returns the return position storage area 26.
Delete this window ID and return position from (Fig. 1). The system 10 ends the window close process at step 88.

The system 10 allows the user to quickly select some options without having to manually move the cursor. Although the above example of system 10 relates to a series of windows on display 16, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to computers displaying data in the form of windows. It will be easy to understand.

The above example opens a new window,
Display 16 by selecting menu options
7 illustrates the use of the system 10 to reposition the cursor when changes. The system 10 can also reposition the cursor at a predetermined position on the display 16, even when the display does not change. As described in more detail below, the system analyzes cursor movement when the user operates the cursor control device 18 and predicts an intended predetermined position based on the cursor movement. When the system 10 predicts the intended location, the system 10 automatically places the cursor at this intended location. For example, when the user moves the cursor in the direction of the FILE button 32 shown in FIG. 4, the system 10
The cursor 30 can be automatically placed at the position of the FILE button 32 on the display 16. This reduces the time required for the user to actually manually reposition the cursor at the intended location. This is the display
When the current position of the cursor 30 on the 16 is far from the intended position, that is, the user has to manually operate the cursor control device 18 (FIG. 1) excessively to move the cursor to a desired position. Especially effective for.

In the case where the display 16 does not change, the system 10 includes an actuation mechanism by which the system 10 can predict the intended position. By selectively activating this feature of the present invention, when the user simply moves the cursor to a position other than one of the predetermined positions on the display 16, the system 10 will reach the intended predicted position. Careless placement of the cursor is prevented. This actuation mechanism may be a menu selection allowing prediction of the intended position, or it may be the second command input device 21 (Fig. 1). When the second command input device 21 is used, the user can operate the second command input device 21 while operating the cursor control device 18.
You can press to make an automatic prediction of the intended position. The system 10 then automatically predicts the intended cursor position and positions the cursor at this intended predicted position. If the user does not press the second command input device 21, the system 10 does not predict the intended position. The automatic placement of the cursor 30 when the display 16 changes is not affected by the actuation mechanism described above.

Alternatively, system 10 may be designed to always predict the intended location. The second command input device 21 is used to instruct the system 10 to place the cursor at the intended predicted position.
In this case, the system 10 will always calculate the intended predicted position, but if the automatic relocation feature is not activated,
Do not put the cursor at the intended predicted position.

The process of making this prediction of the system 10 is illustrated in FIG.
Is shown in the flowchart. At step 100, the user operates the prediction process in the manner described above. In step 102, the system stores the current cursor position and stores it in memory 14 (FIG. 1). Step 104
At, the system waits for the next cursor control device event (eg, interrupt). In step 106, system 10 obtains the current cursor position. In step 108, the system 10 compares the current cursor position with the stored cursor position. In step 110, the system 10 determines the direction of cursor movement based on the current cursor position and the stored cursor position. In decision step 112, the system determines if there is control in the direction of cursor movement. In this example, the system 10 scans within a predetermined angle (eg, ± 5 degrees) from the current cursor position along the direction of cursor movement. The scan angle can be selected by the user according to the type of screen display. The present invention is not limited to a particular scan angle. If there are no controls in this scan area, the result of decision step 112 is
If NO, the system returns to step 102 and repeats the above process. If there are controls in the scan area,
The judgment result is YES. In this case, the control within the scan area is designated as the intended predicted position. If more than one control is in the scan area,
The system 10 designates the control closest to the actual cursor movement direction as the intended predicted placement. In step 114, the system 10 positions the cursor in the center of the intended predicted position. The system returns to step 102 after step 114 and repeats the above process.

The system 10 may also dynamically change the cursor control signals used to position the cursor 30 on the display 16 to simplify the process of positioning the cursor on the control. In one embodiment, the cursor
When the 30 is placed on a control with the display 16, the system 10 displays the cursor sensitivity storage area 19 (FIG. 1).
The sensitivity value stored in is dynamically changed. As mentioned above, the user can adjust the sensitivity value such that one unit of movement of the cursor control device 18 corresponds to the selected number of movement units of the cursor 30 on the display 16.
The larger the sensitivity value, the larger the amount of movement of the cursor 30 with respect to the amount of operation given to the cursor control device 18.
The CPU 12 determines the value of the data of the cursor 30, that is, the cursor control signal in response to both the electric signal and the sensitivity value generated by the cursor control device 18, and changes the current position storage area 24 accordingly. In the standard operation, the sensitivity value is predetermined or selected by the user and stored in the cursor sensitivity storage area 19 (FIG. 1).

When the cursor 30 is in the vicinity of the control, the system 10 reduces the sensitivity value to a divisor of 10, so that one unit movement of the cursor control device 18 results in a previously obtained movement of the cursor 30. It should be 1/10 of the above. In fact, the cursor 30 slows down as it passes near the control. The position of the control is
Obtained from Control List 28 (Figure 1). In this example, the sensitivity value is displayed by cursor 30
It only changes when it actually exists in 16 control positions. It goes without saying that the region where the sensitivity value is changed and the amount of change in the sensitivity value are not limited to the specific example shown here.

The processing of the system 10 in this embodiment is as follows.
This is shown in the flow chart of FIG. System 10
Processing starts at start 120. In step 122, system 10 obtains the current position of the cursor. The current position of this cursor is stored in the current position storage area 24 (FIG. 1). In decision step 124, the system determines if the current position of the cursor matches the position of the control on display 16. If the current cursor position does not correspond to the position of the control on display 16, the result of decision step 124 is NO and the system returns to step 122. If the current cursor position corresponds to the control position on the display 16, the result of decision step 124 is YES.
In this case, the system 10
Decrease the cursor sensitivity value. As described above, the cursor sensitivity value is stored in the cursor sensitivity storage area 19 (FIG. 1).

In step 128, the system 10 obtains the current position of the cursor from the current position storage area 24. At decision step 130, the system 10 determines if the current position of the cursor still matches the position of the control on the display 16. If the current position of the cursor matches the position of the control on display 16, the result of decision step 130 is YES. In this case, the system returns to step 128 and maintains the sensitivity value at the reduced level. If the current position of the cursor no longer matches the position of the control on display 16, the result of decision step 130 is NO. In this case, the system 10 returns the cursor sensitivity value to the initial value in step 132. The system 10 ends the process at step 134. In this way, the cursor
It can be seen that the moving speed is always slow when the upper position matches the control position. This technique simplifies the process of placing the cursor 30 on the control. This is especially useful for novice users who are new to the handling of cursor control device 18 and for small children who do not have the navigation technology to quickly and accurately position the cursor on small controls on display 16.

In another embodiment, the system 10 includes a cursor.
Some direct the 30 to the control, but do not calculate the intended position and place the cursor at the intended position as described above. Instead, system 10 adds a correction signal to the cursor control signal calculated by CPU 12 when the cursor is in the vicinity of the control. Figure
Control 150 on display 16, as shown in 10
Are surrounded by a predetermined control area 152. When the cursor 30 is outside the control area 152, the system 10 does not add any correction signal to the control signal. On the other hand, when the cursor 30 is in the control area 152, the system 10 determines the cursor position corresponding to the central position 154 of the control 150 and adds a correction vector (error vector) having X and Y coordinates to the cursor control signal. Generate a correction signal in the form of 156. Whenever the current position of the cursor 30 is determined by the system 10,
Compute the correction vector 156. Whenever the cursor is in the control area 152, the correction vector 156 moves the cursor 30 toward the central position 154 of the control 150.

The effect of the correction vector 156 can be seen in FIG. In FIG. 10, the initial movement direction of the cursor 30 is the direction of the arrow 158. Cursor 30 is the control area
When outside of 152, system 10 does not generate a correction signal and the cursor moves linearly. If the system 10 does not generate a correction signal, the cursor 30 continues to move past the control area 152 in the direction of arrow 160. However, when the cursor 30 is inside the control area 152, the system 10 calculates a correction vector 156 and adds it to the cursor control signal. The direction of the correction vector 156 is toward the center 154 of the control 150. Therefore, the correction vector 156 causes the cursor 30 to center 154.
Be moved towards. As mentioned above, the CPU 12
(FIG. 1) uses the electrical signal generated by the cursor control device 18 and the sensitivity value stored in the cursor sensitivity storage area 19 to generate a cursor control signal in the form of X and Y coordinates. The CPU 12 applies the X and Y coordinate elements of the correction vector 156 to the cursor control signal to move the cursor 30 toward the center 154 of the control 150.

The effect of the correction vector 156 can be compared to the gravity effect in which the cursor 30 is "attracted" to the control 150. According to this analogy, the control area 152 is the space where the “gravitational effect” of the control 150 affects the cursor 30. If the user continues to operate the cursor control device 18 past the control 150 so that the cursor 30 moves out of the control area 152, the cursor 30 resumes movement in the direction of arrow 164.
It should be noted that the moving direction of the cursor 30 indicated by the arrow 164 is the same as the moving direction indicated by the arrow 158. Therefore, the correction vector 156, which is only effective in the control area 152, allows the user to
The movement of the cursor 30 can be continued in the desired direction.

Other cursor control devices generate an interrupt in the CPU 12 only when moved by the user, but there is also a cursor control device which generates an interrupt in the CPU 12 regardless of whether or not the cursor control device is moved. It should be noted that. In this embodiment, the system 10 produces the correction vector 156 only when there is movement of the cursor control device 18. Regardless of whether the user operates the cursor control device 18, if the system 10 always adds the correction vector 156, the cursor is in the cursor area.
The cursor 30 will automatically be attracted to the center point 154 even if it is within 152 and not moved by the user.

The use of correction vector 156 by system 10 is shown in the flow chart of FIG. System 10
Starts processing at start 136. In step 138,
The system displays the current position of the cursor in the current position storage area 24
(Figure 1). At decision step 140, the system 10 determines if the cursor 30 is within the control area 152 (FIG. 10). If the cursor is not in the control area 152, the result of decision step 140 is NO.
And the system returns to step 138. If the current position of the cursor is within the control area 152, the result of decision step 140 is YES. In this case, the step
At 142, the system 10 uses the correction vector 156 (see FIG.
0) is calculated and the cursor 30 moves toward the center point 154 (FIG. 10). The magnitude of the correction vector 156 can be calculated by many different methods (discussed below).

In step 144, the system 10 adds the correction vector 156 to the cursor control signal. Step
At 146, the system 10 moves the current position storage area 24 so that the cursor 30 is at the new position on the display 16.
(Figure 1) is updated. The new position of the cursor 30 contains the effect of the correction vector 156. Following step 146, the system returns to step 138. As the cursor 30 moves on the display 16 in a smooth motion,
It should be noted that the cursor position is continuously updated by system 10. As long as the cursor 30 is within the control area 152, the correction vector 156 is calculated each time the cursor position is updated. Thus, the system 10 calculates the correction vector 156 only when the cursor 30 is within the control area 152.

As a method of calculating the correction vector 156,
There are various well known in the art (not detailed here). As one of the methods,
Some calculate the relative position of the cursor 30 with respect to 154 and generate a correction vector 156 having a constant size and a direction from the current position of the cursor to the center point 154.
Alternatively, the system may actually use the gravity equation working between two bodies. The gravity equation is shown below.

G = m ₁ m ₂ / d ²

Here, m ₁ and m ₂ are the masses of the two objects, respectively. d is the distance between the two objects. As can be seen from this equation, gravity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between two objects. The magnitude of the correction vector 156 corresponds to the gravity value G. The "mass" of control 150 corresponds to the relative importance of the control.

In this embodiment, the cursor 30 is designated to have a certain importance value as its "mass". Different controls on display 16 (Figure 1)
Can also have different mass values depending on, for example, the relative selection frequency of how often the control was previously selected, or whether the control was the default selection. Default selections (default controls) have greater importance than others (less important controls), so
Designated to have larger mass values. Due to the effect of different mass values, the cursor 30 is "attracted" to the default selection rather than other adjacent controls. Similarly, the more frequently used controls are designated to have higher mass values, so that the cursor 30 is attracted to the control that the user has selected more.

The "gravitational effect" of the control is shown in FIG. In FIG. 12, the cursor 30 is in the control area 152 and is equidistant from the center point 154 ′ of the control 166 and the center point 154 ″ of the control 168.
In the example of FIG. 12, control 168 is a default value and has a value of 3 (ie, a mass value of 3) as the designated importance. Control 166 has a value of 1 as the designated importance. System 10 control 16
Compute a correction vector 170 in the direction of the center point 154 'of 6 and a correction vector 172 in the direction of the center point 154 "of the control 168. Since the control 168 has a greater importance value, the magnitude of the correction vector 172 is , Correction vector
That's three times the size of 170. The two correction vectors 170 and 172 are summed to produce a correction vector 156.
By giving the net effect of the two correction vectors 170 and 172 to the cursor 30, the cursor 30 is "attracted" and guided towards the control 168 of higher importance. Cursor 30 controls 168
The magnitude of the correction vector increases as it approaches, since it is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the cursor and the center point 154 'of the control 166 in the gravity equation.

When the user selects a particular control, the importance value of the control can be dynamically changed. For example, the importance value of the set of control groups may initially be the same. However, when the user selects one of those controls, its importance value is made relatively higher than the others, which allows the user to later select the same control. It will be easier. The more often the user selects a particular control, the cursor 30
You will be guided towards that control. System 10 calculates a correction vector based on the importance values of controls 166 and 168 as well as the distance between cursor 30 and center point 154. Therefore, the magnitude of the correction vector 156 depends not only on the relative importance value of the controls, but also on the distance from the controls 166 and 168 to the cursor 30.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the display 16
Other equations can be used to determine the magnitude of the correction vector based on the relative importance of the various controls above. It should be noted that the display 16 in the above example is displaying data in a two dimensional format. However, the principle of the present invention is 3
Display that can display data in dimensional format
It is equally applicable to 16.

While various embodiments and advantages of the present invention have been described, the above description is illustrative only and changes can be made in detail within the broad principles of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is limited only by the claims.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a system according to the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Fig. 1 when opening a new window.
3 is a flowchart of the processing of the system.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of processing of the system of FIG. 1 when closing a window.

FIG. 4 shows a sample screen display showing the operation of the system of FIG.

5 shows a sample screen display showing the operation of the system of FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a sample screen display showing the operation of the system of FIG.

7 shows a sample screen display showing the operation of the system of FIG.

8 is a flow chart of the process of the system of FIG. 1 in predicting the intended user's position on an unchanged screen display.

9 is a flowchart of processing of the system of FIG. 1 when placing a cursor near a control.

FIG. 10 shows a sample screen display magnified to show the process of the system of FIG. 1 for generating a correction signal that places the cursor over the control.

11 is a flowchart of the processing of the system of FIG. 1 when calculating a correction signal for placing the cursor on the control.

FIG. 12 shows a sample screen display enlarged to show the process of the system of FIG. 1 for producing a correction signal having a variable magnitude with the cursor over the control.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 System 12 CPU 14 Memory 16 Display 18 Cursor control device 19 Cursor sensitivity storage area 20 Command input device 21 Second command input device 22 Bus 24 Current position storage area 26 Return position storage area 28 Control list 29 Window 30 Cursor 32 FILE button 34 NEW button 36 OPEN button 38 CLOSE button

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Paul E Henderson, Jr., Washington, USA 98007 Bellview Dee 104 One-Handed and Forty-Ace Avenue Northeast 4269 (72) Inventor Samuel H. Smith, California 94309 Stamford Pea Boxes 10143 (72) Inventor Carl Tea Herings, Washington, USA 98004 Redmond Ninety Second Avenue Northeast 3429 (72) Inventor, James A Andrews, Washington, United States 98027 Ithaca Two Hundred and Twelve's Avenue Southeast 1704 (72) Inventor Eric W. Hanson, USA, Washington 98005 Bellevue Jay 301, One-Handed and 8th Avenue, Southeast East 3050 (72) Inventor Timothy Brewer, Washington, USA 98117 Seattle, Thirteenth Avenue Northeast, 2-7326 (72) Inventor Teresa El Kelsey Washington, USA 98116 Seattle Sixtyth Avenue Southwest 3013 (72) Inventor Antony Earl Cloughlin United States Washington 98007 Bellevue One Hundred and Forty's Place Northeast 1307 (72) Inventor Daniel S. Hoger United States Washington 98072 Woodin Ville One Hundred And Ninety Sevens Aveni New North East 17655 (72) Inventor Laura Kay McCambridge Washington, USA 98008 Bellevue One Hundred and Seventy Nine's Place Northeast 1920

Claims (41)

[Claims] 1. A system for controlling the position of a cursor on a computer display, storing position data corresponding to a first position of the cursor on a first screen display on the computer display. A first storage area for changing the first screen display to a second storage area
A second storage area for storing position data corresponding to at least a first intended position of the cursor on the second screen display, Locating means for placing the cursor at the first intended position of the second screen display in response to the generation of the first screen display and the first screen display when the computer returns to the first screen display. Repositioning means for moving the cursor to the first position on the screen display of. 2. The second storage area stores position data corresponding to a plurality of intended positions of the cursor on the second screen display, the system including the plurality of intents. The system of claim 1, further comprising selection means for selecting one of the defined locations as the first intended location. 3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said selecting means uses a flag bit to determine said one intended position. 4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the selecting means determines the one intended position based on sizes and shapes of a plurality of objects displayed on the computer display. system. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first screen display is a first window having a plurality of user selectable options. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second screen display is a second window and the modifying means includes means for opening the second window. 7. The second screen display of claim 1, wherein the second screen display includes a menu having a plurality of user-selectable options, and the editing means includes means of displaying the menu. System. 8. One of the plurality of user selectable options corresponds to a default option, and the position of the default option is the first intended position on the second screen display. The system of claim 7, which is selected as: 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second screen display is part of an application program and the modifying means includes means for activating the application program. 10. The second screen display includes a plurality of predetermined locations on the computer display that correspond to a plurality of user selectable options, the second screen display comprising: The system of claim 1, wherein the first intended position of a display corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined positions. 11. The method further comprising user selectable means allowing the user to select the one predetermined position as the first intended position on the second screen display. The system described in 10. 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising automatic selection means for automatically selecting the one predetermined position as the first intended position of the second screen display. System. 13. The automatic selection means selects the one predetermined position on the second screen display based on a previous one selection of the one predetermined position. 13. The system of claim 12, which is selected as the intended location. 14. The automatic selection means selects the one predetermined position on the second screen display based on a plurality of previous selections of the one predetermined position. 13. The system of claim 12, which is selected as the intended location of the. 15. The automatic selection means is based on a time-weighted average of the plurality of previous selections,
15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one predetermined location is selected as the first intended location on the second screen display. 16. A system for controlling the position of a cursor on a computer display, the input means for inputting cursor position data to a computer, the intended user's destination of the cursor on the display. Predicting means for predicting, and placing means for placing the cursor at the destination of the intended user based on the predicting means for predicting the destination of the intended user. 17. The predicting means determines the cursor movement direction by examining the cursor position data, and determines whether the cursor movement direction substantially matches a user-selectable option. Predicting an intended user destination, wherein the user selectable option is indicated as the intended user destination when the cursor movement direction substantially matches the user selectable option. The system of claim 16, wherein the system is: 18. A method for controlling the position of a cursor on a computer display connected to a computer, said method corresponding to a first position of said cursor on a first screen display on said computer display. Position data to be stored, changing the first screen display to a second
Generating a screen display, storing position data corresponding to at least a first intended position of the cursor on the second screen display, in response to generating the second screen display,
The first in the second screen display
Of the first screen of the first screen display when the cursor returns to the first screen display and the computer returns to the first screen display.
Moving the cursor to the intended position of the method. 19. The computer stores position data corresponding to a plurality of intended cursor positions on the second screen display, wherein one of the plurality of intended positions is the first position. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of selecting as one intended location. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the selecting step uses a flag bit to determine the one intended position. 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of selecting is to select the one intended location based on the size and shape of a plurality of objects displayed on the computer display. the method of. 22. The second screen display includes a plurality of predetermined locations on the computer display that correspond to a plurality of user selectable options, the second screen display comprising: The first intended position on a display corresponds to one of the plurality of predetermined positions,
19. The method of claim 18. 23. The method further comprising sensing user input and allowing a user to select the one predetermined location as the first intended location on the second screen display. The method according to Item 22. 24. The method of claim 22, further comprising automatically selecting the one predetermined position as the first intended position on the second screen display. 25. The step of automatically selecting is based on a previous selection of the one predetermined position,
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the one predetermined location is selected as the first intended location on the second screen display. 26. The step of automatically selecting selects the one predetermined position in the second screen display based on a plurality of previous selections of the one predetermined position. 25. The method of claim 24, which is selected as the first intended location. 27. The automatically selecting step determines the one predetermined position in the second screen display based on a time-weighted average of the plurality of previous selections. 27. The method of claim 26, which is selected as the first intended location. 28. A method of controlling the position of a cursor on a computer display connected to a computer, the method comprising: inputting cursor position data to the computer, the intended user's destination of the cursor on the display. And positioning the cursor at the intended user's destination based on the prediction of the intended user's destination. 29. The step of making a prediction examines the cursor position data to determine a cursor movement direction and determines whether the cursor movement direction is substantially consistent with a user selectable option. 28. The user-selectable option is indicated as the intended user's destination when the cursor movement direction substantially matches the user-selectable option. The method described in. 30. A system for controlling the position of a cursor on a computer display, which, under the control of a user, generates an electrical signal corresponding to a desired movement of the cursor on the computer display. A cursor control device, a cursor storage area for storing position data corresponding to the current position of the cursor on the computer display, a sensitivity value corresponding to the responsiveness of movement of the cursor control device of the cursor on the computer display And a cursor sensitivity storage area for storing a sensitivity value having an initial sensitivity value, a control storage area for storing position data corresponding to the position of the control on the computer display, and the current position of the cursor is Near the position of the control The Rutoki, to reduce the sensitivity value from the initial sensitivity value, the system comprising, changing means for changing the sensitivity value in accordance with the current position of the cursor in the vicinity of the position of the control. 31. The changing means resets the sensitivity value to the initial sensitivity value when the current position of the cursor is not near the position of the control.
The system described in. 32. A system for controlling the position of a cursor on a computer display, the cursor control generating an electrical signal corresponding to a desired movement of the cursor on the computer display under control of a user. A device, a cursor storage area for storing position data corresponding to a current position of the cursor on the computer display, and a control signal for controlling the position of the cursor on the computer display in response to the electric signal. Cursor position means, a control storage area for storing position data corresponding to the position of the control on the computer display, and a position correction signal added to the control signal to move the cursor toward the position of the control So that the control Systems including, changing means for changing the control signal in response to the current position of the cursor in the vicinity of the position of the le. 33. The cursor position means includes first and second cursors of the cursor on the computer display.
Of the first and second directions respectively corresponding to the moving directions orthogonal to each other
Control signal is generated, and the correction signal includes first and second orthogonal signals added to the first and second control signals, respectively, so that the cursor moves toward the position of the control. 33. The system of claim 32, which includes a correction vector that 34. The system of claim 33, wherein the first and second correction vectors have a constant magnitude and a direction substantially toward the position of the control. 35. The first and second correction vectors have a magnitude depending on a distance between the current position of the cursor and the position of the control, and a direction substantially toward the position of the control. 34. The system of claim 33, which is 36. The control storage area stores position data corresponding to positions of first and second controls on the computer display, and the position of the first control is designated by a first designation. The second control position has a second designated value, and the changing means respectively has the first value.
And a second correction signal having a correction value corresponding to the second designated value, respectively.
The system of claim 32. 37. The cursor position means is for generating first and second control signals respectively corresponding to first and second orthogonal movement directions of the cursor on the computer display. Each of the first and second correction signals causes the cursor to move toward the one of the positions of the first and second controls having the greater designated value. 36. Includes first and second orthogonal correction vectors applied to the two control signals, respectively.
The system described in. 38. The system of claim 37, wherein the first and second correction vectors have magnitudes that depend on the first and second designated values, respectively. 39. The magnitude of each of the first and second correction vectors depending on the distance between the corrected position of the cursor and the position of the first and second controls, and the first correction vector. 38. The system of claim 37, which has a direction toward the one of the second control positions having the greater significance value. 40. The system of claim 32, further comprising value changing means for changing the first and second designated values. 41. The system of claim 40, wherein the value changing means changes the first designated value based on a previous selection of a position of the first control.