Claims
- 1. A computer implemented method for selecting from a group of spatially organized graphical objects within a graphics space contained in a memory in a computer, one of said graphical objects having a target characteristic, wherein said graphics space is divided into quadrants and wherein each quadrant may be subdivided into quadrants, and wherein a portion of said memory corresponds to each of said quadrants, and wherein each of said graphical objects is stored in one of said corresponding portions of said memory which corresponds to a location within said graphics space of each one of said graphical objects, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) locating a cursor in said graphics space;
- (b) selecting a quadrant in which said cursor is located;
- (c) determining whether said selected quadrant has been subdivided;
- (d) in response to said selected quadrant being subdivided, selecting a quadrant which is a subdivided portion of said selected quadrant in which said cursor is located and thereafter repeating steps (c) through (d); and
- (e) in response to said selected quadrant being undivided, selecting a graphical object in said selected quadrant that is closest in physical proximity to said cursor located within said graphics space.
- 2. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 1 wherein said computer has a display, and wherein said method further comprises the step of:
- (f) providing a visual indicia within said display associated with said selected object.
- 3. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 2 wherein said visual indicia includes any of highlighting said selected object, offsetting said selected object, blinking said selected object, changing a thickness of said selected object, changing a style of said selected object, outlining said selected object, inverting video of said selected object, attaching handles to said selected object, displaying a name of said selected object, displaying attributes of said selected object, displaying arrows near said selected object, displaying a pointing finger near said selected object, replicating said selected object into a box, displacing said selected object to an offset location, displaying a halo around said selected object, changing a color of said selected object, and displaying a marquee around said selected object.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/819,250, filed Jan. 10, 1992, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4698625 |
McCaskill et al. |
Oct 1987 |
|
4788538 |
Klein et al. |
Apr 1987 |
|
4972319 |
Delorme |
Nov 1990 |
|
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0203324 |
Mar 1986 |
EPX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
819250 |
Jan 1992 |
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