Patent Grant
6940488
The present invention relates to the field of systems and methods for receiving input signals from computer input devices such as an ergonomically designed pointing device and providing such signals as user commands to a computer to adjust displayable data files such as documents.
Various computer input devices are currently employed to provide a variety of input signals to computers for certain applications. For example, keyboards are an ideal method of inputting alphanumeric characters to the computer for most applications. Joysticks, often used with computer games, provide two-dimensional position signals based on wrist movement. Joysticks provide a particularly intuitive way of providing position signals that correspond to movement either within the plane of the computer screen, or movement perpendicular to the plane of the computer screen (i.e., virtual movement into and out of the screen). Joysticks, however, are bulky and at times awkward, particularly when used in a business setting.
In contrast, most computer pointing devices, such as mice and trackballs, are less bulky. Mice and trackballs both include a housing partially enclosing a rotatable ball and have one or more actuatable buttons. Electronic encoders sense the rotation of the ball and generate signals (“counts”) that indicate the ball's rotation. The counts are used to control the magnitude and direction of two-dimensional movement of a cursor or pointer on a display screen of the computer. Such mice, however, provide only two position signals corresponding to two-dimensional movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,919 to Chang and U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,230 to Venolia et al. describe mice capable of providing three-dimensional position signals that permit the illusory positioning of the cursor in three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional video display device. The patents describe mouse-input devices having a rotatable ball and a thumbwheel for providing input signals representing three-dimensional movement.
The devices disclosed by Chang and Venolia et al. teach providing only three-dimensional position signals to a computer. As noted, standard mice and trackballs provide only two-dimensional position signals to a computer. There is a need, however, for a more robust input system for providing various input signals to a computer to control not only three-dimensional positions of an object, but other options or attributes for that object.
Several of such currently available pointing devices for providing multiple input signals to a computer have disadvantages, however, in that they are uncomfortable or difficult to use, especially for relatively long periods of time. This may manifest itself in several ways, for example, the finger or hand of a user may feel tired after operating the pointing device for any length of time. Therefore, a need exists for a pointing device for providing multiple input signals to a computer that is more comfortable and easy to use.
A U.S. patent application by one of the coinventors entitled “3-D Cursor Positioning Device,” Ser. No. 08/467,549, filed Jun. 6, 1995, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/178,524, filed Jan. 6, 1994 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,344), is assigned to the assignee of the present application. This application describes an input device for a computer that has a rotatable ball coupled with first and second transducers to produce first and second signals indicating rotation of the ball as with standard mice and trackballs. The input device also includes a roller protruding from the top or side of the device which is coupled to a third transducer for providing a third signal that indicates rotation of the roller. The third signal can be used not only for providing a third position signal, but also can be used to control a non-positional characteristic of an item displayed on a computer's visual display. The displayed item or “video object” can be a cursor, graphic, or other image or graphical data represented on the visual display. The first and second input signals can be used as standard position signals to position a cursor on a selected video object, while the roller can be rotated to provide the third signal that adjusts a characteristic “appearance” of the video object, such as the size, color, style, font, border, arrangement, brightness, etc. of the object.
The input device of the application is also directed to a system for selecting one of several overlapping windows or “plys.” Typical methods of selecting one of several overlapping plys requires users to position the cursor on the desired ply and clicking the mouse to select that ply. The device in the application is directed to a system that allows the third signals produced by rotation of the roller to scroll through and select one of several overlapping plys (i.e., windows), where at least one of the plys is capable of fully obscuring at least some of the other plys. Each of the several plys corresponds to a predetermined amount of rotation of the rotatable roller. A computer is responsive to the third signal to determine a user selected amount of rotation of the roller so as to scroll through and select a visually obscured ply with the predetermined amount of rotation that corresponds to the user's selected amount of rotation and thereby display a selected ply.
As explained above, pointing devices typically provide two-dimensional position signals to a computer. Certain pointing devices allow three or more signals to be input to a computer to permit illusory positioning of a cursor in three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional visual display. The above-described application also describes the third signal to control the non-positional aspect or “appearance” of a selected object displayed on the visual display, or to select one of several overlapping plys.
Improving upon the device and system of the coinventor's prior application, a similar user input device such as a mouse is preferably coupled to a computer having a visual display device. The computer is capable of displaying a data file such as a word processing document or a spreadsheet document, where the data file has adjustable display characteristics such as size (zoom) or data structure (content). As the user rotates the roller, the mouse generates roller signals that are interpreted by the computer. The roller signals, together with a given application, can preferably be used in at least two inventive techniques for navigating through a document: “spatial navigation” and “data navigation.”
There are at least five modes of spatial navigation. In the first mode, a user preferably rotates the roller to cause the computer and display device to adjust the magnification of the data file or document being displayed, and thereby zoom into and out of the document. For example, in a word processing document, a user can rotate the roller in one direction to zoom out from displaying only a portion of a page of the document to displaying several complete pages of the document simultaneously on the display device.
In a second spatial navigation mode, the user can rotate the roller or move the mouse to pan through the document in a selected direction. The panning mode is particularly suited for a large two dimensional document whose length and width are much greater than the size of the display device. In a third spatial navigation mode, the user can initially rotate the roller or move the mouse to cause the document to automatically and continuously scroll in a direction and at a rate based upon the initial rotation of the roller or movement of the mouse without the need for additional user input. As a result, the automatic scroll mode frees the user's hands to perform additional tasks.
In a fourth spatial navigation mode, the user can continually rotate the roller to navigate through the document to scroll up or down through a lengthy document. In a fifth spatial navigation mode, the user can rotate the roller or move the mouse to scroll through a document using scroll bars provided in a window display in the document.
Under the data navigation technique, the user can rotate the roller to view differing levels of content or detail with respect to a data file whenever data is grouped into hierarchical or logical structures. For example, in a spreadsheet document, the user can rotate the roller to thereby produce signals to the computer, which in turn change the display from daily totals to weekly, monthly, and finally annual totals during full rotation of the roller. As a result, by simply rotating the roller, a user can hide or suppress the display of detailed data for a given document such as a spreadsheet. Actuation of a special function key on a keyboard, or actuation of a switch associated with the roller, is preferably used to select between the spatial and data navigation techniques and between each of the different modes of spatial navigation (as described below).
Overall, the present invention provides the ability to quickly navigate through a document by displaying a high-level representation of the document on the display device, possibly the entire document simultaneously, to locate a desired location in the document, rather than having to repeatedly depress page down/page up or cursor movement keys on a keyboard or using scroll bars in MICROSOFT® WINDOWS® applications. The present invention also provides an ability to move from a detailed view of the data or content of a document up to a summary view of the data whenever data can be grouped into higher level categories. The present invention is particularly applicable to various software applications including word processor applications such as MICROSOFT® WORD®, spreadsheet applications such as MICROSOFT® EXCEL®, database applications such as MICROSOFT® ACCESS®, file management applications such as MICROSOFT® EXPLORER®, time management applications such as MICROSOFT® SCHEDULE PLUS®, project planning applications such as MICROSOFT® PROJECT®, presentation design and planning applications such as MICROSOFT® POWER POINTS®, and navigation applications for the Internet or other distributed networks such as MICROSOFT® INTERNET EXPLORER®.
In a broad sense, an embodiment of the present invention provides an information display and user command input system including a computer and an aggregation of related data having groups of displayable data, each group having an amount of displayable data. The computer has a memory and a visual display device, the computer selectively displaying on the visual display device displayable data of the aggregation of data for each of the groups of data.
A user command input device is coupled to the computer and has a housing, and first and second transducers supported by the housing. The input device receives user commands indicative of movement in two orthogonal directions and outputs respective first and second signals to the computer in response thereto. The user command input device also has a user actuatable member supported by the housing, capable of being actuated in only a selected plurality of positions to cause a third signal to be outputted to the computer indicating the user's actuation of the actuatable member to one or more of the discrete positions. Each group of the aggregation of data corresponds to the selected amount of discrete actuation of the actuatable member. The computer is responsive to the third signal to determine the user selected amount of discrete actuation of the actuatable member and select a group of displayable data from the aggregation of data that corresponds to the user selected amount of discrete actuation, and to display the selected group of displayable data on the visual display device.
The present invention also embodies a method of using a 3-dimensional computer input device to display information, the input device being coupled to a computer. The computer input device has a switch, a rotatable ball, a user actuatable member moveable in opposing directions, and at least a first transducer. The computer has a visual display device capable of displaying a file, where the file has levels of displayable data.
The method includes the steps of: (i) moving the actuatable member to only one of a plurality of discrete positions; (ii) generating a first computer signal from the first transducer indicative of the user selected discrete amount of movement of the actuatable member; (iii) outputting the first computer signal to the computer; (iv) selecting a predetermined level of displayable data for the file based on the first signal; and (v) displaying the predetermined level of displayable data on the visual display device.
The present invention also provides a pointing device that has an ergonomic design. The roller or wheel extends above an upper surface of the pointing device by a selected amount and is positioned in a front region of the pointing device such that a user may rotate and depress the wheel with an index finger while maintaining the index finger in a biomechanically neutral position.
In a preferred embodiment, a body of the pointing device is configured in accordance with the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,445, to Kaneko et al., which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The top surface of the body slopes upward from a front end of the pointing device to a high point, and slopes downward from the high point to a low back end, the curvature of the top surface and low back end allowing a user to position their lower palm on a work surface while the user's hand plane is supported by the pointing device.
In addition to the placement and height of the wheel, aspects of an embodiment include the wheel width, profile and material, which act together to allow a user to comfortably and accurately actuate the wheel, while maintaining the finger and hand in a biomechanically neutral position.
The wheel and associated structure can be configured to provide feedback to the user, thereby allowing the user to intuitively control the pointing device. The wheel is movable to a number of discrete positions, where movement of the wheel to each location results in a signal being sent to the computer. By controlling the amount of force and torque required to depress and rotate the wheel, and by configuring the structure associated with movement of the wheel to discrete positions in accordance with the present invention, inadvertent actuation of the pointing device is reduced, and the user may associate a given motion of the wheel with a given result, thereby allowing the user to intuitively actuate the wheel.
Overall, the present invention provides a system and method that intuitively provides visual feedback to a user as the user moves from summary-to detail in various data files or aggregations of data such as documents. As the user rotates the roller on the mouse (or moves the mouse), the user navigates through the document, or through data in the document, which is displayed on the display device, so that for a selected amount of rotation of the roller, a selected portion of the document is displayed on the display device. The roller provides a particularly intuitive way for users to navigate into and out of the area or “space” and data of a document. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from studying the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment, together with the following drawings.
A system and method of adjusting display characteristics of a document or data file in a computer system is described. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention, such as mechanical construction and components of a computer input device, certain steps performed by the computer system for adjusting display characteristics of a document, etc. One skilled in the relevant art, however, will find it obvious that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and methods are not shown or discussed in detail so that the description of the present invention is not unnecessarily obscured.
Referring to
As illustrated in
A cord 110, extending from a front end 28 of the mouse 101, couples the mouse to the computer 109. The computer 109 includes a visual display device 112 such as a cathode ray tube (“CRT”), active matrix display, or other suitable display device. The display device 112 is capable of displaying a pointer 113 and windows displaying documents, as described below. The computer 109 includes storage or memory 114 and a processor 115. A keyboard 116 is coupled to the computer 109.
The upper and lower housings 102 and 103 form a body 117 of the mouse 101, which is configured under the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,445 to Kaneko et al., incorporated herein by reference. As a result, the mouse 101 provides support for a user's hand plane when a user positions a metacarpal-phalangeal joint ridge on a high point 30 of the body 117, and allows a user to grasp and use the mouse 101 while maintaining a wrist in a biomechanically neutral position. The wheel 106 is configured and positioned such that while a user's metacarpal-phalangeal joint ridge is resting on the high point 30 of the body 117, the user may rotate and activate the wheel 106 with a finger, e.g., the index finger, while maintaining the finger in a biomechanically neutral position. Specifically, in this context, a biomechanically neutral position refers to a position that provides access to the wheel 106 without exceeding a desired degree of flexion or range of motion for the finger. Although different fingers may be used, the index finger generally provides the greatest motor control at a fine scale, and the wheel 106 is therefore positioned to be reached and actuated most effectively by the index finger 26 of the user (FIG. 4).
These benefits are achieved in a preferred embodiment of the present invention by providing a wheel 106 that extends above an upper surface 118 of the upper housing 102 of the mouse 101, preferably by no more than approximately 0.1 inch, as illustrated in
It is believed that the preferred embodiment of the invention described herein provides an ergonomic pointing device that will accommodate North American adult users falling within an ergonomically defined range, from a 5th percentile female to a 95th percentile male. The range is based on hand size, a larger percentage being assigned to a larger hand, and vice versa. This means that the ergonomic pointing device described herein is believed to accommodate a group of users ranging from a woman in the 5th percentile, having a relatively small hand, to a man in the 95th percentile, having a relatively large hand. It will be appreciated that users falling outside this design range may still enjoy advantages from the preferred embodiment and that alternate preferred embodiments can be developed for other target user groups (e.g., males with hand sizes above the 95th percentile) in accordance with the present invention.
Therefore, by providing a pointing device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a user having a hand size that falls within a 5th percentile female to a 95th percentile male of North American adults may grasp the mouse 101 and actuate the wheel 106 within an acceptable range of neutral motion for the finger. As illustrated in
By minimizing finger flexion and avoiding finger extension in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention as discussed above, the likelihood of spastic or uncontrollable muscle contraction is reduced, thereby reducing the frequency with which a user may inadvertently actuate the pointing device. As noted above, a user may rotate and depress wheel 106, as well as depress the buttons 102 or 103. Inadvertent actuation occurs, for example, when a user intends to rotate the wheel but inadvertently depresses the wheel, or vice versa, or intends to rotate or depress the wheel and inadvertently depresses one of the buttons 102 or 103.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the force required to depress the wheel 106 is greater than the downward force created when rotating the wheel, thereby inhibiting inadvertent actuation between rotation and switch depression. It is believed that preferred results are achieved when the torque required to rotate the wheel 106 is 40-60 gram-centimeters, and the force required to depress the wheel 106 is 70-130 grams. These preferred ranges of forces are also within an acceptable range of force for the muscles in the forearm that control the index finger, thereby further contributing to the ability to actuate the wheel 106 without generating unacceptable stress in the finger, hand and forearm of the user.
As shown in
A wheel pin 126 and an end pin 127 (both shown in dashed lines) axially extend from each encoder wheel shaft 122 into a pair of pin holes, formed in a pair of shaft supports 128, to rotatably receive the encoder wheel shaft. Each pair of shaft supports 128 rotatably retains one of the encoder wheel shafts 122. The wheel pin 126 axially extends from the end of the encoder wheel shaft 122 proximal to the encoder wheel 124. The end pin 127 axially extends from the end of the encoder wheel shaft 122 distal from the encoder wheel 124.
A spring-biased roller 130 projects upwardly from and is rotatably retained by the lower housing 103. The spring-biased roller 130 is positioned opposite to an interior angle formed by the perpendicularly positioned encoder wheel shafts 122 and biases the ball 119 into contact with the encoder wheel shafts and toward the interior angle, while allowing the ball to freely rotate, and cause the encoder wheel shafts 122 and the encoder wheels 124 to rotate.
As shown more clearly in
A pair of vertically extending flanges 143 protrude from opposite sides of an encoder enclosure 142, while a pair of vertically extending ribs 145 protrude from a side of the carriage 140. A pair of vertically extending grooves 147 formed in the ribs 145 each receive one of the flanges 143 of the encoder enclosure 142 so that the encoder closure is securely received by the carriage 140. When so received, an inverted U-shaped slot 161 in the encoder enclosure 142 is axially aligned with the round apertures 141 of the carriage 140. The flanges 143 preferably each have a tapered lower end 143′ to readily allow the encoder closure 142 to be slid into the grooves 147 during manufacture.
As shown in
The tactile feedback disk 148 has a number of radially extending detents 155 (e.g., eighteen). The detents 155 are equally spaced apart and circumferentially distributed about the tactile feedback disk 148 to form an equal number of valleys 154 therebetween. A hub 156 extends from both sides of the tactile feedback disk 148. The hub 156 has a shoulder defined by gear teeth 157 on a side toward the outer plate 144, and an axially formed, generally rectangular receiving aperture 158 sized to receive and operatively engage the rectangular cross-section hub 139 (see
The biased engagement member 146 is secured to the outer plate 144, and has an integrally formed protrusion 162 that extends toward, and is received within, the valleys 154, between detents 155 of the tactile feedback disk 148. In operation, when the wheel 106 is rotated, the pins 138 are rotatably supported within the round apertures 141 of the carriage 140, while the rectangular cross-section hub 139 mates with and causes the hub 156 to rotate freely within the round aperture 160 of the outer plate 144 and the round aperture 163 of the encoder electrode frame 152. The spring force of the biased engagement member 146, and the shape of the protrusion 162, valleys 154 and detents 155 force the wheel 106 into discrete positions (e.g., eighteen corresponding to eighteen valleys 154 and detents 155) during rotation of the wheel 106.
Referring back to
A primary switch 170 and a secondary switch 172 are positioned below the primary input button 104 and the secondary input button 105, respectively (see FIG. 1A), whereby actuation of the primary or secondary input button results in actuation of the corresponding switch. A roller switch 174 is positioned adjacent to the wheel 106, and can be actuated by slidably depressing the wheel 106 downwardly as described below.
Referring to
Additionally, the carriage 140 can be depressed downwardly to actuate the roller switch 174, while the wheel 106 can substantially simultaneously be rotated. Therefore, the user can depress and hold the roller switch 174, thereby generating a switch signal, while simultaneously rotating the wheel 106 to generate roller position signals or “Z axis signals,” as described below. The above-described 70-130 grams of total force required to depress the carriage 140 and actuate the roller switch 174, by being greater than the force required to rotate the wheel 106, helps prevent the user from inadvertently actuating the switch and concurrently rotating the roller.
Several legs 164, extending downwardly from the carriage 140, rest against an upper surface of the lower housing 104 when the wheel 106 is fully depressed, to thereby restrict further downward movement of the carriage. A tab 165, extending outwardly from one of the ribs 145 of the carriage 140, and an upper surface of one of the pair of fingers 135 that are opposite the tab 165, rest against stop members 402 and 404, respectively, of the upper housing 102 (FIG. 3A), to thereby limit upward movement of the roller 106 and carriage 140.
As noted above, the spring force required to depress the carriage 140 (generated by the springs 176 and the roller switch 174) should be greater than the downward force applied when rotating the wheel 106 (generated by the biased engagement member 146 and the tactile feedback disk 148), to inhibit inadvertent activation of the roller switch 174. It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the force required to depress the wheel is dependent on the characteristics of the springs 176, the roller switch 174, and the travel distance of the switch button 181.
The roller switch 174 preferably has a spring force of between 40-75 grams, which is required to actuate the switch button 181 of the roller switch. The springs 176 together provide a spring force of 30‥55 grams. As a result, the overall force required to depress the wheel 106 inward to actuate the roller switch 174 (the “depression force”) results in the above-described 70-130 grams of total force required to actuate the switch.
To provide the 70-130 grams of depression force, it is important that no other components within the mouse 101 add significant additional forces to this preferred range of forces. To this end, the web connector 151 has two transversely extending bends 151′ along its length, of about 90° each, so as to form a flat portion 161 therebetween that is approximately parallel to the printed circuit board 182. The bends 151′ act as hinge lines to allow the web connector 151 to pivot about the bends and thereby freely move upward and downward, without applying any substantial additional force to the preferred range of depression forces required to depress the wheel 106. The web connector 151 can also be comprised of a material having high flexibility and limited spring force. By providing the flat portion 161, the web connector 151 not only applies little spring force (e.g., on the order of 0-10 grams), but also limits the height of the connector so that the connector can fit within the body 117 of the mouse 101 without contacting the underside of the upper housing 102.
To further minimize inadvertent actuation, the detents 155 are configured in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention to obtain consistent separation between rotation of the wheel 106 (in the directions indicated by line 107) and depressing the wheel 106 (in the direction indicated at reference numeral 108). As illustrated in
To further ensure accurate and comfortable activation of the wheel 106, an outer edge 38 of the wheel is radiused such that a user may approach the wheel from either side, i.e., from either of the mouse buttons 104 or 105, and rotate and depress the wheel along the outer edge 38. In a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in
In an exemplary embodiment, a width 36 of the wheel is 0.25-0.4 inch, with preferred results being achieved when the wheel width 36 is 0.275 inch. Using a dimension in this range, the wheel 106 is in contact with the user's fingertip pulp while still allowing the user to feel the edges of the wheel. This helps the user properly position his or her finger on the wheel, which in turn improves the transfer of forces from the finger to the wheel.
An outer surface of the wheel is made of an elastomeric material, thereby providing a good contact between the user's finger and the wheel 106 so that the user's finger does not slide off the wheel 106 and inadvertently depress one of the buttons 104 and 105. Although a variety of low-durometer elastomers may be used, such as Santoprene™, applicants believe that preferred results are achieved when the material is Krayton™, at 60 durometer.
By providing a pointing device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above, the mouse 101 further provides feedback to a user, allowing the user to intuitively use the pointing device and wheel 106. This feedback is provided by the feel of the wheel defined by the configuration and spacing of the detents 155, as well as the force required to move the wheel from one discrete position to the next. In an exemplary embodiment, the electrical signal generated by movement of the wheel 106 from one position to another is transmitted when the engagement member 146 is at the highest point of the detent 155 as it passes over the detent, thereby providing tactile and visual feedback to the user to associate a desired result with a given amount of motion of the wheel 106. The user may therefore navigate through a document more intuitively, without having to look at the pointing device. In an alternative embodiment, additional feedback is provided by a sound being generated as the wheel 106 moves from one discrete position to another.
Returning now to a further discussion of the mechanical aspects of the invention, as shown in
Referring to
A channel 408 extends transversely across the hinge member 406 between the left and right sides thereof to provide an area where the material (e.g., plastic) forming the hinge member is thinner, and thereby provides a hinge line at which the buttons 104 and 105 pivot when depressed. The hinge member 406 is resilient and provides an upwardly directed return force to return the buttons 104 and 105 to their original position after being depressed. Importantly, a post 413 extending downwardly from the upper housing 102 is split longitudinally with respect to the housing to form left and right post portions 414, with a gap therebetween. The hinge member 406 has left and right portions 409, each with a resilient, laterally outward primary hinge portion 417 and a resilient, laterally inward secondary hinge portion 418 having a hole 416 therebetween sized to receive a corresponding one of the left and right post portions therethrough when the hinge member is secured to the upper housing 102. By splitting the downwardly extending posts 413 into left and right post portions 414, the left and right secondary hinge portions 418 of the hinge member 406 can extend therebetween and provide an upward return force to the buttons 104 and 105 at a laterally inward side thereof to better distribute the return force applied by the hinge member 406, as will be described below. A longitudinally extending space 420 is provided between the left and right secondary hinge portions 418 to isolate the primary and secondary buttons 104 and 105 so that movement of either button does not cause movement of the other button.
Without the secondary hinge portions 418, the primary button 104 would have an effective longitudinal center line shown as a dashed line 422 in
By providing the secondary hinge portions 418 in addition to the primary hinge portions 417, the effective longitudinal center line is moved from line 422 to a dashed line 424 that is approximately a true longitudinal center line for the button 104. Additionally, the left and right primary and secondary hinge portions 417 and 418 provide a longer, transversely extending, hinge line (formed by the channel 408). As a result, referring to
The primary and secondary switches 170 and 172, the roller switch 174, the LEDs 166 and the phototransistors 168 are all mounted on a single printed circuit board (the board 182), and coupled by known means to additional circuitry 184 mounted thereon, as shown in FIG. 2A. The additional circuitry 184 includes a microcontroller and other discrete electronic devices known by those skilled in the relevant art to cause the LEDs 166 to emit light, to cause the phototransistors 168 to produce signals based on the light, to receive the signals, and to convert these signals to appropriate computer signals to be output over the cord 114 to the computer 109 (see FIG. 1A). Such technology is known to those skilled in the art. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,652 to Lapson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,830 to Beauprey, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,314 to Hosogoe et al. for further information regarding the aspect of the mouse 101.
The mouse 101 generates X and Y axis position signals for the computer system 101 generally in a manner typical of most current mice. In operation, the mouse 101 is moved or slid along a planar surface, causing the ball 119 protruding through the hole 120 to rotate. As the ball 119 rotates, it rotates the encoder wheel shafts 122 of the X and Y axis transducers 121 and 121′, which, in turn, rotate the encoder wheels 124 fixed thereon. As the encoder wheels 124 rotate, the phototransistors 168 receive pulses of light from the LEDs 166 as the notches 125 sweep past the LEDs. Each phototransistor 168 converts these pulses of light into varying electrical signals which are input to the additional circuitry 184.
While each phototransistor 168 is shown and described generally herein as a single element, the present invention can use a single photodetector package having two phototransistors therein, such as the photodetector Model No. LTR-5576D, manufactured by LITEON. Consequently, each phototransistor 168 produces two signals or “quadrature signals.” The phototransistor 168 that forms part of the X axis transducer 121 produces quadrature signals “XA” and “XB.” The phototransistor 168 that forms part of the Y axis transducer 121′ produces quadrature signals “YA” and “YB.”
The two phototransistors in each phototransistor 168 are separated by a known distance whereby one phototransistor in the photodetector is positioned at one of the notches 125 to receive light from the LED 166, causing the phototransistor to output a “high” signal that is interpreted by the additional circuitry 184 as a digital “1” quadrature signal. Conversely, the other phototransistor in the phototransistor 168 is blocked by the encoder wheel 124 from receiving light from the LED 166 and consequently outputs a “low” signal interpreted as a digital “0” quadrature signal. As a result, the two quadrature signals output from the phototransistor 168 produce signals that are out of phase. The additional circuitry 184, namely the microcontroller, senses transitions between digital “0” and “1” input signals or levels in the two quadrature signals. Based on a comparison of these transitions, the additional circuitry 184 determines the direction in which the mouse is being moved. For example, if the quadrature signals XA and XB output from the phototransistor 168 are “00” followed by “10,” then the additional circuitry 184 recognizes that the mouse 101 is being moved in one direction along the X axis. Conversely, if the quadrature signals XA and XB are “11” followed by “10,” then the additional circuitry 184 recognizes that the mouse 101 is being moved in the opposite direction.
The number of transitions between digital “0” and “1” signals detected by the additional circuitry 184 indicates the magnitude of mouse travel. Together, determination of direction and magnitude of mouse travel are referred to in the art as quadrature calculation. Quadrature calculation is performed by the additional circuitry 184 using known techniques. The quadrature calculations convert the quadrature signals into count signals indicating movement of the mouse 101 along X and Y axes. The count signals are either positive or negative, indicating movement of the mouse 101 in either a forward or reverse direction along a particular axis. The host computer 109 converts these counts into movements of the pointer 113 on the display device 112, as explained below.
Based on the above discussion, the X axis transducer 121 and associated phototransistor 168 produce XA and XB quadrature signals which are converted by the additional circuitry 184 into count signals indicating movement or position of the mouse 101 along the X axis, referred to herein as “X axis computer signals.” The Y axis transducer 121′ and associated phototransistor 168 produce YA and YB quadrature signals which are converted by the additional circuitry 184 into count signals indicating movement or position of the mouse 101 along the Y axis, referred to herein as “Y axis computer signals.”
The mouse 101 generates Z axis position signals for the computer system 100 in a manner similar to that for generating X and Y axis signals. The Z axis transducer assembly 153 produces Z axis quadrature signals (including a “ZA” and “ZB” component), which are input to the additional circuitry 184. When the user rotates the wheel 106, the tactile feedback disk 148 and the encoder ring 150 affixed thereto, rotates. The encoder wheel 150 is formed of an electrically conductive material and has radially projecting, equally spaced, insulative portions 186 (shown in dashed lines) in FIG. 2C. Three brush electrodes 188 secured to the encoder electrode frame 152, alternately conduct and do not conduct as the insulative portions 186 sweep past the electrodes while the encoder wheel 150 rotates, as is known in the art. As the encoder wheel 150 rotates, the brush electrodes 188 produce the Z axis quadrature signals ZA and ZB. The additional circuitry 184 determines the direction and magnitude of rotation of the wheel 106 from these quadrature signals using quadrature calculation, which can be conceptualized as “simulated” mouse travel along the Z axis, thus producing counts indicating the simulated movement or position of the mouse along the Z axis or “Z axis computer signals.”
While the Z axis computer signal is described herein as being produced by the wheel 106 and encoder assembly 153, the present invention may also produce the Z axis computer signal by using other electromechanical means. Specifically, the present invention may instead use opto-electronic encoders, a rocker switch, pressure-sensitive switches, joysticks, or other electromechanical switches, with an appropriate transducer if necessary, known by those skilled in the relevant art.
The X and Y axis computer signals, and the primary and secondary switch signals are output to the computer 109 by the mouse 101 as three consecutive packets or bytes of data. The Z axis computer signals and roller switch signals are transmitted to the computer 109 immediately thereafter as a fourth packet or byte of data. An operating system running on the computer 109, such as WINDOWS 95® manufactured by Microsoft Corporation, receives and processes the four packets of data.
Under control of the operating system, the computer 109 displays a graphical “user interface” on the display device 112. The operating system logically divides the user interface into one or more windows (such as the window 200 shown in
When a user positions the pointer 108 with the mouse 101 over a window and clicks the mouse by depressing one of the mouse buttons 110 or 112, the procedure for the window receives a mouse message. The operating system provides a number of predefined mouse messages. The mouse messages specify the status of primary, secondary and roller switches 170, 172 and 174 and the position of the pointer 113 within the window. The position of the pointer 113 within the window is specified in (X, Y) coordinates relative to the upper left-hand cover of the window and is based on the X and Y axis computer signals from the mouse 101. The window procedure receives the mouse message and utilizes the information contained in the message to respond to the mouse activities.
As a result, all software applications operating in conjunction with the mouse 101 receive mouse messages from the queue. The mouse messages include messages corresponding to X and Y axis coordinates for the pointer 113, and the status of the primary and secondary switches 170 and 172. The mouse messages also include an event message that indicates an amount of rotation of the wheel 106 by a message “WM_MOUSEWHEEL,” which has the following or equally suitable format:
The roller message WM_MOUSEWHEEL is provided by either the operating system running on the computer 109 or a mouse driver routine for the mouse 101 that also runs on the computer. The WM_MOUSEWHEEL message is posted in the message queue for the window that is in the foreground (e.g., the active window).
The operating system and any applications running on the computer 109 also receive mouse messages posted to the message queue that indicate whether the roller switch 174 is actuated (“WM_MBUTTONDOWN”) or not actuated (“WM_MBUTTONUP”). The WM_MBUTTONUP and WM_MBUTTONDOWN messages are posted in the message queue for the window under the pointer 113. The mouse messages indicating the status of the roller switch 174 are posted to the message queue with the following additional data:
The parameter fwKeys indicates the status of various keys on the keyboard or buttons 110 and 112 on the mouse 101. The variable fwKeys can have any of the following values:
As described in more detail below, the computer 109, running its operating system and various software applications, employs the X, Y and Z axis computer signals and the primary, secondary and roller switch signals (based on the windows messages described above) to spatially navigate through a document or navigate through the data (content) of the document in the application. The present invention will first be described as navigating through a spreadsheet document, and then be described as navigating through a word processing document. Thereafter, the details of the method and other embodiments will be described.
Referring to
Referring to
If the user rotates the wheel 106 by one of the detents 155 away from the front end 28 of the mouse 101 (FIG. 1A), the mouse generates Z axis computer signals for the computer 109 that command the computer to zoom out of or reduce the size of the spreadsheet document 202 displayed in the window 200 by one increment, such as 15%. The size of the spreadsheet document 202 in
As the user continues to rotate the wheel 106 one or more detents 155 (see
At 15% magnification, the entire spreadsheet is visible within the window 200, although specific entries within individual cells are illegible. To compensate for illegible cells within the spreadsheet document 202, labels are added to portions of the spreadsheet document. For example, an upper left area of cells forming a portion 210 of
By using the labels 217, the user can identify a desired portion of the spreadsheet document 202 based on the labels, even though individual data cells and words/numbers in the cells within the document are illegible. The user can then move the pointer 113 to the desired portion of the spreadsheet document 202 and select a data cell within that portion (e.g., by depressing the primary button 110). Thereafter, the user can rotate the wheel 106 toward the front end 28 of the mouse 101 to increase the magnification from 15% (
For example, a selected active cell 220 is positioned in
Importantly, the active cell 220 and the pointer 113 are still at the desired locations, but the spreadsheet document 202 is more readable at its 100% magnification. Prior to the computer system 100 of the present invention, users typically moved throughout a document by using cursor movement keys or page up/down keys on the keyboard 116. Alternately, using the pointer 113, users could manipulate a prior art slider bar or scroll thumb 221 within horizontal or vertical scroll bars 218 and 219 displayed in the window 200 that move a document and thereby control which portion of a document were visible in the window 200, as is known in the art. With the computer system 100 of the present invention, a user can rapidly, spatially move through the spreadsheet document 202 without the need of cursor movement keys and page up/down keys on the keyboard 116, and without using either of the horizontal or vertical scroll bars 218 or 219.
In another navigation embodiment of the present invention, the computer system 100 provides data navigation through a document by viewing various levels of detail in any document containing data that is grouped into higher-level categories. This embodiment, and all other embodiments and modes of operation described herein, are substantially similar to the previously described embodiment, and common elements and steps are identified by the same reference numbers. Only the significant differences in construction, materials or operation are described in detail.
Referring to
The user can select a cell to cause it to be the active cell 220 as being, for example, the 1993 revenue total (having column and row address G,1013). The user then rotates the wheel 106 toward the front end 28 (by two detents 155) to cause the computer 109 to display two levels of increasing detail for the data in the spreadsheet document 230: the computer first displays monthly totals for the year 1993 (first detent 155), and then displays totals for four locations, North, South, East and West (second detent 155), as shown in FIG. 7C. Scrolling upwards (described below) through the monthly totals, the user can then select a cell to cause it to be the active cell 220 to be the total for the West region in January (column and row address of G,780), as shown in FIG. 7D. Thereafter, the user can rotate the wheel 106 by one more detent 155 toward the front end 28 to cause the computer 109 to display the January 1993 totals for sales of various products and services (“Airplane,” “Helicopter,” “Engine” and “Training”) for the West region, as shown in FIG. 7E.
The series of
Referring to
Data navigation can similarly be performed in the word processing document 270 under the computer system 100. For example, the user can rotate the wheel 106 one detent 155 away from the front end 28 to command the computer 109 to change from displaying the detailed text of the document 270 (
In addition to spatially navigating through the document by increasing and decreasing the magnification (“zooming”), the computer system 100 can provide alternative spatial navigation embodiments or modes, such as (i) panning, (ii) automatic scrolling, (iii) roller scrolling, and (iv) scroll bar scrolling. Each of such alternate spatial navigation modes will be discussed separately below.
Referring to
For example, if the user moved the mouse toward himself, then the pointer 113 becomes a downward pointing triangle having a dot above it, as shown in FIG. 11A. The word processing document 280 then begins to pan downward in the direction of the downward pointing pointer 113. The speed at which the word processing document 280 pans downward can be exponentially proportional to the distance between the origin 282 and the pointer 113, as described in more detail below. If the user then moves the mouse 101 away from themselves, the pointer 113 returns to a position closer to the origin 282, which causes the rate of panning to decrease. As a result, a user can depress and hold the wheel 106 to actuate the roller switch 174, and move the mouse 101 in the desired direction in which he or she desires the document to scroll, to thereby pan the document in the desired direction, without relying on the vertical scroll bar 219. Additionally, the user can adjust the rate at which the document pans within the window 200 by moving the mouse 101, and thereby moving the pointer 113 closer and farther from the origin 282.
The panning mode of spatial navigation is similarly applicable to other applications, such as spreadsheet applications. Referring to
Referring to
As in the panning mode, the farther the pointer 13 is from the center origin 284, the faster the word processing document 280 automatically and continuously scrolls upward or downward depending upon whether the pointer 113 is moved above or below the origin 284. The computer 109 can also shade the background of the vertical scroll bar 219′ in decreasing levels of color or gray both upward and downward from the origin 284. The gradations of color or shade thereby allow a user to more accurately position the pointer 113 at a location in the vertical scroll bar 219′, and thereby achieve a desired speed of automatic scrolling, than if no such shading were present.
The panning mode of spatial navigation allows a user, by simply actuating the roller switch 174 once, and moving the mouse 101 in an initially intended scrolling direction, to establish an automatic and continuous scroll rate at which they can continuously read a document that scrolls upward (or downward) within the window 200. No additional user input is required once the automatic scrolling mode is initiated by the computer 109, and therefore, the user can perform other tasks with his or her hand while reading a document. As a result, the automatic scrolling mode can be referred to as an “automatic reading mode.”
The automatic scrolling mode is terminated when the user depresses any key on the keyboard 107 or button such as the primary or secondary button 110 or 112 on the mouse 101. The speed can be adjusted by moving the mouse 101. When the user moves the mouse 101 in the reverse direction so that the pointer 113 returns to the origin 284, the continuous scrolling speed is returned to zero. The automatic scroll mode embodiment can be particularly useful for handicapped users.
The automatic scrolling mode can be applied to other documents such as spreadsheet documents. Within a spreadsheet document, while not shown, the automatic scrolling mode allows a user to automatically and continuously scroll either vertically or horizontally, depending upon the movement of the mouse 101 from the origin 284. Within a spreadsheet document, both the horizontal and vertical scroll bars 218 and 219 include the origin 284.
In a “manual” scrolling mode of spatial navigation (“roller scrolling”), the user can rotate the wheel 106 to scroll through a document whereby each detent 155 corresponds to, for example, two lines of text for a word processing document. Therefore, referring back to
Referring now to
Referring to
The routine 300 begins in step 302 where the computer 109 determines whether the roller switch 174 is activated. If the roller switch 174 is not activated, then in step 304, the computer 109 determines whether the wheel 106 has rotated, and therefore whether Z axis computer signals have been received by the computer. If they have not been received, then step 304 loops back to step 302. When Z axis computer signals are received, then in step 306, the computer 109 gathers the Z axis signals to determine an amount and direction of rotation of the wheel 106 as is described above.
In step 308, the computer 109 determines if the shift key is depressed on the keyboard 116. If the shift key is depressed, then in step 310, the computer 109 enters into the data navigation mode described above. The computer 109 determines an amount or level of the document's data (content) to display on the display device 112 based on an amount and direction of rotation of the wheel 106. In other words, the computer 109 determines how many detents 155 the wheel 106 has rotated and therefrom determines the number of levels to show or suppress for the hierarchical data structure of the document.
If the shift key were not depressed on the keyboard 116 in step 308, then in step 312, the computer 109 determines whether the control key is depressed on the keyboard 116. If the control key on the keyboard 116 is not depressed in step 312, then in step 314 the computer 109 enters into the scroll mode. The computer 109 scrolls the word processing document upward or downward within the window 200 based on an amount and direction of rotation of the wheel 106.
If the control key on the keyboard 116 is depressed in step 312, then in step 316 the computer 109 enters one of the spatial navigation modes and determines an amount of magnification (zoom) based on the amount and direction of rotation of the wheel 106. Thereafter, the computer 109 in step 318 determines whether the document will be legible on the display device 112. If the document will be legible, then in step 320, the computer 109 retrieves the appropriate data from the memory 114 and displays the new size of the document on the display device 112. For example, if the current magnification were set at 100% and the user rotated the roller two detents 155 toward the front end 28, then in step 316 the computer 109 determined that the user wished the magnification level to increase by two levels (i.e., 30%). In step 318, the computer 109 determines that the document will still be legible on the display device 112 (and therefore, no labels 217 are required to be displayed with the document). Therefore, in step 320, the computer 109 increased the magnification of the document by 30% to 130%.
If the document will not be legible in step 318, then in step 322, the computer 109 retrieves any appropriate labels for display with the document, such as the labels 217 shown in FIG. 5. For example, if the current magnification were set at 100% and the user rotated the roller four detents 155 away from the front end 28, then in step 316 the computer 109 determined that the user wished the magnification level to decrease by four levels (i.e., 60%). In step 318, the computer 109 determines that the document will not be legible on the display device 112, and therefore, in step 322 decreases the magnification of the document by 60% to 40%, and displays the appropriate labels on portions of the document. The labels are surrogates of the data contained within the document, that is, the labels are higher level constructs that describe illegible data.
In step 322, the computer 109 can also position the document appropriately on the display device 112. Therefore, as shown in
The computer 109 in step 322 can perform other adjustments to the documents displayed within the window 200 to improve the legibility of the document. For example, if the document were a spreadsheet document, and the magnification were reduced below 60%, then the computer 109 can suppress gridlines within the document (as shown in
Step 320 also follows step 310, and therefore, the computer 109 retrieves the appropriate data from the memory 114 and displays the new content for the document on the display device 112. Therefore, following step 310, if the wheel 106 were rotated one detent 155 away from the front end 28, and the window 200 currently displayed the detailed text of the word processing document, then the computer 109 determined in step 310 that the user desired to display the next higher level organization of data in the document. Accordingly, in step 320, the computer 109 retrieves from the memory 114 (or other storage device) the detailed outline of the document. In step 320, the computer 109 also selects the appropriate portion of the detailed outline to display in the window 200 if the detailed outline was larger than the size of the window 200.
If the roller switch 174 is activated in step 302, then the computer 109 determines in step 324 whether the roller switch is being continually depressed. If the roller switch 174 is being continually depressed, then in step 325 the computer 109 determines whether the control key on the keyboard 116 is depressed. If the control key is not depressed, then in step 326 the computer 109 enters into the panning mode and displays the origin symbol 282 (
If the roller switch 174 is not being continually depressed in step 324, then the computer 109 in step 332, gathers X and Y axis computer signals based on movement of the mouse 101. Thereafter, in step 336, the computer 109 enters into the automatic scroll mode. In step 336, the computer 109 continually retrieves appropriate portions of the document to scroll and display on the display device 112, based on the X and Y axis computer signals and the speed. The computer 109 determines the desired automatic scrolling speed based on a distance between the origin 284 and a current position of the pointer 113 in the vertical scroll bar 219′ (
If the roller switch 174 is being continually depressed in step 324 and the control key is being continually depressed in step 335, then in step 338 the computer 109 gathers X and Y axis computer signals based on movement of the mouse 101. Thereafter, in step 339, the computer 109 enters into the scroll bar mode (FIG. 12B). The computer 109 determines a desired scroll direction for the document and positions the pointer 113 on the appropriate scroll bar thumb 221 in the horizontal or vertical scroll bar 218 or 219. The computer 109 then continually retrieves appropriate portions of the document to scroll and display on the display device 112, based on the X and Y computer signals gathered in step 338 for the position of the pointer 113 and scroll bar thumb 221.
The routine 300 can, in steps 328, 332 and/or 338, gather Z axis computer signals. Therefore, the computer 109 can determine the desired speed and direction for panning, automatic scrolling and scroll bar scrolling based on rotation of the wheel 106, rather than movement of the mouse 101.
For spatial navigation, the routine 300 in steps 314, 316, 230 and 336, employs or calls known subroutines for moving, scaling and repainting the image of the document on the display device 112. For each detent, one or more logically adjacent groups of data, such as lines of pixels or text, are moved in the scrolling, panning, automatic scrolling and scroll bar scrolling modes. Video processors, video memory, and other hardware may be employed by the computer 109 to expedite such moving, scaling and repainting of the image of the document on the display device 112.
In step 310 of the routine 300, the computer 109 must determine an amount or level of data of the document to display based on the amount and direction of rotation of the wheel 106. If the pointer 113 has selected a single item (e.g., a particular data cell in a spreadsheet document), and the user rotates the wheel 106 away from the front end 28, the routine 300 performs a “Hide Detail” subroutine to hide any lower level detail of the selected item so that only higher level data is displayed on display device 112. High level pseudocode instructions for performing the “Hide Detail” subroutine are as follows:
Hide Detail:
In step 310, if the user rotates the wheel 106 toward the front end 28, the routine 300 in step 310 performs a “show detail” subroutine for the selected item. This “show detail” subroutine reveals and displays on the display device 112 any lower level data associated with the selected item. For example, if the item were a parent, the corresponding information contained within its set (i.e., its “children”) would be displayed. Exemplary high level pseudocode instructions for performing the “show detail” subroutine are as follows:
Show Detail:
The computer system 100 can allow the user to select more than one item in a document (e.g., several data cells in a spreadsheet document). For multiple selected items, exemplary high level pseudocode instructions for hiding and showing detail are as follows:
Multiple Item Hide Detail:
Multiple Item Show Detail:
As explained above, the computer system 100 allows users to navigate through the area and content of documents in spreadsheet and word processing applications. The computer system 100, however, is applicable to any number of computer applications. For example, the computer system 100 can navigate through a series of entries in a calendaring or scheduler program, such as SCHEDULE+®, manufactured by Microsoft Corporation. In the data navigation mode, rotation of the wheel 106 allows the user to move between viewing annual, monthly, weekly, and daily entries in the user's calendar.
In a presentation application, such as MICROSOFT® POWER POINT®, the computer system 100 can allow a user to spatially navigate through a series of slides as is described above for navigating through a series of pages in a word processing document. In the data navigation mode, the user can also navigate through hierarchical arrangements of slides for the presentation, in a manner similar to that described above for the word processing application. In a file management application, such as MICROSOFT® EXPLORER®, the data navigation mode of the computer system 100 can allow the user to move with ease within files and subfiles of a complex file hierarchy by simply rotating the wheel 106 (possibly while also depressing the shift key).
The computer system 100 can also be used in an application, such as MICROSOFT® INTERNET EXPLORER®, for browsing through a massive networked series of logically linked documents, such as hypertext linked pages in the World Wide Web of the Internet. In the data navigation mode, the user can access through linked hypertext linked documents by rotating the wheel 106, and then return to their starting place by reversing rotation of the roller. For example, if the user is currently reading a document having a hypertext link on a related topic to another document, the user can use the mouse 101 to point to a link and then rotate the wheel 106 and thereby quickly access the linked document to review material on the related topic. After reviewing the related topic, the user can rotate the wheel 106 in the reverse direction to return to the original document.
The computer system 100 can furthermore be used in database applications such as MICROSOFT® ACCESS®. The data navigation mode of the computer system 100 can allow users to move between detailed and summary reports of data in a database by simply rotating the wheel 106 (possibly while also depressing the shift key). Additionally, users can readily change views of joined databases or wherever databases have hierarchical structure.
Since various applications have differing navigation needs, the differing types of spatial navigation (zooming, panning, automatic scrolling, manual scrolling and scroll bar scrolling) can be activated in differing ways depending upon the application. Table 1 below summarizes an exemplary structure for operating the computer system 100 with respect to the spreadsheet application EXCEL®, the word processing application WORD®, the scheduling application SCHEDULE+®, the presentation application POWER POINT®, the file managing application EXPLORER®, and the Internet navigation application INTERNET EXPLORER®, all manufactured by Microsoft Corporation.
In Table 1 above, “zoom” refers to adjusting magnification levels for a document and “datazoom” refers to data navigation within a document.
The operation of the computer system 100 can have options or software switches to allow the user to customize various settings. Referring to
Under the first option 352, the user can adjust the default setting for the operation of the wheel 106. As described above and shown in Table 1, the user can enter into the zooming spatial navigation mode by depressing the control key while rotating the wheel 106. By selecting the option 352 (positioning the pointer 113 within the small white box and depressing the primary button 110), the computer system 100 always adjusts the magnification for a given document in the window 200 whenever the wheel 106 is rotated, without the need for the user to simultaneously depress a special function key on the keyboard 116, the roller switch 174, or other switch.
A “settings” button 353 in the first option 352 allows a user to adjust the setting for the orientation of the wheel 106. Referring to
Referring back to
Alternatively, the first and second options 352 and 354 can allow a user to simply enable use of the wheel for a particular function. Therefore, by selecting the first option 352, the user can enable zooming to occur in a given application by rotating the wheel 106. Similarly, by selecting the second option 354, the user can enable scrolling within a given application after actuating the roller switch 174.
The second option 354 includes a “scroll sensitivity” button 355 that allows a user to adjust the speed at which automatic scrolling and/or panning occurs (the “scroll rate”). Referring to
The scroll rate has three ranges or areas of speed change shown schematically in FIG. 15. Within a first range between the location of the origin 282 or origin point O and a point A few pixels away from the origin point O, the scroll rate is set at zero. Therefore, no scrolling occurs within a region proximate to the origin 282 (e.g., within 3-10 pixels from the dot at the center of the origin). As a result, minor movements of the mouse 101 or the wheel 106 do not cause the document to move in the window 200.
Within a second range between point A and a point B established at a preselected distance from point A, an established scrolling rate for a document in a particular application is delayed. Applications (or the operating system) running on the computer 109 have an established scroll rate for moving a document within the window 200 by way of, for example, the horizontal and vertical scroll bars 218 and 219 (FIG. 11A). Depending upon the speed of the processor 115, the amount of available memory 114, the complexity of the document and other factors, the established scrolling rate for documents vary. However, typical established scrolling rates for a word processing document having only text (and not tables or pictures) are between 10 and 15 lines of text per second. At this rate, most users cannot read individual data cells, words or lines of text in a document as they are being scrolled within the window 200.
Therefore, in steps 330 and 336 of the routine 300 (FIG. 13), the computer 109 applies a delay factor TimePerRow to the established scroll rate of the particular application so that the scroll and panning rates of document vary from the established scroll rate. The delay factor TimePerRow is a rate at which a given row of pixels are painted and displayed on the display device 112. The delay factor TimePerRow decreases as the pointer 113 moves from point A (origin 282) to point B. An exemplary equation for determining the delay factor TimePerRow is as follows:
In equation (1), the maximum delay factor MaxTime is a preselected value, such as 100 milliseconds per row of pixels, which is selected as a minimum scrolling rate found acceptable for most people when viewing a slowly scrolling document. The base n for the exponent Exp can have a value such as 2, while the exponent Exp may be determined from the following equation:
In equation (2), P refers to a distance, in pixels, that the pointer 113 is from the origin point O (origin 282), using known methods. The value WaitWidth is a preselected value depending upon the width of the display device 112. The value WaitWidth corresponds to the distance between points A and B, and therefore corresponds to the second range during which the established scroll rate is delayed. If the display device 112 has a width of approximately 800 pixels, then the value WaitWidth is approximately 200 pixels.
The maximum exponent value MaxExp is computed as follows:
MaxExp=logn(MaxTime/MinTime) (3)
where the minimum delay value MinTime is a preselected value such as 4. The minimum delay value MinTime can correspond to approximately the established scroll rate in time per horizontal row of pixels. Using the above values for MaxTime, MinTime and n, the maximum exponent MaxExp has a value of 4.643856.
Under equation (1) above, the delay factor TimePerRow decreases until a distance of 200 pixels (the value of WaitWidth), at which point the scroll rate is approximately equal to the established scrolling rate for the particular application and hardware configuration. At point B, the established scroll rate continuously scrolls one horizontal line of pixels at a time at the maximum repaint or display rate for the application and hardware in the system 100.
In the third range, between point B and a point C established at a preselected distance from the point B, the established scroll rate for the application is increased. In other words, the delay factor TimePerRow becomes a multiplicative factor (greater than 1) that increases the established scrolling rate. The scroll rate between point B and point C continuously increase beyond the established scrolling rate for the application, which can require pixel elements to be skipped, i.e., two or more logically adjacent groups or horizontal lines of pixels are repainted at a time. Pixel elements are skipped when the scroll rate is faster than that allowed by the display device 112 and the computer 109 to paint or refresh lines of pixel elements on the display device. A maximum continuous scroll rate at point C is established under equation (1) to be a maximum scroll rate (e.g., one entire page or window at a time). As the pointer 113 moves past point C, the scroll rate remains fixed at the maximum value occurring at point C.
The present invention has been generally described above as scrolling vertically. The above description of the present invention applies equally to horizontal scrolling whereby the established scrolling rate is increased or decreased for vertical columns of pixels. Additionally, while the present invention has been generally described above for scrolling, the above-description applies equally to other methods of navigation such as panning.
Referring back to
While the present invention has been described above for use with the mouse 101 having a wheel 106, the present invention can be applied to users without a mouse having a roller. Referring to
As in the above embodiments, as the user moves the slider button 404, the magnification in the text box 204 correspondingly changes. Clicking the primary button 110 while the pointer 113 is not on the slider pointer 404, but to one side of it, causes the slider pointer to incrementally move toward the pointer 113 in 15% magnification intervals. The special function keys (shift, control, etc.) on the keyboard 116 can be employed in conjunction with the navigation control 400 to provide the other modes of navigation described above (i.e., data navigation, panning, automatic scrolling, manual scrolling and scroll bar scrolling). A “global” button 406 in the navigation control 400 can be depressed to jump to a global view of the document (e.g., 15% magnification as shown in FIG. 5).
Aspects of the present invention can also be performed without use of the navigation control 400 or the wheel 106. As a result, users employing standard two or three button mice (i.e., mice having at least the primary and secondary buttons 110 and 112) can perform many of the modes of operation described above. For example, actuating the second or third button on such standard mice, the user can employ any mode of navigation described above that does not require rotation of the roller (e.g., panning, automatic scrolling and scroll bar scrolling).
The present invention has generally been described above as providing discrete changes in navigating through a document (e.g., magnification changes of 15% per detent 155). Discrete changes in navigating may be used when the speed of the processor 115 and amount of available memory 114 is such that continuous changes during navigation are not possible to show smooth transitions on the display device 112. Additionally, with the roller 105 such discrete changes provide a particularly intuitive and visceral method of incrementally navigating through and changing the display of a document in the window 200. However, in an alternative embodiment, the present invention can be equally applicable to continuous changes in navigating. For example, the roller assembly can omit the tactile feedback disk 148 so that the wheel 106 can be continuously and smoothly rotated, and the routine 300 modified to provide infinitely adjustable magnification levels of a document. Such a continuously rotatable wheel 106 provides a particularly intuitive method of continuously scrolling or zooming in a document, and continuous scrolling can be preferred in many applications such as word processing applications.
In such a continuous navigation embodiment, the routine 300 may employ subroutines that “gravitates” the zooming at a 100% magnification and the panning, automatic scrolling and other spatial navigation functions at a zero or no operation value. The gravity subroutines allow the user to more readily return the wheel 106 to the standard 100% magnification, or to a zero scrolling rate. For example, under the zooming mode the subroutine performed by the routine 300 may operate under the following values.
In such a continuous navigation embodiment, if the user rotates the wheel 106 rapidly, the routine 300 may also perform a rounding function to establish the new zooming or magnification level based on the following table.
By remaining at the old zoom level when the user moves between 1% and 7% from the old zoom level allows the user to retain the old zoom level after he or she has begun to change the level without having to precisely reposition the wheel 106 at its previous position. The routine 300 similarly performs gravity and rounding subroutines for the other navigation modes described above.
Certain objects within documents are difficult to display, such as complex pictures, tables, etc. Therefore, in order to speed the display of a document as it is being continually changed under one of the navigation modes, the computer 109 can simply draw the outlines of complex objects. As a result, the computer 109 can rapidly and continually change the display of the document until it reaches the intended size or position (e.g., the user ceases rotating the wheel 106 at a desired magnification), at which point the objects are then fully depicted on the display device 112.
U.S. patents and applications cited above are incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in their entirety.
Although specific embodiments of, and examples for, the present invention have been described for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as is known by those skilled in the relevant art. For example, although all features of the embodiments described herein are believed to contribute to the improved ergonomic results of the present invention, modification or omission of an individual feature or features may be made and still gain benefits of the present invention. As another example, while data navigation has been described above as moving between a detailed word processing document and a collapsed outline for the document, the data navigation mode could also be used to show revision marks, and other changes sequentially made to a document over time by rotating the wheel 106. Therefore, as the user rotated the roller away from the front end 28, the document would show decreasingly older revisions made to that document.
As a further example of modifications that can be made using the present invention, while labels 217 have been described above as being applied to spreadsheet documents, the computer 109 can similarly apply them to word processing documents. Therefore, the computer 109 can apply headings in an outline to appropriate portions of a document when the document's magnification level drops below 60%. Similarly, page numbers can be displayed below the 60% magnification level.
The teachings provided herein of the present invention may be applied to other computer input devices, including trackballs, optical mice or pen and tablets where the Z axis computer signal is produced by a roller provided on the optical mouse or the pen. These and other changes may be made to the invention in light of the above detailed description. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the disclosure, but instead its scope is to be determined entirely by reference to the following claims.
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 8/614,147, filed Mar. 12, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,371; is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/583,650, filed on Jan. 5, 1996 now abandoned; and a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/881,712 filed Jun. 24, 1997 and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,197, which is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/467,549 which was filed Jun. 6, 1995 and is now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/178,524 which was filed on Jan. 6, 1994 and is now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,473,344.
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| Number | Date | Country |
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| 42 11 189 | Oct 1993 | DE |
| 0 403 782 | Dec 1990 | EP |
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| 0 609 819 | Aug 1994 | EP |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 08467549 | Jun 1995 | US |
| Child | 08583650 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 08614147 | Mar 1996 | US |
| Child | 08881712 | US | |
| Parent | 08178524 | Jan 1994 | US |
| Child | 08467549 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 08881712 | Jun 1997 | US |
| Child | 09212898 | US | |
| Parent | 08583650 | Jan 1996 | US |
| Child | 08614147 | US |
