Patent ID: 6307545
Filing Date: 2001-10-23
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
An apparatus for finding objects in a computer including a display and a pointing device with which a user drags a pointer on the display, comprising:an input that receives an input signal to indicate a drag operation, the drag operation comprising associating an object with the pointer, the input being coupled to the computer;memory that stores a plurality of objects including enclosures in the memory, wherein the enclosures comprise objects which may enclose other objects, the memory being coupled to the computer;window opening logic, coupled with the display, that draws windows on the display corresponding to opened enclosures, wherein a window for an opened enclosure includes identifiers within the window corresponding to objects enclosed by the opened enclosure;temporary window logic, coupled to the display and the pointing device, that opens a temporary window for the particular enclosure to display identifiers within the temporary window corresponding to objects enclosed by the particular enclosure, in response to a drag during a drag operation of the pointer over an identifier corresponding to the particular enclosure; andwindow management logic coupled to the display that, upon completion of a drag operation, removes an identifier corresponding to an object which is a subject of the drag operation from a pre-drag location and places the identifier in a post-drag location if the temporary window resides on a same portion of the memory as a window corresponding to the identifier's pre-drag location.