Patent ID: 6532001
Filing Date: 2003-03-11
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
Display control apparatus comprising:a display screen, a mouse having a X-Y motion sensor and control buttons, and operable under stored program control for controlling the display screen to display thereon indicia including a first indicium which is a cursor associated with the mouse, said processor including means cooperating with the mouse to define first and second operational modes for the mouse wherein in the first mode the processor is responsive to movements of the mouse detected by the X-Y motion sensor for effecting corresponding movements of the cursor anywhere on the screen and wherein in the second mode the processor is responsive to any movement of the mouse detected by the X-Y motion sensor in either of two opposite directions while the cursor is on a second indicium to control a condition of the second indicium without affecting the location on the screen of either the cursor or the second indicium, wherein said second indicium is a screen icon having graphical images displayed therein, and wherein the icon represents a switch and said processor includes means assigning to said switch a list of graphical images respectively representing different switch options with one image at a time being displayed in said icon, said processor in the second operational mode of the mouse being responsive to movements of the mouse detected by the X-Y motion sensor while the cursor is on the icon for scrolling through the list of images assigned to the icon.