Abstract:
A computer system having a visual display which displays a selectable button and permits a user to quickly redisplay a previous visual display selected by the user is dislosed. The selectable button preferably contains a textual or graphical representation upon the face of the button which indicates the previous visual display. When a new visual display is selected by the user, either by single clicking on the button or by a click-and-drag operation, the button is revised such that the previous visual display is selectable by the single clicking on the selectable button. The visual display of this invention allows the user to quickly and conveniently revert to a previous visual display by a single user operation utilizing a selectable button.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention is generally directed to a user interface for a computer system, and more specifically, to a user selectable button which permits the user to quickly redisplay the last view style activated by the user selectable button. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A computer system displays information to the user by a visual display. The ability of the user to access the information quickly and conveniently is, in large part, dependent upon the ease by which the user may interact with the computer through its visual display. Numerous advances in user interface design have been made which simplify the user&#39;s interaction .with the computer system. For example, the click and point characteristics of a mouse offer the user a visual alternative to conventional keyboard input. Similarly, &#34;push buttons&#34; displayed on the visual display, and selectable by the mouse pointer, permit the user to quickly activate selectable commands or options. 
     Despite the advances that have been made in user interface design, there still exists a need in the art for visual displays which permit a user to quickly and conveniently manipulate the computer system, particularly in the area of push buttons and the corresponding selectable commands or options which they activate. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a user interface for a computer system which permits the user to access and display information controlled by a user interface display button. The present invention fulfills this objective, and provides further related advantages. 
     In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method in a computer system having a display device. The method includes displaying on the display device a view style button which is capable of altering the visual display of the display device by selection thereof. The view style button has a first and a second state, where the first state corresponds to a present or current visual display and the second state corresponds to a previous visual display. Preferably, the view style button in the first state includes, on at least a portion of the button, a textual or graphical representation of the nature of the visual display when the view style button is in the second state. 
     In a further embodiment, there is disclosed a method in a computer controlled display system having a visual display, wherein the method includes generating and displaying a first visual display and a first view style button which is capable of altering the visual display upon selection by the user, selecting the first view style button, generating and displaying a second visual display corresponding to the first view style button, and regenerating and redisplaying the first view style button as a second view style button where the second view style button corresponds to the first Visual display. In a preferred embodiment, the second view style button has displayed on at least a portion of the button a textual or graphical representation of the first visual display. 
     In yet a further embodiment, this invention is directed to a computer system including a computer, a display device operatively linked to the computer, means for displaying on the display device a view style button which is capable of altering the visual display of the display device by selection thereof, wherein the view style button has a first state corresponding to a present visual display and a second state corresponding to a previous visual display, and a means for selecting the view style button to change the state of the visual display form the first state to the second state. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a visual display generated by a computer system for one embodiment of the present invention, with the visual display representing certain data in chart form and depicting a user selectable view style button. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates the alternative view style buttons which are displayed when the user clicks-and-drags on the view style button. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a more detailed view of the alternative view style buttons of FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates the visual display of a computer system when the user drags the mouse pointer over the alternative view style button corresponding to a bar chart display format. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates the visual display generated by the computer system upon selection of the bar chart alternative view style button. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates the visual display generated by the computer system when the user single clicks on the view style button of FIG. 5. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates the alternative view style buttons which are displayed on the visual display of the computer system when the user clicks-and-drags the mouse courser on the view style button of FIG. 6. 
     FIG. 8 illustrates the visual display generated by the computer system when the user drags the mouse courser over the alternative view style button of FIG. 7 represented by the graph icon, and then releases the mouse cursor over that button. 
     FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a routine which is involved when a user selects the view style button by single clicking on the button, or by a click-and-drag selection. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention discloses a visual display for a computer system which employs user selectable buttons and permits the user to quickly redisplay the last view style activated by the button. The display of information on the visual display (hereinafter referred to as the &#34;view&#34;) can be changed by the user with the appropriate user selectable button (hereinafter referred to as the &#34;view style button&#34;). While the user may select the view style button by keyboard input, in the practice of the present invention the use of a mouse pointer device is preferred. The control and display of a mouse-controlled pointer device, as well as one or more user selectable push buttons, are known visual displays, and one skilled in the art can readily generate such visual displays. 
     In the practice of the present invention, the user may change the view by clicking-and-dragging the mouse pointer device over the view style button generated and displayed by a particular application program. Preferably, the view style button is located on the applications &#34;tool bar&#34;. When the View style button is selected by clicking-and-dragging, one or more additional buttons appear on the visual display which permit the user to select an alternative view (hereinafter referred to as &#34;alternative view style buttons&#34;). By moving the mouse cursor over an alternative view style button, and releasing the mouse (i.e., releasing the mouse button), the new view will appear on the visual display. For example, if the first view was a line chart of certain data, and the newly selected alternative view style button was for a bar chart, releasing the mouse over the bar chart button will cause the visual display to display the data in bar chart form. In other words, the newly selected alternative view style button will cause the computer system to redraw the data in the selected view. 
     The view style button of this invention will automatically remember the last two view styles displayed. The user may switch or toggle back and forth between the last two view styles by clicking (i.e., single clicking the mouse button) on the view style button. For example if the currently displayed view is a line chart, and the previous view was a bar chart, single clicking on the view style button will cause the computer system to redisplay the data as a bar chart. Clicking on the view style button a second time will cause the computer system to redisplay the data as a line chart. 
     In a preferred embodiment, a textual and/or graphical image is displayed on the view style button which corresponds to the view which will be displayed by clicking on the view style button. For example, if the current view is a line chart, and the previous view was a table of data, the face of the view style button will indicate that selection of the view style button will redisplay the data as a table. When clicked, the view style button will cause the computer system to redraw the line chart as a table of data, and will update the image of the view style button by displaying an image thereon to indicate a line chart (since the previous view is now the line chart view). If the view style button is clicked again, the view will be redrawn in the style of a line chart, and the view style button will be updated to display a table icon. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, the visual display (10) generated by application program &#34;Windows Interface: An Interactive Design Guide&#34; is illustrated. In this figure, data (identified as &#34;1991/92 Y-to-Date, NorthWest U.S., Sales by Month&#34;) is displayed in a line chart format. The View style button (20) is displayed in the tool bar (25) of the application visual display. A table icon appears on the face of the view style button to represent the previous view (in this case, a table of data). As illustrated in FIG. 2, when the user selects the view style button by clicking-and-dragging on that button with mouse cursor (28), one or more alternative view style buttons are displayed as a pop-up button bar (30). A more detailed illustration of the pop-up button bar of FIG. 2 is illustrated in FIG. 3. The user may select one of the alternative view style buttons by dragging the mouse cursor over the desired button as illustrated in FIG. 4, and releasing the mouse button. In FIG. 4, the mouse cursor has been moved dragged the alternative view style button corresponding to a bar chart format. When the mouse cursor is released over this button, the visual display illustrated in FIG. 5 is displayed by the computer system. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the view style button (20) of FIG. 5 now depicts a line chart icon on the face of the button to represent the previous view. By single clicking on the view style button, the user may redisplay the previous view as illustrated in FIG. 6. The view style button (20) now depicts a bar graph icon to represent the previous view. The user may again select the view style button by clicking-and-dragging on the button to display the alternative view style buttons as illustrated in FIG. 7. By dragging the mouse pointer to the alternative view style button designated by the chart icon, and releasing the mouse at that location, the computer display presents the view illustrated in FIG. 8. The view style button (20) now depicts a bar chart icon to represent the previous view (i.e., FIG. 6). By single clicking on the view style button, the computer system redisplays the visual display of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of routine which is involved when a user selects the view style button of the present invention. The routine inputs the previous view and the current view and either toggles between the two views or allows the user to select a new view. In step 901, the routine waits for the user to either single click on the view style button with the mouse cursor, or click-and-drag on the view style button to display the alternative view style buttons. In step 902, if the user single clicked on the view style button then the routine continues at 908, else the routine continues at 903. In step 903, the routine inputs a display state corresponding to the alternative view style button selected by the user (i.e., when the user releases the mouse cursor over the desired alternative view style button). In step 904, the routine displays the newly selected display state. In step 905, the previous view state is changed to the current view state. In step 906 the current view is changed to the selected view. In step 907 the view style button is displayed corresponding to the previous view state, and the routine returns. When the user single clicks on the view style button, the routine, instep 908, swaps the current view and the previous view. In step 909, the routine displays the current view. In step 910, the view style button is displayed as the previous state, and then returns. 
     While this invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.