System and method for scrolling control

Abstract: Scrolling control is carried out in response to a press of a cursor key or a scroll key. While a scroll control is carried out, data displayed on a screen is reduced, to thereby increase an amount of the data displayed at the same time.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a scrolling control system and a scrolling control method for performing scrolling control of a data display screen in a computer system wherein text data displayed on a display device are edited, etc. 2. Description of the Related Art Generally, scrolling function is provided in computer systems, etc., in order to vary a display position of a data display screen. The scrolling is a process of moving display data on the display screen in a designated direction when a scroll event occurs in response to press of a cursor key or a scroll key on a keyboard or click of a scroll bar with a mouse. Scrolling is usually carried out by a dot, a line or a block of lines and a display scale is not varied throughout the scrolling process. In scrolling, it is desired to find a target screen and to display it at high speed. In the conventional scrolling control method, however, an amount of information displayed at the same time is limited. Since it is difficult to grasp context from the limited amount of information or it is difficult to grasp a data structure, etc., the target screen can not easily be found. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a scrolling control system and a scrolling control method, wherein an amount of information displayed when scrolling is increased and a necessary screen can be found with ease and at high speed. In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a scrolling control system, comprising: a display device; an input device; means for detecting an event of scrolling data displayed on the display device in response to an input from the input device; means for scrolling the data displayed on the display device when the scrolling event is received from the event detecting means; and means for reducing the data scrolled by the scrolling means to thereby increase an amount of data displayed at the same time. In accordance with the present invention there is also provided a scrolling control method in a computer system including a display device and an input device, comprising the steps of: detecting an event of scrolling data displayed on the display device in response to an input from the input device; scrolling the data displayed on the display device when the scrolling event is received from the event detecting means; and reducing the data scrolled by the scrolling means to thereby increase an amount of data displayed at the same time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a block diagram of a computer system provided with a scrolling function according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of the scroll control unit 16 of Fig. 1; Figures 3A to 3F are diagrams explaining reduced scrolling according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a diagram representing a reduction operation; and Figure 5 is a diagram representing a restoration operation. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 is a block diagram of a computer system provided with a scrolling function according to the present invention. The system includes an input device 10 such as a keyboard and/or a mouse, a display device 12 for displaying data, and a processing device 13 consisting of a CPU and a memory, etc. The input device 10 includes a reduced scrolling input 11 realized by a specific key or a specific combination of keys, etc. The processing device 13 includes a keyboard event detection unit 14, display data storage unit 15 for storing display data such as text data to be edited, a scroll control unit 16, and a display control unit 18 for displaying specified data on the display device 12. The scroll control unit 16 further includes a reduction processing unit 17. The keyboard event detection unit 14 detects a keyboard event in response to a press of a cursor key or a scroll key of the input device 10 or activation of the reduced scrolling input 11 or others. The scroll control unit 16 performs a scroll process of moving displayed data in a designated direction when an event to execute the scroll process is detected by the keyboard event detection unit 14. Figure 2 shows a scroll process of the scroll control unit 16. In step 1000, a keyboard event is received from the keyboard event detection unit 14. If the received event is a scroll event in step 1004, it is examined whether the same events successively occur and the currently received event is an (m × n)-th event of a series of the same events where m=1, 2 ..., and n is an integer value that is preset in a system or that is set by a user in an environment definition, in step 1006. If the currently received event is the (m × n)-th event, data displayed on the screen is reduced by a reducing factor in step 1008. In step 1010, scrolling of the display data is carried out in a designated direction. In step 1002, if the received event is a cursor move event, it is examined whether a cursor resides at the top or bottom line in step 1012. If the event is one that moves the cursor upward and the cursor resides at the top line, the process is advanced to the step 1006, to perform up-scroll processing. If the event is one that moves the cursor downward and the cursor resides at the bottom line, the process is advanced to the step 1006, to perform down-scroll processing. In the other cases, in step 1014, the cursor is moved in a designated direction. If the received event is not the cursor move event in step 1002 nor the scroll event in step 1004, it is examined whether the size of the displayed data has been reduced in step 1016. If yes, the size of the displayed data is restored in step 1018. In step 1020, processing corresponding to the received event is carried out. In the aforementioned example, the cursor move process and the scroll process are always accompanied by the reduction process. Alternatively, the scroll control unit 16 may be constituted so that the reduction occurs only while a specific key is pressed in combination with the cursor move key or the scroll key or only when the reduced scrolling input 11 is activated. Figures 3A to 3F are diagrams for explaining the reduced scrolling according to the present invention. Fig. 3A represents text data stored in the display data storage unit 15, and Figs. 3B represents a screen of a basic size before the scrolling process starts. As shown in Fig. 3C, when the scrolling process starts, a screen having the basic size is displayed. After a predetermined number of events occur, i.e., after a predetermined length of time elapses during the scroll process, data displayed on the screen is reduced as shown in Fig. 3D. Thus, a larger amount of data is displayed at the same time as shown in Fig. 3A. Thereafter, when the predetermined length of time further elapses, data displayed on the screen is further reduced as shown in Fig. 3E. When the scroll process ends, the size of data is restored to the basic size, as shown in Fig. 3F. A reference line whose display position is fixed in reduction and restoration operations can be customized by a user. Figure 4 represents the reduction operations in two cases where a bottom line is defined as the reference line and where a top line is defined as the reference line. It is assumed that a range A is a display range of a text before the reduction operation is carried out. If a bottom line of the display range A is defined as the reference line, the display range is changed from A to B by the reduction operation, and a screen 30-1 is displayed. If a top line of the display range A is defined as the reference line, the display range is changed from A to C by the reduction operation, and a screen 30-2 is displayed. Though not shown, an intermediate line may be defined as the reference line. Figure 5 represents the restoration operations in two cases where a bottom line is defined as the reference line and where a top line is defined as the reference line. It is assumed that a range D is a display range of a block of text before the restoration operation. If a top line of the display range D is defined as the reference line, the display range is changed from D to E by the restoration operation, and a screen 30-3 is displayed. If a bottom line of the display range D is defined as the reference line, the display range is changed from D to F by the restoration operation, and a screen 30-4 is displayed. Also in restoration operation, an intermediate line may be defined as the reference line. In the aforementioned example, the reference line in reduction and restoration operations is fixed in advance or selected by a user. Alternatively, the reference line may be determined according to a direction of scrolling.

Claims: A scrolling control system, comprising: a display device; an input device; means for detecting an event of scrolling data displayed on the display device in response to an input from the input device; means for scrolling the data displayed on the display device when the scrolling event is received from the event detecting means; and means for reducing the size of data scrolled by the scrolling means to thereby increase an amount of data displayed at the same time. A scrolling control system of claim 1, wherein the reducing means reduces the size of data when a predetermined number of the scrolling events are successively received by the scrolling means. A scrolling control system of claim 1, further comprising means for indicating a reduced scrolling, wherein the reducing means reduces the size of data only when the reduced scrolling indicating means indicates the reduced scrolling. A scrolling control system of claim 2, further comprising means for indicating a reduced scrolling, wherein the reducing means reduces the size of data only when the reduced scrolling indicating means indicates the reduced scrolling. A scrolling control method in a computer system including a display device and an input device, comprising the steps of: detecting an event of scrolling data displayed on the display device in response to an input from the input device; scrolling the data displayed on the display device when the scrolling event is received from the event detecting means; and reducing the size of data scrolled by the scrolling means to thereby increase an amount of data displayed at the same time.

Inventors: OKISHIMA HARUHIRO, OKISHIMA, HARUHIRO, Okishima, Haruhiro, c/o FUJITSU LIMITED
Applicants: FUJITSU LTD, FUJITSU LIMITED
Application year: 1993
Main classification: G06F3
IPC codes: G06F3, G09G5, G06T11, G06F17