Abstract:
A display interface system for computer controlled displays including a window in a display screen, for the display of visible data; a set of selectable items in the portion of said display screen; an implementation for varying the area of the display screen portion; and for varying the comprehensiveness level of the items in response to the varying area of the display screen portion. It is often the case that the area in a window needs to be reduced for any of a variety of purposes. In such a situation, the items in the menu are maintained at a high level of comprehensiveness, e.g. icon plus explanatory text, while its window area is greatest. Then, as the window area is reduced, the levels of comprehensiveness of the items in the menu or set are also reduced since the space can no longer accommodate them.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present invention relates to user interactive computer supported display technology and particularly to graphical user interfaces which are user friendly and provide interactive users with an interface environment which is easy to use. 
   BACKGROUND OF RELATED ART 
   The past decade has been marked by a technological revolution driven by the convergence of the data processing industry with the consumer electronics industry. This advance has been even further accelerated by the extensive consumer and business involvement in the Internet over the past two years. As a result of these changes, it seems as if virtually all aspects of human endeavor in the industrialized world require human-computer interfaces. There is a need to make computer directed activities accessible to a substantial portion of the world&#39;s population which, up to a few years ago, was computer-illiterate or, at best, computer indifferent. In order for the vast computer supported marketplace to continue and be commercially productive, it will be necessary for many computer indifferent consumers and other potential users to be involved in computer interfaces. 
   Two of the computer interface implementations which have played a major role in advancing user interfaces have been: display windows, which make it possible for the user to simultaneously conduct many operations and sessions; and icons, which make user interaction with the computer more intuitive and quicker. 
   These two implements, which usually function together, do have limitations, which also affect each other. Because of the increase in functions which may be carried out in windows, the number of windows and their respective scopes on a display screen have increased. As a result, the available area within individual windows may often be limited. On the other hand, while icons and like interactive images may be intuitive, easy to access and fast, they often require a learning period to permit the user to learn the functions which they represent. During any such learning period, it is desirable to have explanatory text associated with each selectable icon or image item in a selectable set or menu. The above-described limitations in available window area work against such explanatory text to make each selectable item more comprehensive and understandable. 
   Currently available user interface systems have features for customizing user interfaces based upon the degree of comprehensiveness required by the user at his particular skill level. However, such customization implementations require the user to locate the interface customization feature and then proceed through several steps in the feature, e.g. he must locate the appropriate menu, interpret his preferences within the menu and find appearance options within appropriate dialogs. As will be seen hereinafter, the present invention eliminates such customization steps and thereby provides for an automatic customization within the operative window. 
   SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
   The present invention provides a user friendly display interface system for computer controlled displays for solving the above-described problems by maximizing the amount of time that selectable items in an interactive display set or menu may be displayed at a higher level of comprehensiveness. The system, program and method includes means for providing a portion, i.e. a window in a display screen for the display of visible data; means for displaying a set of selectable items in the portion of said display screen; means for varying the area of said display screen portion; and means for varying the comprehensiveness level of said items in response to the varying area of said display screen portion. It is often the case that the area in a window needs to be reduced for any of a variety of purposes. In such a situation, the items in the menu are maintained at a high level of comprehensiveness, e.g. icon plus explanatory text, while its window area is greatest. Then, as the window area is reduced, the levels of comprehensiveness of the items in the menu or set are also reduced since the space can no longer accommodate them. The comprehensiveness of the items may be reduced through several levels until a level is reached when the space in the window is so limited that the menu or set of images or icons is at an image only display with no explanatory text. Conversely, should the window or display portion area be expanded again, then the comprehensiveness of the items in the menu or set may be correspondingly increased through the several levels. In this manner, the user is exposed to the higher levels of menu item comprehensiveness for the maximum period of time. 
   While the present invention is being illustrated with menu items including images or icons, the principles of the invention are also applicable to alphanumeric items. For example, the items may be single word terms such as “Route”, “Fetch” or “Split” at the levels of lowest comprehensiveness and accompanied by explanatory text at higher levels. 
   In accordance with a more particular aspect of the present invention, the invention is applied to a display screen window having a first portion in which data is to be displayed and a remaining portion for the presentation of a menu of items selectable to perform functions relative to the data in the first portion including changing the content and extent of the visible data in the first portion. The system of the invention comprises means for providing a first portion of a display screen window for the display of visible data; means for providing in the remaining portion of the display screen window a menu of items selectable to produce the visible data in said first portion; means for varying the area of said remaining portion of the display screen window responsive to the visible data area requirements of the first portion; and means for varying the comprehensiveness level of the items in the menu in response to the varying area of the remaining portion. The visible data in the first portion may include images such as icons. 
   Furthermore, the system may operate with means for automatically varying the area of the first portion in response to changes in the visible data content in the first portion; and the said means for varying the comprehensiveness level of the items in the menu is automatically responsive to the means for varying the area of said first portion. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following drawings, in conjunction with the accompanying specification, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an interactive data processor controlled display system including a central processing unit which is capable of implementing the presentation of an interactive menu of items of variable levels of comprehensiveness according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a diagrammatic view of a display screen window with a first portion of visible data and a remaining portion presenting a menu of items at the highest level of comprehensiveness; 
       FIG. 3  is the diagrammatic view of  FIG. 2  but with a first portion of expanded are a resulting in a remaining portion with a menu at an intermediate level of comprehensiveness; 
       FIG. 4  is the diagrammatic view of  FIG. 3  but with a first portion of maximum expanded are a resulting in a remaining portion with a menu at the lowest level of comprehensiveness; 
       FIG. 5  is the diagrammatic view of  FIG. 2  but with the whole window reduced in area resulting in a remaining portion with a menu at an intermediate level of comprehensiveness; 
       FIG. 6  is the diagrammatic view of  FIG. 5  but with the whole window further reduced in area resulting in a remaining portion with a menu at lowest level of comprehensiveness; 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  are a flowchart of the program steps involved in setting up an implementation for presentation of an interactive menu of items of variable levels of comprehensiveness according to the present invention; and 
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart of an illustrative running of the steps set up in the program of  FIGS. 7 and 8 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , a typical data processing system is shown which may function as the computer controlled display terminal used to implement the presentation of an interactive displayed menu of items of variable levels of comprehensiveness. A central processing unit (CPU)  10 , such as one of the PC microprocessors, distributed by International Business Machine Corporation (IBM), or workstations, e.g. RISC System/6000™ (RS/6000) (RISC System/6000 is a trademark of IBM) series available from IBM as provided and interconnected to various other components by system bus  12 . An operating system  41  runs on CPU  10 , provides control and is used to coordinate the function of the various components of  FIG. 1 . Operating system  41  may be one of the commercially available windows type of operating systems such as IBM&#39;s AIX 6000™ operating system of Microsoft&#39;s Windows98™ or WindowsNT™, as well as the UNIX and AIX operating systems. Application programs  40 , controlled by the system, are moved into and out of the main memory, Random Access Memory (RAM),  14 . These programs include the program of the present invention to be subsequently described to provide displayed menus of items of variable levels of comprehensiveness. A Read Only Memory (ROM)  16  is connected to CPU  10  via bus  12  and includes the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) that controls the basic computer functions. RAM  14 , I/O adapter  18  and communications adapter  34  are also interconnected to system bus  12 . It should be noted that software components, including the operating system  41  and the application  40 , are loaded into RAM  14 , which is the computer system&#39;s main memory. I/O adapter  18  may be a small computer system adapter that communicates with the disk storage device  20 , i.e. a hard drive. Communications adapter  34  interconnects bus  12  with an outside network enabling the data processing system to communicate with other such systems. In present day systems, windowed data may be transmitted from other computer stations in a network, such as the Internet. 
   I/O devices are also connected to system bus  12  via user interface adapter  22  and display adapter  36 . Keyboard  24  and mouse  26  are connected to bus  12  through user interface adapter  22 . It is through such input devices that the user interactive functions involved in the displays of the present invention may be implemented. Display adapter  36  includes a frame buffer  39 , which is a storage device that holds a representation of each pixel on the display screen  38 . Images may be stored in frame buffer  39  for display on monitor  38  through various components, such as a digital to analog converter (not shown) and the like. As previously mentioned, in order to accommodate the hierarchies of overlapping and hidden windows, the frame buffer  39  should be a depth buffer; for example, the depth buffer of U.S. Pat. NO. 5,241,565. By using the aforementioned I/O devices, a user is capable of inputting information to the system through the keyboard  24  or mouse  26  and receiving output information from the system via display  38 . 
   There will now be described some simple illustrations of the present invention with respect to the display screens of  FIGS. 2 through 6 . When the screen images are described, it will be understood that these may be rendered by storing image and text creation programs, such as those in any conventional window operating system in the RAM  14  of the system of  FIG. 1 . The operating system is diagrammatically shown in  FIG. 1  as operating system  41 . The display screens of  FIGS. 2 through 4  are presented to the viewer on display monitor  38  of  FIG. 1 . In accordance with conventional techniques, the user may control the screen interactively through a conventional I/O device, such as mouse  26  of  FIG. 1 , which operates through user interface  22  to call upon programs in RAM  14  cooperating with the operating system  41  to create the images in frame buffer  39  of display adapter  36  to control the display on monitor  38 . 
   With reference to  FIG. 2 , a window  49  on a display screen has two portions: first portion  50  which includes visible data which may be image and/or alphanumeric text, which in the present example are icons with names  55 . The remaining portion,  51 , of the window separated from the first portion  50  by linear boundary  54  contains an interactive menu of selectable items. Each item on the menu includes a selectable icon  52  and text  53  advising the user of the function which the selection of the icon will cause to be performed on the entities represented by data, e.g. people icons in first portion  50 . In the window of  FIG. 2 , the menu items made up of icons  52  and text  53  give the most descriptive details about each item&#39;s function, and are, thus, at the highest level of comprehensiveness. However, as the data content in the first portion  50  of the window increases, which in the present case are people icons  55  and now people icons  56  ( FIG. 3 ), a point is reached where the data content exceeds the display capacity of first portion  50 . At this point, boundary  54  will shift to the point shown in  FIG. 3  to thereby decrease the area of remaining portion  51  so that the text  57  now associated with each icon  52  in each menu item is shortened, whereby the description of icons  52  in the menu item is much more limited. Thus, the level of comprehensiveness of the menu items is at a lower, i.e. intermediate, level. The visible data in first portion  50  continues to expand with the addition of new icons. Note, new icons, such as icons  58  in  FIG. 4 , may be added to the first portion  50  through the “Add User” menu item. When the data content in the first portion  50  in  FIG. 3  fills the first portion, the boundary  54  shifts to the position shown in  FIG. 4  where the menu of items  52  is at the “icons only” level which is the lowest level of comprehensiveness. However, the user has had the opportunity to have worked with menu items of higher levels of comprehensiveness during the transitions described with respect to  FIGS. 2 through 4  may now be more familiar and comfortable working with icons alone. It should also be noted that if the data content in first portions  50  is reduced by the removal of people icons so that the capacities of visible data in portions falls below the area of  FIG. 3  or even  FIG. 2 , then the levels of comprehensiveness of the menu items may correspondingly be increased to the levels of  FIG. 2  or  FIG. 3 . 
   In the description relative to  FIGS. 2 through 4 , for simplicity of illustration the data content of first portion  50  has been shown to be dependent primarily on the number of people icons or objects  56  within portion  50 . It will be understood that increases in the data content could be made without increasing the number of icons or objects  56 . For example, more details may be displayed for each of the icons or objects  56 . 
   In one variation of the present invention, the whole window  49  of  FIG. 2  may be reduced in area, first to the size shown in  FIG. 5  while the size of the first portion  50  remains unchanged. Thus, the remaining portion  51  is reduced to a size about equal to the size of remaining portion  51  in  FIG. 3 . As a result, the text  57  now associated with each icon  52  in each menu item is shortened whereby the description of icons  52  in the menu item is much more limited. Thus, as in  FIG. 3 , the level of comprehensiveness of the menu items is at a lower, i.e. intermediate, level. Then, as the area window  49  is further reduced, while the area of the first portion  50  remains unchanged, the remaining portion  51  is further reduced to a size about equal to the size of the remaining portion  51  in  FIG. 4  where the menu of items  52  is at the “icons only” level, which is the lowest level of comprehensiveness. 
   Now, with reference to  FIGS. 7 and 8  there will be described a process implemented by a program according to the present invention for dynamically changing the area of the window portion displaying a menu of items and for changing the levels of comprehensiveness of the menu items responsive to the changing area. The program routines, which are created by the process of  FIGS. 7 and 8 , implement the operations described with respect to  FIGS. 2 through 6 . In the flowchart of  FIG. 6 , a basic type operating system is set up, step  70 , using any operating system for managing a hierarchy of windows, e.g. Windows98™, and Motif for Unix or AIX. Then, a process is provided for setting up and maintaining in a section of a display screen a window of set dimensions having a menu portion for the display of a menu of items representing functions to be done with respect to a set of icons in the other portion of the window, step  71 . These menu functions include the creation and removal of such icons. The data set up is such that the icons in the portion, which are referred to as the first portion, represent entities to which functions represented by the menu items are to be applied, step  72 . The menu portion will be referred to as the remaining portion. For each of the items in the menu, there is set up a plurality of levels of comprehensiveness at which the menu item may be displayed, step  73 . A process is provided for the automatic expansion of the first portion as the number of icons in the icon set in the first portion increases, step  74 . A process is also provided for the automatic contraction of the remaining portion area in response to the expansion of the first portion, step  75 ,  FIG. 8 . A routine is provided for the automatic reduction of the levels of comprehensiveness of each menu item as the area of the remaining portion of the window contracts to area sizes not capable of presenting the next higher levels of menu item comprehensiveness, step  76 . 
   Also, conversely, processes are set up for the automatic reduction of the first portion as the number of icons in the icon set in the first portion decreases, and a process is also provided for the automatic expansion of the remaining portion area in response to the contraction of the first portion. Consequently, a routine is provided for the automatic increase of the levels of comprehensiveness of each menu item as the area of the remaining portion of the window expands to area sizes capable of presenting the higher levels of menu item comprehensiveness in response to the expanded remaining portion area, step  77 . 
   Now that the setting up of the basic program has been described and illustrated, there will be described with respect to  FIG. 9  a flowchart of a simple operation showing how the program could be run. The window of  FIG. 2  is opened, step  81 , in which image data, such as icons, are in a first portion of the window and the menu of items is in the remaining portion of the window, step  82 . The user is enabled to interact with the window to perform functions selected from the menu in the remaining portion with respect to the entities represented by the icons in the first portion, including the addition and deletion of icons representative of such entities, step  83 . A determination is made, step  84 , as to whether an icon has been added. If Yes, then a further determination is made, step  85 , as to whether the addition of the icon has resulted in an expansion of the first portion and a consequent reduction in the area of the remaining portion so that there is still enough room in the remaining portion to maintain menu item comprehensiveness at the present level. If Yes, then the process is returned to step  83  and the user interaction continues. If No, there is no longer enough room, then the menu item comprehensiveness is reduced to the next lower level at which less room of the remaining portion is required, step  88 . On the other hand, if the determination back at step  84  was No icon added to first portion, then a determination is made as to whether an icon has been removed from the first area, step  86 . If Yes, then a further determination is made, step  87 , as to whether the removal of the icon has resulted in a reduction of the first portion and a consequent expansion in the area of the remaining portion to that there is now enough room in the remaining portion to expand to menu item comprehensiveness at the next higher level. If No, then the process is returned to step  83  and the user interaction continues. If Yes, there is enough room for expansion, then the menu item comprehensiveness is increased to the next higher level which requires more room in the remaining portion, step  89 . On the other hand, if the determination back at step  86  was No icon removed from the first portion, then a determination is made as to whether an icon has been removed from the first area, step  86 , then the process is returned to step  83  and the user interaction continues. After steps  88  or  89 , a determination may conveniently be made as to whether the session is at an end, step  90 . If Yes, the session is exited. If No, then the process is returned to step  83  and the user interaction continues. 
   It should be noted that the programs covered by the present invention may be stored outside of the present computer systems until they are required. The program instructions may be stored in another readable medium, e.g. in disk drive associated with the desktop computer or in a removable memory, such as an optical disk for use in a CD ROM computer input or in a floppy disk for use in a floppy disk drive computer input. Further, the program instructions may be stored in the memory of another computer prior to use in the system of the present invention and transmitted over a network, when required by the user of the present invention. One skilled in the art should appreciate that the processes controlling the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of computer readable media of a variety of forms. 
   Although certain preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and intent of the appended claims.