Abstract:
A method and computer program are provided for implementing an interactive bargraph that includes associating an interactive bargraph with an independent touch map image having a plurality of pixel values, displaying the interactive bargraph, determining a current level of the interactive bargraph based on the content of the touch map image, and updating the display of the interactive bargraph based on the current level of the interactive bargraph.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to graphical user interfaces and more particularly, relates to a method and computer program for implementing interactive bargraphs capable of any shape or design on a graphical user interface. 
     2. Discussion of the Background 
     Devices having one or more graphical user interfaces (GUI) commonly represent data as graphical icons, also referred to as “widgets.” These widgets may be patterned after real-world physical objects including, but not limited to, dials, switches, buttons, and scales. For instance, a bar graph is a graph consisting of parallel, usually vertical bars or rectangles with lengths proportional to the frequency with which specified quantities occur in a set of data. A bar graph is commonly represented on a GUI as a bargraph widget. A GUI bargraph widget that may be manipulated by a user to interactively change the level and graphical representation associated therewith is commonly referred to as an interactive bargraph widget. However, the graphical form of an interactive bargraph widget is generally limited in its shape or design to straight lines aligned either horizontally or vertically. This is due to the fact that an interactive bargraph widget having a non-conventional shape or design, such as a radial or even more complex shape, requires complex calculations to determine the level and graphical representation associated with the bargraph widget when it is interactively manipulated by the user. Further, an interactive bargraph widget having a non-conventional shape or design must be custom programmed to handle that non-conventional shape. For instance, it would be highly difficult, if not impossible, for an interactive bargraph widget to handle the non-conventional shapes  20   a - 20   f  shown in  FIG. 2 . Thus, there does not exist an efficient implementation of an interactive bargraph widget that is capable of any shape or design. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a method for implementing an interactive bargraph that includes associating an interactive bargraph with an independent touch map image having a plurality of pixel values, displaying the interactive bargraph, determining a current level of the interactive bargraph based on the content of the touch map image, and updating the display of the interactive bargraph based on the current level of the interactive bargraph. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer program for implementing an interactive barograph that includes a first computer code for associating an interactive bargraph with an independent touch map image having a plurality of pixel values, a second computer code for displaying the interactive bargraph, a third computer code for determining a current level of the interactive bargraph based on the content of the touch map image, and a forth computer code for updating the display of the interactive bargraph based on the current level of the interactive bargraph. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining a current level of an interactive bargraph that includes associating an interactive bargraph with an independent non-visible touch map image having a plurality of pixel values, retrieving a current pointer coordinate from the interactive bargraph, translating the current pointer coordinate into the touch map image, retrieving one of the plurality of pixel values based on an image coordinate of the touch map image, and determining the current level of the interactive bargraph based on the retrieved pixel value. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer program for determining a current level of an interactive bargraph that includes a first computer code for associating an interactive bargraph with an independent non-visible touch map image having a plurality of pixel values, a second computer code for retrieving a current pointer coordinate from the interactive bargraph, a third computer code for translating the current pointer coordinate into the touch map image, a forth computer code for retrieving one of the plurality of pixel values based on an image coordinate of the touch map image, and a fifth computer code for determining the current level of the interactive bargraph based on the retrieved pixel value. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining a current level of an interactive bargraph that includes associating an interactive bargraph with a plurality of dependent visible touch map images each having a plurality of pixel values, retrieving a current pointer coordinate from the interactive bargraph, translating the current pointer coordinate into a corresponding one of the plurality of touch map images, retrieving one of the plurality of pixel values based on an image coordinate of the corresponding one of the plurality of touch map images, and determining the current level of the interactive bargraph based on the retrieved pixel value. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1   a  illustrates several incremental steps of an exemplary interactive radial bargraph widget according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 1   b  illustrates an exemplary touch map image that corresponds to an interactive bargraph widget according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 1   c  illustrates a graphical alignment between a touch map image and an interactive bargraph widget according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates several exemplary interactive bargraphs of various non-conventional shapes according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3   a  is a flow chart for implementing an interactive bargraph widget according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 3   b  is a flow chart for determining a current level of an interactive bargraph widget according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described. 
     The present invention provides a user with the ability implement an interactive bargraph widget of any shape or design by coupling the interactive bargraph widget with an image, such as an independent non-visible touch map image. A touch map image having various gradient or possibly even random pixel values is graphically aligned with an interactive bargraph widget of any shape or design. Each pixel of the touch map image has an associated value, including, but not limited to, RGB values. For instance, a touch map image may contain 257 different values including 254 shades of gray, black, white and transparent. However, the touch map image in this configuration does not convey any graphical information and, thus, is not visible. Instead, the touch map image is used to denote a current “touch weight” of a pixel at a selected (x, y) coordinate of the corresponding interactive bargraph widget. 
     For example, several incremental steps  10   a - 10   g  of an interactive radial bargraph widget  10  which operates like real-world knob according to the present invention are shown in  FIG. 1   a . In this example, a user may manipulate the radial bargraph widget  10  to various positions including, but not limited to, any of the seven steps  10   a - 10   g  shown in  FIG. 1 . Referring to  FIGS. 1   b  and  1   c , a touch map image  12  having various gradient RGB values is graphically aligned with and corresponds to the radial bargraph widget  10 . For instance, the touch map image  12  may be graphically aligned with the radial bargraph widget  10  such that each of their top-left corners are aligned, indicated as ( 0 , 0 ) in  FIG. 1   c . However, other means of graphical alignment are possible and within the scope of the present invention. When a user selects a particular (x, y) offset within the radial bargraph widget  10 , the pixel value corresponding to the same and/or translated (x, y) offset within the touch map image  12  is returned as the touch weight value. The touch weight is then used to determine the value, or “level,” associated with the radial bargraph widget  10  and to update the display of the radial bargraph widget  10 . For instance, the display of the radial bargraph widget  10  may be updated to display various positions including, but not limited to, any of the seven steps  10   a - 10   g  shown in  FIG. 1   a.    
     Optionally, in an alternate configuration the image may also be configured as a dependent visible image that is displayed as a portion of the interactive bargraph widget. In this configuration, multiple touch map images having various gradient or possibly even random pixel values are used not only to denote a current “touch weight” of a pixel at a selected (x, y) coordinate, but also to graphically represent the visible portion of the interactive bargraph widget itself. 
     The present invention may be considered in a Model-View-Controller (MVC) user interface paradigm context, although it is not limited to such. In a MVC user interface paradigm: a controller interprets inputs from the user and maps these user actions into commands that are sent to a model and/or view to effect the appropriate change; the model manages one or more data elements, responds to queries about its state, and responds to instructions to change state; and the view is responsible for presenting data to the user through a combination of graphics and text. In this context, the touch map image would be a portion of the controller, the visible portion of the interactive bargraph widget would represent the view, and the current level of the interactive bargraph widget would be a portion of the model. 
     Because the present invention uses a touch map image  12  that is graphically aligned with and corresponds to the interactive bargraph widget  10 , an interactive bargraph widget  10  of any shape or design may be implemented simply by generating and/or manipulating the graphical pixel values of the corresponding touch map image  12 . For instance,  FIG. 2  illustrates several exemplary interactive bargraphs of various non-conventional shapes  20   a - 20   f  according to the present invention. Additionally, because the level of the interactive bargraph widget is determined based on the touch map image, no complex calculations are necessary, thereby improving the efficiency of the interactive bargraph widget. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3   a , a flow chart for implementing an interactive bargraph widget according to the present invention, is shown. An interactive bargraph widget  10  is associated with an independent touch map image  12 , as shown at block  30 . At Block  40 , the interactive bargraph widget is graphically displayed. Upon pointer movement, mouse click, touch location input or some other event, including but not limited to a timer event, the updated current level of the interactive bargraph widget is determined, as shown at Block  50 . Finally, at block  60 , the display of the interactive bargraph widget  10  is updated based on the current level. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3   b , a flow chart for determining a current level of an interactive bargraph widget according to the present invention, is shown. At Block  52 , the current pointer (x, y) coordinate of an interactive bargraph widget  10  is retrieved. The (x, y) coordinate is then translated to an image coordinate in a touch map image  12 , as shown at Block  54 . Translating may be optional where the touch map image  12  is the same size as the interactive bargraph widget  10 . At Block  56 , the pixel value associated with the translated (x, y) coordinate in the touch map image is retrieved. The current level of the interactive bargraph widget  10  is updated based on the touch map image pixel value, as shown at Block  58 . 
     The processes and mechanisms set forth in the present description may be implemented using a conventional general purpose microprocessor, or silicon as part of a graphics accelerator chip and/or subsystem, programmed according to the teachings in the present specifications, as will be appreciated to those skilled in the relevant art. Appropriate software can be prepared based upon the teachings of the present disclosure, as will also be apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts. 
     The present invention thus includes a computer program which may be hosted on a storage medium and includes instructions which perform the processes set forth in the present specification. The storage medium can include, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, flash memory, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions. 
     Obviously, many other modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative, and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention in any manner. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the disclosed concept, the invention may be practiced otherwise then as specifically described.