Patent Document ID: 5548705
Application ID: 08394919
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A computer-based method for dynamically identifying and operating on objects displayed on a computer-controlled display device by a user manipulating an input device, said displayed objects comprising one or more objects stored as a set of object-based data structures each representative of one of said objects, comprising the steps: (a) providing means for the user to access an applicator, said applicator being a computer object capable of following a spatial movement having a characteristic shape drawn by the user manipulating the input device, (b) providing computer means to operatively link one of a plurality of operators with said applicator, said operator being capable when applied to a displayed object to influence or modify a property of the whole object, (c) in response to the user's spatial movement with the input device, moving the applicator with operatively-linked operator, independently of which operator is linked to said applicator, along an actual path across a portion of the display, said actual path indicating the characteristic shape made by the spatial movement of the user, said step of moving causing the computer to generate a sequence of wiping segments, each of said wiping segments representing consecutive positions of the actual path followed by the applicator across the display portion, said sequence of wiping segments forming a spatial wiping path for the applicator over said display portion, said computer identifying and storing the position of each of the wiping segments making up the spatial wiping path relative to the positions of the displayed objects, (d) as each segment in the sequence of wiping segments is generated computer-identifying all displayed objects within a predefined distance of the segment on the display whereby, after said objects are identified, the identification of said objects may not be reversed during the formation of said spatial wiping path, said predefined distance being based on user-determined or default criteria, (e) computer-applying said operatively-linked operator only to each of the displayed objects identified in step (d), the application of said operator affecting the whole of each object identified in step (d), the application of said operator to a displayed object modifying the data structure representing the displayed object in a manner visible to the user.