Touch-sensitive input overlay for graphical user interface

#1. Field of the Invention

#The invention relates to graphical user interfaces, and more particularly to touch-screen graphical user interfaces for computer systems.

#2. Background Information

#FIG. 1 is a diagram of a touch-sensitive input overlay for a graphical user interface.

#FIG. 2 is a hardware and communication flow diagram of the touch-sensitive input overlay.

#FIG. 3 is a diagram of additional data structure attributes useful in implementing the touch-sensitive input overlay.

#I describe improvements to graphical user interface systems, and in particular to methods and apparatuses for implementing a touch-sensitive graphical user interface. According to an aspect of my invention, a touch-sensitive input overlay is presented on the graphical user interface in response to a touch input on a display device, which includes a touch input device, such a series of capacitive or resistive sensors disposed over the display device. The touch-sensitive input overlay allows a user of a computer system to perform entry options without the aid of a traditional keyboard or mouse, but rather by touching one or more entry options presented on the touch-sensitive input overlay. The GUI system described herein is dynamic and flexible—allowing presentation of a number of unique touch-sensitive input overlays in variable locations on the display device. These and other advantages of the invention will be apparent to one of skill in the art upon review of the accompanying figures and the detailed description below.

#Turning first to FIG. 1, it illustrates a touch-sensitive input overlay 16, which is disposed over a traditional GUJI 6 presented on a display device 4. According to an aspect of the invention, the display device 4 includes a touch input device that is responsive to physical contact. Such devices are commercially available and generally known in the art.

#The GUI 6 comprises a series of visual indicators, which include control boxes 8, 10, and 12 for data entry, but can also include navigation entry fields (not shown) such as a tree-hierarchy. For instance, the control 12 is shown with a push-down button 14, which opens to a list box 30. Other types of controls can include combo boxes, push and toggle buttons, progress indicators, scroll bars, window edges (that facilitate resizing of a window), and other devices for display, inviting, responding, or accepting information between a user and a computer program.