Computer display unit with attribute enhanced scroll bar

A computer display unit comprising:

• a central processing unit;
• a memory accessed by the central processing unit;
• a display screen which receives data from the central processing unit;
• means for displaying a data display field in a first region of said display screen and a scroll bar field in a second region of said display screen separated from said first region;
• means for displaying in said data display field a portion containing some but not all of a data file stored in said memory;
• means for displaying in said scroll bar field a shaft representing a length of said data file;
• means for displaying in said scroll bar field a car within said shaft representing a position and size of said portion relative to said length;
• and
• means for displaying in said scroll bar field an attribute map within said shaft comprising indicia representing a position of each occurrence of selected data in said data file relative to said length, said attribute map being visually distinguishable from said car.

In an interactive data display computer system including a processing unit for processing data, a memory for storing a data file, and a data display screen for displaying data to a user, said data display screen providing in separate regions a data display field and a scroll bar field, a method of visually presenting a user with an attribute-enhanced scroll bar comprising the steps of:

• displaying within said data display field a portion of said data file containing some but not all of said data file;
• and
• displaying within said scroll bar field;
• (i) a shaft representing a length of said data file, said length of said data file exceeding said displayed portion of said data file;
• (ii) a car within said shaft wherein a spatial relationship between said car and said shaft visually indicates to said user a relative size and position of said displayed portion of said data file with respect to said length of said data file;
• and
• (iii) an attribute map within said shaft visually distinguishable from said car wherein a spatial relationship between said attribute map and said shaft visually indicates to said user a position of each occurrence of selected information in said data file with respect to said length of said data file.