Dynamic pointer having time-dependent informational content

A method for displaying a dynamic pointer on a computer monitor, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining a pointer position;
• identifying an object having a position coincident with the pointer position;
• determining an elapsed time during which the pointer has been aligned with the identified object;
• providing a sequential set of pointer appearances representing a substantially continuous visual transformation from a first state to a second state;
• selecting one of the pointer appearances from the sequential set based on the identified object and the determined elapsed time;
• displaying the selected pointer appearance at the pointer position;
• and
• calculating visual information based on the determined elapsed time and displaying the visual information proximal to the pointer.

A method for providing a visual indicator on a computer monitor of the progress of a time-dependent operation, the method comprising the steps of:

• determining a pointer position;
• identifying an object aligned with the pointer;
• identifying a targeting process associated with the identified object;
• determining an elapsed time during which the pointer has been aligned with the identified object;
• calculating a degree-of-progress parameter based on the determined elapsed time;
• providing a sequential set of pointer appearances representing a substantially continuous visual transformation from a first state to a second state;
• selecting one of the pointer appearances from the sequential set based on the calculated degree-of-progress parameter;
• and
• drawing the selected pointer appearance at the pointer position;
• wherein the degree-of-progress parameter represents a probability of hitting the identified object.

A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for performing the steps of:

• determining a pointer position;
• identifying an object having a position coincident with the pointer position;
• determining an elapsed time during which the pointer has been aligned with the identified object;
• selecting a pointer appearance from a sequential set of pointer appearances based on the identified object and the determined elapsed time, the sequential set of pointer appearances representing a substantially continuous visual transformation from a first state to a second state;
• and
• displaying the selected pointer appearance at the pointer position;
• wherein the computer-readable medium further comprises program instructions for performing the step of calculating visual information based on the determined elapsed time and displaying the visual information proximal to the pointer.