Blunt input device cursor
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorStephen R. Falcon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system controls acquisition of visual targets with a cursor in a visual display displaced on a screen. A coordinate system is provided which is associated with the screen. A pointer is also provided which is associated with the cursor and which comprises a plurality of points in the coordinate system which define a cursor hot spot. The pointer is moved within the coordinate system based on position information from a user input device. A target region is provided in the coordinate system. The target region corresponds to a visual target and is acquired when at least one of the points in the cursor hot spot coincides with the target region.
Claims29
A method of controlling acquisition of visual targets with a cursor in a visual display displayed on a screen, comprising:
- providing a coordinate system associated with the screen;
- providing a pointer associated with the cursor and comprising cursor points in the coordinate system;
- moving the pointer within the coordinate system based on position information from a user input device;
- providing a target region in the coordinate system, the target region corresponding to a visual target and comprising at least one target point in the coordinate system;
- providing, substantially continuously, visual indicia on the visual display indicative of at least some of a plurality of cursor points defining a cursor hot spot;
- and acquiring the target region when any of a plurality of the cursor points defining the cursor hot spot coincides with the at least one target point.
A program for controlling a cursor displayed on a display screen to acquire a target displayed on the display screen, the program comprising instructions arranged to configure a computer to take the steps of:
- accessing a coordinate system associated with the display screen, the target corresponding to at least one target point in the coordinate system, and the cursor corresponding to a plurality of cursor points in the coordinate system;
- receiving position information from a user input device and moving a cursor position within the coordinate system associated with the display screen based on the position information;
- maintaining cursor position information indicative of the cursor position within the coordinate system;
- and
- acquiring the target when the target point coincides with at least one of a predetermined plurality of the cursor points defining a cursor hot spot.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.