Executing secondary actions with respect to onscreen objects
AssigneeAI Squared
InventorsAaron M. Leventhal, Jeffrey P. Bigham
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a computer system receiving input from a user via at least a keyboard and a pointing device, in which input via the pointing device causes corresponding movement of a pointing image on a display screen of the computer system, user input may be received via the pointing device to point the pointing image at an onscreen object on the display screen. In response to the user activating a key on the keyboard while the pointing image is pointing at the onscreen object, a secondary action with respect to the onscreen object may be executed.
Claims27
In a computer system receiving input from a user via at least a keyboard and a pointing device, wherein input via the pointing device causes corresponding movement of a pointing image on a display screen of the computer system, a method comprising:
- receiving user input via the pointing device to point the pointing image at a first onscreen object on the display screen;
- analyzing at least a current keyboard input focus on a second onscreen object to determine whether (a) the first onscreen object is targeted via the pointing device despite the second onscreen object having current keyboard input focus, or (b) the pointing image is pointing at the first onscreen object but the first onscreen object is not targeted via the pointing device, wherein the analyzing comprises, in response to determining that the second onscreen object having current keyboard input focus is an HTML document, determining that the first onscreen object is targeted via the pointing device despite the HTML document having current keyboard input focus;
- and
- in response to the user activating a key on the keyboard while the first onscreen object is determined to be targeted via the pointing device and the pointing image is pointing at the first onscreen object, executing a secondary action with respect to the first onscreen object, and suppressing execution of an action of the keyboard key with respect to the second onscreen object having the current keyboard input focus.
At least one computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform a method in a computer system receiving input from a user via at least a keyboard and a pointing device, wherein input via the pointing device causes corresponding movement of a pointing image on a display screen of the computer system, the method comprising:
- receiving user input via the pointing device to point the pointing image at a first onscreen object on the display screen;
- analyzing at least a current keyboard input focus on a second onscreen object to determine whether (a) the first onscreen object is targeted via the pointing device despite the second onscreen object having current keyboard input focus, or (b) the pointing image is pointing at the first onscreen object but the first onscreen object is not targeted via the pointing device, wherein the analyzing comprises, in response to determining that the second onscreen object having current keyboard input focus is an HTML document, determining that the first onscreen object is targeted via the pointing device despite the HTML document having current keyboard input focus;
- and
- in response to the user activating a key on the keyboard while the first onscreen object is determined to be targeted via the pointing device and the pointing image is pointing at the first onscreen object, executing a secondary action with respect to the first onscreen object, and suppressing execution of an action of the keyboard key with respect to the second onscreen object having the current keyboard input focus.
A computer system comprising:
- a display screen configured to provide output from the computer system to a user;
- a keyboard configured to accept input from the user to the computer system;
- a pointing device configured to accept input from the user to the computer system, wherein input via the pointing device causes corresponding movement of a pointing image on the display screen;
- at least one processor;
- and
- at least one storage medium storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method comprising:
- receiving user input via the pointing device to point the pointing image at a first onscreen object on the display screen;
- analyzing at least a current keyboard input focus on a second onscreen object to determine whether (a) the first onscreen object is targeted via the pointing device despite the second onscreen object having current keyboard input focus, or (b) the pointing image is pointing at the first onscreen object but the first onscreen object is not targeted via the pointing device, wherein the analyzing comprises, in response to determining that the second onscreen object having current keyboard input focus is an HTML document, determining that the first onscreen object is targeted via the pointing device despite the HTML document having current keyboard input focus;
- and
- in response to the user activating a key on the keyboard while the first onscreen object is determined to be targeted via the pointing device and the pointing image is pointing at the first onscreen object, executing a secondary action with respect to the first onscreen object, and suppressing execution of an action of the keyboard key with respect to the second onscreen object having the current keyboard input focus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.