3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Cindy L Munson

Peter M Eisenberg

John M Kruse

Mitchell B Grunes

Martin A Kenner

David T Berquist

Timothy A Mertens

Janelle J Kozak

Dale R Bohnert

Althea M Robins

The present invention implements, in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it&#xae; notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.

Software notes

The present invention implements, in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it&reg; notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.

Topography of software notes

The present invention implements in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it&reg; notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.

The present invention implements, in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it.RTM. notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.

Indexing and topography of software notes

Icon for a display screen

Attachment and control of software notes

Portion of a computer screen with a computer icon image

Portion of a computer screen with a computer generated icon

Program code is executed in a data processing system in order to display a plurality of items so that each of the items is displayed as a different layer with respect to each of the other items and so that at least portions of items in lower layers are obscured by items in upper layers. Items may be, for example, icons, tool bars, directories, documents, notes, and/or the like. Program code is also executed in the data processing system in order to select an item so that each of the other items, which is displayed in a layer above the selected item and which would otherwise obscure the selected item, is cut out in order to expose at least a portion of the selected item and so as to reveal an otherwise obscured portion of an item which is layered below the selected item. A cut-out border may be provided around the selected item so that an item layered below the selected item is revealed.

Method for handling obscured items on computer displays

Growing community of inventors

Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Cindy L Munson