Dassault Systemes Solidworks Corporation

Solidworks Corporation

John Sweeney

Ilya Baran

Thomas M Spine

Rick Chin

Kevin Campanella

Mark G Gibson

Bruce W Holway

Kevin F Berni

Seetharam Misro

Rajesh Mahajan

James C Wilkinson

A computer-implemented method and system automatically adjusts the size of a selection area to aid in a selection of an object generated by a computerized system. The method and system detect a series of movements of a pointer, where the pointer is utilized to select an entity of the object. The series of movements are small and continuous. A set of entities that occupies the selection area is determined and the entities are analyzed for an indication of a level of difficulty in selecting one of the entities. The size of the selection area is reduced when the indication implies that the level of difficulty will be decreased after reducing the size of the selection area.

Selecting large and small entities on a computer display

Techniques for aiding user input with a graphical user interface (GUI) are disclosed. A target object among various command regions of the GUI is predicted, e.g., substantially before the cursor reaches any of the regions. The command region corresponding to the predicted target object is enlarged to facilitate user selection of the predicted target object. Enlarging the predicted target object may cause the target object to overlap and/or occlude nearby command regions. After a first target object is predicted, the prediction may be changed based on updated cursor movements. By using predictive target enlargement, users are given early visual feedback about the target, and are given a larger target to acquire, thereby allowing them to be faster and less precise (their mouse direction can wander) yet still acquire their desired result.

Predictive target enlargement

Selecting an obscured object of a computer-generated model consisting of a plurality of objects displayed on a computer screen includes receiving input data interpreted as an instruction to change a visibility characteristic of a first one of the plurality of objects (the first one of the objects obscuring another of the objects, and the first object being determined based on the location of an on-screen cursor), and modifying a visibility characteristic of the first object to cause another one of the objects to become discernable and selectable.

Selection of obscured computer-generated objects

Provided herein is a computer-based system for viewing a two-dimensional electronic drawing, including processes for pointing to similar components in different views, animation of views, hyperlinking components between views and virtual folding of an electronic drawing.

Electronic drawing viewer

Growing community of inventors

Acton, MA, United States of America

John Sweeney