International Business Machines Corporation

Yohsuke Kinoe

Toshiyuki Hama

Minako Matsuda

Kohsuke Okamoto

Haruhiko Nakai

Tsukasa Takemura

Naofumi Muranaka

Norimasa Uchiyama

A system and method for assisting the user to operate a pointer so as to move the pointer onto a desired object by the pointing device. A pointer movement direction in which the user wants to move the pointer is detected in accordance with a movement of the pointer by the pointing device (Step S ). Candidate objects located within a predetermined range of the pointer movement direction are displayed (Step S ). The object is selected from the displayed candidate objects (Step S ). The pointer is moved onto the selected object (Step S ).

Method for assisting user to operate pointer

Method and apparatus for executing a function within a composite icon and operating an object thereby

A method of quickly displaying a truly intended graphical object among graphical objects hidden in complex in the screen by a simple mouse operation. A group of graphical objects which are a set of a plurality of graphical objects is displayed on a display screen. Each graphical object is managed by a hierarchical structure and displayed in the display screen based on graphical definition data. When an operator selects one graphical object from a group of graphical objects, an operation tablet is generated. When the operator moves a pointer to the right on the operation tablet, graphical objects positioned fore side are changed to non-display one after another and a graphical object hiding behind them is revealed. By moving the pointer downwardly after the operator clicks the left button of a mouse, graphical objects of the same hierarchy as the focused graphical object are changed to non-display in unison so that a desired graphical object can be efficiently searched for selection.

Control apparatus and method of selecting a graphical object and changing display attributes thereof

A method and a system precisely selects a three-dimensional object hidden inside complex objects. A retrieval object is disposed in the proximity of a pointer to retrieve a three-dimensional object, all three-dimensional objects included within or touching the retrieval object are retrieved, a sub-window is displayed, an area in the sub-window is divided into a plurality of regions corresponding to the number of retrieved three-dimensional objects and, in response to the pointer being positioned within one of said plurality of regions within said sub-window, a corresponding three-dimensional object within a main window is displayed distinctively over other three-dimensional objects within said main window. After a desired object is selected, the selection is finalized by a click operation of the pointer, etc.

Method of selecting an object and system thereof

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Yohsuke Kinoe