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Patent US5416901A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5416901A
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Method and apparatus for facilitating direct icon manipulation operations in a data processing system
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1992-12-17
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Granted: 1995-05-16
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Expires: 2012-12-17
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus is provided for facilitating direct icon manipulation operations in a data processing system. A selection icon is generated which corresponds to an operator's selection of data fields from a plurality of data fields. The selection icon may be applied to a particular category of software objects to automatically include or exclude selected data fields in a direct icon manipulation operation, such as a drag-and-drop operation.
Inventors
- 👤 Robert J. Torres
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 18:54
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/01; G06F3/048; G06F3/0481
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
180 words
A method of facilitating icon-based operations in a data processing system which displays for operator selection a plurality of icon types, each icon type representing and identifying data arranged in a plurality of data fields, said data processing system being capable of performing icon manipulation operations which may utilize data from selected ones of said plurality of data fields, comprising the method steps of: allowing operator selection of particular ones of said plurality of data fields of a particular icon type for utilization in particular icon manipulation operations; recording said operator selection and generating a visual template selection representation which is indicative thereof which is subject to icon manipulation operations; utilizing said visual template selection representation as a template to perform icon manipulation operations to automatically apply a template representative of said operator selection to include or exclude from said icon manipulation operations data from particular ones of said plurality of data fields, in accordance with said operator selection; and applying said visual template selection representation to selected ones of said plurality of software objects in response to operator selection.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
180 words
A method of facilitating icon-based operations in a data processing system which displays for operator selection a plurality of icon types, each icon type representing and identifying data arranged in a plurality of data fields, said data processing system being capable of performing icon manipulation operations which may utilize data from selected ones of said plurality of data fields, comprising the method steps of: allowing operator selection of particular ones of said plurality of data fields of a particular icon type for utilization in particular icon manipulation operations; recording said operator selection and generating a visual template selection representation which is indicative thereof which is subject to icon manipulation operations; utilizing said visual template selection representation as a template to perform icon manipulation operations to automatically apply a template representative of said operator selection to include or exclude from said icon manipulation operations data from particular ones of said plurality of data fields, in accordance with said operator selection; and applying said visual template selection representation to selected ones of said plurality of software objects in response to operator selection.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising: providing a visual Selected field indication in said plurality of data fields of which particular fields have been selected by said operator.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said visual template selection representation comprises an icon which is displayed on said data processing system.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said visual template selection representation comprises an icon, which is displayed on said data processing system, which resembles, but which is not identical to, said particular one of said plurality of icon types.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
57 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of utilizing comprises: utilizing said visual template selection representation to perform drag-and-drop operations to deliver data from said at least one particular data field selected by said operator to at least one drop field, but which does not deliver data from others of said plurality of data fields.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising: utilizing said visual template selection representation indicative of said operator selection as a template for automatically determining inclusion and exclusion of data fields in an icon-based operation involving said particular icon type.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
14 words
A method according to claim 6, wherein said icon-based operation comprises a drag-and-drop operation.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
100 words
A method according to claim 1, further comprising: allowing operator selection of at least one particular data field from a plurality of data fields associated with others of said plurality of icon types; recording said operator selection and generating an additional distinct visual representation indicative thereof for each of said icon types, which is subject to icon manipulation operations; and utilizing said additional distinct visual representations to perform icon manipulation operations to automatically include or exclude from icon manipulation operations data from particular ones of said data fields of said plurality of data fields, in accordance with said operator selection.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 8, wherein said additional distinct visual representation comprise icons which resemble, but which are not identical to, associated icon types.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 8, further comprising: utilizing said visual representations as templates for automatically determining inclusion and exclusion of data fields in icon-based operations involving associated particular icon types.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
169 words
A method of facilitating icon-based operations in a data processing system which displays for operator selection a plurality of icon types, each icon type being representative of a plurality of software objects, each software object including data arranged in a plurality of data fields, said data processing system being capable of performing icon manipulation operations, comprising the method steps of: with respect to a particular software object represented by a particular icon type, selecting particular ones of said plurality of data fields which contain data which is useful in a particular icon manipulation operation; automatically generating a selection icon which is representative of said particular ones of said plurality of data fields which were selected; automatically generating a data template which may be called through said selection icon; applying said selection icon to selected ones of said plurality of software objects; and automatically including and excluding selected data fields from said selected ones of said plurality of software objects in icon manipulation operations in accordance with said data template.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
169 words
A method of facilitating icon-based operations in a data processing system which displays for operator selection a plurality of icon types, each icon type being representative of a plurality of software objects, each software object including data arranged in a plurality of data fields, said data processing system being capable of performing icon manipulation operations, comprising the method steps of: with respect to a particular software object represented by a particular icon type, selecting particular ones of said plurality of data fields which contain data which is useful in a particular icon manipulation operation; automatically generating a selection icon which is representative of said particular ones of said plurality of data fields which were selected; automatically generating a data template which may be called through said selection icon; applying said selection icon to selected ones of said plurality of software objects; and automatically including and excluding selected data fields from said selected ones of said plurality of software objects in icon manipulation operations in accordance with said data template.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 11, wherein said icon manipulation operations include at least one drag-and-drop operation involving said selection icon.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 11, wherein said icon manipulation operations include keyboard based operations involving said selection icon.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method according to claim 11, wherein said step of applying comprises: automatically applying said data template to selected ones of said software objects during a selection process for icon-based operations.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
133 words
A data processing system for improved icon-manipulation operations involving at least one icon type, each being representative of a plurality of software objects composed of data arranged in a plurality of fields, comprising: selection means for allowing operator selection of particular ones of said plurality of data fields which contain data useful in a particular icon manipulation operation; selection icon generation means for automatically generating a selection icon which is representative of said particular ones of said plurality of data fields which were selected; template generation means for automatically generating a data template which may be called through said selection icon; and means for applying said selection icon to selected ones of said plurality of software objects to result in inclusion and exclusion of data from selected fields in said icon manipulation operations.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
133 words
A data processing system for improved icon-manipulation operations involving at least one icon type, each being representative of a plurality of software objects composed of data arranged in a plurality of fields, comprising: selection means for allowing operator selection of particular ones of said plurality of data fields which contain data useful in a particular icon manipulation operation; selection icon generation means for automatically generating a selection icon which is representative of said particular ones of said plurality of data fields which were selected; template generation means for automatically generating a data template which may be called through said selection icon; and means for applying said selection icon to selected ones of said plurality of software objects to result in inclusion and exclusion of data from selected fields in said icon manipulation operations.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
30 words
A data processing system according to claim 15, wherein said selection icon generation means generates an icon which is similar, but not identical, to said at least one icon type.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
28 words
A data processing system according to claim 15, wherein said selection means includes a selection implementation which provides a visual indication of operator selection of particular data fields.
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