Stretching scales for computer documents or drawings

Claim 1

A method for displaying on a computer display a selected portion of data, using a computer program running on a computer with means for displaying data and means for pointing to a selected point or region of the computer display, comprising: providing a computer with a computer display, means for displaying data and means for pointing to a selected point or region of the computer display, said computer display comprising a data display region and a position indicia display region, providing a computer program which directs the means for displaying data to display a portion of data in the data display region, providing data which can be displayed at a magnification such that said data can not be displayed in its entirety within said data display region, displaying a first portion of said data in said data display region, providing and displaying position indicia means having a reference point in said position indicia display region, said position indicia means corresponding to a first portion of data displayed in said data region, where said position indicia means provides position information about the entire first portion of data, magnifying by a selected amount in a selected dimension the portion of data displayed in said data region to display a second portion of said data, said second portion of data including at least some of said first portion of data, said magnifying comprising displacing relative to said reference point by said selected amount in said selected dimension said means for pointing; simultaneously expanding said position indicia means by said selected amount within said indicia display region independent of data in said data display region; and, subsequently stretching said data in said data display region by said selected amount.

Claim 2

A method for displaying on a computer display a selected portion of data, using a computer program running on a computer with means for displaying data and means for pointing to a selected point or region of the computer display, comprising: providing a computer with a computer display, means for displaying data and means for pointing to a selected point or region of the computer display, said computer display comprising a data display region and a position indicia display region, providing a computer program which directs the means for displaying data to display a portion of data in the data display region, providing data which can be displayed at a magnification such that said data can not be displayed in its entirety within said data display region, displaying a first portion of said data in said data display region, providing and displaying position indicia means having a reference point in said position indicia display region, said position indicia means corresponding to a first portion of data displayed in said data region, where said position indicia means provides position information about the entire first portion of data, magnifying by a selected amount in a selected dimension the portion of data displayed in said data region to display a second portion of said data, said second portion of data including at least some of said first portion of data, said magnifying comprising displacing relative to said reference point by said selected amount in said selected dimension said means for pointing; simultaneously expanding said position indicia means by said selected amount within said indicia display region independent of data in said data display region; and, subsequently stretching said data in said data display region by said selected amount.

Claim 10

A method for use in an end-user-controlled interactive computer display system of stretching a multiscreen document such that a scale or ruler is stretched using a pointing device, and such that the scale is continuously redisplayed during stretching so that the end-user can see precisely where the stretched data will be positioned, including the steps of: (a) displaying a scale within a scale display area of a computer program's display area; (b) displaying data within a data display area of the computer program's display area underneath, adjacent to, or to the side of the scale display area such that displayed data is aligned with the scale; (c) accepting the cursor position from a pointing device and determining whether the cursor's position is within the scale display area; (d) accepting from a pointing device or computer keyboard a command to begin a stretching operation; (e) accepting additional updates of the cursor position from a pointing device as the end-user moves the pointing device while the stretching operation is in progress; (f) determining the distance to stretch based on the cursor's previous position and the cursor's present position; (g) reversibly expanding said scale display within the scale display area based on the calculated distance to stretch; (h) terminating said stretching operation responsive to an input signal from a pointing device or keyboard, and (i) displaying data in the data display area such that the displayed data has been stretched and is aligned with the scale's final position at the termination of the stretching operation of step (h).

Claim 11

A method for use in an end-user-controlled interactive computer display system of stretching a multiscreen document such that a scale or ruler is stretched using a pointing device, and such that the scale is continuously redisplayed during stretching so that the end-user can see precisely where the stretched data will be positioned, including the steps of: (a) displaying a scale within a scale display area of a computer program's display area; (b) displaying data within a data display area of the computer program's display area underneath, adjacent to, or to the side of the scale display area such that displayed data is aligned with the scale; (c) accepting the cursor position from a pointing device and determining whether the cursor's position is within the scale display area; (d) accepting from a pointing device or computer keyboard a command to begin a stretching operation; (e) accepting additional updates of the cursor position from a pointing device as the end-user moves the pointing device while the stretching operation is in progress; (f) determining the distance to stretch based on the cursor's previous position and the cursor's present position; (g) reversibly expanding said scale display within the scale display area based on the calculated distance to stretch; (h) terminating said stretching operation responsive to an input signal from a pointing device or keyboard, and (i) displaying data in the data display area such that the displayed data has been stretched and is aligned with the scale's final position at the termination of the stretching operation of step (h).