User interface having movable sheet with click-through tools

Claim 1

A method of operating a computer system where a program displays data and a user interacts with the data through the use of a displayed cursor, the method comprising the steps of: displaying a visual depiction of an overlay having a plurality of delineated regions, each specifying an operation and referred to as a click-through tool; positioning the overlay relative to the displayed data so that a given click-though tool overlaps a desired particular portion of the displayed data; generating a particular event with the cursor positioned within the given click-through tool and at a location relative to the displayed data, which location specifies the desired particular portion of the displayed data; and in response to the particular event, performing the operation specified by the given click-through tool on the desired particular portion of the displayed data.

Claim 2

A method of operating a computer system where a program displays data and a user interacts with the data through the use of a displayed cursor, the method comprising the steps of: displaying a visual depiction of an overlay having a plurality of delineated regions, each specifying an operation and referred to as a click-through tool; positioning the overlay relative to the displayed data so that a given click-though tool overlaps a desired particular portion of the displayed data; generating a particular event with the cursor positioned within the given click-through tool and at a location relative to the displayed data, which location specifies the desired particular portion of the displayed data; and in response to the particular event, performing the operation specified by the given click-through tool on the desired particular portion of the displayed data.

Claim 3

A method of operating a processor-based machine, the machine including a user input facility, a display device, a processor coupled to the user input facility and the display device, and a storage system for storing information including instructions defining at least one program to be executed by the processor and a set of associated data, the method comprising operating the processor-based machine to perform the steps of: executing the program so as to operate on the data and to display a visible representation thereof on the display device; generating a visual depiction of a transparent overlay having a number of delineated operation-specifying regions thereon; responding to a first set of signals by positioning the overlay relative to the visible representation; responding to a second set of signals characterized by position information relative to the visible representation; and generating a third set of signals, the third set of signals depending on the relative position of the overlay and the visible representation, and on the position information that characterizes the second set of signals; the third set of signals specifying a particular operation when the position information that characterizes the second set of signals is in a predetermined relationship with the delineated region of the overlay that specifies that particular operation; the third set of signals further specifying that, for at least one type of particular operation, the particular operation be carried out in a manner that depends on the position information that characterizes the second set of signals.

Claim 4

A method of operating a processor-based machine, the machine including a user input facility, a display device, a processor coupled to the user input facility and the display device, and a storage system for storing information including instructions defining at least one program to be executed by the processor and a set of associated data, the method comprising operating the processor-based machine to perform the steps of: executing the program so as to operate on the data and to display a visible representation thereof on the display device; generating a visual depiction of a transparent overlay having a number of delineated operation-specifying regions thereon; responding to a first set of signals by positioning the overlay relative to the visible representation; responding to a second set of signals characterized by position information relative to the visible representation; and generating a third set of signals, the third set of signals depending on the relative position of the overlay and the visible representation, and on the position information that characterizes the second set of signals; the third set of signals specifying a particular operation when the position information that characterizes the second set of signals is in a predetermined relationship with the delineated region of the overlay that specifies that particular operation; the third set of signals further specifying that, for at least one type of particular operation, the particular operation be carried out in a manner that depends on the position information that characterizes the second set of signals.

Claim 22

A method of operating a processor-based machine, the machine including a user input facility, a display device, a processor coupled to the user input facility and the display device, and a storage system for storing information including instructions defining at least one application program to be executed by the processor and at least one application data structure including a number of application data items, the method comprising operating the processor-based machine to perform the steps of: executing the application program so as to manipulate the application data structure and display a representation thereof, referred to as the visible representation, on the display device; generating a visual depiction of a transparent overlay having a number of delineated operation-specifying regions thereon; responding to a first set of signals for positioning the overlay relative to the visible representation; responding to a second set of signals characterized by position information relative to the visible representation; and generating a third set of signals and communicating the third set of signal to the application program, the third set of signals depending on the relative position of the overlay and the visible representation and on the position information that characterizes the second set of signals; the third set of signals specifying a particular operation when the position information is in a predetermined relationship with the delineated region of the overlay that specifies that particular operation; the third set of signals further specifying that, for at least one type of particular operation, the particular operation interact with the application data structure in a manner that depends on the position information.

Claim 23

A method of operating a processor-based machine, the machine including a user input facility, a display device, a processor coupled to the user input facility and the display device, and a storage system for storing information including instructions defining at least one application program to be executed by the processor and at least one application data structure including a number of application data items, the method comprising operating the processor-based machine to perform the steps of: executing the application program so as to manipulate the application data structure and display a representation thereof, referred to as the visible representation, on the display device; generating a visual depiction of a transparent overlay having a number of delineated operation-specifying regions thereon; responding to a first set of signals for positioning the overlay relative to the visible representation; responding to a second set of signals characterized by position information relative to the visible representation; and generating a third set of signals and communicating the third set of signal to the application program, the third set of signals depending on the relative position of the overlay and the visible representation and on the position information that characterizes the second set of signals; the third set of signals specifying a particular operation when the position information is in a predetermined relationship with the delineated region of the overlay that specifies that particular operation; the third set of signals further specifying that, for at least one type of particular operation, the particular operation interact with the application data structure in a manner that depends on the position information.

Claim 33

A method of operating a processor-based machine, the machine including a display device, a pointing device for controlling the position of a cursor on the display device in response to user input, a processor coupled to the pointing device and the display device, the method comprising operating the processor to perform the steps of: executing an application program so as to manipulate an associated application data structure and display a representation thereof, referred to as the visible representation, on the display device; generating a visual depiction of a transparent overlay having a number of delineated operation-specifying regions thereon; positioning the overlay relative to the visible representation; positioning the cursor within a particular delineated region and at a position that is in a predetermined relationship to a particular object in the visible representation, the predetermined relationship with the particular object being a relationship that selects the particular object; generating a cursor event with the cursor so positioned; and performing the operation specified by the particular delineated region on the particular object in response to the cursor event.

Claim 34

A method of operating a processor-based machine, the machine including a display device, a pointing device for controlling the position of a cursor on the display device in response to user input, a processor coupled to the pointing device and the display device, the method comprising operating the processor to perform the steps of: executing an application program so as to manipulate an associated application data structure and display a representation thereof, referred to as the visible representation, on the display device; generating a visual depiction of a transparent overlay having a number of delineated operation-specifying regions thereon; positioning the overlay relative to the visible representation; positioning the cursor within a particular delineated region and at a position that is in a predetermined relationship to a particular object in the visible representation, the predetermined relationship with the particular object being a relationship that selects the particular object; generating a cursor event with the cursor so positioned; and performing the operation specified by the particular delineated region on the particular object in response to the cursor event.

Claim 35

A method of operating a computer system where a program displays objects and a user interacts with the objects through the use of displayed tools, each tool having an associated tool-defining region and a specified operation, the user activating a particular tool by designating a position within the particular tool's tool-defining region and initiating an event at the designated position, the method comprising the steps of: displaying a click-through tool having the property that when the event occurs within the click-through tool at a given location relative to the click-through tool, the result of an operation on the data depends, under at least some circumstances, on the location of the event relative to the displayed data; positioning the click-through tool so as to at least partially overlap a particular object; generating a particular event within the click-through tool; and in response to the particular event, performing the click-through tool's specified operation on the particular object if, but only if, the particular event is at a location that specifies the particular object.

Claim 36

A method of operating a computer system where a program displays objects and a user interacts with the objects through the use of displayed tools, each tool having an associated tool-defining region and a specified operation, the user activating a particular tool by designating a position within the particular tool's tool-defining region and initiating an event at the designated position, the method comprising the steps of: displaying a click-through tool having the property that when the event occurs within the click-through tool at a given location relative to the click-through tool, the result of an operation on the data depends, under at least some circumstances, on the location of the event relative to the displayed data; positioning the click-through tool so as to at least partially overlap a particular object; generating a particular event within the click-through tool; and in response to the particular event, performing the click-through tool's specified operation on the particular object if, but only if, the particular event is at a location that specifies the particular object.

Claim 40

A method of operating a processor-based machine, the machine including a user input facility, a display device, a processor coupled to the user input facility and the display device, a storage system for storing information including instructions defining at least one program to be executed by the processor and a set of associated data, the method comprising operating the processor-based machine to perform the steps of: executing the program to operate on the data and display a visible representation thereof on the display device; displaying on the display device a visual depiction of a plurality of tool-defining regions, each tool-defining region specifying at least in part a respective operation that is performed in response to an event within the tool-defining region, each tool-defining region and its respective specified operation being referred to as a tool; at least a given tool, referred to as a click-through tool, having the property that when the event occurs within the click-through tool's tool-defining region at a given location relative to the click-through tool's tool-defining region, the result of the click-through tool's specified operation depends, under at least some circumstances, on the location of the event relative to the visible representation; in response to a first set of signals from the user input facility, positioning the click-through tool's tool-defining region so as to overlap a desired location in the visible representation; in response to a second set of signals from the user input facility, generating a particular event within the click-through tool's tool-defining region, the particular event being at the desired location in the visible representation; and in response to the particular event, performing the click-through tool's specified operation on a portion of the data that corresponds to the desired location of the visible representation.

Claim 41

A method of operating a processor-based machine, the machine including a user input facility, a display device, a processor coupled to the user input facility and the display device, a storage system for storing information including instructions defining at least one program to be executed by the processor and a set of associated data, the method comprising operating the processor-based machine to perform the steps of: executing the program to operate on the data and display a visible representation thereof on the display device; displaying on the display device a visual depiction of a plurality of tool-defining regions, each tool-defining region specifying at least in part a respective operation that is performed in response to an event within the tool-defining region, each tool-defining region and its respective specified operation being referred to as a tool; at least a given tool, referred to as a click-through tool, having the property that when the event occurs within the click-through tool's tool-defining region at a given location relative to the click-through tool's tool-defining region, the result of the click-through tool's specified operation depends, under at least some circumstances, on the location of the event relative to the visible representation; in response to a first set of signals from the user input facility, positioning the click-through tool's tool-defining region so as to overlap a desired location in the visible representation; in response to a second set of signals from the user input facility, generating a particular event within the click-through tool's tool-defining region, the particular event being at the desired location in the visible representation; and in response to the particular event, performing the click-through tool's specified operation on a portion of the data that corresponds to the desired location of the visible representation.

Claim 48

A method of operating a processor-based machine, the machine including a user input facility including a device having a button that is subject to being clicked by the user, a display device, a processor coupled to the user input facility and the display device, a storage system for storing information including instructions defining at least one program to be executed by the processor and a set of associated data, the method comprising operating the processor-based machine to perform the steps of: operating on the data according to the program and displaying a visible representation of the data on the display device; displaying a cursor on the display device; displaying on the display device a visual depiction of a tool-defining region, the tool-defining region specifying at least in part an operation that is performed in response to the button being clicked while the cursor is positioned within the tool-defining region, the tool-defining region and its respective specified operation being referred to as the tool; the tool having the further property that when the cursor is within the tool-defining region at a given location relative to the tool-defining region, the result of the tool's specified operation in response to the button being clicked depends, under at least some circumstances, on the location of the cursor relative to the visible representation when the button is clicked; in response to signals from the user input facility, positioning the tool-defining region so as to overlap a desired location in the visible representation; in response to signals from the user input facility, positioning the cursor on the desired location in the visible representation; and in response to the button being clicked when the cursor is positioned on the desired location in the visible representation, performing the tool's specified operation on a portion of the data that corresponds to the desired location of the visible representation.

Claim 49

A method of operating a processor-based machine, the machine including a user input facility including a device having a button that is subject to being clicked by the user, a display device, a processor coupled to the user input facility and the display device, a storage system for storing information including instructions defining at least one program to be executed by the processor and a set of associated data, the method comprising operating the processor-based machine to perform the steps of: operating on the data according to the program and displaying a visible representation of the data on the display device; displaying a cursor on the display device; displaying on the display device a visual depiction of a tool-defining region, the tool-defining region specifying at least in part an operation that is performed in response to the button being clicked while the cursor is positioned within the tool-defining region, the tool-defining region and its respective specified operation being referred to as the tool; the tool having the further property that when the cursor is within the tool-defining region at a given location relative to the tool-defining region, the result of the tool's specified operation in response to the button being clicked depends, under at least some circumstances, on the location of the cursor relative to the visible representation when the button is clicked; in response to signals from the user input facility, positioning the tool-defining region so as to overlap a desired location in the visible representation; in response to signals from the user input facility, positioning the cursor on the desired location in the visible representation; and in response to the button being clicked when the cursor is positioned on the desired location in the visible representation, performing the tool's specified operation on a portion of the data that corresponds to the desired location of the visible representation.

Claim 53

A method of operating a processor-based machine, the machine including a user input facility including at least one device that generates signals specifying position, a display device, a processor coupled to the user input facility and the display device, a storage system for storing information including a set of data, the method comprising operating the processor-based machine to perform the steps of: operating on the data and displaying a visible representation thereof on the display device, the visible representation including an object; displaying on the display device a visual depiction of a tool-defining region, the tool-defining region specifying at least in part an operation that is performed in response to an event within the tool-defining region, the tool-defining region and its specified operation being referred to as the tool; in response to a first set of signals from the user input facility, positioning the tool defining region so as to at least partially overlap the object; in response to a second set of signals from the user input facility, generating a particular event that is within the tool-defining region and is at a position relative to the visible representation that specifies the object; and in response to the particular event, performing the specified operation on the object.

Claim 54

A method of operating a processor-based machine, the machine including a user input facility including at least one device that generates signals specifying position, a display device, a processor coupled to the user input facility and the display device, a storage system for storing information including a set of data, the method comprising operating the processor-based machine to perform the steps of: operating on the data and displaying a visible representation thereof on the display device, the visible representation including an object; displaying on the display device a visual depiction of a tool-defining region, the tool-defining region specifying at least in part an operation that is performed in response to an event within the tool-defining region, the tool-defining region and its specified operation being referred to as the tool; in response to a first set of signals from the user input facility, positioning the tool defining region so as to at least partially overlap the object; in response to a second set of signals from the user input facility, generating a particular event that is within the tool-defining region and is at a position relative to the visible representation that specifies the object; and in response to the particular event, performing the specified operation on the object.