JPH02166506A - Information input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a user to easily understand the function of an operating means of a pointing device by displaying this function in the display form of a cursor set on the screen of a display device. CONSTITUTION:The contents of the functions which are defined by push-buttons 1A-1C of a mouse 1 are displayed as the cursor display patterns 20A-20C corresponding to the functions defined in the buttons 1A-1C in response to the display forms of a cursor 20 which are shown on the screen of a CRT display device 10. Thus a user can easily and surely recognize the functions of the buttons 1A-1C set at the present time point by reference to the patterns 20A-20C.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an information input device that displays a cursor at a position on a display screen of a display device corresponding to the operation of a pointing device.

B. Summary of the Invention The present invention provides an information input device that displays a cursor at a position on a display screen of a display device according to the operation of a pointing device, and which provides a function of an operation means provided in the pointing device. By expressing it in the display format of the sursol above,
This makes it possible to improve operability.

C. Conventional technology-a, in an information processing system using a computer,
JP-A-62-79517 and JP-A-62-8432
As disclosed in Publication No. 9, etc., input information, processing details, etc. are displayed on the display screen of a display device, and a cursor is displayed at a position on the display screen according to the operation of a keyboard, mouse, etc. In this way, information input by operating a pointing device such as the mouse is received and predetermined information processing is performed.

Also, 0A of word processors, workstations, etc.
(Office Automation> m equipment and CA
D (Computer 81 ed Design
) devices employ a so-called multi-window display in which various types of documents and figures are expanded and displayed on the display screen of a limited size of the display device using a plurality of windows.

D Problems to be Solved by the Invention By the way, in an information input device that inputs information by operating a pointing device such as a mouse, depending on the processing content of the information processing device to which this information input device is connected,
Since the functions of the operation phases provided on the pointing device can be arbitrarily defined, information cannot be inputted without knowing the defined contents of the defined functions of the operation buttons. Generally, the functions defined in the operation phase of the pointing device described above are simple functions such as scrolling the display screen and pinking up information at the cursor position, so it is easy for users to get angry, but information processing Since it may be changed depending on the processing content on the device side, it is difficult for insatiable users to understand. In the information input device using the pointing device, even a user who is accustomed to the operation can change the function of the operation button of the pointing device according to the processing content of the information processing device. There was a problem that the operation was often made incorrectly. In particular, in systems that employ the multi-window display described above, the operational functions of the pointing device are often defined for each window. Errors in operation cause a decrease in the efficiency of information input.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention aims to improve the operability of an information input device using a pointing device and increase the efficiency of information input. To provide an information input device with a novel configuration whose functions can be easily understood by a user.

E! ! Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an information input device in which a cursor is displayed at a position on a display screen of a display device according to an operation of a pointing device. , the pointing device is characterized in that at least one operating means is provided, and the sursor has a form representing the function of the operating means.

F Function In the information input device according to the present invention, the functions of the operating means provided on the pointing device are displayed in the form of a cursor on the display screen of the display device.

G. Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the information input device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The embodiment shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1 is an application of the present invention to a data input device equipped with a mouse (1) as a pointing device. Controller (2)
is connected to the processing unit (
4), a keyboard (5), a program memory (6), a font memory (7), a frame memory (8), and the frame connected to the arithmetic processing unit (4) via the path line (3). Display control unit 1 (9) connected to memory (8), C connected to the display control unit (9)
It is composed of an RT display device (10) and the like. The above mouse (1) has 3 operations, 5 mouths (1^), (IB)
, (Ic) are provided. The mouse controller (2) calculates movement information from the current position information of the mouse (1) and also controls each of the operation phases (1^), (
The operating information of IB) and (Ic) is detected, and the movement information and operation input information are provided to the arithmetic processing unit (4).

In this embodiment, the arithmetic processing unit (4) performs processing operations for a plurality of tasks in parallel, and stores a plurality of window areas corresponding to each task and a key human buffer area in the frame memory (8). For example, the character font based on the code of the character string input by the key operation of the keyboard (5) is stored in the real memory (
7) and stored in the window area of the corresponding task, and the CRT display device (10) is read from the CRT display device (10) by the display control unit (9) connected to the frame memory (8).
), for example, as shown in Figure 2, there are multiple windows (1, (Wi), (W
3) to perform so-called multi-window display control.

Here, the arithmetic processing unit (4) stores window information such as the position, size, and priority of the window assigned to each task as well as cursor information defined within each window as a table. The window overlap display and cursor display are also managed by referring to the above table.

The display form of the cursor (20) displayed on both sides of the display of the CRT display device (10) is based on the font memory (
7) Form an arbitrary cursor pattern on the top in advance.
This allows it to be set arbitrarily.

This information input device has three operation buttons (1^), (IB), and (IB) provided on the mouse (1).
Font data of various cursor patterns representing the functions defined in each window of the (IC) are stored in advance in the font memory (7). moreover,
The above operation buttons (1^), (IB), (IC) defined in each window assigned to each task above
Cursor information for reading font data corresponding to the function from the font memory (7) is previously stored in the frame memory (8) together with the window information as a control table for multi-window display control.

Here, for example, in the first window (l), as shown in Table 1, the input of a command to pick up information at the cursor position is defined as an operation button (IA), and the input of an upward scroll command is defined as an operation button (IA). It is assumed that the button (IB) is defined and the downward scroll command input is defined as the operation![1 (IC).

In addition, in the second window (Wz), as shown in Table 2, leftward scroll command input is defined to the operation button (IA), and rightward scroll command input is defined to the operation button (IA).
IB), and the operation button (IC) is in an undefined state.

Furthermore, the arithmetic processing unit (4) performs a cursor display control process as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 based on control information from the mouse controller (2).

That is, the arithmetic processing device 1! f (4) determines whether or not the mouse (1) moves in the first processing step (Sl), and executes the first processing step (Sl).
If the determination result is NO, the process moves to a second processing step (S), in which it is determined whether or not the cursor background window displayed on the display screen of the CRT display device (10) has moved; If the determination result in this second processing step (S2) is No, the process returns to the first processing step (S+) and repeats the processing operation of monitoring the movement of the mouse (1) and the movement of the cursor background window. conduct. Then, the first or second processing step (
S+), If the determination result is YES in (st), that is, if the mouse (1) or the cursor background window moves, the process moves to the third processing step (S,), and the background window information is acquired from the cursor position. is obtained from the information table, and the information of the background window is stored in the frame memory (8) in a fourth processing step (S4).
), the process returns to the first processing step (S+) and repeats the processing operations of monitoring the movement of the mouse (1) and the cursor background window.

Through the cursor display control by the arithmetic processing unit (4), as shown in FIG. Buttons (IA), (IB), (I
C) cursor display showing the contents of the functions defined in
That is, a cursor display pattern (20A) that indicates the information position to be picked up by inputting a pick-up command defined in the operation button (IA) at the vertex position of the Δ mark;
In addition, a cursor display pattern (20B) indicating the scroll direction, that is, the upward direction by a scroll command input defined in the operation button (IB), is indicated by a Δ mark, and further, the operation 80
The cursor display with the cursor display pattern (20C) indicating the scroll direction, that is, the downward direction by the input of the scroll command defined in (IC), is shown in the above CR.
It is moved within the first window (2) on the display screen of the T display (10). In addition, during the processing of the task shown in the second window (6), a cursor display indicating the contents of the functions defined by the operation buttons (IA) and (IB) of the mouse (1), That is, a cursor display pattern (20^) indicating the scroll direction, that is, the left direction, by a scroll command input defined in the operation button (l^), and a scroll command defined in the operation button (IB). A cursor display pattern (
20G) is displayed on the second window (WZ) on the display screen of the CRT display device (lO).
moved within. Note that in the second window (6), the cursor display pattern (20C) for the operation button (IC) is not displayed, so that the operation button (IC) is not displayed.
This indicates that the function of the IC) is in an undefined state.

In the information input device of this embodiment, each operation button (l^), (1B) of the mouse (1) provided on the mouse (1),
A cursor (20) that displays the contents of the functions defined in (IC) on the display screen of the CRT display device (10).
Each of the above operation buttons (IA),
(IB).

By displaying the cursor display patterns (20^L (20B), (20C)) corresponding to the functions defined in (IC), the user can display the cursor display patterns (20A), (20B), (20C) By looking at each of the above operation buttons (IA) at the present moment
, (IB), (IC) functions can be easily and reliably recognized, and even users who are unaccustomed to operating the mouse (1) have less risk of erroneous operation, and can be used in a short amount of time. You will become accustomed to operating the mouse (1) and will be able to input information efficiently.

H Effects of the Invention In the information input device according to the present invention, the functions of the operating means provided in the pointing device are displayed in the form of a cursor on the display screen of the display device, so that the operating means of the pointing device Users can easily understand the functions of the system, improve operability, and increase the efficiency of information input.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an information human-powered device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a multi-window display pattern in the information input device, and FIG. 3 is a cursor display control in the information input device. This is a flowchart for explaining the process, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams showing examples of cursor display contents in the information input device.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] An information input device that displays a cursor at a position on a display screen of a display device according to an operation of a pointing device, wherein the pointing device is provided with at least one operating means, An information input device characterized in that the cursor has a shape representing a function of the operating means.