JPH05298023A - Icon selecting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the icon selecting method, which reduces the burden of an operator and realizes comfortable operating environments, by predicting the moving destination of a mouse cursor and performing an operation equal to the selection of any specified icon before the arrival of the mouse cursor. CONSTITUTION:A current position Q of a mouse cursor 2 is recorded. Next, the movement of the mouse cursor 2 is sampled at fixed time intervals, and a vector from a current position P of the mouse cursor 2 to each icon 1 is calculated. Afterwards, angle change amounts theta1, theta2 and theta3 with vectors from the position Q of the mouse cursor 2 sampled last time to respective icons 1 and 3 are calculated. Then, the specified icon 3 having the smallest angle change amount is calculated. When a distance D between the specified icon 3 and the mouse cursor 2 is shorter than a fixed distance, the icon 3 is stored in a sub selecting state, inverted display or the like is performed, and it is informed of the operator. Next, when the icon selecting button of a mouse is depressed and there is the icon in the sub selecting state, any processing is performed corresponding to this condition.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for selecting icons in a computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an image display apparatus using a cathode ray tube has been frequently used for an operation using a mouse because of its convenience. In the conventional icon selection method using a mouse, the icon is selected only when the mouse cursor and the icon overlap each other.

[0003]

However, in the conventional method, in order to select an icon, the operator has to move the mouse until the icon and the mouse cursor overlap each other, and the mouse cursor is moved to the vicinity of the characteristic icon. Even if he moved, he never determined that the icon was selected. By monitoring the movement vector of the mouse cursor, the icon to be selected can be easily predicted, but forcing the mouse operation more than that only increases the burden on the operator. ..

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art by predicting the destination of the mouse cursor and performing the same processing as when a specific icon is selected before the mouse cursor arrives. It is intended to provide an icon selection method that reduces the burden on users and creates a comfortable operating environment.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the icon selection method of the present invention has a mechanism for monitoring a change in a vector connecting a mouse cursor and each icon, and pre-reads a destination of movement of the mouse cursor. It has a configuration to perform.

[0006]

According to the present invention, in the above configuration, the vector connecting the mouse cursor and each icon is monitored at a constant time interval, the icon in the moving direction of the mouse cursor is specified, and the distance between the mouse cursor and the icon is kept within a predetermined distance. When that happens, the same processing as when the icon is selected before the mouse cursor arrives can be performed.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the explanation of the icon selecting method of the present embodiment, the icon 1, which is a visual symbol, the mouse cursor 2, the specified icon 3, the current position Q of the mouse cursor 2, and the mouse cursor 2 are displayed. It is composed of the previous position P, the vector angle changes θ ₁ , θ ₂ , and θ ₃ connecting each icon 1 and the mouse cursor 2, the distance D from the mouse cursor 2 to the icon 1, and the like.

The operation of the icon selecting method configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. First, in step S21, the current position Q of the mouse cursor 2 is recorded. Next, in step S22, the movement of the mouse cursor 2 is sampled at fixed time intervals, and a vector from the current position P of the mouse cursor to each icon 1 is obtained. Next, in step S23, the amounts of angle changes θ ₁ , θ ₂ , and θ ₃ from the vector taken from the position Q of the mouse cursor collected last time to the icons 1 and 3 are obtained. Next, in step S24, the specific icon 3 with the smallest angle change amount is obtained. When the distance D between the specific icon 3 and the mouse cursor 2 becomes equal to or less than the predetermined distance δ, the icon 3 is stored as a semi-selected state in step S26, and inverted display is performed to notify the operator of that fact. After waiting for a fixed time in step S27, the process returns to step S22. Also, if the icon with the smallest rate of change in angle is outside the fixed distance δ in step S25, the process returns to step S22 after waiting for a fixed time in step S27.

Next, when the icon selection button of the mouse is pressed as shown in FIG. 3, if there is an icon in the semi-selected state in step S31, the process corresponding to the icon is performed in step S32. The determination as to whether or not the icon selection button has been pressed does not necessarily have to be synchronized with the time interval for sampling the position of the mouse cursor 2.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, the movement of the mouse cursor 2 is sampled at a constant time interval to obtain the angle change amount of the vector connecting the mouse cursor 2 and each icon 1. When the high icon 1 is specified and the distance between the specified icon 3 and the mouse cursor 2 is a certain distance or less δ, the mouse cursor 2 does not reach the specified icon 3 and the icon selection button is pressed. Since the process is sometimes performed assuming that the specified icon 3 is selected, it is possible to reduce the burden on the operator in selecting the icon and obtain a comfortable operating environment.

[0012]

As is apparent from the above embodiments, according to the present invention, it is possible to select a desired icon with a small amount of mouse movement, which improves operability and is comfortable for the operator. It is possible to realize an excellent icon selection method that provides a different work environment.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an initial position of a mouse cursor on a cathode ray tube screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the mouse cursor approaching a target icon.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for identifying an icon most likely to be selected.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart when the icon selection key is pressed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 icon 2 mouse cursor 3 specified icon

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A mouse for selecting an icon-shaped menu (hereinafter referred to as an icon) in a computer window environment, and the icon selection key is pressed even if the mouse trajectory is constantly monitored and the mouse cursor does not overlap the icon. An icon selection method arranged to treat an icon that is estimated to be most likely to be selected as if selected.