JPS6310222A - Command input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To change the form of a designated drawing command by using the 1st switch which selects a command via an icon and the 2nd switch which changes the form of the displayed command. CONSTITUTION:A cursor 8 is positioned at the position of the icon selected by a menu 2 with operation of a mouse 7 and the 1st switch 5 of the mouse 7 is pushed. Thus the operation of the switch 5 is recognized at the system side and the position coordinates of the cursor 8 are read for selection of an ellipse corresponding to said position coordinates. Then the mouse 7 is operated to shift the cursor 8 onto a drawing window 4. Thus an ellipse (a) is drawn. The cursor 8 is set at x3 and y3 of a curve part and the mouse 7 is moved with operation of the 2nd switch 6. In this case, the operation of the switch 6 is recognized at the system side and the curvature of the curve part is changed. Then the corresponding coordinate position is selected and another ellipse (b) is drawn with the different curvature from the ellipse (a) when the operation of the switch 6 is through.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a command input device for inputting commands to a computer system.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, menu selection methods have become popular as a method for inputting commands and the like to computer systems. This is an alternative input method to the conventional method of inputting commands by typing on a keyboard. A list of command icons (graphic symbols) is displayed in advance on the ORτ display, etc., and the menu can be accessed using the cursor. Select and specify one from among them. This is a method in which the computer system reads the coordinates of the cursor displayed on the CRT and determines the selected command based on the correspondence between the cursor coordinates at that point and the coordinates of the position where the menu is displayed. This is a method that has become particularly popular in recent years.

The method of making menu selections using the cursor will be described in more detail below. Generally, a pointing device such as a mouse is used to move the cursor. A mouse is a device that detects the amount of movement in two axes, X and Y. When a person holds it in their hand and moves it on a desk, etc., the wheels or poles installed at the bottom rotate as the mouse moves, and this amount of rotation is pulsed. Convert to number and output. Therefore, by inputting the conopulse into a computer system and constantly counting it, it is possible to know the amount of movement of the mouse. It is easy to correlate the movement of the mouse with the movement of the cursor display position. The mouse is also equipped with a switch, and by operating this switch, it is possible to instruct the computer system to specifically recognize the current cursor position as coordinates.

Although a method of making menu selections using a mouse has been described above, this method has serious drawbacks. That is, you can select a drawing command by positioning the cursor at the desired icon position on the window and pressing the mouse switch, and then when making changes to a portion of the selected shape, you can select Positioning the cursor at a location is done freehand by pressing the mouse switch.

A conventional command input device is shown in the Matsukintonosh manual, for example.

The operation will be explained below, taking as an example the case of drawing an oval.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the appearance of a CRT display. The display screen 1 includes menus 2 and 3 in which selectable commands are indicated by icons, a drawing window 4,
A cursor 6 linked to the mouse 6 is displayed. now,
In the drawing window 4, select the oval command indicated by diagonal lines in the menu 2 to change the curvature of the curved portion.

First, operate the mouse 5, position the cursor 6 at the position of the oval drawing icon to be selected in the menu 2, and press the switch on the mouse 6. Further, by operating the mouse 5 and positioning the cursor 6 at the position of the line type designation icon to be selected indicated by diagonal lines in the menu 3, an oval can be drawn by pressing the switch on the mouse 5. Next, operate mouse 5 and cursor 6
To position the selected curve drawing icon in menu 2, press the switch on mouse 6. Furthermore, by operating the mouse 5 and positioning the cursor 6 at the position of the icon to be selected in the menu 3, by pressing the switch on the mouse 5, a curve can be drawn and the curvature can be changed freehand.

Finally, use the mouse 5 to move the cursor 6 to the position of the erase command icon selected in menu 2. Press the switch on the mouse 5, and erase the unnecessary part to create an oval shape with a changed curvature. Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above configuration, when changing the curvature of the oval, the mouse 6 must be operated six times to display the menu 2 showing the icon to be selected. The user must move the cursor 6 over .3 three times and press a switch, and the operation of selection is always necessary, and at the same time, the mouse often has to be moved over a long distance when moving the cursor.

These operations are troublesome and sometimes take longer than typing on a keyboard, making the operations complicated.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a command input device that makes it possible to change the shape of a specified drawing command without having to operate the mouse many times to move the cursor to a menu position. shall be.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention inputs a signal for specifying a shape change position into a cursor position specifying device such as a mouse, in addition to a first switch means for selecting a command by an icon. A second switch means is provided for this purpose.

In the present invention, the shape of the drawing command is changed to a specified position by operating the second switch means for changing the shape after selecting the type of drawing command from the icon menu using the first switch means. .

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the display state of a CRT display in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 also shows a system that allows you to change the shape of a specified command by providing two types of switches on the mouse, without having to operate the mouse to bring the cursor to the menu position many times. FIG. 3, which is a diagram showing an actual example, is a flowchart showing processing on the system side. In FIG. 1, 1 is a CRT screen, 2 is a menu in which selectable commands are shown as icons, 4 is a drawing window that actually performs drawing, 5 is a first switch for selecting a command,
6 is a second switch for inputting a signal specifying the position of shape change; 7 is a mouse equipped with the above two types of switch means; 8 is a cursor linked with the mouse 7; in FIG. Figure b shows the curvature of the oval in a changed according to the present invention.

The operation of this embodiment configured as above will be described below.

Let us take as an example a case where a hatched oval is selected in the menu 2 and the curvature of the oval is changed on the drawing window 4. First, operate the mouse 7 to position the cursor 8 at the position of the icon to be selected on the menu 2, and press the first switch 6 of the mouse 7.

At this time, the system side recognizes that the first switch 6 has been operated9, reads the position coordinates of the cursor 810. Select the oval corresponding to the position coordinates. Next, by operating the mouse 7 and moving the cursor 8 onto the drawing window 4, an oval is drawn (a in FIG. 2). C of curved part
x,,! J3) and move the mouse 7 while operating the switch 6 for inputting a signal specifying the position of the mouse 7 to change its shape. At this time, the system recognizes that the second switch 6 has been operated 11, changes the curvature of the curved section, and when the operation of the second switch 6 is completed, selects the coordinate position 12, and changes the curvature of the curved section. Different ovals can be drawn (Fig. 2b).

As described above, according to this embodiment, in addition to the first switch means for selecting a command by an icon to a cursor position specifying device such as a mouse, there is also a first switch means for inputting a signal specifying the position of shape change. By providing the second switch means, the shape of the specified drawing command can be changed without having to operate the mouse to bring the cursor to the menu position many times.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As described in detail, the present invention provides a command input device that makes it possible to change the shape of a specified drawing command without having to move the cursor to a menu position many times. It can be done, and its practical effects are great.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the display state of a CRT display in one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of how the curvature of an oval is changed according to the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing on the system side in the conventional example. 1...CRT display screen, 2.3...
...Menu, 4...Drawing window, 5.
...First switch, 6...Second switch, 7...Mouse, 8...Cursor. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person No. 1
Figure 2 (I CL, '1I) (χ2.C2) Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] A command input device characterized in that a cursor position designation device such as a mouse is provided with a first switch means for selecting a command by an icon and a second switch means for changing a displayed shape. .