U.S. patent application number 09/143766 was filed with the patent office on 2002-05-16 for graphical action invocation method, and associated method, for a computer system.
Invention is credited to HOLTZ, BRIAN.
Application Number | 20020057292 09/143766 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22505516 |
Filed Date | 2002-05-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020057292 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HOLTZ, BRIAN |
May 16, 2002 |
GRAPHICAL ACTION INVOCATION METHOD, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD, FOR A
COMPUTER SYSTEM
Abstract
Apparatus, and an associated method, provides iconic
representations of actions available to be performed upon an object
of a particular datatype. The iconic representations are displayed,
for instance, as part of a toolbar on a computer display. A
representation of an object upon which an action is to be performed
is dragged-and-dropped upon the iconic representation of the
selected action to invoke that action upon both the dropped object
and the object of a particular datatype.
Inventors: |
HOLTZ, BRIAN; (REDWOOD
SHORES, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HOGAN & HARTSON LLP
IP GROUP, COLUMBIA SQUARE
555 THIRTEENTH STREET, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20004
US
|
Family ID: |
22505516 |
Appl. No.: |
09/143766 |
Filed: |
August 31, 1998 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
715/769 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/0486
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/769 |
International
Class: |
G09G 005/00 |
Claims
We claim:
1. A method for graphically invoking an action to be performed upon
a selected object identified by a selected datatype and at least
one dropped object, the selected datatype having an action menu
associated therewith, the action menu including at least one
action, said method comprising: iconically representing the at
least one action of the action menu associated with the datatype of
the selected object with an iconic representation of the action;
selectively dragging and dropping the at least one dropped object
upon at least a selected iconic representation of the iconic
representation of the at least one action of the action menu; and
invoking performance of the selected action upon the at least one
dropped object dragged and dropped during said operation of
selectively dragging and dropping together with the selected
object.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said operation of iconically
representing comprises displaying the iconic representation of the
at least one action upon a toolbar.
3. The method of claim 1 comprising the additional operation of
iconically representing the at least one dropped object with an
icon.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein said operation of selectively
dragging and dropping comprises dragging an iconic representation
of the at least one dropped object upon the selected one of the
iconic representation of the action of the action menu.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one dropped object
identified by the selected datatype comprises a first dropped
object and at least a second dropped object and wherein said
operation of selectively dragging and dropping comprises dragging
and dropping the first dropped object and the second dropped object
upon at least the selected one of the iconic representation of the
at least one action of the action menu.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said method comprises the
additional operation of adding at least one additional action to
the action menu associated with the selected datatype.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein said operations of iconically
representing, selectively dragging and dropping, and invoking
performance are carried out within a container-type
application.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein said container-type application
comprises an e-mail application, wherein the at lest one action of
the action menu associated with the selected datatype comprises an
"open-address card" action, a "mail to" action, and a "print"
action, and wherein said operation of iconically representing
comprises representing the "open-address card" action with an
open-address card icon, representing the "mail to" action with a
mail to icon, and representing the "print" action with a print
icon.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein said container-type application
comprises an address card application.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein said container-type application
comprises a host address application for at least one host of a
multi-host network.
11. Apparatus for graphically invoking an action to be performed
upon a selected object together with at least one dropped object
resident in a computer, the selected object identified by a
selected datatype, the selected datatype having an action menu
associated therewith, the action menu including at least one
action, said apparatus comprising: an icon generator coupled to
receive indications of the at least one action of which the action
menu is formed, said icon generator for generating an icon
representation of each of the at least one actions of the action
menu; a drag and drop interface actuation display upon which to
display the icon representation generated by said icon generator
and an indication of the at least one dropped object, said drag and
drop interface actuation display selectively actuable to drag the
indication of the at least one dropped object to the icon
representation of the at least one action and to drop the
indication of the at least one dropped object thereat; and a
performance invoker coupled to receive indications of dropping of
the indication of the at least one dropped object upon the icon
representation of the at least one action, said performance invoker
for invoking performance of the action upon the at least one
dropped object of which the indication thereof is dropped upon the
icon representation together with the selected object.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the icon representation
generated by said icon generator forms a portion of a toolbar
displayable upon said drag and drop interface actuation
display.
13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the action menu includes a
first action and at least a second action, and wherein said icon
generator generates a first icon representation of the first action
and at least a second icon representation representative of the at
least the second icon.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the at least one dropped
object identified by the selected datatype comprises a first
dropped object and at least a second dropped object, and wherein
said drag and drop interface actuation display is selectably
actuable to drag the indication of the first dropped object to the
first icon representation and to drag the indication of the second
dropped object to the second icon representation.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said drag and drop interface
is further selectably actuable to drag the indication of the first
dropped object to the second icon representation and to drag the
indication of the second dropped object to the first icon
representation.
16. A method for providing for graphically invoking an action to be
performed upon at least one selected object identified by a
selected datatype, and at least one dropped object the selected
datatype having an action menu associated therewith, the action
menu including at least one action, said method for providing
comprising: iconically representing the at least one action of the
action menu associated with the datatype with an iconic
representation of the action; selectively dragging and dropping the
at least one dropped object upon at least a selected one of the at
least one object upon the iconic representation of the at least one
action of the action menu; and invoking performance of the at least
one selected action upon the at least one dropped object dragged
and dropped during said operation of selectively dragging and
dropping together with the selected object.
17. A computer program product comprising: a computer useable code
storage medium; computer readable code embodied in said storage
medium for graphically invoking an action to be performed upon a
selected object identified by a selected datatype, the selected
datatype having an action menu associated therewith, the action
menu including at least one action, and at least one dropped
object, the computer readable code comprising: computer readable
program code devices configured to cause a computer to effect an
iconic representation of the at least one action of the action
menu; computer readable program code devices configured to cause a
computer to selectively drag and drop the at least one dropped
object upon the iconic representation oft he at least one action of
the action menu; and computer readable program code devices
configured to cause invocation of performance of the at least one
object selectively dragged and dropped together with the selected
object.
18. A method for graphically invoking an action to be performed
upon a first object and an at least second object, the first and at
least second objects identified by a selected datatype, the
selected datatype having an action menu associated therewith, the
action menu including at least one action, said method comprising:
selecting the first object; determining the selected datatype of
the first object; iconically representing the action of the action
menu associated with the selected datatype; dragging-and-dropping
the at least second object upon the action iconically represented
during said operation of iconically representing; and invoking the
action upon the first object and the at least second object.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a computer system
in which objects resident therein are datatyped according to their
type. Each type of object has a set of actions which can be
performed on the object. More particularly, the present invention
relates to apparatus, and an associated method, by which the
actions which can be performed upon an object of a particular
datatype are displaying in iconic form upon a computer display
device. An action is performed upon the object by dragging and
dropping an indication of the object upon the icon representation
of the action.
[0002] A user of the computer system is able readily to graphically
invoke the performance of more than one action on one or more
objects. Operations conventionally requiring some
application-specific knowledge are simplified, and are intuitively
effectuable, through operation of an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0003] In an exemplary implementation, e-mail procedures are
simplified. Generation of an e-mail message to a selected recipient
together with attachment of an object to the e-mail message is
invoked graphically through simple drag-and-drop movements. In
other exemplary implementations, actions associated with address
cards and network operations are, analogously, graphically
invoked.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The use of computers has become pervasive in modern society.
Many business, and other, operations are dependent upon the
operation of such computers. The popularization of personal
computers and computer work stations are exemplary of computers
which are widely used to perform a wide variety of functions.
Personal computers and computer work stations are characteristic
devices which permit their operation as standalone devices, thereby
to permit decentralization of computer functions.
[0005] Such devices can, however, be advantageously networked
together by way of networked connections to permit transfer of data
between the separate devices. Users located at disparate locations
are permitted access to data, objects, and applications, resident
elsewhere, but connected to a local computer or work station by way
of a network connection with another computer or work station.
[0006] A user of a computer, whether a stand-alone device or a
device connected with other computers in a networked connection,
typically implements effectuation of computer operations by way of
a user interface. The user interface includes input actuators, such
as an actuation keypad or a computer "mouse", and a computer
display terminal. Through appropriate actuation of the input
actuators, the user of the computer is able to, inter alia,
initiate the performance of actions upon selected objects. An
object is any byte vector that can be determined to be of a
particular datatype. A file contained in the file system of a disk
drive is exemplary of an object. An attachment to an email message
is also exemplary of an object. In such case, the byte vector
forming the object is embedded in a larger disk file containing the
entire email message, or even email in box.
[0007] Graphical interfaces have been developed to facilitate ease
of user interaction with the computer. Operating systems or
environments such as the MacIntosh.TM., Windows-95.TM., and CDE.TM.
(common desktop environment) operating systems and environments,
utilize graphical interfaces. Each of such operating systems or
environments utilize iconic representations, i.e., icons,
displayable upon a computer display device. The icons represent,
inter alia, objects. By selectively dragging-and-dropping the
icons, operations are performed upon the objects of which an icon
is representative. The use of graphical interfaces are advantageous
due to their intuitive nature. That is to say, even a relatively
unskilled user of the computer is able to implement effectuation of
desired operation of the computer even without detailed knowledge
of the underlying operation. And, instead of requiring the operator
to enter, by way of a conventional computer keypad, a long string
of instructions, by appropriate movement of selected icons and
performing operations thereon, a user of the computer is more
easily able to effectuate the desired actions.
[0008] The objects are identified by a datatype, such as an
Excel.TM., Powerpoint.TM., or Microsoft Word.TM., datatype. And,
each of the different datatypes has associated therewith an action
menu. An action menu lists actions which can be performed upon the
objects of the particular datatypes. The action menu is, for
instance, displayable in a pull-down menu display, conventional in
nature. Additional actions can be added, or actions removed from,
the action menus associated with the particular datatypes. And,
additional datatypes and action menus associated therewith can also
be installed at a computer.
[0009] Conventionally, an action is chosen to be performed upon an
object. For instance, a pull-down menu is caused to be displayed
upon the computer display device. An action to be performed upon
the object is selected and the action upon the object is performed.
That is to say, conventionally, a single action is performed upon a
single object. If an additional action is to be performed upon the
object, an additional action must be selected. And, when a
particular action is selected to be performed, the selected action
is performed upon only a single object. If the action requires
specification of additional objects, the additional objects must be
subsequently specified by a manner that varies according to the
action. The manner, e.g., could be to choose in succession each
additional object from an object selection dialog. Or, manual
entry, in succession, could be performed of the full pathnames of
each additional object. Access to the action menus associated
therewith and separate selection of the selected actions must be
made.
[0010] It would be advantageous if a manner could be provided in
which the additional objects to be acted upon could be more easily
selected.
[0011] It is in light of this background information related to
computer systems that significant improvements of the present
invention have evolved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The present invention, accordingly, advantageously provides
apparatus, and an associated method, by which to permit convenient
selection of actions to be performed upon one or more objects of a
particular datatype. The actions which can be performed upon an
object of a particular datatype are displayed in iconic form upon a
computer display device. The action is performed upon the object by
dragging the object's icon representation, also displayed upon the
computer display device, to the icon representation of the
action.
[0013] Thereby, the performance of an action on more than one file
is graphically invoked. Levels of application-specific knowledge
required of a user of the computer system to invoke the performance
of the selected actions upon the selected objects need not be
significant due to the intuitive nature of the invocation
procedure.
[0014] Operation of an embodiment of the present invention
simplifies procedures involved in e-mail message generation.
Generation of an e-mail message to a selected recipient together
with attachment of an object to the email message is invoked
graphically. Icons representing the addressing of the e-mail
message and an attachment action are displayed upon the computer
display device. Simple drag-and-drop movements of objects to the
icons representative of the appropriate actions permit the
effectuation of the generation of the e-mail message. Operation of
other embodiments of the present invention analogously simplify
other operations, such as address card operations and network
operations. Operation of an embodiment of the present invention
permits, with a drag-and-drop procedure the performance of a verb
object to/with/in/for, e.g., "mail to", upon a distinguished, i.e.,
selected object.
[0015] In one aspect of the present invention, a method for
providing for graphically invoking of an action to be performed
upon at least one object is provided. The at least one object is
identified by a selected datatype. The selected datatype has an
action menu associated therewith which includes at least one
action. The method includes providing for iconically representing
the at least one action of the action menu associated with the
datatype with an iconic representation of the action. The method
also includes providing for selectively dragging and dropping the
at least one object upon one of the iconic representations of the
at least one action. And, the method provides for invoking
performance of the selected action upon both the selected object,
identified by the at least one dropped object.
[0016] In these and other aspects, therefore, apparatus and an
associated method, graphically invokes an action to be performed
upon a selected object and at least one dropped object identified
by a selected datatype. The selected datatype has an action menu
associated therewith. The action menu includes at least one action.
The at least one action of the action menu associated with the
datatype is iconically represented with an iconic representation of
the action. The at least one object is selectively dragged and
dropped upon the iconic representation. Performance of the action
upon the selected object and the dropped object is thereafter
invoked.
[0017] A more complete appreciation of the present invention and
the scope thereof can be obtained from the accompanying drawings
which are briefly summarized below, the following detailed
description of presently-preferred embodiments of the invention,
and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a partial functional, partial schematic
diagram of a computer system in which an embodiment of the present
invention is operable.
[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary computer screen display
illustrating an icon representation, formed during operation of an
embodiment of the present invention, of actions performable upon an
object.
[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates a computer screen display, similar to
that shown in FIG. 2, but here illustrating a manner by which to
graphically invoke performance of an action upon an object.
[0021] FIG. 4 illustrates a computer screen display, similar to
that shown in FIGS. 2-3, but here showing a manner by which to
graphically invoke the performance of an action upon more than one
file.
[0022] FIG. 5 illustrates a functional block diagram of the
apparatus of an embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 6 illustrates a method flow diagram listing the method
steps of the method of an embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 7 illustrates a method flow diagram listing the method
steps of the method of another embodiment of the present
invention.
[0025] FIG. 8 illustrates a method flow diagram listing the method
steps of the method of a further embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a computer system, shown generally at 10,
in which an embodiment of the present invention is operable. The
computer system 10 is exemplary of a personal computer or a
computer work station. In an exemplary implementation in which the
computer system 10 is networked together in a networked connection
with a computer network, the computer system 10 is exemplary of a
general purpose computer, work station, personal computer, or the
like, connected via communication links of the various types, in a
client-server arrangement. In such an arrangement, programs and
data, many in the form of objects, are made available by various
members of the system for execution and access by other members of
the system.
[0027] The computer system 10 includes a processor 12, here shown
to have an I/O (input/output) section 14, a CPU (central processing
unit) 16, and a memory section 18.
[0028] The I/O section 14 is connected to a user interface, here
including an actuation keyboard 22, a "mouse" transducer 24, and a
computer display device 26. User-generated inputs are provided to
the computer system 10 by way of appropriate actuation of the
actuation keypad 22 or the electronic mouse 24. And, the computer
display device 26 generates displays for viewing by a user of the
computer system.
[0029] The I/O section 14 is also coupled to storage devices, here
a disk storage device 28 and a CD-ROM drive unit 32. The drive unit
32 is operable to read a CD-ROM medium 34, which typically contains
programs and data, of which the program 36 is representative.
Programs, when executed, cause operation of an embodiment of the
present invention. Such programs, and associated data, may reside
in the memory section 18, the disk storage device 28, or at the
CD-ROM medium 34.
[0030] Operation of an embodiment of the present invention
facilitates user initiation of performance of actions upon one or
more objects resident at the computer system. The objects resident
at the computer system are data-typed according to the object's
type. For instance, the object might be a Microsoft Word object or
an Excel object, or an analogously-typed object. Each datatype of
object has an action menu associated therewith. The action menu
includes one or more actions which can be performed upon the object
of a particular datatype. In some conventional icon-based operating
systems, such as CDE (common desktop environment) or Windows-95,
the objects are typically represented by object icons upon the
computer display device 26. A pull-down menu forms the action menu
containing a list of actions which may be performed upon the
object. And, an action is caused to be performed upon the
associated object, e.g., by positioning a screen display cursor
upon the appropriate action through appropriate actuation of the
mouse actuator 24 and, e.g., "key-clicking" the mouse actuator.
When the same action is to be performed upon more than one object,
the same procedure must be repeated. And, when several actions are
to be performed upon a single object, the procedure correspondingly
must also be repeated.
[0031] FIG. 2 illustrates a display 42, displayable upon the
computer display device 26, shown in FIG. 1. The display 42
includes icon representations 44 which, for purposes of
illustration, are all of a common datatype. As noted, an action
menu, of which a single action menu 46 is illustrated in the
Figure, is associated with each object of a particular datatype.
The action menu 46 forms a menu display listing actions 48 which
may be caused to be performed upon the object 44. During operation
of an embodiment of the present invention, the actions 48 of the
action menu 46 are converted, as represented by the arrow 52, into
iconic representations 54. In the illustrated embodiment, the
iconic representations 54 are together displayed in a toolbar
56.
[0032] FIG. 3 again illustrates the display 42 generated during
operation of an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the
left-most (as shown) icon representation 44 has been selected, and
the actions 48 (shown in FIG. 2) of the action menu 46 (also shown
in FIG. 2) of the datatype of the object identified by the
left-most icon representation are converted into iconic form, and
are determinative of the iconic representations of the toolbar 56.
The iconic representations 54 which together form the toolbar 56
are again positioned across a top (as shown) portion of the display
42. The left-most icon representation forms the selected object,
identified by its datatype. A user of the computer system here
operates the mouse actuator 24 (shown in FIG. 1) to drag the
right-most object 44 to the iconic representation 54 representing
the action which is to be performed. The arrow 64 is representative
of the dragging of an icon representation 44 of an object, the
"dropped object" to the left-most (as shown) iconic representation
54 of the toolbar 56 and dropping the object on the iconic
representation 54. As the arrow 64 illustrates, a user actuating
the mouse actuator 24 (shown in FIG. 1) is able to drag an
additional object 44, Viz., the right-most object, to a single
iconic representation 54. Thereby, an action is invoked upon the
combination of the selected object and the at least one dropped
object.
[0033] Once the object 44 has been positioned at the selected
iconic representation 54, the iconic representation is dropped
thereat. Once the icon representation 44 of the object is dropped
at the representation 54 of an action, the action is caused to be
performed upon the object. The same action is performed upon
successive objects by dragging-and-dropping such successive objects
to and upon the iconic representation representative of the
action.
[0034] FIG. 4 again illustrates the display 42, shown previously in
FIGS. 2 and 3. Here again, icon representations 44 form portions of
the display and are representative of objects of a particular data
type. And, iconic representations 54 which together form a toolbar
56 also form a portion of the display. The toolbar 56 is formed of
the actions of the action menu of a selected object. Once the
toolbar is displayed, a selected action is caused to be performed
upon more than one object by executing drag-and-drop operations.
Here, arrows 68, and 70 are representative of drag-and-drop
procedures by which to drag and drop the objects represented by the
icon representations 44 at the left-most iconic representation 54.
When the representations 44 are dropped upon an iconic
representation 54, the action of which the iconic representation 54
is representative is caused to be performed. Here, the action
represented by the left-most iconic representation is performed
upon the selected object, i.e., the left-most object 44 and also
both dropped objects, i.e, the center-most and right-most objects
44.
[0035] FIG. 5 illustrates the apparatus, shown generally at 74 of
an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus is embodied
in a computer system, such as the computer system 10 shown in FIG.
1. The apparatus graphically invokes an action to be performed upon
at least one object resident in the computer in which the object is
identified by a datatype. The datatype of the object has associated
therewith an action menu containing actions.
[0036] Indications of the actions listed in the action menu are
supplied by way of the lines 76 to an icon generator 78. The icon
generator converts the action lists into icon representations
corresponding to each of the actions of which the indications
thereof are supplied to the generator 78. The line 82 extending to
the computer display device 26 is representative of signals
generated by the icon generator 78 to cause the icons to be
displayed upon the display of the display device.
[0037] A display/cursor position detector is coupled by way of the
lines 86 to the user interface formed of the computer display
device 26 and mouse actuator 24. The position detector 84 is
operable responsive to user actuation of the mouse actuator 24 to
effectuate drag-and-drop movement of icons displayed upon the
computer display device 26 upon the selected icon representations
of actions caused to be displayed upon the display device 26. The
detector 84 is further operable to generate signals on the lines 88
which extends to the performance invoker 92. The performance
invoker invokes performance of an action upon the object which is
dragged-and-dropped upon the icon representation of the action.
[0038] While the apparatus 74 is shown functionally in the Figure,
in the exemplary implementation, the functions of the icon
generator, display/cursor position determiner 84 and performance
invoker 92 are implemented as algorithms executable by a computer
processing device, such as the CPU 16, shown in FIG. 1.
[0039] Through operation of an embodiment of the present invention,
therefore, a user is able to graphically invoke complex operations
simply and intuitively. For instance, an embodiment of the present
invention may be implemented in conjunction with an address card
program. Icon representations of a "mail to" action, "fax" action,
and "calendar" action, for the selected address card are displayed
in the form of a toolbar on a computer display device. By dragging
an dropping appropriate objects upon the action icons, the objects
are mailed to the card, faxed to the card, or added to the card's
calendar, respectively. An action can thereby be performed upon the
selected contact and the dragged objects merely by performing a
drag-anddrop procedure.
[0040] In another implementation, operation of an embodiment of the
present invention permits integration of the personal information
management tools of the computer system, such as a mailer,
calendar, browser, and file manager, around electronic address
cards stored in a standard format, such as the vCard format. And,
in yet another implementation, operation of an embodiment of the
present invention facilitates host operations of hosts in a
computer network. Actions corresponding to, inter alia, opening a
terminal on a host, running programs on a host, and rebooting a
host, are represented in iconic representations such as in a
toolbar on a display device.
[0041] FIG. 6 illustrates a method, shown generally at 102, of an
embodiment of the present invention. The method 102 graphically
invokes an action to be performed upon an object identified by a
selected datatype. The datatype has an action menu associated
therewith formed of one or more actions.
[0042] First, and as indicated by the block 104, the action or
actions of the action menu associated with the datatype are
iconically represented with an iconic representation of each of the
actions. Then, and as indicated by the block 106, an object upon
which an action is to be performed is selectively
dragged-and-dropped at the iconic representation. Then, and as
indicated by the block 106, performance of the selected action is
invoked to perform the action upon the both the dropped object and
the selected object.
[0043] FIG. 7 illustrates the method steps of a method, shown
generally at 112, of another embodiment of the present invention.
The method 112 provides for graphically invoking an action to be
performed upon both a selected object and a dropped object. The
selected object is identified by a selected datatype, and the
selected datatype has an action menu associated therewith. First,
and as indicated by the block 114, the method includes the step of
providing for iconically representing the action of the action menu
with an iconic representation thereof. Then, and as indicated by
the block 116, the method includes the step of providing for
selectively dragging and dropping the dropped object upon the
iconic representation. Then, and as indicated by the block 118, the
method includes the step of providing for invoking performance of
the action upon both the selected and dropped object.
[0044] FIG. 8 illustrates the method steps of a method, shown
generally at 132, of another embodiment of the present invention.
First, and as indicated by the block 134, an object is selected.
Then, and as indicated by the block 136, the datatype of the object
is determined. Thereafter, and as indicated by the block 138, the
actions of the selected object's datatype are iconically
represented. Then, and as indicated by the block 142, one or more
additional objects upon which an action is to be performed, are
dragged-and-dropped at the iconic representation of the action.
Then, and as indicated by the block 144, the action upon both of
the selected objects are invoked.
[0045] Operation of an embodiment of the present invention,
therefore, provides a manner by which to more speedily and easily
invoke complex operations at a computer station. Actions which can
be performed upon an object of a particular datatype are displayed
in iconic form upon a computer display device. Performance of a
selected action is invoked by dragging and dropping an indication
of the object upon the icon representation of the action.
[0046] The previous descriptions are of preferred examples for
implementing the invention, and the scope of the invention should
not necessarily be limited by this description. The scope of the
present invention is defined by the following claims.
* * * * *