Graphical device for comprehensive viewing and input of variable data via a browser-based display
First Claim
1. A data input method comprising:
- generating and displaying on a display screen a graphical input device, the graphical input device being associated with a user-selectable parameter and having a displayed data entry field of a first display width;
associating a set of user-dependent choices with the graphical input device;
sensing user selection of the graphical input device;
upon sensing user selection of the graphical input device, displaying on the screen a list of the user-dependent choices, the list having a second display width;
sensing selection by a user of one of the user-dependent choices; and
displaying at least a portion of the selected user-dependent choice in the data entry field and setting the user-selectable parameter to the selected user-dependent choice;
in which;
the second display width is chosen as a function of display widths of the user-dependent choices, such that the second display width may be greater than the first display width.
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Abstract
A graphical input device, preferably in a browser-based display, resembles a pull-down menu, with a displayed data entry field. The set of possible entries to be displayed along with the graphical input device varies depending on the user. The minimum display width needed for full-width display of the entries is evaluated by scripting and the actual display of the set is generated accordingly. The drop-down list and its listed entries may be wider than the data entry field. The user can thus view and select customized possible entries that cannot fit within the displayed data entry field. According to another aspect of the preferred embodiment of the invention, when the user is making selections from the drop-down list, multiple keyboard entries can be used to cause rapid scrolling to entries that match not only the first character entered, but also to entries whose first n characters match n characters entered while viewing the list. For hierarchically structured and itemized entry lists, matching is preferably performed first to the right of at least one delimiter. The various novel aspects of the invention are implemented using scripting embedded within HTML code so that they are available to users who are browsing web content.
26 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A data input method comprising:
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generating and displaying on a display screen a graphical input device, the graphical input device being associated with a user-selectable parameter and having a displayed data entry field of a first display width;
associating a set of user-dependent choices with the graphical input device;
sensing user selection of the graphical input device;
upon sensing user selection of the graphical input device, displaying on the screen a list of the user-dependent choices, the list having a second display width;
sensing selection by a user of one of the user-dependent choices; and
displaying at least a portion of the selected user-dependent choice in the data entry field and setting the user-selectable parameter to the selected user-dependent choice;
in which;
the second display width is chosen as a function of display widths of the user-dependent choices, such that the second display width may be greater than the first display width. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A data input method comprising:
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downloading, from a server, into a local computer, code for controlling a display on a display screen;
executing the downloaded code using a browser;
by executing a subroutine that is embedded within the downloaded code, generating and displaying on the display screen a graphical input device, the graphical input device being associated with a user-selectable parameter and having a displayed data entry field of a first display width;
associating a set of user-dependent choices with the graphical input device;
sensing user selection of the graphical input device;
upon sensing user selection of the graphical input device, displaying on the screen a list of the user-dependent choices, the list having a second display width;
sensing selection by a user of one of the user-dependent choices; and
displaying at least a portion of the selected user-dependent choice in the data entry field and setting the user-selectable parameter to the selected user-dependent choice;
in which;
the second display width is chosen as a function of display widths of the user-dependent choices, such that the second display width may be greater than the first display width;
the downloaded code is in a mark-up language;
the subroutine is scripting embedded within the downloaded code; and
the step of generating and displaying the graphical input device includes the sub-step of generating the graphical input device as a non-menu, text-input graphic device but having the appearance of a drop-down menu.
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6. In a computer system that receives web content expressed in a version or derivative of the hypertext mark-up language HTML and executes the HTML-expressed content in a browser to control a display and to receive input data from a user via a graphical user interface, a data input method comprising:
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generating and displaying on a display screen a graphical input device by executing a corresponding HTML routine in the browser, the graphical input device being associated with a user-selectable parameter;
associating a set of user-dependent choices with the graphical input device;
embedding a non-HTML script within the HTML routine;
sensing user selection of the graphical input device;
upon sensing user selection of the graphical input device, displaying on the screen a list of the user-dependent choices, each user-dependent choice comprising a respective set of sequentially ordered characters;
associating with the list at least first and second key press events (KPE), the first KPE indicating completion of user selection of one of the user-dependent choices, the second KPE indicating user entry of any of the characters;
upon sensing any first KPE, rendering the list invisible on the display screen and executing a first portion of the non-HTML script to assign a currently selected one of the user-dependent choices to be the value of the user-selectable parameter;
upon sensing a first occurrence of any second KPE, executing a second portion of the non-HTML script, and searching and marking for the user a first one of the user-dependent choices whose first character matches the user-entered character constituting the sensed second KPE;
as long as second KPEs are sensed, and until any first KPE is sensed, upon sensing an n'"'"'th occurrence of any second KPE, searching and marking for the user a first one of the selectable data entries whose characters match the first through n'"'"'th user-entered characters constituting the first through n'"'"'th occurrence of second KPEs.
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7. A method as in 6, in which the step of and searching and marking the first one of the user-dependent choices whose first character matches the user-entered character constituting the sensed second KPE comprises searching the user-dependent choices beginning to right of a delimiting character.
Specification