(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 6,512,530 B1 Rzepkowski Et Al
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USOO65.1253OB1 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 6,512,530 B1 Rzepkowski et al. (45) Date of Patent: Jan. 28, 2003 (54) SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR 5,751,285 A * 5/1998 Kashiwagi et al. ......... 345/833 MIMICKING AN IMAGE FORMING OR 6,331,864 B1 12/2001 Coco et al. ............. 345/771 X CAPTURE DEVICE CONTROL PANEL * cited by examiner CONTROL ELEMENT Primary Examiner John Cabeca (75) Inventors: Kristinn R. Rzepkowski, Rochester, ASSistant Examiner X. L. Bautista NY (US); Thomas J. Perry, Pittsford, (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Oliff & Berrdige, PLC NY (US); Joseph G. Rouhana, Rochester, NY (US); John M. Pretino, (57) ABSTRACT Macedon, NY (US) A graphical user interface widget includes a vertically oriented Slider portion. The slider portion includes a slider (73) Assignee: Xerox Corporation, Stamford, CT pointer that indicates a current value of the slider and a Slider (US) bar that indicates the default value of the slider. The bottom - - - - 0 and top edges of the Slider portion are labeled with the (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this extreme values of the range for the variable associated with patent is extended or adjusted under 35 the slider portion. The slider pointer divides the slider U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. portionSlider into p two Subportions. Anp appearance of a bottom subportion of the slider portion is altered to reflect the value (21) Appl. No.: 09/487,268 currently indicated by the slider pointer relative to the (22) Filed: Jan. 19, 2000 extreme values of the range represented by the Slider. A numerical portion can be provided along with the Slider (51) Int. Cl. .................................................. G06F 3/00 portion. The numeral portion includes a value display por (52) U.S. Cl. ....................... 345/833; 345/764; 34.5/840; tion and a pair of buttons that are used to increase or 345/773 decrease the numerical value in the value display portion. (58) Field of Search ................................. 345/440, 764, When the value display portion is provided, the number in 345/771, 773, 784, 786, 787, 833, 846 the value display portion is linked to the Slider pointer, Such that changing the Slider pointer causes the number displayed (56) References Cited in the value display portion to change accordingly. Similarly, changing the number in the value display portion causes a U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS corresponding change in the position of the Slider pointer 5,559,301 A * 9/1996 Bryan, Jr. et al. ...... 345/833 X relative to the slider portion. 5,615,347 A * 3/1997 Davis et al. ................ 345/833 5,640,595 A * 6/1997 Baugher et al. .............. 710/10 42 Claims, 7 Drawing Sheets 472 472 U.S. Patent Jan. 28, 2003 Sheet 1 of 7 US 6,512,530 B1 4 732 4 7 72 74 D | | 34 U.S. Patent Jan. 28, 2003 Sheet 2 of 7 US 6,512,530 B1 puppup?S U.S. Patent Jan. 28, 2003 Sheet 3 of 7 US 6,512,530 B1 Window A Window B Process AS: Text and Line Art E. Basic Settings 328 326 Darkness 338 -16 E. Sharpness Reduce Background Display Images FIG. 3 U.S. Patent Jan. 28, 2003 Sheet 4 of 7 US 6,512,530 B1 L N w S O CN O Y n s as CN S w Yt U.S. Patent Jan. 28, 2003 Sheet 5 of 7 US 6,512,530 B1 58O 57O DISPLAY INPUT DEVICE DEVICE(S) INPUT/OUTPUT INTERFACE CONTROLLER APPEARANCE WIDGET APPLICATION 532 MANAGER MANAGER PORTION 534 GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE PORTION 530 GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE MEMORY CONTROL SYSTEM F.G. 6 U.S. Patent Jan. 28, 2003 Sheet 6 of 7 US 6,512,530 B1 INSTANTIATE NEW INSTANCE OF CONTROL ELEMENT WIDGET S720 DETERMINE EXTREME VALUES OF CONTROL FUNCTION OF WIDGET ST3O GENERATE AND DISPLAY IMAGE OF CONTROL ELEMENT WIDGET (B) S4O DETERMINE CURRENT VALUE OF CONTROL FUNCTION OF WIDGET S750 DETERMINE RELATIONSHIP OF CURRENT VALUE TO EXTREME VALUES S60 GENERATE AND DISPLAY MAGE OF SLIDER BAR AND SLIDER POINTER S. 70 DETERMINE APPEARANCE OF BOTTOM SUBPORTION OF SLIDER PORTION FIG. 7A U.S. Patent Jan. 28, 2003 Sheet 7 of 7 US 6,512,530 B1 S8O GENERATE AND DISPLAY IMAGE OF BOTTOM SUBPORTION S790 GENERATE AND DISPLAY IMAGE OF NUMERICAL PORTION OF CONTROL WIDGET S2OO USER SELECTED PORTION OF WIDGET 2 US 6,512,530 B1 1 2 SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR In various exemplary embodiments of the Systems, MIMICKING AN IMAGE FORMING OR methods, and graphical user interfaces according to this CAPTURE DEVICE CONTROL PANEL invention, a graphical user interface widget includes a CONTROL ELEMENT vertically-oriented slider portion. The slider portion includes a slider pointer that indicates a current value of the Slider and a slider bar that indicates the default value of the slider. The BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION bottom and top edges of the slider portion are labeled with 1. Field of Invention the extreme values of the range for the variable associated This invention is directed to a graphical user interface for with the Slider portion. In particular, the Slider pointer an image capture device or an image forming device. divides the slider portion into two Subportions. An appear ance of a bottom Subportion of the slider portion is altered 2. Description of Related Art to reflect the value currently indicated by the slider pointer Scanners and other types of image capture devices, and relative to the extreme values of the range represented by the digital copiers and other image forming devices, have slider. become ubiquitous office productivity tools for generating electronic images of physical original documents or gener 15 Additionally, in Some exemplary embodiments, a numeri ating physical copies of electronic images. Once an elec cal portion is provided along with the Slider portion. The tronic image has been generated, either from Scratch or from numeral portion includes a value display portion and a pair a physical original document, the electronic image data can of buttons that are used to increase or decrease the numerical be used in an infinite variety of ways to increase the value in the value display portion. When the value display productivity and the product quality of an office. Such image portion is provided, the number in the value display portion capture devices include desktop Scanners, other Stand alone is linked to the Slider pointer, Such that changing the Slider Scanners, digital Still cameras, digital Video cameras, the pointer causes the number displayed in the value display Scanning input portions of digital copiers, facsimile portion to change accordingly. Similarly, changing the num machines and other multi-function devices that are capable ber in the value display portion causes a corresponding of generating electronic image data from an original 25 change in the position of the Slider pointer relative to the document, and the like. These image capture devices can Slider portion. also include image databases that Store previously captured These and other features and advantages of this invention electronic image data. Such image forming devices include are described in or are apparent from the following detailed digital copiers, laser printers, inkjet printers, color inkjet description of various embodiments of the Systems, methods printers, and the like. and graphical user interfaces according to this invention. However, as the costs of these various image capture BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS devices and image forming device have dropped and the output quality of the physical copies and the captured Various exemplary embodiments of this invention will be electronic image data has improved, these image capture 35 described in detail, with reference to the following figures, devices and image forming devices have been provided with wherein: an ever increasing number of controllable features. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional control element of a Similarly, as users have become comfortable with capturing control panel of an image forming or capture device; and using electronic image data obtained from original FIG. 2 is a second exemplary embodiment of a control documents to create physical copies, the uses to which the 40 element of a graphical control panel of an image forming or electronic image data has been put, and thus the needed capture device; control over the quality and appearance of the electronic FIG. 3 is an exemplary embodiment of a conventional set image data and the physical copies, have expanded greatly. of graphical user interface Sliders, SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 45 FIG. 4 is a first exemplary embodiment of the control The ever-increasing numbers of features provided by panel mimic graphical user interface widget according to these various image capturing devices and image forming this invention in a first State; devices cause users of these devices to find it increasingly FIG. 5 shows the first exemplary embodiment of the difficult to obtain the desired results. Often, this is because, control panel mimic graphical user interface widget accord instead of having a control panel that has physical control 50 ing to this invention in a Second State; and elements, these devices often are controlled primarily FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating one exemplary through a graphical user interface. This graphical user embodiment of the Structural organization of a widget con interface can be accessed through a display and Selection trol System that is usable to control the control panel mimic panel of the device. More often, however, the graphical user graphical user interface widgets according to this invention; interfaces are accessed through a general purpose computer 55 and having a display device and one or more input devices. FIGS. 7A and 7B are a flowchart outlining one exemplary While even unsophisticated users of these devices find it embodiment of a method for generating, displaying and easy and intuitive to use the physical control elements on the using the control panel mimic graphical user interface control panel to control complex functions of even complex widgets according to this invention.