This invention relates generally to graphical user interfaces more particularly to using a graphical user interface with a pointing device that provides an infrared data communication link between a computer and another device.
Infrared light (IR) transceivers are a part of many computer systems, peripherals, personal digital assistants (PDA""s), and portable electronic devices such as digital cameras, cellular phones, and handheld scanners. These IR transceivers allow wireless, line-of-sight communication to take place between two devices that are each equipped with an IR transceiver. For example, a digital camera may be equipped with an IR transceiver to allow it to download pictures to a computer also equipped with an IR transceiver. Since the communication is wireless, a user does not have to connect any wires or cables to initiate a download. Furthermore, since there is no dedicated cable, other IR equipped devices may also communicate with the computer using the computer""s single IR port. To facilitate the use of IR technology, several key producers and sellers of IR equipped devices and IR transceivers have teamed up to form an industry standards organization. This organization is The Infrared Data Association (IrDA). IrDA is an International Organization headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif. that creates and promotes interoperable, low cost infrared data interconnection standards that support a walk-up, point-to-point user model. These standards support a broad range of appliances, computing and communications devices.
Many of the IR transceivers on devices today are located on the main chassis. In the case of a personal computer, this means the IR transceiver is located on the CPU enclosure. However, because of shrinking offices, and decreasing availability of desk space, many users would like to locate the CPU enclosure off of the desktop. This presents a problem with IR equipped computers because the IR transceiver on the CPU enclosure is no longer in a position that is convenient for line-of sight communication. Furthermore, even when the CPU enclosure is placed on the desktop, other peripherals (such a keyboard) or desktop clutter (such as soda cans, or loose papers) may obscure the IR transceiver or they may prevent the other device from being placed in a convenient place that has a clear line-of-sight path to the IR transceiver on the CPU enclosure.
A solution to many of these problems is described in a related application titled xe2x80x9cCOMPUTER POINTING DEVICE WITH INFRARED COMMUNICATION BRIDGExe2x80x9d Ser. No. 09/544,527, Hewlett-Packard docket number 10001665-1, filed on or about the same day as the present application and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. This application discloses a computer mouse or other moveable computer pointing device with an integrated IR transceiver.
However, the integration of the IR transceiver into the pointing device does not address the problem of an easy to use and intuitive user interface for transferring data between the other device and the host computer via the IR transceiver in the pointing device.
An embodiment of a user interface incorporating the invention involves placing the cursor of a graphical user interface over an icon or other area of the screen. When communications are initiated by the user, then the data sent across the infrared interface is placed in that area of the screen, or, if the area of the screen was an icon, an action indicated by the icon is taken.