A method and system for generating improved command progress indicator including the steps of establishing at a location of a display at least one computer-generated graphic indicator associated with at least one computer executable operation in a first-state appearance, the graphic indicator having a first-state appearance and a dynamic second-state appearance, signaling the computer to conduct an operation, altering the appearance of the computer-generated graphic indicator from the first-state appearance to the dynamic second-state appearance while the computer is conducting the operation, and restoring the appearance of the computer-generated graphic indicator from the dynamic second-state appearance to the first-state appearance when the computer has completed the operation. An embodiment of the invention uses a button graphic as the computer-generated graphic indicator and further comprises the steps of establishing a cursor on the video display, positioning the cursor on the... |
Citations|
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Claims1. A method for indicating on a computer display the progress of a computer-executable operation, the method comprising the steps of: - (a) establishing at a location of the display an icon that is associated with a computer executable operation, the icon having a first-state appearance that includes a graphical representation of the computer-executable operation;
- (b) signaling the computer to execute the operation when a user clicks on the icon;
- (c) altering the icon from its first-state appearance to a dynamic second-state appearance while the computer is executing the operation, the second-state appearance including an animated graphic superimposed on a version of the icon's first-state appearance; and
- (d) restoring the icon to its first state appearance when the computer has completed execution of the operation.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the animated graphic is a clock. 3. A method for indicating on a computer display the progress of a computer-executable operation, the method comprising the steps of: - (a) establishing at a location of the display an icon that is associated with a computer executable operation, the icon having a first-state appearance that is a graphical representation of the computer-executable operation;
- (b) signaling the computer to execute the operation when a user clicks on the icon;
- (c) altering the icon from its first-state appearance to a dynamic second-state appearance while the computer is executing the operation, the second-state appearance including features indicating to the user that execution of the operation can be stopped by clicking on the icon; and
- (d) restoring the icon to its first state appearance when the computer has completed execution of the operation.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the icon's second-state appearance has visual features that allow the user to associate the second-state appearance with the first-state appearance. 5. The method of claim 3 wherein step (c) comprises periodically adding then removing a highlight color from the icon's first-state appearance. 6. The method of claim 3 wherein the icon's second-state appearance includes an animated graphic. 7. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step (c1) of signaling the computer to stop execution of the operation when the user clicks on the icon's second-state appearance. |
