US20020054103A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20020054103A1
Application number: US09/179,424
Authority: US
Inventors: Shinya Mizuno
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Hanger Solutions LLC
Priority date: 1997-10-28
Filing date: 1998-10-27
Publication date: 2002-05-09
Also published as: US6380953B1

Abstract

This invention has a scroll means for displaying GUI operation members consisting of calendar information on the computer screen, and moving the screen display field to a date position containing information corresponding to the date of the operated GUI operation member upon operation of one of the GUI operation members. The user can very easily see the information compared to a conventional scroll bar display, and can quickly observe corresponding information by only operating the GUI operation member of his or her desired date.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. [Field of the Invention][0001]

The present invention relates to a scroll display method on a time axis, a scroll display control apparatus, and a storage medium and, for example, to a technique for moving the screen display field of information, which is formed along the time axis, along the time axis on a planning chart used in, e.g., scheduling on a computer.[0002]

2. [Description of the Related Art][0003]

Conventionally, various techniques for displaying planning charts used in, e.g., scheduling on the display screen of a computer and controlling schedules on the computer have been proposed. As an example of a planning chart, a bar chart, a so-called Gantt chart, which is used in production planning, control, and the like, and depicts jobs, experiments, or the like planned or done in relation to time, is known.[0004]

When such Gantt chart is displayed on the entire computer screen or on a window in the screen, all scheduled items on the time axis cannot often be displayed. In such case, a GUI operation member called a scroll bar is displayed. By operating this scroll bar, information within the screen or window can be scrolled vertically or horizontally.[0005]

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, only a schedule for one day is displayed on the display screen, and when a schedule for another day is to be input or checked, the user can move the display field to the right or left by clicking a right or[0006]

left scroll button

41bor41aof ascroll bar41. In this case, upon operation of theleft scroll button41a, a schedule of the previous day is displayed on the screen, and upon operation of theright scroll button41b, a schedule of the next day is displayed. By dragging ascroll box41cto the right or left, the display field can be moved.

However, in the conventional technique which uses the[0007]

aforementioned scroll bar

41 as a means for moving (scrolling) the display field along the time axis in association with information formed along the time axis such as a Gantt chart, scroll operability upon displaying information for a desired day on the screen is very poor.

More specifically, when the right or[0008]

left scroll button

41bor41ais used, the screen is scrolled once per clicking, and the scroll speed is low. When the display field is to be moved skipping many days, a long time is required. By holding down the right or

left scroll buttons

41bor41a, the same effect as continuous clicking can be obtained, but such operation is by no means convenient.

By contrast, when the[0009]

scroll box

41cis used, the display field can be quickly moved to information of a schedule part corresponding to the dropped position of thescroll box41con thescroll bar41. However, in order to display a schedule for a desired day on the screen, the user experiences difficulty in determining the dropping position of thescroll box41c. As a consequence, the user must gradually move the display field using the right or

left scroll button

41bor41a, or thescroll box41cto adjust the display position while confirming the screen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to improve scroll operability upon displaying information for a desired interval of time when a display field is scrolled along the time axis for information such as a Gantt chart on a computer.[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a scroll display method on a time axis according to the present invention, comprises the steps of: displaying GUI operation members consisting of calendar information on the screen; and moving the screen display field along the time axis to display at least information corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member on the screen upon operation of one of the GUI operation members.[0011]

Note that the GUI operation members may be displayed on the screen together with information to be displayed on the screen display field.[0012]

The GUI operation members may be a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year.[0013]

The information displayed on the screen display field may be schedule information for scheduling, the method may have a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of days, a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of months, and a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of years, and the GUI operation members may be switched to a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year in correspondence with one of the modes selected.[0014]

In another aspect of the present invention, the information displayed on the screen display field is time information for scheduling, the method has a mode for displaying one unit schedule of the time information, and a mode for simultaneously displaying a plurality of unit schedules, and when the mode for simultaneously displaying the plurality of unit schedules is selected, scrolling is made to move and display a plurality of unit schedules of the time information including a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member within the screen display field.[0015]

In still another aspect of the present invention, a GUI operation member consisting of a scroll bar is displayed in the vicinity of the GUI operation members consisting of the calendar information, and when the scroll bar is operated, the screen display field is moved along the time axis to display information of a date corresponding to a position of a scroll box that forms the scroll bar on the screen.[0016]

A scroll display control apparatus on the time axis according to the present invention is a scroll display control apparatus for moving a screen display field of information along a time axis, which is displayed on a screen, along the time axis, comprising GUI operation members consisting of calendar information displayed on the screen, and scroll means for moving the screen display field along the time axis to display at least information corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member on the screen upon operation of one of the GUI operation members.[0017]

The GUI operation members may be a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year.[0018]

In another aspect of the present invention, the information displayed on the screen display field is schedule information for scheduling, and the apparatus further comprises mode selection means for selecting one of a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of days, a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of months, and a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of years, and GUI switching means for switching the GUI operation members to a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year in correspondence with one of the modes selected.[0019]

In still another aspect of the present invention, the information displayed on the screen display field is time information for scheduling, the apparatus further comprises mode selection means for selecting one of a mode for displaying one unit schedule of the time information, and a mode for simultaneously displaying a plurality of unit schedules, and when the mode for simultaneously displaying the plurality of unit schedules is selected, the scroll means scrolls to move and display a plurality of unit schedules of the time information including a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member within the screen display field.[0020]

In still another aspect of the present invention, a scroll button is used together with the day, month, or year buttons.[0021]

In still another aspect of the present invention, a GUI operation member consisting of a scroll bar is displayed in the vicinity of the GUI operation members consisting of the calendar information, and when the scroll bar is operated, the scroll means moves the screen display field along the time axis to display information of a date corresponding to a position of a scroll box that forms the scroll bar on the screen.[0022]

In still another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises first storage means for storing schedule information in units of years, months, and days for scheduling, second storage means for storing some pieces of schedule information read out from the first storage means, and read-out control means for, upon switching the modes, controlling to store some pieces of schedule information required for the selected mode from the first storage means to the second storage means, and when one of the GUI operation members is operated, the scroll means reads out information corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member from the second storage means and displays the readout information on the screen.[0023]

A computer-readable storage medium according to the present invention records a program for making a computer implement a function of displaying GUI operation members consisting of calendar information displayed on a screen which can be scrolled to move a screen display field of information along a time axis, along the time axis, and moving the screen display field along the time axis to display at least information corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member on the screen upon operation of one of the GUI operation members.[0024]

Note that the GUI operation members may be a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year.[0025]

In another aspect of the present invention, the information displayed on the screen display field is schedule information for scheduling, and the medium further records a program for making the computer implement a function, which has mode selection means for selecting one of a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of days, a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of months, and a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of years, and which switches the GUI operation members to a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year in correspondence with one of the modes selected.[0026]

In still another aspect of the present invention, the medium further records a program for making the computer implement a function of displaying a GUI operation member consisting of a scroll bar in the vicinity of the GUI operation members consisting of the calendar information, and moving the screen display field along the time axis to display information of a date corresponding to a position of a scroll box that forms the scroll bar on the screen upon operation of the scroll bar.[0027]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view for explaining a conventional scroll display method;[0028]

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the principal functional arrangement of a computer which comprises a scroll display control apparatus according to the present invention;[0029]

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a scroll display method on a time axis according to the present invention, and shows a display example on a screen when a day mode and normal mode have been selected;[0030]

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a scroll display method on a time axis according to the present invention, and shows a display example on the screen when the day mode and a reduced-scale mode have been selected;[0031]

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a scroll display method on a time axis according to the present invention, and shows a display example on the screen when a month mode and the normal mode have been selected;[0032]

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a scroll display method on a time axis according to the present invention, and shows a display example on the screen when a year mode and the normal mode have been selected;[0033]

FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a scroll display method on a time axis according to the present invention, and shows another display example on the screen when the day mode and normal mode have been selected;[0034]

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing hardware image of a computer which comprises a scroll display control apparatus according to the present invention;[0035]

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a data storage example in a first RAM shown in FIG. 8; and[0036]

FIGS. 10A to[0037]10C are flow charts showing the operation of the computer shown in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.[0038]

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the principal functional arrangement of a computer which comprises a scroll display control apparatus according to the present invention.[0039]

Referring to FIG. 2,[0040]

reference numeral

1 denotes a screen of a display apparatus (to be referred to as a display screen hereinafter), within which awindow2 is displayed. Various kinds of information are displayed on thiswindow2. In this embodiment, information that can be depicted along the time axis, e.g., a planning chart (e.g., a Gantt chart) used in various kinds of scheduling on the computer is displayed.

When such Gantt chart is displayed on the[0041]

window

2, all pieces of information cannot often be displayed at once within the window. Hence,GUI operation members3 are displayed together with thewindow2. By operating one of theGUI operation members3, schedule information (screen display field) in the Gantt chart within thewindow2 can be scrolled to the right or left along the time axis.

In this embodiment, the[0042]

GUI operation members

3 include those consisting of calendar information. For example, in a day mode (to be described in detail later), as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 in detail, theGUI operation members3 include a plurality ofday buttons3a, right and

left scroll buttons

3cand3b, ascroll bar3d, and scroll

buttons

3eand3ffor switching information to be displayed to a schedule for the last or next month. In this example, theday buttons3aare displayed for 30 days from the start day to be displayed. The start day to be displayed can be arbitrarily set.

This embodiment has, as a mode upon displaying schedule information of the Gantt chart on the[0043]

window

2, a day mode for displaying information in units of days, a month mode for displaying information in units of months, and a year mode for displaying information in units of years. Furthermore, the day mode is classified into a normal mode for displaying schedule information for a day, and a reduced-scale mode for displaying information for a plurality of days at the same time. The month and year modes are also classified into the normal and reduced-scale modes. These modes can be selected by a mode selection means7 shown in FIG. 2.

In the example in FIG. 3, the day mode for displaying schedule information in units of days, and the normal mode for displaying schedule information for a day have been selected. In the example in FIG. 4, the day mode has been selected as in FIG. 3, but the reduced-scale mode for displaying schedule information for a plurality of days (five days in this example) at the same time has been selected in place of the normal mode.[0044]

The mode selection means[0045]7 may be implemented by hardware buttons and the like provided to the computer, or GUI operation members displayed on thedisplay screen1. FIGS. 3 and 4 exemplify a case wherein the mode selection means7 is implemented by GUI operation members.

More specifically, as a GUI button for selecting one of the normal and reduced-scale modes, a reduced-[0046]

scale button

7afor displaying schedule information by changing, e.g., the reduction scale on the time axis is provided. By pressing this reduced-scale button7a, the normal mode and reduced-scale mode are toggled. Also, an arbitrary item may be selected by clicking a mouse button from a popup menu that shows a list of one day/five days/one week, and the like.

As GUI buttons for selecting one of the year, month, and day modes, a[0047]

year mode button

7b,month mode button7c, andday mode button7dare provided. Of these three buttons, a mode corresponding to the pressed button is set. Note that the year, month, and day modes may be toggled every time one button is pressed, like the reduced-scale button7a.

The contents of the mode selected by these[0048]

buttons

7ato7dare displayed as aguide7e. In the example in FIG. 3, “one day” is displayed there, i.e., it indicates that the day mode and normal mode have been selected. On the other hand, in the example in FIG. 4, “five days” is displayed there, i.e., it indicates that the day mode and reduced-scale mode have been selected.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show display examples in the day mode, as described above. Display examples in the month and year modes are respectively shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 (both these examples are in the normal mode). Although not shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a bar schedule chart is displayed on the[0049]

window

2 in practice like in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In FIG. 5 that shows the display example in the month mode, a plurality of[0050]

month buttons

3gto each of which one operation member is assigned per month are displayed in place of theday buttons3adisplayed in the day mode. On the other hand, the

scroll buttons

3eand3fdisplayed in the day mode serve as scroll buttons for switching the schedule to the one for the last or next year. Other GUI buttons are the same as those in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Also, in FIG. 6 that shows the display example in the year mode, a plurality of[0051]

year buttons

3hto each of which one operation member is assigned per year are displayed in place of theday buttons3adisplayed in the day mode. On the other hand, the

scroll buttons

3eand3fwhich are displayed in the day or month mode are not displayed. Other GUI buttons are the same as those in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Referring back to FIG. 2,[0052]

reference numeral

4 denotes an information management means for managing schedule information of the Gantt chart displayed on thewindow2 in units of, e.g., years, months, and days.Reference numeral5 denotes a display control means for controlling to display schedule information managed by the information management means4 on thewindow2.Reference numeral6 denotes a scroll means which controls the display control means5 to immediately move the screen display field to a data position containing schedule information corresponding to the year, month, and day of the operated button, when a given button of theGUI operation members3 is operated.

More specifically, when the mode selection means[0053]7 has selected a mode for displaying schedule information for a day in units of days, and theday button3afor the 14th is clicked on the screen shown in FIG. 3, the scroll means6 is informed of that operation. The scroll means6 directs the display control means5 to move the screen display field to schedule information corresponding to the 14th. In response to this direction, the display control means5 reads out schedule information for the 14th from the information management means4, supplies the readout information to the display apparatus, and displays the information on thewindow2.

In this embodiment, since the right and left[0054]

scroll buttons

3cand3bare also displayed, a display can be gradually updated day by day. For example, when theleft scroll button3bis clicked while schedule information for the 14th is being displayed on the screen in FIG. 3, schedule information corresponding to the 13th is displayed; when theright scroll button3cis clicked in that state, schedule information corresponding to the 15th is displayed.

When the[0055]

scroll button

3eor3fis clicked on the screen, the scroll means6 is informed of that operation. The scroll means6 directs to move the screen display field to schedule information for the last or next month on the same day as that currently displayed. In response to this direction, the display control means5 reads out the corresponding schedule information for the last or next month from the information management means4, supplies the readout information to the display apparatus, and displays the information on thewindow2.

For example, initially, e.g., immediately after the[0056]

day mode button

7dhas been pressed, schedule information of the current month selected upon operation is displayed. At that time, when theday button3afor the 14th is clicked, schedule information corresponding to the 14th of the current month is read out from the information management means4, and is displayed on thewindow2. Furthermore, when thescroll button3eis clicked in that state, schedule information corresponding to the 14th of the last month is read out from the information management means4, and is displayed on thewindow2.

When a mode for displaying schedule information for a plurality of days in units of days is selected by the mode selection means[0057]7, the scroll means6 scrolls to move schedule information for a plurality of days including the day of the operatedday button3ato fall within the screen display field. For example, when theday button3afor the 14th is clicked on the screen shown in FIG. 4, the scroll means6 is informed of that operation. Upon reception of this information, the scroll means6 controls the display control means5 to move the screen display field to display schedule information for five days including the 14th on thewindow2.

In the example in FIG. 4, the plurality of[0058]

day buttons

3aare divided in units of five days from the left end, and schedule information for each divided unit is displayed on thewindow2. According to this example, since theday button3afor the 14th is included within the unit from the 13th to 17th, schedule information for the 13th to 17th is displayed on thewindow2 upon operation of theday button3afor the 14th. That is, independently of theday buttons3afor the 13th and 17th to be pressed, the same display state is obtained after scrolling, as shown in FIG. 4.

Note that the display format upon displaying schedule information in units of a plurality of days is not limited to such example shown in FIG. 4. For example, schedule information on the day of the operated[0059]

day button

3amay always be displayed at the center of the screen of thewindow2. In such case, upon operation of theday button3afor the 14th, schedule information for the 12th to 16th is read out from the information management means4 and displayed.

When a mode for displaying schedule information for one month in units of months has been selected by the mode selection means[0060]7, if themonth button3gfor April is clicked on the screen in FIG. 5, the scroll means6 is informed of that operation. The scroll means6 directs the display control means5 to move the screen display field to schedule information corresponding to “April”. In response to this direction, the display control means5 reads out schedule information for “April”, supplies the readout information to the display apparatus, and displays the information on thewindow2.

Furthermore, when the[0061]

scroll button

3eor3fis clicked in that state, schedule information corresponding to “April” of the last or next year is read out from the information management means4, and is displayed on thewindow2. Upon display in the month mode shown in FIG. 5 as well, initially, e.g., immediately after themonth mode button7chas been operated, schedule information for the current year upon operation is displayed.

When a mode for displaying schedule information for one year in units of years has been selected by the mode selection means[0062]7, if theyear button3hfor 1998 is clicked on the screen in FIG. 6, the scroll means6 is informed of that operation. The scroll means6 directs the display control means5 to move the screen display field to schedule information corresponding to “1998”. In response to this direction, the display control means5 reads out schedule information for “1998” from the information management means4, supplies the readout information to the display apparatus, and displays the information on thewindow2.

In this way, according to this embodiment, by operating the[0063]

day button

3a,month button3g,year button3h, or the like, schedule information of the corresponding day, month, or year can be displayed on thewindow2. In addition, schedule information can be scrolled by operating ascroll box3d₋₁or a right or

left scroll button

3d₋₃or3d₋₂that form thescroll bar3d.

For example, on the display screen in FIG. 3, when the[0064]

day button

3afor the 14th is clicked, schedule information for one day corresponding to the 14th is displayed on thewindow2, as described above. By contrast, when thescroll box3d₋₁is dragged, schedule information for a certain day can be displayed in the same manner as that upon operation of theday button3a, and schedule information across two days can also be displayed.

More specifically, when the[0065]

scroll box

3_d−1is dragged to the central position between, e.g., the 14th and 15th, schedule information for the latter half (e.g., 19:00 to 7:00) of the 14th and schedule information for the former half (e.g., 7:00 to 19:00) of the 15th are displayed in combination on thewindow2. Such display can also be attained by slightly moving thescroll box3d₋₁by clicking the right or

left scroll button

3d₋₃or3d₋₂.

Upon creating a certain job schedule, the user must be aware of the fact that the job may be completed within one day or may continue over a plurality of days, or it may start from a late time of a certain day and end at a certain time of the next day. Upon planning or checking a job that takes less than one day, the user need only operate the[0066]

corresponding day button

3a. However, when a job takes more than one day, the user can easily confirm the start and end times of the job across the days by operating thescroll bar3d.

When the[0067]

scroll bar

3dis operated on the display screen in the month mode shown in FIG. 5 or in the year mode shown in FIG. 6, schedule information across two months or years can be displayed on thewindow2 by coupling their latter and former halves.

In this manner, schedule information at the boundaries between days, months, or years can be very easily created or checked.[0068]

In the examples in FIGS. 3 and 4, information for[0069]24 hours is displayed as schedule information for a day. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, schedule information for hours shorter than24 hours may be displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 7, schedule information for eight hours (7:00 to 15:00) is displayed. Depending on the contents of a job to be scheduled, the time zone for the job may be limited in relation to, e.g., the equipment operation time period.

For example, when the operation time period ranges from 7:00 to 15:00, since a job schedule can be planned within that period, schedule information for that period is managed by the information management means[0070]4, and is displayed on thewindow2 via the display control means5. In such case, whether information for 24 hours or several hours shorter than 24 hours is displayed may be switched by automatically checking schedule information managed in the information management means4 by the display control means5, or the user may designate it by preparing GUI buttons or menus for that.

The information management means[0071]4, display control means5, and scroll means6 shown in FIG. 2 above are implemented by a microcomputer system which comprises a CPU, ROM, RAM, hard disk, and the like (not shown), in practice. The work program of the CPU for attaining the above-mentioned scrolling is stored in, e.g., the ROM. In this case, the ROM that stores the work program constitutes a recording medium of the present invention.

Alternatively, the work program for the CPU may be stored in the hard disk. The work program can be externally supplied to this hard disk. In this case, the hard disk and a means for externally supplying the work program, e.g., a recording medium that stores the work program, constitute a recording medium of the present invention.[0072]

As a recording medium that stores the work program, for example, a floppy disk, optical disk, magnetooptical disk, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, and the like may be used in addition to the above-mentioned ROM and hard disk.[0073]

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing hardware image when the scroll display control apparatus of this embodiment is implemented by the microcomputer system. Note that[0074]

buttons

3ato3h, and7ato7dillustrated around aCPU11 in FIG. 8 are GUI operation members displayed on the display screen of adisplay unit15 in practice, and are not hardware components in strict sense, but they are illustrated for the purpose of easy understanding.

Referring to FIG. 8, the[0075]

CPU

11 executes scroll display control described above with the aid of the display screens shown in FIGS.3 to7 in accordance with the work program stored in aROM12. In the scroll display control, theCPU11 outputs appropriate addresses to first and

second RAMs

13 and14 to read out schedule information stored in these

RAMs

13 and14 to thedisplay unit15 in units of days, months, or years.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing schedule information stored in the[0076]

first RAM

13. As shown in FIG. 9, the schedule information is stored in thefirst RAM13 in units of years, months, and days. TheCPU11 appropriately controls the address to be output in correspondence with the current display mode selected by one of themode selection buttons7ato7dso as to read out schedule information from thefirst RAM13 in units of years, months, or days.

At this time, since the volume of information stored in the[0077]

first RAM

13 is very large, when the corresponding schedule information is read out to thedisplay unit15 by designating an appropriate address in thefirst RAM13 upon operation of one of thescroll display buttons3ato3h, much time is required from that access to read-out, resulting in slow scrolling.

To avoid such problem, in this embodiment, when one of the display modes is selected upon operation of one of the[0078]

mode selection buttons

7ato7d, schedule information in an appropriate unit corresponding to the selected display mode is read out from thefirst RAM13 to thesecond RAM14 in advance. Note that thesecond RAM14 has a size much smaller than that of thefirst RAM13. For example, thefirst RAM13 may be constructed by a large-capacity hard disk or the like, and thesecond RAM14 may be constructed by a DRAM or the like.

Upon operation of one of the[0079]

scroll display buttons

3ato3h, theCPU11 detects the day of the month, month, year, or the like of the operated button, and reads out schedule information corresponding to the detected contents from thesecond RAM14 to thedisplay unit15. With this control, when a scroll instruction is actually issued, the corresponding schedule information can be read out from thesecond RAM14 with a small size to thedisplay unit15, thus preventing slow scrolling.

For example, when the day mode is selected upon operation of the[0080]

day mode button

7d, theCPU11 outputs an address for reading out schedule information for a month including the current date counted by acurrent date counter11ato thefirst RAM13 to read out the schedule information for that month to thesecond RAM14 in advance. For example, if the date upon setting the day mode is October 2, 1998, schedule information for the month of October in 1998 is read out onto thesecond RAM14.

After that, if the[0081]

day button

3afor the 14th is pressed, as has been described above with reference to FIG. 3, theCPU11 outputs an address for outputting schedule information for the 14th to thesecond RAM14. With this address, schedule information for the 14th of October in 1998 is read out and is supplied to thedisplay unit15.

In the initial state, the display mode is set in the day mode and normal mode, and schedule information on the current date indicated by the[0082]

current date counter

11ais displayed on the window of thedisplay unit15.

Also, as shown in FIG. 8, the[0083]

CPU

11 comprises X, Y, and Z counters11b,11c, and11d. These counters are used for displaying schedule information in units of a plurality of days, months, or years in the reduced-scale mode.

More specifically, in the examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, modes for displaying schedule information for a day or five days are toggled every time the reduced-[0084]

scale button

7ais pressed. By contrast, in the example shown in FIG. 8, schedule information to be displayed at the same time increases by one day every time the reduced-scale button7ais pressed. When schedule information for10 days is displayed by repetitively pressing the reduced-scale button7a, the display returns to that for one day upon next operation of the reduced-scale button7a. The same applies to the month and year modes. At this time, the contents of thecounters11b,11c, and11dare counted up in correspondence with operation of the reduced-scale button7a.

The operation of the scroll display control apparatus according to this embodiment with the arrangement shown in FIG. 8 will be described in detail below with the aid of the flow charts in FIGS. 10A to[0085]10C. The flow chart shown in FIG. 10A starts operation when the power supply of the computer is turned on or an application program is started. In the initial state, since the day mode and normal mode are set, schedule information for one month including the current date indicated by thecurrent date counter11ais output from thefirst RAM13 to thesecond RAM14 in step S1.

It is checked in step S[0086]2 if the

scroll button

3eor3fhas been pressed, i.e., if a display of schedule information for the last or next month is directed. If such button has been operated, schedule information for the last or next month is output from thefirst RAM13 to thesecond RAM14 in step S3. On the other hand, if the

scroll button

3eor3fis not operated, the control skips step S3, and data loaded onto thesecond RAM14 in step S1 is used.

In step S[0087]4, schedule information for the current date indicated by thecurrent date counter11ais read out from thesecond RAM14 and is displayed on thedisplay unit15. If the processing in step S3 has been done, schedule information on the same day in the last or next month is displayed. Furthermore, it is checked in step S5 if anyday button3ahas been pressed. If aday button3ahas been operated, schedule information for the day corresponding to the operated button is read out from thesecond RAM14, and is displayed on thedisplay unit15 in step S6.

On the other hand, if none of the[0088]

day buttons

3aare operated, it is checked in step S7 if thescroll bar3dhas been operated. If thescroll bar3dhas been operated, schedule information for a day corresponding to the position of the movedscroll box3d₋₁is read out from thesecond RAM14 and is displayed on thedisplay unit15 in step S8. On the other hand, if thescroll bar3dis not operated, it is checked in step S9 if the reduced-scale button7ahas been operated.

If the reduced-[0089]

scale button

7ahas been operated, the value of theX counter11bfor day of the month is incremented by 1 in step S10, and it is checked in step S11 if the sum of the counter value X and the current day of the month is larger than “28”. This number “28” indicates the number of days of February having the smallest number of days in one year. If the sum of the counter value X and the current day of the month exceeds this number of days, it indicates that schedule information for a plurality of days to be displayed is likely to include that for a day or days of the next month.

Normally, in the day mode, the[0090]

second RAM

14 stores only schedule information for the current month. In such case, schedule information for the next month must be read out from thefirst RAM13 to thesecond RAM14. For this purpose, if the sum of the counter value X and the current day of the month is larger than “28”, the flow advances to step S12 to output schedule information for the next month from thefirst RAM13 to thesecond RAM14, thereby storing schedule information for two months in thesecond RAM14. On the other hand, if the sum is smaller than “28”, the control skips the processing in step S12, i.e., jumps to step S13.

In step S[0091]13, schedule information for X days indicated by thecounter11bfor day of the month starting from the current day of the month indicated by thecurrent date counter11ais read out from thesecond RAM14 and is displayed on thedisplay unit15. After the processing in step S13, after the processing in step S6 or S8, or after it is determined in step S9 that the reduced-scale button7ais not operated, the flow advances to steps S14 and S15 to check if the month or

year mode button

7cor7bhas been operated. If none of the mode buttons are operated, the flow returns to step S2 to continue the processing in the day mode. If one of these mode buttons has been operated, the flow advances to the processing in FIG. 10B or10C to execute processing in the month or year mode.

If the[0092]

month mode button

7chas been pressed, schedule information for a year including the current month indicated by thecurrent date counter11ais output from thefirst RAM13 to thesecond RAM14 in step S16 in FIG. 10B. It is then checked in step S17 if the

scroll button

3eor3fhas been pressed, i.e., if a display of schedule information for the last or next year has been instructed. If the

scroll button

3eor3fhas been operated, the flow advances to step S18 to output schedule information for the last or next year from thefirst RAM13 to thesecond RAM14.

On the other hand, if neither the[0093]

scroll button

3enor3fis operated, the control skips the processing in step S18, and data loaded onto thesecond RAM14 in step S16 is used. In step S19, schedule information for the current month indicated by thecurrent date counter11ais read out from thesecond RAM14 and is displayed on thedisplay unit15. In this case, if the processing in step S18 has been done, schedule information for the identical month in the last or next year is displayed.

Furthermore, it is checked in step S[0094]20 if anymonth button3ghas been pressed. If one of themonth buttons3ghas been pressed, schedule information for a month corresponding to the operated button is read out from thesecond RAM14 and is displayed on thedisplay unit15 in step S21. On the other hand, if none of themonth buttons3gare operated, it is checked in step S22 if thescroll bar3dhas been operated. If thescroll bar3dhas been operated, schedule information for a month corresponding to the position of the movedscroll box3d₋₁is read out from thesecond RAM14 and is displayed on thedisplay unit15 in step S23. If thescroll bar3dis not operated, it is also checked in step S24 if the reduced-scale button7ahas been operated.

If the reduced-[0095]

scale button

7ahas been operated, the value of the Y counter11cfor months is incremented by 1 in step S25, and it is checked in step S26 if the sum of the counter value Y and the current month number is larger than “12”. This number “12” indicates the number of months included in a year. If the sum of the counter value Y and the current month number exceeds this number of months, it indicates that schedule information for a plurality of months to be displayed include that for a month or months in the next year.

Normally, in the month mode, the[0096]

second RAM

14 stores only schedule information for the current year. In this case, schedule information for the next year must be read out from thefirst RAM13 to thesecond RAM14. For this purpose, if the sum of the counter value Y and the current month number is larger than “12”, the flow advances to step S27 to output schedule information for the next year from thefirst RAM13 to thesecond RAM14, thus storing schedule information for two years in thesecond RAM14. On the other hand, if the sum is smaller than “12”, the control skips the processing in step S27, i.e., jumps to step S28.

In step S[0097]28, schedule information for Y months indicated by the counter11cfor the month number starting from the current month indicated by thecurrent date counter11ais read out from thesecond RAM14 and is displayed on thedisplay unit15. After the processing in step S28, after the processing in step S21 or S23, or after it is determined in step S24 that the reduced-scale button7ais not operated, the flow advances to steps S29 and S30 to check if the day or

year mode button

7dor7bhas been operated. If neither of these mode buttons are operated, the flow returns to step S17 to continue the processing in the month mode. On the other hand, if one of these mode buttons has been operated, the flow advances to the processing shown in FIG. 10A or10C to execute processing in the day or year mode.

If the[0098]

year mode button

7bhas been pressed, schedule information for a plurality of years (e.g., three years) from the current year indicated by thecurrent date counter11ais output from thefirst RAM13 to thesecond RAM14 in step S31 in FIG. 10C. In step S32, schedule information for the current year indicated by thecurrent date counter11ais read out from thesecond RAM14 and is displayed on thedisplay unit15.

Furthermore, it is checked in step S[0099]33 if one of theyear buttons3hhas been operated. If one of theyear buttons3hhas been operated, schedule information for a year corresponding to the operated button is read out from thesecond RAM14 and is displayed on thedisplay unit15 in step S34. On the other hand, if none of theyear buttons3hare operated, it is checked in step S35 if thescroll bar3dhas been operated. If thescroll bar3dhas been operated, schedule information for a year corresponding to the position of the movedscroll box3d₋₁is read out from thesecond RAM14 and is displayed on thedisplay unit15 in step S36. If thescroll bar3dis not operated, it is then checked in step S37 if the reduced-scale button7ahas been operated.

If the reduced-[0100]

scale button

7ahas been operated, the value of the Z counter11dfor years is incremented by 1 in step S38, and it is checked in step S39 if the sum of the counter value Z and the current year number is larger than the sum of a value obtained by subtracting 1 from a value indicating the number of years (three years in the initial state) corresponding to the currently stored schedule information, and the current year number. If this condition is satisfied, it indicates that schedule information for a plurality of years to be displayed includes that for a year, which is not stored in thesecond RAM14.

In such case, schedule information for that year must be read out from the[0101]

first RAM

13 to thesecond RAM14. The flow then advances to step S40 to output schedule information for that year from thefirst RAM13 to thesecond RAM14. On the other hand, if the condition is not satisfied in step S39, the control skips the processing in step S40, i.e., jumps to step S41.

In step S[0102]41, schedule information for Z years indicated by the counter11dfor years starting from the current year indicated by thecurrent date counter11ais read out from thesecond RAM14 and is displayed on thedisplay unit15. After the processing in step S41, after the processing in step S34 or S36, or after it is determined in step S37 that the reduced-scale button7ais not operated, the flow advances to steps S42 and S43 to check if the day or

month mode button

7dor7chas been operated. If neither of these buttons are operated, the flow returns to step S32 to continue the processing in the year mode. On the other hand, if one of these mode buttons has been operated, the flow advances to the processing in FIG. 10A or10B to execute processing in the day or month mode.

As has been described in detail above, according to this embodiment, when information along the time axis such as a Gantt chart is processed on the computer, since the day, month, and[0103]

year buttons

3a,3g, and3hare used as means for moving (scrolling) the screen display field along the time axis, the user can very easily see the information as compared to the conventional case using a scroll bar alone, and can quickly observe information of the corresponding part by clicking the day, month, or

year button

3a,3g, or3hof a desired day of the month, month, or year in the corresponding display mode.

Since the[0104]

scroll bar

3dis displayed in addition to these day, month, and

year buttons

3a,3g, and3h, and corresponding schedule information can be displayed by moving thescroll box3d₋₁to a position between the neighboring buttons, schedule information across two days, months, or years can be displayed by coupling their latter and former halves. In this way, visibility upon generating or checking schedule information at boundaries between days, months, or years can be improved.

In this case, since the day, month, or[0105]

year buttons

3a,3g, or3hare displayed immediately above thescroll bar3d, thescroll box3d₋₁, can be easily moved to a desired date position while observing indications on these buttons. Hence, the user can immediately observe schedule information for a desired day of the month, month, or year even by using thescroll bar3d, and operability upon generating or checking schedule information at boundaries between days, months, or years can be improved.

In this embodiment, since the day, month, or[0106]

year buttons

3a,3g, or3h, thescroll bar3d, and

scroll buttons

3eand3fare displayed on thedisplay screen1 of the computer together with schedule information of a Gantt chart displayed on thewindow2, the user need not select another calendar information screen or window that displays these buttons alone to attain scrolling, resulting in easy operation.

In the above embodiment, in the examples shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the plurality of[0107]

day buttons

3aare lined up from the left to right on the screen beneath thewindow2 for displaying information of the screen display field. However, the present invention is not limited to such specific display pattern (the same applies to the month and

year buttons

3gand3h).

The Gantt chart has been exemplified as information to be displayed on the[0108]

window

2. However, the present invention is not limited to such specific information. That is, any other kinds of information to be displayed along the time axis can be used in addition to schedule information in other patterns.

In the above embodiment, as a mode for displaying schedule information on the[0109]

window

2, for example, the day mode includes the mode for displaying information in units of days (FIG. 3) and the mode for displaying information in units of five days (FIG. 4). Also, information may be displayed in other units. For example, information may be displayed in units of shifts or half days. In the month and year modes as well, schedule information may be displayed in various units.

When information is to be displayed in units of half days, the right and left[0110]

scroll buttons

3d₋₃and3d₋₂can be used as effective means for scrolling. More specifically, when scrolling of schedule information for half a day is implemented by day buttons alone, the number of day buttons becomes large (that is, the number of day buttons doubles if buttons are displayed in units of half days). By contrast, when GUI operation members for scrolling use only theday buttons3ashown in FIG. 3, and the former and latter halves in a day are shifted using the right and left

scroll buttons

3d₋₃and3d₋₂, the number ofday buttons3aneed not be increased.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A scroll display method for moving a screen display field of information along a time axis, which is displayed on a screen, along the time axis, comprising the steps of:

displaying GUI operation members consisting of calendar information on the screen; and

moving the screen display field along the time axis to display at least information corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member on the screen upon operation of one of said GUI operation members.

2. A method according toclaim 1, wherein said GUI operation members are displayed on the screen together with information to be displayed on the screen display field.

3. A method according toclaim 1, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day.

4. A method according toclaim 1, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month.

5. A method according toclaim 1, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year.

6. A method according toclaim 1, wherein the information displayed on the screen display field is schedule information for scheduling, said method has a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of days, a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of months, and a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of years, and said GUI operation members are switched to a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year in correspondence with one of the modes selected.

7. A method according toclaim 6, wherein the modes are switched by mode selection means.

8. A method according toclaim 1, wherein the information displayed on the screen display field is time information for scheduling, said method has a mode for displaying one unit schedule of the time information, and a mode for simultaneously displaying a plurality of unit schedules, and

when the mode for simultaneously displaying the plurality of unit schedules is selected, scrolling is made to move and display a plurality of unit schedules of the time information including a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member within the screen display field.

9. A method according toclaim 8, wherein the modes are switched by mode switching means.

10. A method according toclaim 1, wherein a GUI operation member consisting of a scroll bar is displayed in the vicinity of said GUI operation members consisting of the calendar information, and when the scroll bar is operated, the screen display field is moved along the time axis to display information of a date corresponding to a position of a scroll box that forms the scroll bar on the screen.

11. A scroll display control apparatus for moving a screen display field of information along a time axis, which is displayed on a screen, along the time axis, comprising:

GUI operation members consisting of calendar information displayed on the screen; and

scroll means for moving the screen display field along the time axis to display at least information corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member on the screen upon operation of one of said GUI operation members.

12. An apparatus according toclaim 11, wherein said GUI operation members are displayed on the screen together with information to be displayed on the screen display field.

13. An apparatus according toclaim 11, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day.

14. An apparatus according toclaim 11, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month.

15. An apparatus according toclaim 11, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year.

16. An apparatus according toclaim 11, wherein the information displayed on the screen display field is schedule information for scheduling, and said apparatus further comprises:

mode selection means for selecting one of a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of days, a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of months, and a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of years; and

GUI switching means for switching said GUI operation members to a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year in correspondence with one of the modes selected.

17. An apparatus according toclaim 11, wherein the information displayed on the screen display field is time information for scheduling, said apparatus further comprises mode selection means for selecting one of a mode for displaying one unit schedule of the time information, and a mode for simultaneously displaying a plurality of unit schedules, and when the mode for simultaneously displaying the plurality of unit schedules is selected, said scroll means scrolls to move and display a plurality of unit schedules of the time information including a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member within the screen display field.

18. An apparatus according toclaim 16, wherein a scroll button is used together with said day, month, or year buttons.

19. An apparatus according toclaim 16, wherein a GUI operation member consisting of a scroll bar is displayed in the vicinity of said GUI operation members consisting of the calendar information, and when the scroll bar is operated, said scroll means moves the screen display field along the time axis to display information of a date corresponding to a position of a scroll box that forms the scroll bar on the screen.

20. An apparatus according toclaim 16, further comprising:

first storage means for storing schedule information in units of years, months, and days for scheduling;

second storage means for storing some pieces of schedule information read out from said first storage means; and

read-out control means for, upon switching the modes, controlling to store some pieces of schedule information required for the selected mode from said first storage means to said second storage means, and

wherein when one of said GUI operation members is operated, said scroll means reads out information corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member from said second storage means and displays the readout information on the screen.

21. A computer-readable storage medium recording a program for making a computer implement a function of displaying GUI operation members consisting of calendar information displayed on a screen which can be scrolled to move a screen display field of information along a time axis, along the time axis, and moving the screen display field along the time axis to display at least information corresponding to a date indicated by the operated GUI operation member on the screen upon operation of one of said GUI operation members.

22. A medium according toclaim 21, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day.

23. A medium according toclaim 21, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month.

24. A medium according toclaim 21, wherein said GUI operation members are a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year.

25. A medium according toclaim 21, wherein the information displayed on the screen display field is schedule information for scheduling, and said medium further records a program for making the computer implement a function, which has mode selection means for selecting one of a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of days, a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of months, and a mode for displaying the schedule information in units of years, and which switches said GUI operation members to a plurality of day buttons each of which is assigned to one day, a plurality of month buttons each of which is assigned to one month, or a plurality of year buttons each of which is assigned to one year in correspondence with one of the modes selected.

26. A medium according toclaim 21, further recording a program for making the computer implement a function of displaying a GUI operation member consisting of a scroll bar in the vicinity of said GUI operation members consisting of the calendar information, and moving the screen display field along the time axis to display information of a date corresponding to a position of a scroll box that forms the scroll bar on the screen upon operation of the scroll bar.