7 065 464

7,065,464 Title:

Measuring device with dialog control occuring via dialog windows and corresponding method

A measuring device includes a representation device on which dialog windows can be represented, in addition to a method and software for managing said dialog windows. Several parameters can be adjusted for at least one part of the functional units and input through the dialog windows. Each newly opened dialog window is associated with a soft key and represented by an icon in a window management strip. The respectively associated dialog windows can be placed in the forefront using the soft keys.

The invention claimed is:

1. A measuring device comprising: a plurality of functional units, wherein several adjustment parameters are provided for at least some of the functional units, andwherein changes to the adjustment parameters are entered via dialog windows, a control device configured to control setting of the adjustment parameters, and a visual display device capable of displaying the dialog windows, wherein each newly openeddialog window is allocated to a soft key and a current definition of the soft keys is displayed on the display device by means of icons, by means of which a relevant dialog window can be moved to a foreground of the display device, and wherein operatingelements for functions, corresponding to the adjustment parameters for one of the functional units, are presented together in the dialog window, in the event of a complete allocation of all said soft keys to the dialog windows, if a further dialog windowis opened, a least active dialog window is closed, and a soft key associated with the closed dialog window is allocated to the new dialog window.

2. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment parameters for a functional unit are changed instantaneously by the control device.

3. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a new dialog window opens at a position on the display device which can be specified by a preliminary setting.

4. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the current dialog window can be moved to the background by means of an operating key.

5. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the current dialog window can be closed again by another operating key.

6. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of operating elements form an operating block, which can be visually highlighted by means of an operating focus function.

7. A measuring device according to claim 6, wherein in an operating focus function of a plurality of operating blocks can be moved by means of a positioning element and/or by means of direction keys.

8. A measuring device according to claim 6, wherein a current operating block, highlighted by the operating focus function, can be selected using the selection means.

9. A method for managing dialog windows by means of which adjustment parameters for functional units of a measuring device can be entered, wherein the functional units are displayed on a display device as functional blocks, comprising:positioning a marker on the functional block by means of a positioning element; selecting the marked functional block using a selection means; displaying operating blocks, which correspond to the adjustment parameters of the selected functional unit,in an allocated dialog window; allocating every open dialog window to a soft key; displaying an icon representing an open dialog window in each case at a position on the display device corresponding to the allocated soft key; and closing, if a furtherdialog window is opened when all available soft keys have been allocated, a dialog window that has not been displayed in the foreground for the longest period.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising displaying, when a soft key is activated, the allocated dialog window in a foreground of the display device.

11. A method according to claim 9, further comprising moving an active dialog window displayed in the foreground of the display device to a background when an operating key is activated.

12. A method according to claim 9, further comprising closing an active dialog window displayed in the foreground of the display device when an operating key is activated.

13. A method according to claim 9, further comprising highlighting by an operation focus function, when a positioning element and/or direction keys are activated, an operating block adjacent to an operating block currently highlighted by theoperating focus function.

14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising selecting the operating block currently highlighted by the operating focus function by activating a selection means.

15. A computer-readable medium bearing instructions for performing the method according to claim 9, when the instructions are executed on a computer or a control unit of a measuring device.

16. A machine-readable medium, bearing instructions for implementing the method according to claim 14 when the instructions are executed on a computer or a control unit of a measuring device.