Abstract: An equipment inspecting and evaluating system can be used to inspect and evaluate steam traps by detecting a level of vibrations of each trap and the surface temperature of the housing of that trap. The detected vibration level and temperature are used to determine whether or not steam is leaking through that trap and to what extent steam leakage is. An equipment management system is connected to the inspection and evaluation system by a data transmission cable and receives inspection data of the traps from the inspection and evaluation system. The management system analyzes the received inspection data for computing the number of defective traps, the ratio of defective traps to the entire traps, the loss caused by steam leakage, etc.

Abstract: A transaction module having a summary interface is provided as part of a software suite for enabling viewing and manipulation of multiple categories of aggregated data compiled from a plurality of data sources and accessible through a single interfacing node operated on a data-packet-network.

Abstract: An application program and system feature reactivation process and apparatus for use in a graphical user interface of a computer-based system. A user-selectable feature reactivation button is quickly defined or “programmed” through a first use, allowing subsequent reactivation of the system feature by simply operating the reactivation button while a pointer is located anywhere on the screen within a user input area. The reactivation button may be on a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, trackpoint, keypad, stylus, etc. The invention eliminates the need to repeatedly relocated the pointer to a feature activation push button on the screen to and from the user input area, and eliminates excess user hand movement from the pointing device and the keyboard.

Abstract: A feature-rich transport multiplexer and a number of associated methods, systems, subsystems, software features, graphical user interfaces and control systems are disclosed. The disclosure includes GUI's that enable operators to easily monitor and manipulate content streams flowing through a transport multiplexer in real-time. The disclosed interfaces include screens that supply operators with identity, structure, configuration, bandwidth utilization and/or status information for system hardware and software. The disclosed features also provide computer assisted routing configuration for present and future routing events through simple manipulation, such as drag and drop operations, of graphical objects. Routing control is further simplified by permitting operators to configure routing control of individual content stream components as well as groups of such components simultaneously.

Abstract: Embodiments provided herein include methods and systems for conditionally refreshing a collection view. As used herein, “collection view” refers to a collection of objects presented in a user interface environment, such as a graphical user interface (GUI). In general, a collection view is refreshed only once all of the selected objects have been processed. In addition, the view is refreshed only if an action performed on any of the selected objects affects the view. In one embodiment, a determination is made as to whether the actions completed successfully prior to determining whether a view is affected.

Abstract: A method for determining a bending order for bending a work piece includes displaying an exploded drawing of a workpiece, tracing lines to be bent of the exploded drawing in an order of bending and changing a display color of the traced line.

Abstract: A set of data field characters is displayed in a primary data field if the number of characters in this set of data field characters is equal to or less than the displayable capacity of the primary data field. If the number of characters in the set of data field characters is greater than the displayable capacity of the primary data field, then a proper subset of the set of data field characters is displayed in the primary data field in conjunction with the display of an indicia associated with the primary data field. In response to a user interaction with the indicia, the proper subset of data field characters and at least one additional character from the set of data field characters are displayed in a secondary data field, wherein the proper subset of data field characters and the at least one additional character are simultaneously viewable by the user in the secondary data field.

Abstract: Icons representing a plurality of interactive options periodically available within an interactive television system are stored in an icon repository. Each interactive option corresponds to a button on a remote control. Furthermore, each icon shares a common visual characteristic with a corresponding button on the remote control. Exemplary shared visual characteristics include shape, color, size, relative position, etc. In response to an interactive option corresponding to a first icon becoming available, the first icon is displayed on a television to alert the user to the interactive option. The first icon may be visually emphasized in various ways, such as by highlighting, animation, and scaling.

Abstract: A display interface method and apparatus that utilize a zoom interface are provided, in which the screen changes continuously and moving or duplicating operation of an object can be performed easily. The display interface method comprises the steps of memorizing a pointer that points an object selected by an input device in a memory, displaying a small image representing the object pointed by the pointer as a display of the foreground layer on the screen, and maintaining the display of the small image representing the object without changing even if a display of other layer is zoomed. A user uses a zooming operation so that the target position is displayed on the screen, and then inputs the “paste” command, for example. Thus, a copy of the object is generated and is pasted at the designated position in the target folder.

Abstract: The focus on a selectable item, such as a menu item, desktop icon, hyperlink, etc., changes based on proximity of the cursor. Whenever a portion of the area surrounding the cursor moves over a portion of the selectable item, the item can be selected upon a mouse click or other selection means. In addition, the displayed region or window or page is divided up into non-overlapping regions among the selectable items. When the cursor moves into one of the non-overlapping regions, the item associated with that region would be selected if a selection means were to be utilized. Furthermore, focus is changed to an item if a cursor moves toward it. As such, the direction of movement of the cursor predicts the item the user is moving towards. The item then becomes selectable.

Abstract: A system and method for unifying hotspot subject to non-linear transformation and interpolation in heterogeneous media representations includes a content creator for creating Rich Media, e.g. stills, animation, panorama and a delivery system including an action handler for responding to a hotspot in the Rich Media when selected by a user interacting with a projected image display. The hotspot is expressed in the media as an area defined in terms of a Euclidean, rectangular coordinate system for transformation and mapping of the media image hotspot coordinates into corresponding coordinates of a hotspot location in the projected image display. Unfortunately, the image coordinates in the media do not necessarily map directly into corresponding coordinates in the projected image. Flat media images can be linearly transformed to projected image coordinates. However, panorama media require non-linear transformation of media coordinated to projected image coordinates.

Abstract: An information accessing system and method enables users to easily navigate through and switch between multiple paths of linked pages of information stored in an information base of text, graphic, video, audio, and animation data. Linked pages of information are displayed in multiple panels on a window on the display. The system displays a navigation panel, a preview panel, a history panel and an expert path panel. The system allows users to preview different possible paths emanating from a specific page of information prior to selecting a specific path to explore.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program are provided for an interactive data processor controlled display interface wherein the user may dynamically select a plurality of objects (tools) and combine these tools into a combination tool which simultaneously performs the combined interactive functions of the individual tools. The invention is particularly effective when the combined functions being performed are graphic in nature and the results of the combination are shown on the display.

Abstract: The invention discloses a portable device that is similar to a combination of a palm top computer and a cellular telephone, and which allows the user to access the Internet and World Wide Web. A host computer that may also be a Web server, is connected to the Internet and comprises various software programs to translate, rasterize and compress images received from the Internet. The compressed images are sent the portable device and the device is capable of decompressing the compressed image. Thus, the user views a bit map image of a Web page. The portable device further comprises methods of pointing and clicking on text and images which represent links to other pages. All commands that the user enters into the portable device are sent to the host computer, which performs the commands via a virtual browser, and sends the information back to the portable device.

Abstract: Methods and systems for building context-based user interfaces are provided. According to the present invention, a contextual engine residing on a host computer system provides a user interface based on a predefined set of user interface (UI) elements that are selected on the basis of a set of prescribed conditions being satisfied. The computer system includes a data store having a plurality of contexts, wherein each context is defined by a set of prescribed conditions and is associated with a predefined set of UI elements. The contextual engine determines, for each context, whether the set of prescribed conditions that defines the context is satisfied, and, if so, provides a user interface based on the predefined set of UI elements associated with the context. The contextual engine provides the user interface by identifying for an application program residing on the host computer system, the predefined set of UI elements associated with the context.

Abstract: A method for minimizing idle time of a controller in a graphics system, which includes a graphics memory and a graphics accelerating device that interconnects the controller and the graphics memory, is disclosed. The graphics accelerating device includes a command register for storing command signals from the controller therein, and a graphics engine for receiving and executing the command signals stored in the command register one at a time.

Abstract: Drawing instructions and control instructions generated by a CPU are transferred to a drawing device sections, which generates an image by sequentially performing drawing operations in accordance with the drawing instructions and the control instructions. Each of the drawing instructions and the control instructions has a data structure consisting of a header portion and an instruction data portion. The header portion has a command identification code for indicating of what kind the instruction is. A drawing instruction sequence is formed in which the drawing instructions and the control instructions are arranged in the order of drawing and control procedures, and DMA-transferred to the drawing device section by a sorting controller. The drawing device section performs drawing and control operations in the order in the drawing instruction sequence.

Abstract: An image register for a graphics display includes a pair of static random access memory (SRAM) devices for respectively storing image data associated with even numbered and odd numbered pixels, which correspond to even numbered and odd numbered addresses. The register includes a counter presettable to an initial value corresponding to a starting address of the stored image data. A half adder is coupled to the counter for addressing the SRAMs according to an even and odd state. Two NAND gates responsive to the least significant bit of the counter control the two SRAMs for simultaneously writing image data having a modified color code portion into the even SRAM and reading stored image data from the odd SRAM during an even state, and for simultaneously reading stored image data from the even SRAM and writing the modified color code into the odd SRAM during an odd state. The register includes a pair of full adders to mix an incoming color code with the stored color code to obtain the modified color code.