Abstract: Modulating the behavior of an agent for directing automated services such as for messaging and scheduling is disclosed. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method inputs an action probability. The action probability has a location within a region corresponding to an option that in one embodiment can be one of: (1) inaction, (2) automatic action, and (3) engaging the user in a dialog about the user's desire for automated action, followed by action pending receipt of user approval. The method then modulates the behavior of the agent depending on the location of the action probability within the region. In one embodiment, the region in which the action probability is located is divided into two or more sub-regions, such that the behavior of the agent is modulated based on which sub-region in which it lies.

Abstract: A window management mechanism allows a user to open a window as a drawer or, perhaps more appropriately named, a pop-up window. The drawer is an opened window that a user has dragged down to a drawer region at the bottom of the screen such that only the title bar or some drawer handle illustration is left showing. When the user does this, the window remains open but is kept offscreen. The user may momentarily pop the window back onto the screen by clicking on the window title bar or drawer handle, or by dragging the cursor into the window icon during a drag. The window stays onscreen as long as no other windows are selected. As soon as a user selects another window, or opens a file with a double click within the drawer, the window slides back offscreen. This allows the user to set up easy access windows. Another feature of a drawer window allows the user to open them during a drag. To do so, the user drags an object or the cursor into the drawer window that is desired to be opened.

Abstract: An initial icon is displayed as a watermark throughout related windows to represent a relationship to a particular application. As a user traverses related windows belonging to the same family, the initial icon, displayed as a watermark, is persistent throughout each of the related windows and is displayed in an area maximizing visibility, e.g. on the outer perimeter of the window workspace to maximize the likelihood of being seen when multiple windows overlap.

Abstract: A system, method and article of manufacture are provided for assigning a view to an activity. Notification is received that a startup event of an activity has occurred. A reference to a first instance of an object created by the startup event of the activity is also received. A view to launch is determined in response to the receipt of the notification and the reference. The view is based on predetermined criteria. The view is associated with the activity and displayed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for routing an event to a human interface object in a computer system. A routing type is assigned to each event type which may be received. The event is received and the routing type assigned to the event is determined. The event is then routed based on the routing type. In embodiments of the invention, the routing type may be geometric, focus, or broadcast, but is extensible. The routing types may be added or removed from a list of routing types, at request of processes.

Abstract: A software visualization tool consistent with the present invention integrates OLAP functionality with focus+context based techniques for navigation through and inspection of large multidimensional datasets. Focus+context based navigation techniques are used to increase the clarity and information content provided to the user. The visualization tool supports a number of operations of the data set, including: select-slice, aggregation, promote/demote, repeat-variables, and sort.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for enabling a user to specify a trigger condition of a signal or bus by enabling the user to graphically select the signal or bus from a hierarchically arranged list of signal or bus names. The user may make this selection from a graphical user interface of a signal measurement system. The user also graphically selects the signal trigger condition. A trigger-specification element identifying the trigger condition is visually associated with a displayed name of the first signal or bus. The user may select the signal trigger condition of the first signal or bus by selecting the first trigger-specification element. The signal measurement system may be a logic analyzer. The hierarchically arranged list may be vertically aligned and each signal or bus name may be visually associated with one of a first group of trigger-specification elements by horizontal alignment.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for displaying one or more lists of signal or bus identifiers on a graphical user interface of a logic analyzer. One of the lists is visually associated with one name of a list of signal or bus names. The system enables a user to graphically select one or more desired identifiers of the one or more lists of signal or bus identifiers. The selection of an identifier in a list visually associated with a name assigns a signal or bus identified by that identifier with the name. The lists of signal or bus identifiers may be visually associated with the signal or bus names by horizontal alignment.

Abstract: A method of displaying multiple printer options in a graphical user interface includes dividing a viewing window into first and second portions separated by a first divider including a first visible affordance and displaying a scrollable list of features in the first portion together with a scroll bar. A currently selected one of the features is differentiated from non-selected features in the list in a first visually distinct manner and other selected features of the list are differentiated from non-selected features in the list in a second visually distinct manner. The method also includes dividing the second portion into first and second sub-portions separated by a second divider including a second visible affordance and displaying a print preview image of a selected page in a document that is to be printed in the first sub-portion. The selected page includes the currently selected one of the features.

Abstract: A communications device provides a user with a sensory cue that informs the user of certain characteristics of a subsequent action that includes data communications. By informing the user of the data communication characteristics before the user initiates the data communication action, the invention appropriately sets user expectations regarding the data communication characteristics. For example, one embodiment of the invention is implemented in a portable communications device with a screen. For subsequent actions that include wireless communications, the portable communications device simultaneously displays a wireless link icon sensory cue next to a user interface graphic element. The user interface element is used to initiate the subsequent action. The user interface element can be an operating system object having an embedded link type icon.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for providing a user customizable help system for a data processing environment which utilizes a graphical interface to identify solutions and/or topics of interest. This graphical help system displays partitioned groupings of help topics organized in a intuitively functional, positional manner such that a user will instinctively know where to find the desired help topic. These partitioned groupings of help topics preferably represent hardware platforms, operating environments, application groupings, or groupings of functions within an application. Further, and within each of the partitioned groupings, the invention contemplates providing multiple “views” of help topics, each “view” corresponding to a different type of user of the data processing system.

Abstract: The mechanisms of the present invention provide comprehensive heuristic menu arrangement control by providing several discrete, yet complementary, features. One feature is automatic menu arrangement for both fixed and variable content menus based on a combination of frequency of selection and recency of selection. Another feature is the consideration of time of day for menu arrangement. Time of day is used in two different ways. First, time of day is used as a heuristic factor (i.e., in the same way as recency and frequency) to affect the automatic arrangement of menu items. The second time of day feature allows the user to affect the order that certain menu items are presented during a user specified time period.

Abstract: Systems and methods for repositioning and displaying objects in multiple monitor environments are disclosed. When two or more of the monitors have different color characteristics, images moved between monitors are processed to take advantage of the particular color characteristics of the monitors, while reducing the processing resources that might otherwise be needed to entirely render the image from scratch. For instance, an image positioned within a first monitor space can be repositioned such that a first portion is displayed in the first monitor space and a second portion in the second monitor space. The data representing the first portion of the image is moved from a first location to a second location in a frame buffer in a bit block transfer operation. If the first and second monitors have the same color characteristics, the data representing a second portion is also transferred using a bit block operation.

Abstract: A plurality of video image components are prepared and transmitted over a network, whereupon the components are assembled into a composite digital video image. The video image components comprise at least one motion video component and at least one still video component. The video image components further comprise at least one animated video component. In this way, multiple video image components may be efficiently transmitted and assembled to give the appearance of a single, high-quality video image.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for enabling a user to specify one or more trigger conditions by graphically creating a pictorial representation of the trigger conditions. The pictorial representation is presented on a display window of a graphical user interface of a logic analyzer and is accomplished using trigger-condition icons. Each icon represents a trigger condition of a signal or bus. The user specifies the trigger conditions by positioning the trigger-condition icons on the display window. The user does this by selecting, dragging, and dropping the trigger-condition icons onto the display window. The display window may include one or more name elements, each associated with a signal or a bus. The user may specify the trigger condition of a first signal or bus by selecting a trigger-condition icon and positioning it at a first position on the display window in horizontal alignment with the name element of the first signal or bus.

Abstract: An icon display processor for use in a computer permits a user to intuitively recognize sub-data embedded in, or linked to, main data while a main icon symbolizing the main data is being displayed. When data B and C are embedded in document A, if a main icon is displayed, sub-icons corresponding to the embedded data are displayed behind the main icon. Thus, the user can intuitively recognize the sub-data contained in the document A. A sub-icon is displayed for each item or kind of sub-data. The user can directly process the sub-icons.

Abstract: Feature access control is provided for soft-labeled keys (SLKs) of a wireless terminal or other type of terminal in a communication system. In an illustrative embodiment, a different set of SLK label identifiers are associated in a control table with each state in a set of states of the terminal. Each of the label identifiers specifies a label to be associated with a given one of the SLKs in a given one of the states. The label identifiers are used as pointers into a label table which specifies, for each of the label identifiers, a corresponding label for one of the SLKs. The control table and label table together implement a bidirectional mapping between single switch-based features and corresponding multiple state-based appearances of those features on the terminal. The control table and label table may be downloaded into the terminal from a switch of the system. The SLK labels of the terminal may be updated by, e.g.

Abstract: A convergence system that displays channel banners that assume the same form regardless of the source. Accordingly, a computer-readable medium having computer-executable components stored thereon for execution on a suitably equipped computerized system is described. The components include a television services component for receiving a plurality of inputs from a plurality of sources. Each input includes a corresponding data set. Also, a user interface component is included for providing a partial-screen graphical user interface in response to the data set of a selected source. The graphical user interface includes a basic field for display in a form regardless of the selected source.

Abstract: A device for controlling multi-window display on a screen includes a screen-operation detecting unit which detects user screen operations including a user operation of a pointer on the screen. The device further includes a control unit which controls a window to increase an amount of information displayed therein when said screen-operation detecting unit detects a move of the pointer into an area of the window.

Abstract: In the window system, patterns of windows, icons, buttons, and so forth are defined in a body coordinate system. The window system has definition data for a process corresponding to a button and so forth. The definition data has a displaying portion including a display command for displaying a window and so forth. The displaying portion causes a window and so forth to be displayed on a display unit corresponding to designated coordinate values. The displaying portion has a three-dimensional displaying portion that rearranges each object from the body coordinate system to the world coordinate system corresponding to designated coordinate values and projects the resultant object on a screen at a designated view point. The three-dimensional displaying portion supplies coordinate values for three-dimensionally displaying the object to the displaying portion.