Abstract: A computer in which entry of data from an area provided on a display, touch screen or the like is accomplished by the provision of a "soft keyboard". Misentry of data is avoided by providing for the adjustment of the input by raising the area of input by a fixed percentage of the size of the target soft key.

Abstract: A method of processing a remote procedure call from a client computer to an object stored on an aggregation of server computers includes the step of checking a server aggregation location data field and a server aggregation contact strategy data field of the remote procedure call. The aggregation of server computers is designated as replicating server computers, migrating server computers, or federated server computers based upon the checking operation. Once a server computer aggregation topology is identified, parameters associated with the remote procedure call may be modified to alter the interaction with the server computer aggregation.

Abstract: In a graphical user interface, a method for resizing the windows which allows to immediatly focalize on the desired part of the displayed image. The final image displayed in the window strictly depends on the way the window has been resized by the user.

Abstract: A display generating system, and particularly a computer such as a mobile client system, in which a control program such as an application or interface program cooperates with a processor in reflowing table elements. In particular, the present invention breaks apart tabular portions of documents to be displayed and reorganizes such portions to facilitate top-to-bottom or vertical scrolling while retaining all information to be displayed.

Abstract: A design control system suitable for use in connection with the design of integrated circuits and other elements of manufacture having many parts which need to be developed in a concurrent engineering environment with inputs provided by users and or systems which may be located anywhere in the world providing a set of control information for coordinating movement of the design information through development and to release while providing dynamic tracking of the status of elements of the bills of materials in an integrated and coordinated activity control system utilizing a repository which can be implemented in the form of a database (relational, object oriented, etc.) or using a flat file system. Once a model is created and/or identified by control information design libraries hold the actual pieces of the design under control of the system without limit to the number of libraries, and providing for tracking and hierarchical designs which are allowed to traverse through multiple libraries.

Abstract: A method of displaying graphical data on a display device of a computer system and a computer system employing the method.

Abstract: Functions provided by a user interface shell of a computer can be accessed by objects operating outside of the user interface shell. A server that operates within the shell is provided. The server receives a call for access to the shell functions from an object. The call contains a specified function and the name of shared memory. The server causes the function to be executed within the user interface shell. Execution of a call-return function produces data, wherein the server stores the data in the shared memory. The requesting object then retrieves the data from the shared memory for further processing.

Abstract: A method of flexibly setting a tool button with user operation, comprises the steps of specifying commands for making a desired editing object and also of specifying parameters of the editing object. An editing object is generated on a display screen based upon the specified commands and the specified parameters. The object displayed on the display screen may be selected with a pointing device and related to a tool button. The specified command and the specified parameters of the object are then set to the related tool button. The first display form of the tool button may be changed to a second display form corresponding to the specified command and/or the specified parameters.

Abstract: A system and method for managing virtual connections between devices on a network system such as a LAN, or a WAN, with or without connection to the public network, including in some cases connection through the Internet. Specifically, the invention involves a computer program that includes a graphical map of a geographical site such as an office building that allows each user using the network to select an output device such as a particular printer and establish a virtual connection between the user's workstation environment and the output device. This invention may also include means to enable the users to easily manage their own printer connections on a complex network system, giving the user more control and reducing the workload on the Information Services staff.

Abstract: A process is provided for mapping the relationship of the content of a collection of documents (14). The process includes providing a collection (12) of documents (14) where each document (14) includes text. Relevance measures are determined that represent a relevance between each pair of documents (14) based upon the text of the documents (14). A graph (22) is then generated that has nodes (30) and edges (32) with each edge (32) connecting two nodes (30). The graph (22) has a node (30) associated with each document (14) and has an edge (32) connecting nodes (30) for which the relevance measure between associated documents (14) is greater than a specified threshold. In this manner, the graph (22) maps the relationship of the content of the collection (12) of documents (14).

Abstract: A diagnosis apparatus includes a user interface (UI) control processing unit provided as a user's interface, a plurality of symptom evaluation processing unit operatively connected in parallel to the UI control processing unit, and a display unit operatively connected to the UI control processing unit. The UI control processing unit sequentially broadcasts symptoms to all symptom evaluation processing unit. Each symptom evaluation processing unit carrys a different symptom specified in advance for every processing unit, and evaluates a hypothesis for a cause of the symptom in order to execute an optimum search operation for the symptom.

Abstract: A computer system preferably a mobile client computer, optimizes data handling and display through the use of predictive widgets. A predictive widget uses a predictive list of possible entries into a defined field of a form, as in a form filling application, to provide one or both of a predictive default entry for a field or a predictive fill once a user has started an entry into the field. A first predictive widget for a first data field interacts to determine the performance of a second predictive widget for a second field.

Abstract: A computer in which entry of data from an area provided on a display, touchscreen or the like is facilitated by the provision of a "soft keyboard" having keys configurable as hexagonal cells. Hexagonal cells enable display of larger areas for engagement by the finger or other input pointer used by a user of the computer of this invention. A user can be permitted a choice between hexagonal and rectangular cells.

Abstract: A computer system, preferably a mobile client computer, optimizes data handling and display through the use of predictive widgets. A predictive widget uses a predictive list of possible entries into a defined field of a form, as in a form filling application, to provide one or both of a predictive default entry for a field or a predictive fill once a user has started an entry into the field. Predictive lists are shared and copied between and among a plurality of communicating computer systems.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for interactively creating new arrangements of prerecorded musical works. The musical work is represented on a digital medium in the form of a database comprising a plurality of fixed musical sequences, and a template comprising a plurality of sequence positions. Each sequence position may represent one track of a musical arrangement, such as the performance of one instrumental group, or a musical solo. The various tracks are intended to be played simultaneously, in parallel. In addition, some of the sequence positions may represent fixed-length, partial segments of a single track that are intended to be played serially. Using a menu-driven, graphical interface, a user interactively selects a plurality of the fixed musical sequences, as desired, and allocates the selected sequences among the various fixed sequence positions specified by the template.

Abstract: A remote control system for remotely controlling a Microsoft Windows or other GUI-based first computer from a second computer over the internet using only a standard world-wide-web hypertext browser on the second computer. The second controlling computer may be dissimilar from the first controlled computer user interface, underlying operating system, and hardware architecture.

Abstract: Audio-visual user interface controls provide audio and a visual feedback in response to user input events in a graphical user interface environment of a computer. A variety of audio and visual responses of a control assist the user in understanding its operation.

Abstract: A method for displaying object oriented class information and content information, wherein a user interacts with an object oriented system on a computer display. The method combines a class browser and a content browser into a hybrid browser, where the class browser displays class information and the content browser displays content information. The class information and the content information are organized into a single outline control. The user is then allowed to switch between a display of the class information only, or a display of both the class information and the content information, wherein the single outline control reduces the amount of display space used.

Abstract: A computer system (110) has a multi-processing software application operating (200) thereon. There are multiple client processes (221-228) concurrently operating as components of the multi-processing software application (200). Termination of the multi-processing software application (200) results from individual decisions made at each client process (221-228). If a particular client process determines that another client process is inoperable (530), the particular client process continues operation when the inoperable process is designated non-mandatory (550, 510), and terminates operation when the inoperable process is designated mandatory (550, 580, 598). Furthermore, when the inoperable process is designated single-instance mandatory and belongs to a particular process class, the particular client process continues operation unless it is the only member of the process class operating (580, 590, 595, 598).

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an improved mobile data processing device and a method of operating a mobile data processing device. The mobile data processing device includes a relatively small display screen. The present invention utilization by the mobile data processing device of an application which includes a plurality of screens which have been written for use in a data processing system having a relatively large display screen. When the application is loaded into the mobile data processing device and started, at least a portion of a particular one of the plurality of screens of the application is displayed on the relatively small display screen of the mobile data processing device, Next, the mobile data processing device is utilized to determine whether or not display items from said particular one of said plurality of screens are not fully displayed within said relatively small display screen of said mobile data processing device.