Abstract: A portable intelligent communications device is provided which includes a cellular telephone and a computer-controlled touch screen display. The touch screen display is a high-resolution graphics display which acts as a graphical user interface. Since the touch screen display is smaller in size than a standard laptop computer's display, the information boxes and menu selections are re-sized so as to fit on the smaller screen, however, each of the choices is made large enough in surface area so that a human finger can tactilely operate the touch screen display without the need of a more precise pointing device. Instead of using pull-down menus or drop down lists, the graphical user interface provides a selection list based upon virtual control buttons and virtual “image buttons” in which each image button is labeled to describe the option that can be selected by pressing that button.

Abstract: An intuitive graphical user interface is based upon a geographic map structure, and includes a system for controlling remote external electronic devices. In the defined graphical user interface, each Space of the geographic map structure is rendered on a touch screen display as a graphic image of a geographic space. Within each Space are colored cartoon-like icons called “objects” which can be Selected and manipulated by the user. Certain objects, referred to as portals, transport the user from one Space to another Space when Selected. Other objects, referred to as buttons, perform associated actions or functions when Selected. The graphical user interface is displayed on a hand-held display device used to control remote devices. Each remote electronic device transmits a user interface program object that defines a graphical user interface to the display device.

Abstract: A stereo graphic user interface (GUI) includes stereo pairs of conventional GUI interface objects, such as a cursor, menu bars, buttons, and so on. In one implementation, a slave component is located on the same display screen as, and at a fixed displacement from, a master component. Any changes to the master component are tracked and made to the slave component so as to form and maintain stereo pairs of components. The stereo GUI may be configured to support multiple viewers, and a user may employ the stereo GUI not only to view stereo pairs of graphical objects but also to manipulate them.

Abstract: A specification language allows a user to define platform-independent user interface panels without detailed knowledge of complex computer programming languages. The specification language is referred to herein as a Panel Definition Markup Language (PDML), which defines tags that are used in similar fashion to those defined in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), that allow a user to specify the exact location of components displayed in the panel. A graphical editor allows the creation and modification of platform-independent user interface panels without programming directly in the specification language. A conversion tool may be used to convert platform-specific user interface panels to corresponding platform-independent user interface panels. A help generator tool also facilitates the generation of context-sensitive help for a user interface panel.

Abstract: A computer user interface system and method arranges a set of information hosted on a computer into a set of books, where each book includes a subset of the set of information, labels each book with a respective portion of the subset of the set of information, and selects a book from the set of books. Selecting the book from the set of books includes steps of displaying the respective portions of the books as a book document image that includes pages which correspond to the respective portions of the books, generating a command for moving through the pages, displaying an animated image of the pages of the book document being at least one of flipped, scrolled, slid and flashed images, and selecting the book when a selected one of the pages containing a selection portion of the book is earlier displayed.

Abstract: A Cooperative Help Assistance (CHA) system and method provide real-time user assistance for one or more windows-based Graphic User Interface (GUI) applications or a single application's different subsections such as web pages, running concurrently in any operating system. The CHA System enables the development of an informative assistance object independently from the original source code or development environment of the target Host Application. The assistance object can be selected by any number of user interfaces from sophisticated inference driven interactive interface search tools or categorized lists. By intercepting and monitoring user actions on a Host Application, the CHA system performs intelligent assistance in the context of the target host application program.

Abstract: A graphical user interface enhances user information when scrolling through a document by determining the amount of relevant information at a particular scrolling location and changing one or more user perceptible system attributes such as color, sound or object displayed to reflect the amount of relevant information. In one approach, a <RELEVANT> tag or marker indicates relevance. Alternatively, adding an attribute to an existing HTML tag such as <STRONG> can indicate relevance. If information received from a search in response to a query contains no relevance indications, relevance markers are added locally.

Abstract: Display of an icon is modified to permit information about at least four independent multiple valued variables to be readily received by a viewer. Frequency of blinking, degree of blinking, color and degree of fill of interior space of an icon are used to represent variable information. Classification of e-mail by “importance” of originator, by priority and by due date is reflected in the icon display is illustrated in one example. In another, the percent of files changing since the last access is displayed using a folder icon.

Abstract: A game has been designed to lure computer users to websites established by companies participating in the game. The participating companies advertise their products and/or services on the websites. The object of the game is to locate and procure a specified icon hidden at each of the websites. In accordance with the invention, the specified icon may assume one of three states, e.g., green, red and yellow states in that order. The three states vary with time and cycle themselves. A user is able to procure and click on a located icon only when it is in a green state, manifest by its green color. A red state of the icon indicates that the green state has just ended, and a yellow state of the icon indicates that the green state is imminent. Thus, in the course of playing the game, a user is likely to revisit or linger at a website whose icon is in a red or yellow state.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus having a function to control a cathode-ray tube (CRT). A plurality of items, selectable by an operator, are displayed on a screen of the CRT, and a guidance image to draw attention of the operator is superimposed on, or displayed near specified items in order to bring operator's attention to the specified items.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a reference image extracting section for extracting a reference image as an object for display; a parameter managing section for managing a plurality of parameters and their values for the extracted reference image; a parameter setting section for selecting any two arbitrary parameters and setting the selected parameters as scales for the vertical axis and horizontal axis; a peripheral image preparing section for preparing peripheral images each obtained by changing the values of the two parameters selected for the reference image by a specified amount; and an image display controller for providing display controls by correlating parameter values of peripheral images to those for the vertical axis and horizontal axis of the reference image so that the reference image is displayed at a specified position of a screen and also peripheral images thereof are displayed surrounding the reference image in n layers.

Abstract: A user friendly visual programming system with a visual programming interface that allows a user to visually create multimedia programs in real-time. In this system, input and output functions are represented as graphical input and receive interface leads, respectively. A user with no programming skill easily links desired transmit interface leads to desired receive interface leads. In real-time, the output devices perform the functions associated with receive interface leads and any changes to the receive interface leads that occur as a result of any links to transmit interface leads. The user may create complex programs by encapsulating input and receive interface leads in an endless number encapsulation layers.

Abstract: A computer system utilizing software to map content by determining a field of relevance and at least one topic in the field of relevance is presented. The system determines at least one content pertaining to the topic, retrieves a representation of the content and maps the representation of the content onto the field of relevance. Then, it provides an extremely flexible presentation mechanism where the content is organized by multi-dimensional mappings to present the information effectively. One of the features allows a vector to be assigned to each entity, queries a user or software agent for a particular focal element and displays the multiplicity of distinguishable entities based upon the assigned vectors utilizing the focal vector as a reference point to view the information. The system facilitates the organization of results of database interrogations, web searches and other large data situations, creating a multi-dimensional topic space of content.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method and system for displaying correlations between structural Features of a molecule and the biological or physical properties of the molecule. A unique feature of the present invention is that the user has a convenient way to select and explore a succession of interesting subsets and to interactively control the contents of each subset using filters. The medicinal chemist can thereby use his or her intuition and experience to guide the process of drug selection. In a preferred embodiment, the method and system of the invention uses at least four coordinating panels which comprise: 1) one or more first panels containing a series of molecular structural Feature or ranges of properties, such as molecular weight; 2) a second panel showing a graph (e. g.

Abstract: A method, system and computer readable medium for providing for providing a function item, such as a key, button, icon, or menu, tied to a user operation in a computer, whereby a single click on the function item in a window or program on a computer screen, or one single selection in a menu in a program, initiates retrieval of name and addresses and/or other person or company related information, while the user works simultaneously in another program, e.g., a word processor. The click on the function item initiates a program connected to the button to search a database or file available on or through the computer, containing the person, company or address related data, in order to look up data corresponding to what the user types, or partly typed, e.g., name and/or address in the word processor, the correct data from the database, data related to the typed data, e.g.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture, and a memory structure for displaying a data file is disclosed. The apparatus displays a window, comprising two synchronized window portions: an unformatted window portion showing unformatted data and a formatted window portion showing the same data as the current record formatted according to a data structure described in data structure file.

Abstract: A method of accessing an electronic page on a computer system, by ascertaining that the electronic page is adapted to be displayed as a single window containing a plurality of frames (having fixed attributes), but then displaying separate windows for respective frames, and enabling one or more window operations for each of the windows, such as resizing, minimizing, maximizing, and closing each of the windows. The windowed frames can be displayed as child windows within a parent window on the display device, or in separate parent windows. The frame windowing mode can be toggled between active and inactive states. Initial attributes of the windows can be based on the frame attributes of the respective frames. These attributes can be ascertained by interpreting tags in a main computer file associated with the electronic page, e.g., an HTML file which is downloaded over the World Wide Web.

Abstract: A portable computing device or “information appliance” having terse user input (e.g., limit set of keys) is provided with an improved user interface. A six-key embodiment is described that provides a “super-key” light entry and editing input system for ultra-portable devices, thus making it well suited for use with credit card-sized devices. In a preferred six-button embodiment, a credit card-sized device is modified to include an additional input button, an EDIT key. In user operation, pressing the EDIT key brings up a context sensitive pop-up menu, thus invoking the super-key feature. Customized user input controls, such as a Text Input Control (e.g., letter and number strips), are provided at appropriate times, for facilitating input. Underlying the super-key input is a heuristic sub-system that remembers and anticipates user input.

Abstract: A new behavior in a graphical user interface allows the user to open and close enclosures, while dragging an object. When the user pauses, gestures, or rolls over a hot spot on top of an icon or text representing a closed enclosure, a temporary window for the closed enclosure is “sprung open” to allow the user to browse inside the enclosure and possible open another enclosure contained within the temporary window. This process can be carried on throughout a hierarchy of windows as the user browses for a destination window for the drag operation. All of the temporary windows except the destination are closed when the mouse button is released, signaling the end of a drag. The user may close sprung open windows by simply moving the cursor out of the sprung open window, or by making some other gesture.

Abstract: An internet on-demand system for television presents internet content and traditional television programming as part of a single coherent interface. The system can display an internet gateway interface which actively scrolls through and highlights links to selected web pages which are organized according to templates corresponding to their content. The links are highlighted in a dynamic revolving sequence with associated graphics and sounds. The system includes a server and a client capable of providing a dynamic graphical user interface. The web pages are presented on the graphical user interface as channels as part of the same milieu as channels of traditional television programming. The user can select a channel from a rotary menu wheel. An intelligent agent passively filters selected web pages for a user to explore based on the user's past pattern of usage of the client.