Patents Examined by Dennis-Doon Chow
  • Patent number: 7925976
    Abstract: A refrigerator is provided having a user avatar display function which can store avatars of each user, identify users, and display the avatars corresponding to the identified users. The refrigerator includes a photographing device that photographs images of users, a storing device that stores user information for identifying the users and avatar information having avatars corresponding to the users and/or user information, a display that displays the avatars, and a controller that reads the user information, compares the user information with the images of the users photographed by the photographing device, reads the avatar information according to the comparison result, and displays the avatars of the users included in the read avatar information on the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jong-Min Shin, Sun-Cheol Bae, Su-Won Lee, Jae-Seng Sim, Eun-Jeong Kim, Eun-Young Park, Deok-Hyun Youn, Yong-Chol Kwon, Byung-Koo Kong, Ku-Young Son
  • Patent number: 7921370
    Abstract: Novel techniques and tools for indicating, to a user, that a development application has detected a condition of text that is not currently displayed. A user may use the development application to develop other applications at an object level without being distracted by text related to graphical objects in the applications being developed by the user. If the development application detects an undesirable condition in text related to a graphical object, the development application may display a graphical indicator of the detected condition. The user may then interact with the graphical indicator to obtain additional information about the detected condition and to view and modify the text in which the application detected the condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventor: Stephanie Lyne Legault
  • Patent number: 7913191
    Abstract: A user interface through which multiple application programs can be operated in common. An information processing apparatus provides a common input/output interface to multiple application programs. The apparatus includes a section which converts an application-specific document generated by each of the plurality of application programs and represented in a data structure specific to the application program to a common document represented in a common data structure; a section which presents the common document to a user; a section which inputs an operation performed by the user on the common document; an interface adapter which converts an object contained in the common document to an object used in the output section; a section which modifies the common document in accordance with an operation by the user; and a section which reflects modifications to the common document in the application-specific document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Chieko Asakawa, Tatsuya Ishihara, Takashi Itoh, Hironobu Takagi
  • Patent number: 7908565
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for displaying a second window of a second application while a first window of a first application has input focus in a windowed computing environment having a voice recognition engine. The system comprises a retriever for launching the second application, a user command receiver for receiving commands from the voice recognition engine, and an application manager. The application manager responds to a command from the user command receiver by invoking the retriever to launch the second application and display the second window while the first window maintains substantially uninterrupted input focus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Inventor: Ronald M. Katsuranis
  • Patent number: 7908557
    Abstract: A method of visually presenting a message includes detecting that a screen reader application is being used in a computer system having a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI presents messages of a first type by displaying a popup window and presents messages of a second type in a predefined field of the GUI. The screen reader application is configured to detect display of the popup window but not configured to detect presentation of the messages of the second type in the predefined field. The method includes detecting a system event that causes a first message to be presented in the predefined field, the system event resulting from evaluating user input information. The method includes presenting, in response to detecting the system event, a second message in the popup window, the second message being associated with the first message. The predefined field may relate to a message log.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Martin Schrepp, Rakesh Jani
  • Patent number: 7908558
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to a method for automatically selecting images, from among multiple images, for sequential display, comprising: establishing a total time for a sequential display of a set of selected images; clustering images into groups; ordering the images based on image quality; and selecting at least one of the images within a selected group based on the image quality and total time for inclusion in the set of selected images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Pere Obrador, Ullas Gargi
  • Patent number: 7904831
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus which displays a thumbnail image of a stored image is disclosed. When a thumbnail image of a stored image is displayed, it is determined whether the stored image is open or secret by using an attribute attached to the stored image. When the stored image is open, the thumbnail image of the stored image is displayed, and when the stored image is secret, a dummy thumbnail image is displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Osamu Kizaki
  • Patent number: 7904833
    Abstract: An electronic commerce method can include the step of determining a plurality of e-commerce partners. For each partner, a partner identifier can be presented within a commerce GUI. In the commerce GUI, the partner identifier can be an expandable node. An expansion of at least one of the nodes can be presented within the commerce GUI. For each expansion, a transaction identifier can be presented as a child node of the expanded node. The transaction identifier can represent an electronic commerce transaction between a user of the commerce GUI and the associated e-commerce partner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tsz Simon Cheng, Brent W. Cossey, Gregory P. Fitzpatrick
  • Patent number: 7900152
    Abstract: An adaptable user interface is formed based on a role assumed by a user and the identification of tasks in a process that need to be performed. For each role assumed by the user, a set of tasks assigned to the role is identified. Each task is evaluated to determine if it is an active task that needs to be performed in one or more processes. For each active task, an element is added to the user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jakob Nielsen, Nicholas Justin Lowe, Kevin Honeyman, Cary Lane Rohwer, Brian Glaeske, Hans Roed Mark, Morten Holm-Petersen, Arne de Booij
  • Patent number: 7895527
    Abstract: Illustrative embodiments comprise systems, user interfaces, machine-readable media, and/or methods for automatically acquiring data representing a plurality of different types of medical parameters of a patient, processing the data for presentation to a user via a display device, and initiating display of one or more different image windows, which present processed data representing and corresponding to the plurality of different types of medical parameters of the patient on the display device. Each of the plurality of different image windows is referenced to a single variable scale timeline and is arranged on the display device to permit the user to view values for each of the plurality of different types of medical parameters corresponding to a substantially common time from the single variable scale timeline. A plurality of user interface elements are implemented using object oriented executable code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: John R. Zaleski, Alexander Scarlat, Donald W. Rucker
  • Patent number: 7895524
    Abstract: A novel application and user interface for facilitating group interactions over a network integrates messaging, file sharing, media playing, journaling, profiles, and gaming into a cohesive environment. The groups facilitated by the invention are persistent and mobile in that a user does not have to recollect and reconfigure the group each time he or she wants to interact with the group online and, while online, the group may be taken from one activity to another without having to disband and reconnect at the second activity. The application is modular so as to be extensible to include other activities and functionalities. In an embodiment, the group interaction application utilizes a peer-to-peer network environment to facilitate network communications between group members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Melora Zaner, Kathleen Mulcahy, Erica Sanders, Cesare John Saretto, Eugene Zarahovsky, Eugene Mesgar, Neel Ishwar Murarka, Heather Ferguson, Asta Glatzer, Rama Ranganath, Tammy Savage, John Vert, Linda Stone
  • Patent number: 7895536
    Abstract: The present invention is a system that provides a layer editor representing layers using box like controls. The layer controls are arranged in vertical stack representing the ordering of the layers in the paint application and provided with a highlight frame that indicates an active layer. The name or graphic of each layer depicted in the corresponding box for that layer can be created using drawing strokes of a stylus or pen of a pen-based computer. The pen is also used to select the controls, pop-up menus and perform selections or operations with underlying menus and/or functions. Making a mark with the pen can be used to select layer editing functions. A drawing dialog is used to write or draw the names applied to the layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventors: George Fitzmaurice, Gordon Kurtenbach, Lynn Miller, Joe Di Vittorio
  • Patent number: 7890877
    Abstract: A portal can be generated using a portal designer allowing dragging and dropping of components into a display. The dragging and dropping of components can initiate the update of a display, such as a design view and/or a hierarchal display and the update of a portal file. The portal file can be used to generate the portal. The portal designer can include a property editor window for editing a selected component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Robert A. Ritchy, Jeffrey Mueller
  • Patent number: 7877695
    Abstract: A system for managing user interface events in user interface of a client system. The system includes a service layer including a business object. The system also includes an intermediate object layer comprising an intermediate object associated with the business object, wherein the intermediate object handles user interface messages raised by the business object and retrieves data from the business object for user interface. The system further includes a service manager that provides the retrieved data from the intermediate object for display on the user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Frank Brunswig, Martin Hartig, Udo Klein, Guenter Pecht-Seibert, Bare Said, Abhay Tiple
  • Patent number: 7873915
    Abstract: A method for browser software with a tabbed interface to suppress, or delay, the display of a dialog box that is initiated by an inactive, or background, tab. An indication may be provided to the user that a dialog box needing user attention may be provided. When that tab becomes active, and the web page on that tab becomes visible, the dialog box is then displayed. This suppression method may be applied to a variety of application programs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Aaron J. Sauve, Li-Hsin Huang, Tony E. Schreiner
  • Patent number: 7870506
    Abstract: A digital consumer product having a menu system includes an audit trail system having an audit trail management system that removes screens from an audit trail triggered by the addition of a new screen to the audit trail. Menu screens and/or video screens are added to the audit trail as navigated by the user and, accordingly, certain screens are removed from the audit trail. The audit trail management system also provides the ability to store two or more instances of full-screen video and all intervening screens, the ability to provide all data and temporary state information for all screens stored in the audit trail and the ability to restore and refresh them, the ability to retain partial screens and screen objects and the ability to restore and refresh them, and the ability to remove any or all stored screens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing
    Inventors: Darrel Wayne Randall, Wanda Green Thompson
  • Patent number: 7861185
    Abstract: A system and method for dynamically determining quantity for risk management are described. According to one example embodiment, as a trader positions an order icon at a desired price or price-derivative value on a graphical interface, an order quantity for the order is dynamically determined based on the order price and a selected risk management formula. A trader can change the price or the price-related value for one or more orders by moving the order icons relative to a price axis on a graphical interface. In such an embodiment, the initially calculated order quantity for each order will be dynamically recalculated based on the modified orders for the trading strategy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Trading Technologies International, Inc.
    Inventor: Alvin F. Tanpoco
  • Patent number: 7856605
    Abstract: An insertion marker that is displayed on a touch screen may be moved by a user via an insertion marker placement aid. The insertion marker placement aid is displayed on the touch screen after a contact with the touch screen is detected. The insertion marker placement aid provides visual feedback to the user, indicating that the insertion marker is subject to repositioning by the user. When the contact is moved across the touch screen, the insertion marker and the insertion marker placement aid is moved in accordance with the movement of the contact. When the contact is broken (i.e., no longer detected), the insertion marker placement aid is removed from display and the insertion marker comes to rest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bas Ording, Marcel Van Os, Kenneth Kocienda, Richard Williamson, Scott Forstall
  • Patent number: 7856600
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for integrating portlets. When viewing portlets within a portal container, a user is presented with a choice of one or more sources of data and, for each source, one or more actions that the user can take regarding the source. When an action is selected, it causes the source data to be transferred to one or more “target” portlets that have also been activated by the user. The set of actions available from a given source is automatically provided given the available target portlets. As each portlet is initialized, it informs a “broker” of the actions that the portlet supports along with the type of data that is used by the action. When a portal page is being constructed, each portlet identifies to the broker the sources of data within the portlet along with the values and data types corresponding to the sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Samar Choudhary, John M. Lucassen, Shankar Ramaswamy, Sai Gopala Rathnam, Amber Roy-Chowdhury, Douglass J. Wilson
  • Patent number: 7853892
    Abstract: A method for displaying a resized window includes receiving a resizing message, generating a window having a second size according to the resizing message and a window having a first size and located at a position corresponding to a first reference point, and displaying the window having the second size at a position different from the position corresponding to the first reference point. After generating the windows, the window having the second size is not displayed at the position corresponding to the first reference point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Inventor: Ming-Te Liu