Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing a design document for a product, with the product having product elements arranged in a hierarchical manner and stored in a relational database, is described. A selection is received for at least one product element. At least one performance value associated with the selected product element is received. A text segment associated with each selected product element is retrieved from the database. Selected text segments are then used to construct the design document.

Abstract: An enhanced chronological feature browser for computer aided design indicates dependencies among features of an object, including identifying a feature of the object for which a logical dependency is to be displayed and augmenting a chronological feature display with an indicator of the logical dependency.

Abstract: A navigation system and method for viewing a data landscape in an information visualization system employs constraints and positions for the rendering viewpoint which are defined relative to a bounding box enclosing objects within a volume of interest. The bounding box is resized to reflect changes in objects within the volume of interest including the addition or deletion of objects and/or the resizing of objects. The bounding box is also correspondingly repositioned whenever the volume of interest is repositioned. Constraints and/or positions defined relative to the bounding box are updated accordingly and are employed to control the movement and re-orientation of the rendering viewpoint within the volume of interest by the user.

Abstract: A system for preparing a graphical user interface (GUI) on a client by utilizing an electronic mail message or an agent is provided. In one embodiment, a client (300) includes a client agent manager (330), a script interpretation part (320) and a client application (310), while a server includes a server agent manager (360) and a network service. The client (300), upon receiving an input request, retrieves a script corresponding to the same input request stored in a storage device (322) in the client (300). When the corresponding script is found on the storage device (322) as a result of the retrieval, the corresponding script is utilized to display a GUI containing the content requested by a user.

Abstract: A new mipmap level estimation method that is based on the inverse of homogeneous coordinate only. This method is more efficient and more robust than the traditional approaches. In most common cases, this method handles texture anisotropy well and eliminates the need for complicated anisotropy processing.

Abstract: A system and method for visualizing information on a computer system by generating and displaying a number of axes on a computer monitor, selecting points along respective axes which correspond to an information entry using a mouse or any other spatially-based input device, and forming a polygonal shape therefrom, the vertices of the polygon being the respective selected points. Multiple such polygons may be serially displayed or overlaid to facilitate visualization and interpretation of the information. The system and method of the present invention are further directed to facilitating the entry, modification and storage of a record in a computer system by displaying it on a polar chart, selecting a point on the polar chart with a mouse or any other spatially-based input device, and respectively entering, modifying and storing the record.

Abstract: A method and that display certain aspects of a computer memory on a display screen in accordance with a fractal curve. In at least one embodiment, the fractal curve is a Hilbert curve. The fractal curve display can be used as an aid in visualizing various types of information about a computer memory. Certain embodiments have a display that remains static, while other embodiments have a display that is dynamic and changes in real-time to reflect changes in memory.

Abstract: In a graphic preparing device of the present invention, when a user wants to place an image of post office, which is not stored beforehand, on a road, the picture of the post office is taken by a CCD camera, and is displayed on an additional symbol display position of a symbol display section. When a confirmation key is pressed at a timing when a desirable symbol is displayed on a screen, the displayed image is stored as a symbol. Then, when inside of a frame of the additional symbol display position of the symbol display section is touched with an input pen, and is dragged to a predetermined position on the road, the image of post office as stored as a symbol is displayed on the road, and is stored as a symbol on a map. Namely, the symbol incorporated by the CCD camera is treated in the same way as a common symbol. Also, the frame of the symbol touched with the input pen is enhance-displayed.

Abstract: A system for producing a signal representing an envelope waveform corresponding to the minimum and maximum excursions of an underlying signal includes a source of the underlying signal and a signal acquisition circuit coupled to the underlying signal source. A circuit for calculating the envelope of the underlying signal is coupled to the signal acquisition circuit to produce an envelope signal. A rasterizer, coupled to the signal acquisition circuit and to the envelope calculating circuit, generates the envelope waveform representative signal being a single raster displaying waveforms representing the envelope signal and the underlying signal.

Abstract: A system that supports a uniform three-dimensional rendering of components on a display screen by allowing a new component to inherit the shading properties of a parent component. The system provides for escalation of a search for shading properties, including at least a baseline shading face color, from any one of a plurality of shading property sources that can include, but are not limited to, an expressly defined shading property, an inheritable property from a parent component, and a system property in an absence of any other shading property source. Consistent gradations of color shading that facilitate three-dimensional visual cues among a component family hierarchy are generated and rendered on the display screen based on a baseline shading face color.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inline scrolling of related objects in a computer desktop environment. This scrolling is accomplished by utilizing a pointing device to activate an indicator actually imbedded into the relational information for the data being presented. The inline scrolling is designed to reduce the amount of space required on a display device to convey information to the user.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention comprise a design tool for designing an application interface. The design tool includes a graphical user interface (GUI) that visually represents a hierarchy of data and the relationships between the data. Thus, the design tool eliminates the need for an interface designer to have independent knowledge of the structure of the data (i.e., the data fields and relationships between the data). The design tool's GUI represents the data and the relationships between the data in a hierarchical display referred to as a data palette. An output hierarchy comprised of output levels is created as the user selects fields from the data palette to be displayed in the application's interface. When a data field is selected, the design tool automatically determines the appropriate interface component and output level of the output hierarchy using the relationships defined for the data. Output levels are associated with interface components that comprise the application's interface.