Patents Examined by Grant D Johnson
  • Patent number: 7757171
    Abstract: A system and method for facilitating non-linear viewing of media is provided. The system facilitates non-linear viewing of media by providing a scene selector that scans a digitized media and selects a scene in the digitized media and a metadata generator that produces metadata associated with the scenes and relates the metadata to the selected scene. With the scenes annotated with metadata, a playlist generator can generate a playlist of related scenes based on user inputs like queries and a playlist updater can adapt the playlist based on user reaction to the displayed scenes. The scenes can be displayed on a variety of devices exhibiting various levels of intelligence. The displays can be distributed as can the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Curtis G. Wong, Steven M. Drucker, Kentaro Toyama
  • Patent number: 7725827
    Abstract: A method and system for displaying one or more recorded media content instances. After a first recorded media content instance is displayed, one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) configured to allow a user to choose to delete or retain the first media content instance and transition to a second recorded media content instance may be displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Poslinski
  • Patent number: 7721212
    Abstract: A configuration for an enterprise computing system is selected. A computer-implemented method to be performed in connection with installing a software system includes presenting, on a display device, multiple selectable visual representations regarding how to configure an enterprise computing system. Each of the visual representations has associated therewith a predefined set of configuration data for the enterprise computing system, and each visual representation depicts a feature of the associated predefined set of configuration data that differentiates from the other predefined sets of configuration data. The method includes receiving a selection of one of the visual representations by a user, and configuring the enterprise computing system using at least one of the predefined sets of configuration data that is associated with the selected visual representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Shai Alfandary, Malkiel Hadari
  • Patent number: 7614012
    Abstract: A system displays a graphical element in a graphical user interface, and receives a command to display the at least one graphical sub-element associated with the graphical element. The system replaces the display of the graphical element with a display of at least one graphical sub-element associated with the graphical element, and implements the graphical sub-element such that execution of the graphical element invokes execution of the graphical sub-element associated with the graphical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated
    Inventor: Marissa H. Dulaney
  • Patent number: 7596761
    Abstract: A graphical user interface for a portable electronic device includes an application display region that displays a current application context of an application and a navigation bar adjacent to the application display region. The navigation bar includes two horizontally adjacent regions, comprising a current context region for displaying an indicator of the current application context and a prior context region for displaying an indicator of an application context preceding the current application context. The application display region simulates shifting of the application display in a first direction upon detecting user selection of the prior context region, and simulates shifting of the application display in a second direction, opposite the first direction, upon detecting user selection of an application context different from the current application context and the prior application context.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen O. Lemay, Scott Forstall, Greg Christie, Bas Ording, Imran Chaudhri, Marcel Van Os, Freddy Allen Anzures
  • Patent number: 7584411
    Abstract: A system receives a selection of content within the digital composition, and derives conceptual information associated with the content. The conceptual information is used to identify the graphical element associated with the selection of content. The system obtains the graphical element associated with the content, and displays the graphical element within the digital composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2009
    Assignee: Adobe Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: James M. Alexander, Karen A. Melchior
  • Patent number: 7574672
    Abstract: A method includes displaying a first tray and a second tray in a display of the portable communications device. The first tray is configured to display one of more characters that were selected by a user using a click wheel. The second tray includes a first plurality of icons that correspond to a set of characters and one or more recommended words. The first tray includes a first region in a graphical user interface and the second tray includes a second region in the graphical user interface. Scrolling through the first plurality of icons and the one or more recommended words occurs in accordance with one or more navigation commands received from a click wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Steven P. Jobs, Scott Forstall, Greg Christie, Bas Ording, Imran Chaudhri, Stephen O. Lemay, Marcel Van Os, Freddy Allen Anzures, Mike Matas
  • Patent number: 7565610
    Abstract: A method and apparatus displays time-based performance information for network objects to facilitate identification of a root cause of one or more triggers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: EMC Corporation
    Inventors: Gang Li, Lee W. Sapiro
  • Patent number: 7546536
    Abstract: A letter string editing unit of a communication device receives an edit instruction for a letter string, and edits a letter string in accordance with the instruction. A decide input reception unit receives a decide instruction for the letter string together with operation strength. When the decide instruction is received, a sending unit sends a sender side message specifying the edited letter string and strength information associated with the operation strength to another communication device. A reception unit receives a receiver side message specifying a letter string to be displayed and strength information from another communication device. A font acquiring unit acquires information of a font having a size pre-associated with the specified strength information. A display image generation unit generates a display image by depicting the specified letter string in accordance with the acquired font information. A display unit displays the generated display image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Motoki Imanishi
  • Patent number: 7523418
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for choosing a position on a display having a cursor. In one aspect, an exemplary method, which can be computer-implemented, includes the steps of automatically moving the cursor in a predetermined during-selection mode in response to a first user-initiated action, and, responsive to a second user-initiated action when the cursor is at a first location, ceasing the moving of the cursor in the predetermined during-selection mode, and causing a choosing action to be performed at the first location, such that the first location is chosen as the position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Sharon M. Trewin
  • Patent number: 7509588
    Abstract: A portable electronic device displays a plurality of icons (e.g., graphical objects) in a region in a touch-sensitive display; detects a predefined user action, with respect to the touch-sensitive display, for initiating a predefined user interface reconfiguration process; and varies positions of one or more icons in the plurality of icons in response to detecting the predefined user action. The varying includes varying the positions of the one or more icons about respective average positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Marcel Van Os, Freddy Allen Anzures, Scott Forstall, Greg Christie, Bas Ording, Imran Chaudhri, Stephen O. Lemay
  • Patent number: 7506274
    Abstract: Methods and systems for displaying data retrieved from a multi-dimensional data source via an interactive data diagram. A graphical user interface is responsive to input from a user to retrieve multi-dimensional data for display via an interactive data diagram. The interactive data diagram displays multi-dimensional data in a hierarchical structure that includes a plurality of dimension levels and one or more member levels within each dimension level. A user specifies a change to the display structure by selecting a displayed member level in the hierarchical structure. The interactive data diagram is responsive to the user specified change to generate a drilled down data diagram displaying detailed dimension and member levels related to the selected member level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2009
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Benyu Zhang, Teresa B. Mah, Lee Wang, Julie L. Hesseltine Richardson
  • Patent number: 7478334
    Abstract: An example of a solution provided here comprises receiving a signal for sending in a side conversation, and in response to the signal for sending, sending a first portion of text, in a side conversation. The first portion of text is new, and the first portion of text is not necessarily revealed to some participants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yen Fu Chen, John H. Handy-Bosma, Mei Y. Selvage, Keith R. Walker
  • Patent number: 7441206
    Abstract: A visual effect creation system and method is software designed for creating, maintaining, and displaying real-time 3D visual effects. There are two parts to the software. The first part is the creation and maintenance tool and the second part is a real-time display module. The creation and maintenance tool contains the real-time display module which greatly aids the creation phase. The real-time display module is also designed to integrate the 3D visual effect created with the creation and maintenance tool into the platform of the final product. With the creation and maintenance tool the user can create individual and modular 3D visual effects, which can later be incorporated into other effects or used as a stand-alone 3D visual effect. The data structure for each 3D visual effect is based on a hierarchical node design (parent-child relationship) which allows for inheritance of specific attributes from the parent to the child.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignee: Medical Simulation Corporation
    Inventor: David Alexander MacPhee
  • Patent number: 7426698
    Abstract: The invention is directed to techniques for communicating messages between windows or frames in a computer display. A computer system suited for use with the invention includes a computer display providing a source window and a target window, as well as respective source display code and target display code associated with each window. A messaging module coordinates the communication of messages and supports a database of target identifiers that identify windows, functions, and message handlers associated with the windows. The source display code originates a message with selection information and provides the message to the messaging module, which uses the selection information to determine which window to send the message to based on the target identifiers in the database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Ryan J. Schuft
  • Patent number: 7392488
    Abstract: Method and system to enable a user to view large collections of hierarchically linked information on a computer based display. A tree structure visualization is created which presents a representation of the complete collection of information on the display. The visualization fits completely within a fixed area of the computer based display, negating the need to scroll information into the display area. The visualization is based on identified focus nodes and through calculation of a Degree of Interest (DOI) for each of the nodes based in the structure. Layout and presentation of the visualization structure is based on the DOI values in combination with considerations of available display space. A user may dynamically manipulate views of the structure by selecting one or more focus nodes, thus causing a recalculation of the degree of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Stuart K. Card, David A. Nation