Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for managing bookmark buttons on a web browser toolbar. A web browser stores the number of times it is used to navigate to a website. On navigating to a website a predetermined number of times, a bookmark button that links to the website is automatically generated and displayed on the toolbar. The number of bookmark buttons displayed at any one time is limited, and they are arranged by the number of times their associated websites have been viewed. On determining that a new website has been viewed more than a website associated with a currently displayed bookmark button, the currently displayed bookmark button is replaced by a new bookmark button that links to the new website.

Abstract: A system for presenting and controlling content on a display device includes a network, a server system coupled to the network and comprising one or more servers, a display device coupled to the network and having a display, and a personal computing device operable to transmit a first message according to a specified format over the network to the server system. The server system stores an association between the personal computing device and the display device. The first message identifies user-selected content and a media player to play the content. The server system is operable, in response to receiving the first message from the personal computing device, to provide to the display device a second message identifying the user-selected content and the media player to play the content. In response to receiving the second message, the display device is operable to obtain a first media player needed to play the content, to load the media player and to present the content on the display.

Abstract: The image display includes a bandwidth calculating means that calculates bandwidth of image data transmitted from a plurality of computer devices, based on at least any one piece of information about the position and movement of a cursor displayed in a display image and a transmission amount control means that controls data transmission amounts of the plurality of computer devices, based on the bandwidth of the image data. Incidentally, the bandwidth calculating means calculates a priority level from the number of cursors existing in a display frame of each of the computer devices, and determines the bandwidth based on the priority level.

Abstract: The presence of new unread electronic messages received, that is, messages received since unread messages were last reviewed, is provided by indicia presented to the user. These indicia can take various forms, such as by bolding, flashing, changing the size or color of a count of unread messages, and/or the unread message icon. Alternatively, a separate indication, such as a second count representing the number of new unread electronic messages received, or some other symbol, such as an explanation point, can be displayed.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for assessing a hazard associated with an object are disclosed. The apparatus includes a haptic input/output device coupled to a computer with haptic modeling software and a display device. A virtual object and a virtual passageway are displayed on the display device. The virtual passageway includes a haptic layer along a surface thereof. Force applied by a user to the haptic input/output device causes a cursor on the display device to move the virtual object into the virtual passageway. An interaction of the virtual object with the haptic layer generates a virtual contact force which may be determined by the user sensing a corresponding tactile feedback force generated by the haptic input/output device and/or by the computer processor. The magnitude of the virtual contact force may be used to assess a hazard associated with the virtual object.

Abstract: The presence of new unread electronic messages received, that is, messages received since unread messages were last reviewed, is provided by indicia presented to the user. These indicia can take various forms, such as by bolding, flashing, changing the size or color of a count of unread messages, and/or the unread message icon. Alternatively, a separate indication, such as a second count representing the number of new unread electronic messages received, or some other symbol, such as an explanation point, can be displayed.

Abstract: A computer controlled graphical user interface implementation comprising displaying a set of graphic tools in a primary container location on the display in combination with an implement for using a selected tool to create a graphic object at a selected display location that is changeable as the object is being created in which there are provided functions responsive to the creation of the graphic object for displaying a secondary container containing a duplicate of the selected tool proximate the location of the graphic object, the secondary container being dynamically moveable responsive to the graphics object creation.

Abstract: A user interface method is disclosed. The method includes detecting a touch and then determining a user interface mode when a touch is detected. The method further includes activating one or more GUI elements based on the user interface mode and in response to the detected touch.

Abstract: A data processing system includes telecommunication means for providing a data entry form to a client device and for receiving user data that has been entered into the data entry form from the client device, database means for storage of the user data, and program means for extracting application specific data from the database means.

Abstract: A dynamic cursor for a computer graphical user interface changes according to the processing state of applications over which the cursor is located, or with respect to an operating system element. A normal cursor is displayed when either the operating system element, or an application over which the cursor is located, can be accessed in a normal manner. A standard wait cursor is displayed over busy applications that require a user to wait until interacting with the application, when the application is active in the foreground of the computer system. When the application is busy and operating in the background, a hybrid wait cursor is displayed that indicates to the user the busy state of the application and the user's ability to interact with operating system elements or other applications regardless of this busy state. Other forms of hybrid cursors are disclosed that indicate the results of a drag operation, and quantitative data pertaining to objects being dragged.

Abstract: A method for rendering a graphical user interface (GUI), comprising providing for the representation of the GUI as a set of objects wherein the objects are organized in a logical hierarchy, associating a theme with a first object in the set of objects, rendering the first object according to the theme, rendering any descendents of the first object according to the theme, wherein any descendents of the first object can override the theme, and wherein one of the set of objects can communicate with another of the set of objects.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for previewing new events in a computing device having a plurality of applications for managing respective events are described. Individual applications are each represented by an application icon on a screen of a graphical user interface for the device. When a new event occurs, particularly when the new event relates to a specific one of a plurality of similar applications, the invention provides a convenient way to denote which application relates to the event. In response to a new event of a one of the applications, the application's icon is visually modified to notify of the new event. A visual modification may be determined in response to the new event, for example, to preview a content of the event. The visual modification may include a count of all new events that remain to be disposed. On a selection of the visually modified icon, additional previewing may be provided.

Abstract: The rendering of portal pages on can be sped up by allowing individual portlets to be displayed while other portlets of the page are still waiting to finish rendering. Temporary messages can be displayed for the portlets that are still rendering. This temporary content can be replaced by the finished portal rendering for the slow rendering portlets. Additionally, a timeout feature for the portlets can be used. The timeout feature allows the rendering of the portlet to be stopped after a certain period of time.

Abstract: A user interface within a presentation program manages hierarchical relationships. A master view includes a thumbnail view that shows the hierarchical relationship between slide masters and layouts used within the presentation. In one example, the thumbnail view is a series of thumbnail tree-controls where each slide master is the top node of the tree control and the layouts are the children of the slide master. A user may copy, move, delete, and edit slide masters, layouts, and slides using the user interface. A contextual representation of slide master and layout commands may be shown in the same overall user interface space.

Abstract: Systems and methods enhance editing capabilities associated with a wide variety of different types of electronic documents. Such systems and methods may include a processor that maintains an electronic document having a first portion (e.g., an individual word, character, character string, or the like) provided by a recognizer (e.g., by handwriting or speech recognition software), and they may provide access to potential alternative characters, words, or character strings generated by the recognizer during various user editing functions and operations. Other data associated with the first portion of the document also may be stored and made available to the user during various functions and operations. This invention further relates to computer-readable media including instructions for performing various methods and/or operating various systems for editing electronic documents, including systems and methods like those described above.

Abstract: An interactive object property region displayable in a graphical user interface for an application program is disclosed. The interactive object property region is preferably automatically generated in response to a mouse pointer being moved over the object, but may also be affirmatively selected. Preferably, the region is initially positioned proximate to the object when generated. The interactive object property region, preferably a window, displays one or more properties of the selected object, and is interactive in the sense that the user can edit the displayed values in the region without the need to access further menu options in the graphical user interface. For example, in a preferred embodiment, the pointer can be moved from the object to the region to automatically change the displayed properties from a static display to an editable mode. Alternatively, the displayed property as soon as they are generated or can be editable upon affirmative selection.

Abstract: A widget is incorporated into a user interface associated with a processing system to provide the user with a display of the entered data, together with any added text or other data modifications that result from application of a default format. The display thus enables the user to determine whether or not the default format can be used with the entered data, before the data is processed. The widget also provides a toggle capability, to allow the user to override the default behavior of the processing system and select a different valid format for use with the entered data, from a format priority list contained in the widget. The display and toggle capabilities cause the entered data to be processed by the system as intended by the user.

Abstract: Browser frames residing on different domain servers may exchange information indirectly without compromising security that ordinary restricts frame to frame communication. The first browser frame causes the browser to generate a notification of a change of state of the browser frame. The browser sends the notification, together with data values from the content of the first browser frame, to a domain server that hosts the second frame. The server software running on the domain server receives and interprets the notification and data values, and updates the content of the second frame according to the interpretation. The domain server then sends the updated content back to the browser that issued the notification. The browser displays the updated content in the area allocated to the second frame.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for extracting information from a web page on a standard end user browser without plug-ins, includes the steps of dynamically creating an element on a web page being viewed by an end user, copying at least a portion of the contents of the web page or form field values, and uploading the data to a target domain, wherein the target domain may be different from the domain of the web page. In co-browsing applications, the data uploaded is used to create a copy of the website for display to a third party.

Abstract: A high level interface between a remote computer and local computer operator permits the remote computer to be controlled via a sequence of interactions. The remote computer may be monitored for display information which is expected, and also controlled in the event the expected information either is or is not obtained. Command language extensions are provided which extend and complement a basic scripting language. Scripts with embedded command language extensions may be executed through a remote interface, permitting remote testing, operation and evaluation. The development of the scripts, including embedded command language extensions, may be prepared through execution of commands at the local computer on a depiction of the GUI received from the remote computer, and subsequently saved as a script.