Abstract: A method and system for allowing a user to perform electronic data gathering. A data target icon floats over the other open windows and is always visible regardless of what other applications are in use. The data target icon serves as a “hotspot” for the user to save “gems” of data into a gem database. The user may, for example, drag and drop the item to be saved as a gem onto the data target icon. The data target icon serves as an entry-point into other features of a user interface. For example, by double clicking the data target icon, the user will be led to a gem toolbar. The gem toolbar can be used to access the various activities, such as a gem explorer, etc. In the described embodiment, the gem toolbar is implemented as a foldable window, in which windows are expanded in alternating orthogonal directions.

Abstract: A system for displaying the status of a plurality of threaded tasks operating in the background includes a status bar; a progress control bar in the status bar for a primary task operating in the background and including a progress bar and first and second action buttons; the progress bar visually representing progress of a primary background operation; the first action button being selectable by a user for initiating an action with respect to the primary background operation and the second action button being selectable by a user for alternately displaying and canceling a drop list of secondary progress control bars for secondary tasks also operating in the background.

Abstract: A mouse driven splitter program and algorithm is disclosed herein. The invention is a user interface which solves the problem of interactively designing splitter window layouts by combining maximum flexibility and generality with user-friendliness. The invention allows a program user to create every possible combination of panes and nested splitter windows with no limitation on the nesting depth. The entire process is purely graphical, employing only the mouse as a tool. Similarly, the user can place content, such as a particular chart in any pane using the mouse only.

Abstract: A method for interfacing with a plurality of wizards in a computer system includes providing the plurality of wizards; providing a launch button on a launch pad, the launch button associated with a wizard, where selection of the launch button executes the wizard; and providing information pertaining to the wizard on the launch pad. The information includes a relationship between the wizard and other wizards on the computer system, elements of the computer system affected by the wizard, and/or how to information showing how to use a user interface of an application on the computer system to accomplish a task. The launch pads are interactive interfaces between a user of a computer system and wizards which exist on the computer system. The information is provided in the form of text and/or visual objects. The user has an overview of the complete process before the execution of each wizard.

Abstract: A method and system for browsing and navigating web pages on a small screen device using a keypad are disclosed. A web page is divided into logical sections. In one embodiment, each section is mapped to at least one key on a keypad, such that when a user presses a key, the corresponding section of the web page is displayed on the device's display panel. In another embodiment, each section is mapped to a symbol which can be remembered by the user. The user then selects the symbol corresponding to the section of the web page that he or she desires to view. As each section of the web page is being viewed, an icon may be included on the screen to indicate that portion of the web page that is being viewed.

Abstract: A graphical user interface can be automatically generated from a command syntax for managing multiple computer systems as one computer system. The command syntax is represented using an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) document file, an XML schema file, and a text description file. The XML document file, XML schema file, and text description file are maintained on a server and downloaded to a client as required. A user interface program uses the XML document, XML schema, and text descriptions to generate a “Wizard” that comprises the graphical user interface, wherein the Wizard provides a series of step-by-step dialogs for assisting the operator in creating a command from the command syntax.

Abstract: A method for a user interface includes selecting information from a current location and placing the information in a queue for later placement at a destination, and then selecting a destination and placing the information at the destination. Responsive to the placing of the information in the queue, and until the placing of the information at the destination, the information is displayed in the current location and an appearance of a user display pointer shows that the queue has an entry. The queue is capable of holding second information concurrent with the first information.

Abstract: A graphical user interface for a travel planning system is described. The graphical user interface is implemented as a web page and includes a tabular region of the graphical user interface that displays summarized travel options and comprises a plurality of cells that act as controls. The interface also includes a second region that displays selected travel options resulting from filtering a set of travel options in accordance with a control actuated in the tabular region.

Abstract: A feature presentation order for a feature browser display of a communication system terminal is controlled in accordance with user-specific feature utilization history information. The utilization history information may include a set of utilization counters for each of a number of features supported by the system, and the presentation order may be determined by sorting the utilization values of the corresponding features in an increasing or decreasing order. Advantageously, the invention allows different user-specific utilization-based feature presentation orders to be provided to different users of the system.

Abstract: A video editing apparatus for setting an editing point for a video sequence comprising a device for successively extracting at least one vertical line from each of a plurality of video frames of the video sequence to produce vertical slits and successively arranging the vertical slits as a number of video images representing individual video frames in a horizontal direction to produce a video browser for browsing the video sequence, a display for displaying the video browser on a display, and an editing device for setting an editing point for the video sequence in a coordinated relationship to a time base of the video browser. Accordingly, even if the video sequence is relatively long, video images can be confirmed in a short time from the video browser, and the editing points can be decided in a short time.

Abstract: Present computer software tools for monitoring system performance variables particularly for online activity, are not convenient to use and are not overly effective in their use for identifying critical situations. There is a need for users to be able to readily deduce the accumulated effect of a number of variables on the functioning of a computer system. This is often made more difficult when scales of absolute values of the variables involved are significantly different. The multi-variable graphical interface and method of the present invention addresses many of these concerns. A graphical user interface and method is described wherein at least one zone appears on the display representing threshold values for the variables and overlying the zones, representations or line graphs of one or more of the variables is provided. Thus, their results and accumulated indications as to the functioning of the computer system based on the plurality of performance variables selected is provided in a visual manner.

Abstract: A monochrome display device easily and clearly distinguishes a multicolored character image from a multicolored background image by employing four gradations of monochrome. First and second monochrome gradations are assigned to any respective non-colored and colored elements of the background image and third and fourth monochrome gradations are assigned to any respective non-colored and colored elements of the character image to display a composite image of the background image and the character image.

Abstract: A livestock and material inventory system having a database storing inventory data, at least one data explorer operable to access predetermined portions of data in the database, and a graphical user interface operable to display data accessed by the at least one data explorer to a user is provided. The graphical user interface includes a first window operable to display a hierarchical tree structure representation of the inventory data, and a second window operable to display a data summary associated with a selected node in the hierarchical tree structure.

Abstract: A video processing environment includes a user interface and processing shell from which various video processing ‘plug-in’ programs are accessed. The shell insulates the plug-ins from the intricacies of reading various file formats. The user interface allows an operator to load a video sequence, define and view one or more video objects on any one or more frames of the video sequence, edit existing video object segmentations, view video objects across a series of video frames, and encode video objects among a video sequence in a desired format. Various encoding parameters can be adjusted allowing the operator to view the video sequence encoded at the various parameter settings. The user interface includes a video window, a time-line window, a zoom window, a set of menus including a menu of plug-in programs, and a set of dialogue boxes, including encoding parameter dialogue boxes.

Abstract: A system that combines a radial marking menu portion with a linear menu portion in a single menu display. Item selection in the linear portion is performed by location selection using a pointing device. Item selection in the marker portion is determined by the pattern of a stroke made by the pointing device with the system ignoring linear menu items across which the stroke completely passes.

Abstract: A graphical user display for providing real-time process information to a user for a continuous multivariable process operable under control of a plurality of process variables which include at least manipulated variables and controlled variables includes a matrix array of information describing at least one relationship between one or more controlled variables displayed along a first axis of the array and one or more manipulated variables displayed along a second axis of the array. Further, the display includes one or more graphical devices. Each graphical device is positioned in proximity to a corresponding process variable of the controlled variables and the manipulated variables. Further, each graphical device is representative of at least a state (e.g., current value state, past value state, or predicted value state) of the corresponding process variable. A computer implemented method for providing the graphical user display is also provided.

Abstract: A system to provide real-time process information to a user for a multivariable process operable under control of a plurality of process variables includes a controller operable to control one or more process variables and provide data representative of such process variables. The system further includes a graphical user interface which receives data representative of the process variables from the controller to display on a single display screen a plurality of display regions. The display regions include at least an overview trend display region to display one or more trend shape elements representative of historical data for corresponding process variables and a process variable detail display region to display a graphical representation of details associated with a selected process variable.

Abstract: Tree navigator graphical user interfaces are provided which execute on user queries for data asynchronously, and which may display information obtained as a result of a query as soon as it is available, even though additional responsive information is not yet available. These tree navigator graphical user interfaces may also be designed to anticipate future queries for data based on past or current queries, and pre-load data into the graphical user interface which is responsive to the anticipated future queries. The tree navigator graphical user interfaces may additionally use “placeholder objects” and “loading icons” to notify the user regarding the loading status of the data associated with a particular branch of the tree.

Abstract: A programmable graphical user interface (GUI) for use in a communication test set which conducts line tests at different communication levels for both a primary signal and a secondary signal. The GUI includes four screens. The first screen displays test results for a first communication level. The second screen for displays test results for a second communication level. The third screen displays test results for a third communication level. And, the fourth screen displays test results for a fourth communication level. The GUI simultaneously displays the first screen, second screen, third screen and fourth screen to provide the user with a comprehensive view of the testing.

Abstract: Output from an application or other program running in a windowing environment is redirected from the application to a bit map where it can be further manipulated prior to being displayed on the screen. A style bit is associated with each window from applications which are to be so redirected. Further parameters are associated with display of the window to provide position and size information and to provide special effects. Some special effects, such as transparency are identified by an alpha value, which enables further programs to manipulate the window in its associated bit map to make it appear transparent. One or more application program interfaces (APIs) provide the ability to specify the transparency, positioning, color key, size and other attributes as well as whether or not the window is redirected. This API may be utilized by the application to apply special effects to its windows., It may be used via a user interface to allow the user to select a desired window to redirect.