Patents Examined by Peng Ke
  • Patent number: 7278114
    Abstract: The present invention relates to various aspects of managing display of supplemental on-screen windows known as popup windows. In one embodiment, an exemplary method includes detecting a first window on a screen, determining whether the first window qualifies as a popup window, and if the first window qualifies as a popup window, searching for other windows on the screen that satisfy certain testing conditions and closing the first window without a user request upon failing to find any other window on the screen that satisfies the testing conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: ViewSpace Technologies
    Inventor: Eugene Lapidous
  • Patent number: 7263668
    Abstract: A display interface system for computer controlled displays including a window in a display screen, for the display of visible data; a set of selectable items in the portion of said display screen; an implementation for varying the area of the display screen portion; and for varying the comprehensiveness level of the items in response to the varying area of the display screen portion. It is often the case that the area in a window needs to be reduced for any of a variety of purposes. In such a situation, the items in the menu are maintained at a high level of comprehensiveness, e.g. icon plus explanatory text, while its window area is greatest. Then, as the window area is reduced, the levels of comprehensiveness of the items in the menu or set are also reduced since the space can no longer accommodate them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: James Lee Lentz
  • Patent number: 7254775
    Abstract: Touch panel systems and methods are disclosed that can distinguish temporally overlapping touch inputs from single touch inputs so that valid touch position coordinates can be determined. Touch panel systems and methods of the present invention can distinguish overlapping touches by comparing signal magnitudes to specified thresholds, by comparing the rates of change of signal magnitudes or measured positions to determined parameters, by locating the proximity a calculated location to icons or other such active areas, and the like. Because touch panel systems and methods of the present invention can discriminate single touches from double touches, they can be used in multiple user applications such as multiplayer games as well as in applications that may be subject to rapidly successive or overlapping touch inputs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Bernard O. Geaghan, Robert S. Moshrefzadeh, Craig A. Cordeiro, Edward S. Hagermoser, James J. Hart, Paul M. Hatin, Karl P. Hauck, Richard A. Peterson, Jr., Stephen C. Schulz, Gordon F. Taylor
  • Patent number: 7254779
    Abstract: A customizable environment is disclosed including an interactive presentation having a plurality of object placeholders, each for holding a presentable object or a presentable reference to an object. Each placeholder has a selector for selecting the presentable object or reference held therein and a selector for selecting the placeholder. The customizable interface further includes a data store for storing the presentable objects. The presentable objects are linked to indicate the relationship between the objects whereby the arrangement of the presentable objects, references, or both within the placeholders corresponds at least in part to the manner in which the presented objects and references are linked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Xanboo Inc.
    Inventors: Babak Rezvani, Jack L. Chen, Quang D. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 7240296
    Abstract: A user interface for navigating among screens on a personal computer. The screens, which include layers of a shell user interface and various locations within applications, are presented as pages. In addition, commands and help information of an application are presented as a web of command pages. To this end, a unit of measure, called a “place” is defined. In general, an application is a place, and separate documents within an application may also define a place. Separate command windows and dialog boxes within an application or a document typically do not define a place. Backwards navigation takes the user to the previous place, and forward navigation (if possible) takes the user to the next place. Because the underlying data for a page may change between an initial visit to a page and navigation back to the page, data objects and page code are maintained separately, and are combined only when a request for a page is made.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Joseph H. Matthews, Stephen P. Capps, Richard W. Stoakley, Joe D. Belfiore, Walter W. Smith, Bradley M. Schick, Samuel J. McKelvie, Robert V. Welland, John P. Cordell
  • Patent number: 7231604
    Abstract: A computer and Internet-based system and method for providing television and radio programming information to users, through a multi-tabbed viewing screen, where at least one of the tabs is individualized to a particular viewer's preferences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2007
    Assignee: Decisionmark Corp.
    Inventors: Kenneth A. Franken, Toufic Moubarak, Jack Perry
  • Patent number: 7219304
    Abstract: A workflow, enterprise, and mail-enabled application server and platform supports distributed computing and remote execution of web applications. Lotus Domino online services (DOLS) is used by a web site administrator to configure Internet Notes (iNotes) clients to auto download from server, thus providing iNotes clients with web access using HTTP with various browsers, and with local processing and replication. A local run time model comprises a hierarchy of models including object data store model, security model, indexing model, replication model, agent workflow model and mail model. DOLS provides a layered security model that allows flexibility for controlling access to all or part of an application. The highest level of security is managed through a database access control list (ACL). Further refinements within the security model provide access to specific documents, and their views, forms or folders, and include read access lists, write access lists, form access lists and readers and authors fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Carl J. Kraenzel, John D. Immerman, William A. Mills, Jeannie J. Lu
  • Patent number: 7213207
    Abstract: A system and method for creating a graphical program which accesses registers of a hardware device. In one embodiment, a register access node or primitive may be included in a graphical program, such that when the graphical program is executed on the computer system, the register access node is operable to access (i.e., either read or write) registers of a hardware device in the computer system. The method may comprise first displaying a register access node in the graphical program in response to user input. For example, the user may select the register access node from a palette and drag and drop the register access node onto a window of the graphical program being created. The user may then configure the register access node to access one or more registers of a selected hardware device, e.g., by using a user interface for performing this configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Steve Rogers, Jason King
  • Patent number: 7197714
    Abstract: A method for synchronizing data between a graphical client and a stateless server. Descriptions of one or more root object nodes of a scene is downloaded from the server to the graphical client, wherein the descriptions may include references to other object nodes in the form of unique persistent identifiers for the referenced object nodes with their associated bounding volumes. The bounding volumes for the object nodes are intersected with a view frustum in the graphical client to determine a set of visible and undefined object nodes. Descriptions of the object nodes in the set of visible and undefined object nodes are then downloaded from the server to the graphical client, wherein the descriptions include unique persistent identifiers for the object nodes with their associated bounding volumes. A determination is made whether the downloaded object nodes reference other object nodes, and if so, the steps are repeated for the other object nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter Fredrik Janson
  • Patent number: 7197708
    Abstract: A method and system for providing Web-based information that is relevant to a program being viewed on a television. A data stream providing a set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) is provided along with the program content. The URLs identify Web sites that are relevant to the program content. Based on user preferences specified in a user profile, URLs for Web sites that are likely to be of particular interest to the user can be culled from the overall set of URLs. These URLs are sent to a device connected to the Internet (e.g., a personal computer system), allowing the user to access Web-based information relevant to the program content. The program content continues to be displayed on the television and the Web-based information is displayed on the personal computer system. Accordingly, the user can view targeted information that is of interest without interrupting the display on the television.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Frendo, Philip R. Graham
  • Patent number: 7181696
    Abstract: A system and method for conducting market research studies on online content utilizing moderator and respondent computers connected over a network. A moderator at the moderator computer directs a plurality of respondents at the respondent computers to view preselected subject matter displayed on the respondent computers and collects comments and reactions on the subject matter from the respondents in a database for later review and for benchmarking. Software resident in the respondent computers enables the respondents to view a plurality of screens showing different aspects of the online content and, in a preferred embodiment, provides buttons that can be activated by the respondents to indicate a reaction to the content. In addition, the preferred embodiment enables the respondents to provide text comments to the content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Blue Bear LLC
    Inventor: Stephen P. Brock
  • Patent number: 7181699
    Abstract: A method and system is provided for dynamically resizing dialogs of a computer software application while the application is running. Dialog windows may be resized by user action, such as by hooking on to one side or to a corner of the dialog window and dragging the side or corner in or out to expand or contract the dialog window. In response to the user's action, the operating system of the user's computer notifies a dialog window manager that the dialog window is being resized. An autolayout module lays out the dialog window to its new size, placing all controls contained therein in their proper locations and with their proper dimensions according to the rules associated with the dialog window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Catherine Rose Morrow, Ronald Stephen Giesen, Steven Adam Breinberg
  • Patent number: 7178110
    Abstract: The invention provides a file processing apparatus, with which files can be selected easily when subjecting files to a predetermined process. A window W that is displayed during file processing is partitioned into three regions, namely a file display window W1, a selected file display window W2, and an execution icon display window W3. While ascertaining the contents of the files in a predetermined folder and comparing among the files with the icons displayed as thumbnails in the file display window W1, the user can select files to be processed by double-clicking. Once a file has been selected, it is displayed as an icon in the window W2, so that file selection can be performed easily and accurately while scrolling down the window, for example. After the file selection is terminated, a process can be executed, for example by double-clicking a process icon displayed in the window W3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akinobu Fujino
  • Patent number: 7165220
    Abstract: An apparatus and method define one or more events that run a Java script when a web page is bookmarked. In the preferred embodiments, a browser determines whether a requested web page was requested from a bookmark, whether the requested page is currently bookmarked, and whether the requested page is the browser's home page. This information is sent along with the page request so the web server can take appropriate action based on this information. One or more events are defined that each run a corresponding Java script to indicate when a page was loaded from a bookmark, when a page is bookmarked, when a page is not bookmarked, and when a page is the home page of the browser. The preferred embodiments allow bookmark information to be communicated to a web server, which can then use the bookmark information in a variety of ways. One preferable way to use the bookmark information is to vary the presentation of the web page depending on whether the page is bookmarked or not.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Cary Lee Bates, Paul Reuben Day, John Matthew Santosuosso
  • Patent number: 7100117
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a data information display method of a data broadcasting receiver and an apparatus thereof, in particular to a data information display method of a data broadcasting receiver and an apparatus thereof which is capable of selecting a simple data information picture or a data information picture or a general television picture according to a viewer select in a digital data broadcasting, and knowing overall content of the present receiving data information without switching the present audition television picture into the data information picture when the viewer selects the simple data information picture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Duk Chin Chwa, Jae Rock Kwon
  • Patent number: 7062722
    Abstract: A design professional such as an interior designer running a browser program at a client computer (i) optionally causes a digital image of a room, or a room model, or room images to be transmitted across the world wide web to a graphics server computer, and (ii) interactively selects furnishings from this server computer, so as to (iii) receive and display to his or her client a high-fidelity high-quality virtual-reality perspective-view image of furnishings displayed in, most commonly, an actual room of a client's home. Opticians may, for example, (i) upload one or more images of a client's head, and (ii) select eyeglass frames and components, to (iii) display to a prospective customer eyeglasses upon the customer's own head. The realistic images, optionally provided to bona fide design professionals for free, promote the sale to the client of goods which are normally obtained through the graphics service provider, profiting both the service provider and the design professional.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Inventors: Bruce Carlin, Satoshi Asami, Arthur Porras, Sandra Porras
  • Patent number: 7051280
    Abstract: A method for displaying a reservation guide/confirmation screen in a tv includes the steps of: displaying a reservation guide screen if a user selects a reservation mode, setting the user's desired reservation state using a predetermined key on the reservation guide screen, and displaying a reservation confirmation screen if the user selects a reservation confirmation mode. In the reservation mode, day or date is displayed on a horizontal axis and a user's desired time zone is displayed on a vertical axis in a two-dimensional timetable. Therefore, the user can easily recognize a reservation guide/confirmation screen. Furthermore, since reservation can be set and confirmed on the screen of two-dimensional timetable type using a mouse or key, convenience can be provided to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Jae Woo Ko
  • Patent number: 7051286
    Abstract: In a method for altering a protocol in a magnetic resonance apparatus a first parameter for the protocol and a second parameter for the protocol are displayed in a user interface display presentation. In this display presentation, a range of values for the first parameter is shown, including designation of a first sub-range within the range wherein selection of a value for the first parameter does not modify the second parameter, and designation of a second sub-range wherein selection of a value for the first parameter causes modification of the second parameter. If a value for the first parameter is selected in the second sub-range, the display presentation automatically shows how the value selected for the first parameter will modify the second parameter. The user is given an option, via the user interface to confirm selection of the value for the first parameter, or to reject it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Alto Stemmer, Rainer Kaim, Thomas Kluge
  • Patent number: 7043691
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for assisting a user to make a connection between a main device and peripheral device. An illustration visually demonstrating how to connect one or more peripheral devices to the main device is displayed on a display screen. In one embodiment, the illustration shows at least one connecting portion of the main device, the connecting portion of at least one peripheral device, and the connection between the connecting portion of the main device and the connecting portion of the peripheral device. In another embodiment, more than one or all of the connecting portions of the main device are shown. Alternatively, the connecting portions of a plurality of a peripheral devices are shown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Il Gun Kwon, Ji Yeon Hwang
  • Patent number: 7043702
    Abstract: A method and system for visualizing actual and predicted usage patterns through a web site is provided. A plurality of web pages may be represented as a node and visualized on a dome tree. The dome tree is a three-dimensional image of a dome, with a portion of the outer wall removed, displayed on a two-dimensional monitor. Paths into and out of each node are displayed using a variety of colors and patterns and information relating to the nodes and paths may also be accessed. By designating a web page as the root node each of the associated pages are laid out within the dome tree radially based on actual usage information. Predicted information for each node is displayed as a bar near the node, thereby assisting a user in understanding the relationship between actual and predicted usage patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Ed H. Chi, Peter L. T. Pirolli, James E. Pitkow