Abstract: A media handling system in which candidate video sequences are displayed on a display screen in schematic form for selection by a user comprises means for detecting human faces in the candidate video sequences; a display screen for displaying representations of the candidate video sequences for selection by a user, each representation including one or more images representing human faces derived from the respective video sequences; and a user control for defining a set of one or more of the video sequences.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and software are presented for a device to provide information about operation of a button during operation of the button. The button performs a first action if the button has been operated a first way, and performs a second alternative action if the button has instead been operated a second way. The user is provided with information, during the operation of the button, indicative of the second way.

Abstract: A method of visually expressing user interface elements on a display is provided which emphasizes those user interface elements which a user would be more interested in and deemphasizes those user interface elements which a user would be less interested in. Certain user interface elements, such as active elements, can be rendered in a sharp manner and be within a depth of field while other elements, such as inactive elements, can be rendered in a blurry manner and outside the depth of field.

Abstract: Data items contained in personal information are displayed in manner that is indicative of both the importance and the urgency of the data items. A first visual cue is assigned to the data item based on an importance of the data item. The first visual cue may cause more important items to be displayed with increased size and less important items to be displayed with decreased size. A second visual cue is assigned to the data item based on an urgency of the data item. The second visual cue may cause more urgent items to be displayed in a first color and less important items to be displayed in a second color. The data item is displayed using the first and second visual cue as to provide a visual indication as to both the importance and urgency of the data item.

Abstract: To improve the art of graphical user interfaces, the present invention introduces a system that displays iconic resource representations having a salient dimension in a manner that provides the user with an indication of where the user is within that resource. The system of the present invention achieves this goal with the use of a novel system of icon label placement for that resource icon. Specifically, the system of the present invention uses the position of a label on an iconic resource representation that extends beyond at least one edge of a window to convey a proportional position within than iconic resource representation. Thus, a user is given an understanding of the current proportional location within an iconic resource representation from where the graphical interface system renders the label on the iconic resource representation.

Abstract: A method of displaying data includes defining a primary display screen having a data display area and at least one linking area. At least one secondary display screen is also defined. At least one of the linking areas is associated with at least one of the secondary display screens.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for receiving page-specific user feedback concerning a particular web page of a website includes using a comment icon viewable on the page to solicit one or more page-specific open-ended comments concerning the page from a user. The method includes using software associated with the comment icon to automatically communicate a request for a comment window to a remote computer system that is separate from a computer system hosting the website in response to the user selecting the comment icon, receive the comment window from the remote computer system, present the comment window to the user, and receive one or more or more page-specific open-ended comments concerning the page from the user provided using the comment window for reporting to a website owner.

Abstract: A method of navigating data associated with a plurality of nodes in a hierarchy stored in a database. The nodes are organized in a plurality of levels of the hierarchy where each node has a label. Software of the invention requests and receives a set of labels associated with one or more nodes in one or more levels in the hierarchy from the database. The software displays a visual representation of the hierarchy to a user including the received labels. A user select a plurality of the displayed labels from any level in the hierarchy to process data associated with the nodes corresponding to the selected labels.

Abstract: A graphical user interface for browsing information displayed to a user. The information displayed includes zero or more elements and may be displayed in a display window. The display window has a perimeter and a scrollbar is positioned along the perimeter. The scrollbar may have a first end and a second end and a slider located between the ends. The slider may be configured such that movement of the slider causes information in the display area to be scrolled. In one embodiment, the size of the slider is based on the size of the one more elements of information displayed in the display window. A data-line may be positioned adjacent the scrollbar and may have a plurality of tick marks. A graphical element, which may be displayed in phantom, may be used to associate the slider to the data-line.

Abstract: A method for structuring video by probabilistic merging of video segments includes the steps of obtaining a plurality of frames of unstructured video; generating video segments from the unstructured video by detecting shot boundaries based on color dissimilarity between consecutive frames; extracting a feature set by processing pairs of segments for visual dissimilarity and their temporal relationship, thereby generating an inter-segment visual dissimilarity feature and an inter-segment temporal relationship feature; and merging video segments with a merging criterion that applies a probabilistic analysis to the feature set, thereby generating a merging sequence representing the video structure. The probabilistic analysis follows a Bayesian formulation and the merging sequence is represented in a hierarchical tree structure.

Abstract: The invention is directed to filtering data in a database with a calendar user interface. The invention returns data associated with time periods selected by the user. In particular, the calendar user interface provides options to the user to individually select a range or non-contiguous time periods and to specify time periods relative to a current time period where the relative time periods are internally converted to fixed time periods.

Abstract: Data items contained in personal information are displayed in manner that is indicative of both the importance and the urgency of the data items. A first visual cue is assigned to the data item based on an importance of the data item. The first visual cue may cause more important items to be displayed with increased size and less important items to be displayed with decreased size. A second visual cue is assigned to the data item based on an urgency of the data item. The second visual cue may cause more urgent items to be displayed in a first color and less important items to be displayed in a second color. The data item is displayed using the first and second visual cue as to provide a visual indication as to both the importance and urgency of the data item.

Abstract: A user interface having a user icon and associate icons to visualize an interpersonal relationship and to communicate in order to nurture the relationship. In one embodiment of the invention, the user icon represents a user and the associate icons represent numerous associates. The associate icons are positioned radially about the user icon on the user interface to visualize a relationship between the user and each associate.

Abstract: A pushbutton user interface enables a user to preview the effect of activating a pushbutton of the interface before the pushbutton is activated. The pushbutton user interface can be implemented so that an input (preview input) to the pushbutton that does not produce an activation of the pushbutton is sensed and, in response to the sensed input, a preview is displayed that indicates the effect of activating the pushbutton. The preview input can be sensed using, for example, a force-sensitive resistor, potentiometer or strain gauge. The preview display can include, for example, a visual display, an audio display, a haptic display, or a combination of two or three such displays. The pushbutton user interface can be implemented so that the preview input and an activation input (i.e., an input that produces an activation of the pushbutton) are sensed as a result of an input to the pushbutton along the same axis or along different (e.g., orthogonal) axes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for execution in a graphical user interface environment are provided. The apparatus and method are used to display a set of items within a content collection, such as a set of files within a folder on a computer operating system. The method includes obtaining data from the items that describes an item type for a number of the items. Based upon the obtained item types a distribution of the types of items within the collection is determined. The content collection is categorized based upon the determined distribution and, based upon the category, the content collection is displayed in a certain format that is chosen to best display that category of content. A user interface is also provided that includes a working area that displays the contents of a content collection. In the working area, the format of the display varies based upon the type of contents in the content collection.

Abstract: A method and system for web based control components. Specifically, the present invention describes a method of rendering user interface button and tab control components within a hypertext markup language (HTML) web page. The present invention generates an HTML table that comprises a plurality of cells. For a button component a two row by three column table is generated. For a tab component a five column table is generated. The present invention places a plurality of graphical corner images in the plurality of cells to produce corner outlines of the button or tab control component. Multiple button or tab components can be coupled together in a single table by repeatedly adding more of the plurality of cells associated with button or tab components, respectively. In addition, the control component has the ability to accommodate word wrapping of the text contained within the control component.

Abstract: A tombstone for communicating audio and visual data related to the deceased from the tombstone to a user, the tombstone comprising an indicia bearing and viewing portion, a visual display, an audio transmitter for communicating sound waves to a user, data related to the deceased, the data comprising audio and visual images of the deceased, the data stored within storage media, and means for reproducing the audio and visual images of the deceased from the data related to the deceased utilizing one or more players, readers or drivers for the one or more of the storage media.

Abstract: A multi-component icon and system and method of generating thereof. The multi-component icon is generated from characteristics of a data object or data objects where the characteristics include data object content and data object metadata. The multi-component icon includes a plurality of visual traits. Each visual trait has a plurality of variations, such as different shapes, colors, and/or patterns. The visual traits are variably assignable to any one characteristic of the data object such that each variation of the characteristic is visually represented by the icon by a corresponding variation of the variably assignable visual trait.

Abstract: Methods and systems for creating and rendering skins are described. In one described embodiment skins can be defined as sets of script files, art files, media files, and text files. These files can be used to create new and different skin appearances, layouts and functionalities. The files are organized for use using a hierarchical tag-based data structure, an example of which is an XML data structure. The data structure is processed to provide an object model. The object model can be a scriptable object model that enables script to execute to provide an interactive, dynamic skin that can respond to internal and external events. In one embodiment, a computer architecture used for rendering the skin includes a layout manager that processes an intermediate representation of the XML data structure to provide the scriptable object model. Various components of the scriptable object model can include a script engine for receiving and executing script, and one or more rendering elements.

Abstract: The mouse cursor is moved over the register of a register dialog once a drop-and-drag action has been initiated, then the register under the mouse cursor is automatically moved to the foreground after a variable time interval, and the contents can thus be seen. Process of making the item visible is initiated just by locating the mouse over the register of the concealed registered dialog. The invention can be extended to normal mouse movements (that is to say that other than drag drop.) Dropping an object on to a drop destination in a concealed register of a register dialog for drag and drop actions and drag and drop between the registers of a tabbed dialog or the pages of a workbook (such as the various tables in Excel, for example.