Abstract: Presented is a remote control for interacting with a navigation system that allows content presented on a display device to be navigated in an organized and categorized fashion. The remote control comprises operational controls grouped by navigational function located on at least three sides of the remote control for selecting content. An infrared transmitter is provided for transmitting instructions coded as infrared signals. A programmable controller is operative to receive an indication that a control was selected and instruct the transmitter to transmit an infrared signal corresponding to the control selected.

Abstract: An interactive, multi-media presentation viewing system and process for viewing educational or business presentations integrating presentation graphics in the form of presentation slides, video, audio, text, and other streaming media into a powerfully coordinated viewing experience for the end user. The viewing system is an aggregate of synchronized presentation graphics, video, and text displays employing a graphical user interface that allows the user to control all aspects of media playback.

Abstract: A system and method for capturing, displaying, and navigating text annotations in a non-modifiable document is disclosed. Once it is determined that a text annotation is to be created, the system determines the file position of the selected object. The file position of the selected object is stored along with the created text annotation in another file or a non-read only portion of a file storing the document. Using the file position, the text annotation may be properly identified with the selected object without modifying the non-modifiable document. Once a text annotation is displayed a user may easily navigate among the captured annotations.

Abstract: A method, application interface, and medium is provided for presenting a variety of data representations in a screen-area inset. The inset(s) can be one or more bounded portions of a graphical user interface. The inset offers a picture-in-picture type of functionality to present videos, data, pictures, audio, and other data representations in a persistently viewable screen area that does not consume the entirety of a display device. The API includes instructions to allow software components to use the inset. The method includes receiving one or more event requests related to the inset, communicating them to a software application or operating system, receiving one or more data sets to satisfy the event requests, and communicating the data sets to the original software application to present a data representation in the inset.

Abstract: An Internet-based design environment, implemented on a web server, for use by building, design, architectural, engineering, and construction personnel, wherein the design environment provides a graphical user interface having a virtual desktop (300) that resembles an architect's desk, wherein the virtual desktop provides a virtual workspace for storing design documents and a set of basic virtual design tools (304, 306) for use in sketching, drawing, modeling, creating, and editing the stored design documents in the virtual workspace. The design documents may comprise different media types (314) and are persistently maintained on the web server. The virtual design tools comprise graphical icons that resemble physical objects with similar virtual functionality to the resembled physical objects and may be moved around the virtual workspace.

Abstract: A system for providing a graphical interface to a user includes a server platform and an operating system and application software running thereon. The system further includes a client device capable of running a standard web browser that accesses the software application on the server platform for displaying information to the user in a display area on the client device. The standard web browser displays the information without requiring additional software to be installed or downloaded or run on the client device, and without requiring a scripting language to be enabled in the web browser on the client device. The application software facilitates manipulation by the user of unstructured data in the display area for detailed inspection, and also facilitates the user selectively causing to display annotations within the display area.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for maintaining a graphics display window on a display screen that will not be obscured by any other graphics display window. The graphic display apparatus comprises an arbiter, a gatekeeper and an access control table. The arbiter selects from among a plurality of computer applications requesting authorization on the display screen to display data. Authorization is granted via a persistence attribute. Once a persistence attributed is obtained, the graphics display window remains on the screen unobscured.

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.

Abstract: An Intermediate Viewer having a user interface which allows viewing, manipulation, and transfer of information elements contained in a transfer buffer to be transferred to a plurality of destination points or areas, with the destination points or areas being defined as belonging to one or more sets of destination points or areas.

Abstract: A method and computer network for managing an intentional community, such as a continuing care residential retirement community. Such a community includes members who have rights to use physical resources such as facilities and services that are managed by a management entity of the intentional community. The members are able to interact with management and outside vendors with a graphical user interface that represents the community, and perhaps vendor sites.

Abstract: A graphical user interface comprising a main pane, a web button or interactive content button area, an input area, a mini map area, and a three-dimensional view area is disclosed. There are three main view that are displayed (a) three-dimensional perspective view of a virtual three-dimensional space that comprises a plurality of virtual display windows, wherein each of the virtual display windows is allocated a specific position in the space and is associated with a network location identifier of a content provider, or (b) an interactive content view of network content associated with the network location identifier, or (c) a map view comprising a map of the virtual three-dimensional space. Various map display, path generation, and navigation functions are provided.

Abstract: An integration tool is presented for integrating and/or commissioning a new device or system into a building control system. The integration tool is incorporated into the building control system and is operative to create one or more databases and/or applications for the new device that is then flashed to an appropriate building system controller. In one form, the present invention is a software tool for integrating a building control device into the building control system. In another form, the present invention is an integration tool for defining applications for new devices. In yet another form, the present invention is a seamless software tool that allows field personnel to create databases and define applications by simply following the defined point structure.

Abstract: System and method for creating a scene graph. A data flow diagram is created in response to input, including displaying a first plurality of nodes on a display which are executable to create at least a portion of the scene graph, and connecting the nodes to create the data flow diagram, where the nodes are connected to specify data flow among the plurality of nodes. The data flow diagram is executed to create the scene graph. The scene graph specifies a plurality of objects and relationships between the objects, e.g., via an object hierarchy, and is usable in rendering a graphical image of the plurality of objects, e.g., a 3D scene. The scene graph is stored in a memory medium. At least one render node may be included in the data flow diagram which receives the scene graph as an input and renders the image based on the scene graph.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method to facilitate efficient and automated presentation of information to users. A decomposition component automatically decomposes an information item into sets of subcomponents in a two- or three-dimensional isometric space, and generates visualizations having interactive graphics that allow users to inspect respective subcomponents. Interface features are provided to enable hover, dwell, and clicking commands, for example, providing a variety of options to zoom in, or change configurations of the visualization in accordance with the users intentions or inferences about what they desire to see or inspect more closely. Beyond the use of decompositions into exploded views of the content of items typically viewed as singular documents, the methods can be applied to perform geometric transformations on visualizations of multiple windows and other resources based on content and activity to provide regularized visualizations of the multiple items.

Abstract: This invention is a method for manipulating virtual objects displayed on a video conference broadcast by generating a computerized three dimensional image of an object to be superimposed on a first video broadcast signal from a local video camera for display on a remote video monitor, and superimposing the same object on a second video broadcast signal from a remote video camera for display on a local video monitor, grabbing a portion of the three dimensional image by placing a hand in close proximity to the portion of the image moving the hand while maintaining the hand in close proximity to the image and regenerating the three dimensional image to a new perspective view corresponding to the movement of the image with the hand to create the appearance that the hand is manipulating a virtual object displayed over the video broadcast signal.

Abstract: A stand-alone icon (i.e., an icon that is not part of an application interface) is provided to facilitate communications across a network between users of at least one communications program. The icon represents a contact or a set of contacts. Status information regarding the contact or set of contacts is received and displayed using the icon or in response to an operation performed on the icon. The icon additionally may provide an interface for performing actions related to the contact or set of contacts. The actions may generally include, for example, retrieving profile information about the contact, setting an alert to indicate that the contact's network/login status (e.g., login, logout, or idle) has changed, or performing communications with the contact.

Abstract: Described is a system and method for visually delineating a relationship between diverse, but related graphical objects in a graphical user interface. An icon that has a specified color scheme is associated with the diverse, but related graphical objects. When one of the related graphical objects is displayed, the icon is displayed within the displayed graphical object. The persistence of the icon with the specified color scheme in the displayed graphical objects them to to be recognized as related.

Abstract: There are provided a character input apparatus and a tape printing apparatus incorporating the character input apparatus as well as a character input method, which are capable of easily preparing a desired document by calling a design form having a sample text input therein in advance and then editing contents of the sample text. A plurality of design forms each having a sample text input therein in advance are stored, and one design form is selected from the plurality of stored design forms. The sample text of the selected one design form is edited. The sample text of the selected one design form or the edited sample text is displayed on a screen. At the same time, the sample text is also displayed with a cursor added to a character to be edited. In an initial state before editing, the sample text is displayed with the cursor added to a last character thereof.

Abstract: A method, system, and medium for editing electronic drawings or drafting documents are provided. The method includes presenting a representation of an electronic drawing, including a version of the drawing itself, to be edited, receiving edits to the representation, and storing the edits in a file that is separate from the electronic drawing. The edits are not initially made directly to the drawing. Rather, the edits are received distinct from the drawing and later made to the drawing by a central authority.

Abstract: A system and method enabling a designer to build electronic forms from hierarchical data is described. Displays of hierarchical data, facilitation of selection of a portion of the hierarchical data, and displays of one or more transformation-language components associated with a selected portion of hierarchical data are described. From the transformation-language components selected by a designer, generation of an electronic form is also described.