Abstract: An information system that determines the apparent emotional state of the user and, based upon that determination, reacts appropriately. Appropriate reactions of the system include marking user text input to convey the apparent emotional state of the user to recipients. Other embodiments incorporate reactions of the system that warn or prompt a user, prior to system execution of a user directed operation, when the system has determined that the apparent emotional state of the user merits a warning or a prompt.

Abstract: An improved user interface for data input without the use of a standard keyboard is provided. Input is accepted through a data entry means such as a shuttle control system, a standard telephone keypad, or a speech recognition system. The data that is entered is selected from a predefined list that is presented to a user in an arrangement that statistically reduces the number of keystrokes required for data entry. This presentation is the result of determining the relative frequency of each valid selection in the predefined list and presenting those valid selections with the highest frequency items in a position that minimizes the number keystrokes required for data entry. In a speech recognition embodiment, the data entered is selected from an active list containing unique sounding entries. Alternatively, the data entered may be selected by speaking the numbers associated with the keys corresponding to the keystrokes required for data entry.

Abstract: An image display device for playing-back and displaying binary image data after decoding the above by the frame, comprises an image judging unit for judging the current frame to be a moving image or a static image, based on the time interval between the frames which have been decoded in the past, a scan converting unit for performing scan conversion on the current frame, depending on the judgment result by the image judging unit, and a display for displaying the decoded image through sequential scanning.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a software system having a user-friendly navigational interface utilizing an hierarchical display (20) of business documents based upon a dominant-subordinate relationship between the documents. In one embodiment, the documents are related through the use of keys, which define a relationship between the dominant (81) and the subordinate documents (91). In conjunction with the selection of a specific document, the invention displays information related to that document which can be custom defined by the user. In one embodiment, each user can define a unique set of data to be displayed. The invention further provides a means by which the underlying data can be easily edited from the hierarchical display (20). The present invention also allows the creation of expressions (230, 231) that will alert the user to predetermined conditions.

Abstract: The described system and procedure provide for storing device-specific UI information into firmware on a USB device. Responsive to receiving a host specific device request, the USB device communicates the device specific information to a requester such as an operating system or other computer program application. Thus, the system and procedure allow OEMs/IHVs to provide additional brand specific information in a USB device in a format that can be determined by an operating system. Moreover, the system and procedure allows OEMs/IHVs to store device-specific UI information in the firmware of a USB device such that installation media does not need to be distributed with each USB device to specify the device-specific information.

Abstract: A system and method for unobtrusively detecting a subject's level of interest in media content, includes detecting to what a subject is attending, measuring a subject's relative arousal level; and combining information regarding the subject's arousal level and attention to infer a level of interest.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing an improved interactive menu structure for an on-screen program guide within an interactive information distribution system. The menu structure is generated in service provider equipment and delivered to subscriber equipment as a digital video bitstream. The menu structure enables a viewer to view program schedules in an interactive manner with substantially no latency when switching from one program guide page to another. A mask and reveal technique is used to provide an interactive environment through which a viewer can identify programming, preview programming, launch multi-media programming for viewing, and cause other events within an information distribution system to occur.

Abstract: A mechanism for predicting whether user interface elements, such as keyboard cues, would be helpful to a computer user and either displaying or hiding the user interface elements based on that prediction is disclosed. Briefly described, an identification is made whether the last input device was a keyboard or a pointing device, such as a mouse. If the last input device was a pointing device, the keyboard cues are hidden. If the last input device was a keyboard, the keyboard cues are displayed. If the input device changes after the keyboard cues have been initially either hidden or displayed, a message so indicating is passed up the window hierarchy.

Abstract: An image transfer system for transferring an image from a first medium, comprising an image transfer apparatus and a computer. The image transfer apparatus has a scanner for scanning the image on the first medium, and a display. The computer is removably connected to the image transfer apparatus. The computer has a computer display. When the computer is connected to the image transfer apparatus, the computer has selectable features of an operating menu of the image transfer apparatus available for display on the computer display. At least one of the features is unavailable for selection in an image transfer apparatus menu available for display on the computer display when the computer is not connected to the transfer apparatus.

Abstract: An invention for customizing a web site by gathering information from a web site visitor's sessions while the user is using the web site. The visitor's session information is compared with expected visitor behavior, based on the present structure of the web site. Using pre-programmed basic comparison rules and computer based mathematical models, matrices are used to represent statistical information about the visitor's sessions on the web site. The statistical information is used to extract visitor behavior which was unexpected (anomalies). Anomalies are grouped into recommendations. These recommendations are used to automatically customize the web site. In the alternative, information is provided to the web site administrator to customize the web site to be more efficient and visitor friendly, maximizing the operation of the Web site and promoting more frequent visits.

Abstract: A computerized mortgage loan system and process to enable borrowers to design mortgage loans that meet their particular individual needs and financial goals, and that can be adapted to fit changing needs and goals is provided. The loan requirements of the borrower are obtained and applied to a set of rules for combining loan product features. One or more loan recommendations are determined and presented to the borrower. The loan recommendations include customized combinations of loan features based on the loan requirements of the borrower and the rules.

Abstract: A digital document comprising a multi-channel interface is provided that achieves improved user interaction. The digital document includes a plurality of content channels providing primary content continuously in a looping manner and at least one supplementary channel on a single page. The supplementary channel is configured to provide supplementary content upon the occurrence of an event during playback of the document. Channel content may include video, text, images, web page content and audio. The media content can be managed in a spatial and temporal manner. In addition to media content, a channel may contain interactive regions in the form of hot spots and interactive mapping regions. An authoring tool is also provided for generating a multi-channel interactive digital document.

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.

Abstract: A remotely controllable apparatus has a control panel for specifying a processing operation and is operated in accordance with an indication from the control panel and/or an externally supplied command. A storage device stores control-panel data that represents the appearance of at least principal components of the control panel. Remote control is performed using a virtual control panel, the appearance of which resembles that of the actual control panel, created by utilizing the control-panel data.

Abstract: A program is disclosed for permitting a user to directly annotate and capture data associated with a Java™ based applet application running within a conventional browser program. The program addresses sand-box local security restrictions otherwise attendant with such applet by exploiting non-local system resources that are accessible to such types of applications.

Abstract: A graphical user interface (GUI) allows a picture database user to enter metadata serving to annotate digital pictures to promote efficient picture database browsing. The annotation is permitted, not just for individual pictures, but for groups of pictures. The annotation information can be entered quickly, via a user-friendly interface (200, 204, 206), and can contain “social” information (via 116, 118 and 120) about groups of pictures (130–146), such as capture location, date and time, people or objects featured in groups of pictures, and events recorded by a group of pictures.

Abstract: A method and system of providing a three dimensional spatial user interface (SUI) to a user of a computing device. The SUI may be manipulated in three dimensions and contains a plurality of portals. A portal may contain a sensory cue that provides a reminder as to the content of the portal. Upon selection of a portal, an application program associated with the cue in the portal is invoked. Portals may also contain further instances of the SUI of the present invention, thus providing hierarchical depth. In the preferred embodiment, the SUI is implemented as a sphere and may be viewed from an external or internal perspective.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for launching applications on a computer. A launcher allows a user to quickly determine which applications are installed and to start one or more selected applications. The launcher accesses an operating system registry to determine which applications are installed and where each application is installed. The launcher presents information in a file formatted using a scripted language such as hypertext markup language (HTML), so that the file can be read by a standard web browser application, such as the well-known Netscape Navigator™ or Microsoft Internet Explorer™. Thus, a user is presented with a standard graphical user interface that he or she most likely knows. The user makes the selection by clicking with his or her mouse. The display may simply list the installed applications, or it may list all known applications, showing unavailable applications with a different visual attribute than installed applications, for example, dimmed or grayed out text.

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 digital image production and display method and apparatus produce digital images (102) that include at least one iconic region (104) having one or more location icons (106) with a likeness corresponding to the geographic location at which a digital image was captured. The capture location iconic region (104) contains several hierarchical layers of linked icons (106.1–106.n) varying from a general geographic location to a more specific one. A click on a thumbnail button in an icon displays a new icon with greater specificity of the geographic location of where the image was captured, culminating in one or more user-chosen icons representing very specific locations (106.1–106.5), and in the preferred embodiment, a hyperlink to a sponsor-chosen web site (106.n) on the World Wide Web. The icons are chosen from an icon library (432) to correspond to Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) information generated by a GPS receiver (424) integrated with or proximate with a digital camera (402) when an image is captured.