Abstract: Methods and systems for providing graphical user interfaces are described. To provide greater access and consolidation to frequently used items in the graphical user interface, a userbar is established which includes a plurality of item representations. To permit a greater number of items to reside in the userbar, a magnification function can be provided which magnifies items within the userbar when they are proximate the cursor associated with the graphical user interface.

Abstract: Configuring wires/icons in a diagram. The diagram may be an executable diagram such as a graphical program or a system diagram. The diagram may include a plurality of icons that are connected by wires, and the icons may visually represent functionality of the diagram. The diagram may be executable to perform the functionality. Displaying the diagram may include displaying a first wire in the diagram, where the first wire connects a first icon and a second icon. Data transfer functionality may be specified for the first wire and/or the first or second icon in the diagram. The data transfer functionality may be visually indicated in the diagram, e.g., by appearances of the first icon, the second icon, the first wire, and/or icons displayed proximate to these components of the diagram.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for presenting a media stream to user next adjacent to text and other content via a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface allows allowing the user to select part of the content and associate it with a specified portion of the media stream. The a graphical user interface that displays and renders a media stream, such as a video stream, to a user in a first display area. Near the first display area is a second display area displaying content, such as text, to be associated with some portion of the media stream. The interface allows a user to select some of the content in the second display area with a pointing device. The selection also identifies a portion of the media stream based on what is being rendered as the selection is made and how the selection is made.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a solution for using menu position indicators to accurately show where an intelligently placed menu will appear. Positioning of menus can automatically vary in the solution depending upon available screen space and an origin point for the menu. A menu position indicator can include a graphical image capable of indicating a direction of the menu appearance, such as an arrow or triangle. The menu position indicator for a menu can change depending upon a position of an origin point and depending upon available screen space for displaying the associated menu. When a position of a main menu changes, calculations can be performed to determine where a submenu of the main menu will be presented, and the menu position indicator can be adjusted accordingly.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for creating, editing, sharing and distributing high-quality, media-rich web-based communications. The communications are created in a layered fashion that integrates user-selected text, colors, background patterns, images, sound, music, video, or other media. The systems and methods are used to generate, edit, broadcast, and track electronic presentations, brochures, advertisements (such as banner advertisements on highly trafficked media websites), announcements, and interactive web pages, without the need for the user to understand complex programming languages.

Abstract: The visibility of a treemap is improved by offsetting the area of a parent node relative to a bounding box containing all of its child nodes while constructing the treemap, so that a part of the bounding box lies outside the area of the parent node, and the area of each child node in the bounding box is located entirely or partially within the area of the parent node. The present invention highlights the parent-child relationships in the treemap with a cascading effect to make the structural information therein more apparent and easier to recognize.

Abstract: The invention as disclosed is a method to identify and monitor/track ships as they traverse waterways. The earth's surface is partitioned into geospatial regions with attributes of each region being stored. A priority is assigned to each partitioned region. A variety of data sources are used to collect data about ships in the geospatial regions. The data is merged and presented in geospatial or tabular formats on a graphical user interface, where the data itself, the data accuracy, and the age of the data can be visually determined graphically and chromatically from the display.

Abstract: A computer-based graphical user interface for graphically controlling processing of hydrological data, comprising a display menu interface listing executable tools from the group comprising one or more of: hydrological data input, hydrological data validity checking and correction, and hydrological modeling, a GUI for selecting and arranging tools from the display menu in a graphical display area to construct a hydrological process, the selected tools each being represented by icons on the graphical display, and for establishing a connection between at least one output of a first tool and an input of a second tool said tools by graphically displaying the connection between said tools representative icon and input means for receiving user input to arrange and execute said constructed hydrological data processing process.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a content detector portion, a display controller portion, an operation state detector portion, and a popup display controller portion. The content detector portion detects contents belonging to a same time range The display controller portion collects the contents, and displays, on a display portion along a time series, content-related graphical information of the respective contents, and a selector serving to select a desired content from among respective contents displayed. The operation state detector portion detects an operation state of an operation portion serving to perform an operation of moving the selector. In accordance with time information of a content selected when a predetermined operation state is detected, the popup display controller portion detects a content having past time information with respect to the time information of the selected content, and popup displays content-related graphical information of the detected content on the display portion.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for visually communicating disk storage meta information comprising a removable data storage device (RDSD). An RDSD enclosure comprising a disk storage drive, input/output interface, one or more connectors, a storage information module (SIM), a power storage device, and a display is implemented to be connected, disconnected and reconnected to a plurality of predetermined information handling systems. The RDSD is connected to a predetermined information handling system and the SIM gathers information from a plurality of disk information files comprising the RDSD. Once gathered, this information is visually communicated via the SIM to a display comprising the RDSD. When connected to, and powered by, an information handling system, the displayed information is dynamically updated as the operational status of the RDSD changes, but becomes static when RDSD is disconnected.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally to digital conferencing. A chat server causes a chat user interface to appear as a popup window hovering over a web page. In response to a first event, the chat server causes the chat user interface to appear as part of the web page.

Abstract: In an embodiment, hidden graphical elements in a graphic are detected by generating a first bitmap based on a plurality of graphical elements and a second bitmap based on a first subset of the plurality of graphical elements where the first subset omits a first graphical element of the plurality of elements and includes a second graphical element of the plurality of elements. The first bitmap is then compared with the second bitmap to determine if they match. If they match, the first graphical element is considered to be hidden by the second graphical element.

Abstract: A facility for coordinating an online discussion is described. The facility receives an indication that a user has captured a machine-readable symbol encoding an identifier that identifies a particular online discussion. In response, the facility incorporates into an online forum that hosts this online discussion an indication that this user captured a symbol encoding an identifier that identifies this online discussion.

Abstract: A system and a method for information display that is well adapted to marketing in the current, rapidly changing digital transmission communications setting is described. The invention provides a viewer interface that can be embodied in an inexpensive portable information storage media, such as a compact disc, a mini-compact disc, a business card cut CD, a flash memory card, a DVD, or other such portable information storage devices. When the viewer interface is used with a communications link, such as an interne connection, the interface establishes a connection to an interface management program located on a remote computer. The interface management system enables the user who provided the portable information storage media for the viewer to control the content of the information displayed to the viewer, and change that content without modifying or storing any information on the viewer's display device or changing the content of the viewer interface.

Abstract: System and method for creating a graphical program (GP) having portions that execute on different targets. A GP including a plurality of interconnected nodes visually indicating functionality of the program is created in response to user input, including a first graphical code portion with a first execution context specifying execution of the first graphical code portion on a first target. A second execution context indicating a second target for execution of a second graphical code portion of the GP is established in response to user input, e.g., by displaying a context structure indicating the second execution context and associating the second graphical code portion with the context structure in response to user input. During execution of the GP, the first graphical code portion executes on the first target using the first execution context, and the second graphical code portion executes on the second target using the second execution context.

Abstract: Designing user interfaces for users in a user population includes modeling behaviorally distinct groups of the users and customizing the user interfaces based on either or both interactive testing by the users and modeling the behaviorally distinct groups of the users. The user population is categorized into the behaviorally distinct groups of the users based on predetermined characteristics and behaviors for the users.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide for a portable computer with a contact-sensitive display having a user-interface that is configurable through user-contact with the display. An active input area may be provided that is configurable in appearance and functionality. The contents of the active input area, its functionality, and the manner in which it is oriented, particularly with respect to a left or right handedness, are described herein.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to a system and method for a transparent record. A record is displayed in a graphical user interface. The record contains at least one container having one or more elements. In an embodiment, a read service accesses a first interface of the container responsive to receiving input selecting the container. The one or more elements of the container are read and displayed in the graphical user interface.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a content detector portion and a controller portion. The content detector portion detects contents belonging to a same time range from different types of contents each including time information. The controller portion collects the contents belonging to the same time range and having been detected by the content detector portion and that graphically displays on a display portion along a time series, graphical information related to the contents of the respective contents collected in units of the respective time range used when collecting the respective contents.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses enable providing a structured business query interface to receive a structured business query. The interface can be provided as an extension to a business productivity application. The query is made without having to change context from the application to another program, but rather can be made within the context of the application. The query triggers access to a backend, which may result in accessing a data object that is inserted or embedded into the application, or a document of the application. In one embodiment, a business process extension is also available to the application, which enables a task pane within the application with other features and/or data. In one embodiment, related data can be accessed in response to selecting the inserted data object, which can provide additional information on the data object without leaving the context of the application.