Abstract: A printed publication, reading display surface, or electronic display screen is provided with a left-right asymmetrical design that extends along left-right edges of the printed publication, reading display surface or electronic display screen that flank text to be read. The asymmetrical design is used by the reader to assist in distinguishing left from right while reading the text.

Abstract: Detection of when a cursor on a display screen being moved by a pointing device comes to a deliberate stop is performed by detecting the position of the cursor at successive intervals of time, comparing the current cursor position to the cursor position at the previous interval of time at each interval of time, and detecting that the cursor has come to a deliberate stop by detecting when the difference between the current cursor position and the cursor position at the previous interval of time is less than a predetermined value. Activation of an object on a display screen may be conditioned upon the cursor coming to a deliberate stop on the object.

Abstract: A method is provided for prompting a user who interacts with content on a display screen via a pointing device that a potential mistake may have been made during the interaction. The interaction includes a plurality of actions associated with the content of the display screen. The content is created by programming code. Programming code is analyzed to determine the next most likely action to occur during user interaction with the display screen contents at a plurality of different points in the programming code. After an action occurs by a user at a point in the programming code, it is detected whether the user performed the next most likely action. The user is prompted with an indication if the user did not perform the next most likely action and therefore may have made a potential mistake.

Abstract: Automatic switching between two executable programs occurs between a first mode wherein a first executable program is visible and active, and a second mode wherein a second executable program is visible and active. Switching is triggered by detecting that the first executable program has initiated an information processing mode. The first mode is restored upon completion of information processing. In one particular embodiment of the present invention, the first executable program is a browser for requesting, receiving and displaying information obtained from remote information sources, the first mode is a browser mode, and the information processing mode is the requesting by the browser for information.

Abstract: Web pages and other text documents displayed on a computer are reformatted to allow a a user who has difficulty reading to navigate between and among such documents and to have such documents, or portions of them, read aloud by the computer using a text-to-speech engine in their original or translated form while preserving the original layout of the document. A “point-and-read” paradigm allows a user to cause the text to be read solely by moving a pointing device over graphical icons or text without requiring the user to click on anything in the document. Hyperlink navigation and other program functions are accomplished in a similar manner.

Abstract: Information embedded in a displayed object is transferred from one browser window to another. Each of the browser windows display a Web page. The object is displayed on one of the Web pages and, by “dragging” and “dropping” the embedded information to the other Web page, a function is performed on the embedded information, such as one that converts text associated with the embedded information into an audible output. A user who has difficulty reading text displayed on a Web page can click on an image embedded in the text, or drag and drop the information embedded in the displayed image to another Web page used to perform the conversion function.

Abstract: A method of selecting and displaying two home pages, one appearing in a floating window displayed on a display screen of a user's terminal and the other one appearing in the background of the display screen. A browser in the user's terminal treats a setup page as the user's home page. The setup page retrieves the addresses of two home pages previously selected by the user. One of the home pages is displayed in the floating window on top of the other home page. CGI script is used to predetermine how the display of home pages is to be arranged.

Abstract: A telephone device is used to establish two-way communication with a remotely located entity, or to transfer content from a display screen of the telephone device to a nearby display screen for full viewing of the content. The two-way communication is initiated by an object emitting a signal containing a telephone number to the telephone device, which, in turn, automatically dials the telephone number. Alternatively, the object emits a signal containing an electronic address to a telephone device, which, in turn, automatically goes to the electronic address. Transfer of content also is achieved by transmitting an electronic address of content shown on a telephone device display screen to a nearby device which retrieves the content and then displays it on the nearby display screen.

Abstract: A user's chatterbot participates in a chat session with other users and the other users' chatterbots. The originator of an incoming instant message is identified to such a degree that a buddy on a buddy list is able to determine that the instant message was sent by a user's chatterbot (e.g., “Jackie's chatterbot”), and not the user (“Jackie”). The chatterbots can communicate with other chatterbots while the chatterbots' users listen to the chatterbots converse. The chatterbots may respond to messages originated by other chatterbots' messages and buddies' (users') messages.

Abstract: An occasion database and a date converter are provided in a device which allows a user to retrieve restored occasion information, whether the occasion occurs in the Gregorian calendar or a non-Gregorian calendar. A formula is stored for each occasion to allow its date to be calculated for any given year. The date converter converts between Gregorian and non-Gregorian dates. Conversions from one non-Gregorian calendar to another non-Gregorian calendar may also be performed. An intelligent agent executes date sensitive tasks by using at least one calendar and date calculation module for providing date information necessary to execute the date sensitive tasks. The tasks may be executed at a future time and on a periodic basis. Periodic tasks may be associated with occasions that occur in the Gregorian or non-Gregorian calendar.

Abstract: A system is provided of displaying information at a display of a local user computer. The information includes primary information representing information requested by a user and secondary information representing additional information. The primary information is retrieved from a first information memory device, wherein there is a delay period between the request time and the time in which the primary information is available for display. The secondary information is retrieved from a second information memory device. The primary and secondary information are stored in a local storage device of the user's computer, such as the cache memory. A display controller causes the primary information to be displayed simultaneously with a portion of the secondary information on the user's display.

Abstract: An intelligent agent executes tasks by using intelligent agent learning modules which store information necessary to execute the tasks. A computer receives a command to execute a task or receives data which causes a task request to be generated. The computer accesses appropriate information in the learning modules to execute the task, and outputs instructions for output devices to execute the tasks. The tasks may be executed at a future time and on a periodic basis. The learning modules build up a database of information from previously executed tasks, and the database is used to assist in executing future tasks. The tasks include physical commercial transactions. Portions of the intelligent agent may be remotely located and interconnected via remote communication devices.