Patents by Inventor Darryl S. Richman

Darryl S. Richman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Reduced or fail-safe bootstrapping of a system having a graphical user interface
    Patent number: 5784549
    Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for invoking a limited or "fail-safe" functionality from a computer system having a graphical user interface (GUI). In one aspect, a computer operating system having GUI functionality can be activated with two different sets of GUI features. Normally, the operating system provides a full complement of GUI features. Alternatively, the operating system provides a more limited set of GUI features. The operating system invokes the limited set of GUI features either in response to a user command, such as a keyboard function key pressed during the bootstrap loading sequence of the operating system, or automatically in response to a failure of an attempt by the computer system to load the normal complement of GUI functions. With the limited set of GUI features, the user of the computer can take advantage of the power of graphical user interfaces even when the computer system is not operating normally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Brian Alan Reynolds, Pierre-Yves Santerre, Darryl S. Richman, Ralph Allen Lipe, Robert Matthew McKaughan
  • Reduce or fail-safe bootstrapping of a system having a graphical user interface
    Patent number: 5627964
    Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for invoking a limited or "fail-safe" functionality from a computer system having a graphical user interface (GUI). In one aspect, a computer operating system having GUI functionality can be activated with two different sets of GUI features. Normally, the operating system provides a full complement of GUI features. Alternatively, the operating system provides a more limited set of GUI features. The operating system invokes the limited set of GUI features either in response to a user command, such as a keyboard function key pressed during the bootstrap loading sequence of the operating system, or automatically in response to a failure of an attempt by the computer system to load the normal complement of GUI functions. With the limited set of GUI features, the user of the computer can take advantage of the power of graphical user interfaces even when the computer system is not operating normally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1997
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Brian A. Reynolds, Pierre-Yves Santerre, Darryl S. Richman, Ralph A. Lipe, Robert M. McKaughan