Abstract: An intuitive graphical user interface is based upon a geographic map structure, and includes a system for controlling remote external electronic devices. In the defined graphical user interface, each Space of the geographic map structure is rendered on a touch screen display as a graphic image of a geographic space. Within each Space are colored cartoon-like icons called “objects” which can be Selected and manipulated by the user. Certain objects, referred to as portals, transport the user from one Space to another Space when Selected. Other objects, referred to as buttons, perform associated actions or functions when Selected. The graphical user interface is displayed on a hand-held display device used to control remote devices. Each remote electronic device transmits a user interface program object that defines a graphical user interface to the display device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a local server computer of a client-server network includes a technique to receive a request from a client computer of the client-server network. A determination is made whether the request requires dynamically generated information from a servlet object of the client-server network. If so, a specified servlet object corresponding to the request may be uploaded from a remote server computer of the client-server network. The specified servlet object is then executed to obtain dynamically generated information corresponding to the request.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a local server computer of a client-server network includes a technique to receive a request from a client computer of the client-server network. A determination is made whether the request requires dynamically generated information from a servlet object of the client-server network. If so, a specified servlet object corresponding to the request may be uploaded from a remote server computer of the client-server network. The specified servlet object is then executed to obtain dynamically generated information corresponding to the request.

Abstract: A program interpreter for computer programs written in a bytecode language, which uses a restricted set of data type specific bytecodes. The interpreter, prior to executing any bytecode program, executes a bytecode program verifier procedure that verifies the integrity of a specified program by identifying any bytecode instruction that would process data of the wrong type for such a bytecode and any bytecode instruction sequences in the specified program that would cause underflow or overflow of the operand stack. If the program verifier finds any instructions that violate predefined stack usage and data type usage restrictions, execution of the program by the interpreter is prevented. After pre-processing of the program by the verifier, if no program faults were found, the interpreter executes the program without performing operand stack overflow and underflow checks and without performing data type checks on operands stored in operand stack. As a result, program execution speed is greatly improved.

Abstract: An intuitive graphical user interface is based upon a geographic map structure, and includes a system for controlling remote external electronic devices. In the defined graphical user interface, each space of the geographic map structure is rendered on a touch screen display as a graphic image of a geographic space. Within each space are colored cartoon-like icons called "objects" which can be selected and manipulated by the user. Certain objects, referred to as portals, transport the user from one space to another space when Selected. Other objects, referred to as buttons, perform associated actions or functions when Selected. The graphical user interface is displayed on a hand-held display device used to control remote devices. Each remote electronic device transmits a user interface program object that defines a graphical user interface to the display device.

Abstract: An intuitive graphical user interface is based upon a geographic map structure, and includes a system for controlling remote external electronic devices. In the defined graphical user interface, each space of the geographic map structure is rendered on a touch screen display as a graphic image of a geographic space. Within each space are colored cartoon-like icons called "objects" which can be selected and manipulated by the user. Certain objects, referred to as portals, transport the user from one space to another space when Selected. Other objects, referred to as buttons, perform associated actions or functions when Selected. The graphical user interface is displayed on a hand-held display device used to control remote devices. Each remote electronic device transmits a user interface program object that defines a graphical user interface to the display device.

Abstract: The present invention provides a verifier for use in conjunction with programs utilizing data type specific bytecodes for verifying the proper operation of the executable program prior to actual execution by a host processor. A verifier is provided which includes a virtual stack for temporarily storing stack information which parallels the typical stack operations required during the execution a bytecode program. The verifier also includes a stack snapshot storage structure having a snapshot directory and stack snapshot storage area for storing the state of the virtual stack at various points during program verification so as to assure proper stack manipulations by the source program. A two step source program verification process is provided for in which the source program is initially loaded into the verifier and a first pass source program evaluation is performed.

Abstract: A class loader downloads objects and object viewers from remote computer nodes, and invokes locally stored object viewers to view objects. When a user selects an object to view, a conventional downloading of the referenced object is initiated. The class loader, however, utilizes data type information received at the beginning of the object downloading process to determine if a viewer for the referenced object is available on the user's workstation. If an appropriate view is not locally available, the class loader automatically locates an appropriate viewer on the server from which the object is being downloaded, or from any other appropriate server known to the user's workstation. The class loader downloads the located viewer and then invokes a program verification procedure to verify the integrity of the downloaded viewer before the viewer is executed.

Abstract: An intuitive graphical user interface is based upon a geographic map structure, and includes a system for controlling remote external electronic devices. In the defined graphical user interface, each Space of the geographic map structure is rendered on a touch screen display as a graphic image of a geographic space. Within each Space are colored cartoon-like icons called "objects" which can be Selected and manipulated by the user. Certain objects, referred to as portals, transport the user from one Space to another Space when Selected. Other objects, referred to as buttons, perform associated actions or functions when Selected. The graphical user interface is displayed on a hand-held display device used to control remote devices. Each remote electronic device transmits a user interface program object that defines a graphical user interface to the display device.

Abstract: A program interpreter for computer programs written in a bytecode language, which uses a restricted set of data type specific bytecodes. The interpreter, prior to executing any bytecode program, executes a bytecode program verifier procedure that verifies the integrity of a specified program by identifying any bytecode instruction that would process data of the wrong type for such a bytecode and any bytecode instruction sequences in the specified program that would cause underflow or overflow of the operand stack. If the program verifier finds any instructions that violate predefined stack usage and data type usage restrictions, execution of the program by the interpreter is prevented. After pre-processing of the program by the verifier, if no program faults were found, the interpreter executes the program without performing operand stack overflow and underflow checks and without performing data type checks on operands stored in operand stack. As a result, program execution speed is greatly improved.

Abstract: An intuitive graphical user interface is based upon a geographic map structure, and includes a system for controlling remote external electronic devices. In the defined graphical user interface, each space of the geographic map structure is rendered on a touch screen display as a graphic image of a geographic space. Within each space are colored cartoon-like icons called "objects" which can be selected and manipulated by the user. Certain objects, referred to as portals, transport the user from one space to another space when Selected. Other objects, referred to as buttons, perform associated actions or functions when Selected. The graphical user interface is displayed on a hand-held display device used to control remote devices. Each remote electronic device transmits a user interface program object that defines a graphical user interface to the display device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for displaying user selectable advertising information or other user selectable informational images on a host computer. In a preferred embodiment, a user accessing the World Wide Web via a browser application is concurrently displayed user selectable advertising information on a predefined portion of the host computer screen. In this embodiment, an advertising application is executed concurrently with the browser application. The advertising application is an object oriented program that includes a data structure for storing methods and data pointers. The methods define the creation of the dedicated portion of the user screen display for displaying the advertising information, methods for selecting the particular information to be displayed, as well as methods for accessing additional information related to the displayed advertisement images.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for operating a local server computer of a client-server network includes a technique to receive a request from a client computer of the client-server network. A determination is made whether the request requires dynamically generated information from a servlet object of the client-server network. If so, a specified servlet object corresponding to the request may be uploaded from a remote server computer of the client-server network. The specified servlet object is then executed to obtain dynamically generated information corresponding to the request.

Abstract: An intuitive graphical user interface is based upon a geographic map structure, and includes a system for controlling remote external electronic devices. In the defined graphical user interface, each space of the geographic map structure is rendered on a touch screen display as a graphic image of a geographic space. Within each space are colored cartoon-like icons called "objects" which can be selected and manipulated by the user. Certain objects, referred to as portals, transport the user from one space to another space when Selected. Other objects, referred to as buttons, perform associated actions or functions when Selected. The graphical user interface is displayed on a hand-held display device used to control remote devices. Each remote electronic device transmits a user interface program object that defines a graphical user interface to the display device.

Abstract: A hybrid compiler-interpreter comprising a compiler for "compiing" source program code, and an interpreter for interpreting the "compiled" code, is provided to a computer system. The compiler comprises a code generator that generates code in intermediate form with data references made on a symbolic basis. The interpreter comprises a main interpretation routine, and two data reference handling routines, a dynamic field reference routine for handling symbolic references, and a static field reference routine for handling numeric references. The dynamic field reference routine, when invoked, resolves a symbolic reference and rewrites the symbolic reference into a numeric reference. After rewriting, the dynamic field reference routine returns to the main interpretation routine without advancing program execution to the next instruction thereby allowing the rewritten instruction with numeric reference to be reexecuted.