Patents by Inventor Richard D. Steele

Richard D. Steele 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).

  • Method of communication using sized icons, text, and audio
    Patent number: 5973694
    Abstract: Language oriented information is communicated to and from a user by the use of a computer with a dynamic graphics display, having a pointing device for visually indicating a position through a cursor on the display. Various embodiments of the method include calling an icon to attention when the cursor is positioned on the icon, auto projecting an icon when it is activated, changing the icon image to denote its terminal node status, varying the play back speed of the audio/visual aspect of an icon, moving among different layers of a hierarchical database, and text searching and matching with icons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Chatham Telecommunications, Inc.,
    Inventors: Richard D. Steele, Robert F. Gonsalves, Larry J. Leifer
  • Method of communication using sized icons, text, and audio
    Patent number: 5742779
    Abstract: Language oriented information is communicated to and from a user by the use of a computer with a dynamic graphics display, having a pointing device for visually indicating a position through a cursor on the display. Various embodiments of the method include calling an icon to attention when the cursor is positioned on the icon, auto projecting an icon when it is activated, changing the icon image to denote its terminal node status, varying the play back speed of the audio/visual aspect of an icon, moving among different layers of a hierarchical database, and text searching and matching with icons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 21, 1998
    Assignee: Tolfa Corporation
    Inventors: Richard D. Steele, Robert F. Gonsalves, Larry J. Leifer
  • Method of communicating with a language deficient patient
    Patent number: 5169342
    Abstract: An interactive method of communicating with a language deficient user such as an aphasic patient is disclosed. The computer has a display with a pointing device for visually indicating a position through a cursor means on the display. In one example, a plurality of images with each image being a graphical representation of word oriented information or a component thereof is displayed. A plurality of tool-like icons is also displayed. The cursor can be positioned to one of the desired plurality of tool-like icons. When one of the plurality of tool-like icons is selected by the user, the cursor is changed into the image of the tool-like icon selected. The tool-like icon image selected for the cursor is then moved to one of a plurality of the images which represent word-oriented information or a component thereof. When the cursor is activated on the image, a display of information represented by the tool-like icon acting on the word-oriented image is then visually displayed by the computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1992
    Inventors: Richard D. Steele, Michael Weinrich, Young Harvill, Maria K. Kleczewska