Patents by Inventor Terence E. Barton

Terence E. Barton 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).

  • Nodal model for status based dynamic display of user interface controls
    Patent number: 6031535
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a graphical array of buttons in a graphical user interface. The method and apparatus models the buttons as nodes of a network and depending on pre-determined criteria and establishes links between nodes. The presence or absence of links between nodes sets status relationships between them. The selecting by a user of one button will change/maintain the status of other buttons depending on links or absence of links between corresponding nodes. When a sufficient number of buttons are selected, the user may initiate a task utilizing the status of the buttons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 29, 2000
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Terence E. Barton