On-screen Link Or Communication (e.g., Cue) Patents (Class 715/805)
  • Patent number: 7359977
    Abstract: Where a user logs on to a web page server, the server can maintain a history of links to web pages hosted by the server to indicate which links are visited by the user. In consequence, a user may log on to the web page server from any web page-enabled device and the server will be able to differentiate for the user links the user has visited from links that have yet to be visited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Scott M. Lewis
  • Patent number: 7340456
    Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for using, identifying, interacting and managing digital information in a useful and convenient manner. When a digital representation of information is loaded, an index is constructed of unique terms in the information, which index includes the terms, a count of the occurrences of each term in the information and a reference to each location wherein the term occurs in the information. A user can select a term of interest from the index and a context box comprising a user-selected amount of information from before and/or after each occurrence of the selected term is displayed to the user to allow the user to more readily identify portions of the information which are of interest. The user can select one a context box of interest and the display of the information is repositioned to the location in the information which corresponds to the select box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Assignee: Govers Property Mgmt Limited Liability Company
    Inventor: Dirk Rodenburg
  • Patent number: 7337409
    Abstract: Customizable Drag & Drop enables easy activation of user defined or project specific functions concerning two related objects: A user interface graphically displays objects of a particular module. An extending function extends the drag and drop operation to allow the user to define a new set of semantics that is applied when a drag and drop operation is executed. In this way communication can be established using Customizable Drag & Drop extended by a user defined function. Also definition and modification of the deployment of an industrial automation system and hyperlinking of objects in manufacturing execution systems is achieved by Customizable Drag & Drop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stefan Doblmayr, Elmar Thurner
  • Publication number: 20080040427
    Abstract: Community driven prioritization of customer issues is described. In an implementation, a selectable portion of a user interface providing interaction with a community forum is selectable by a user to indicate agreement and associate with a posting in the community forum. The user may then automatically be provided results generated in response to the posting. In another implementation, associations matching a plurality of users and postings are utilized to assign priority to the postings and to prioritize responses to the postings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Publication date: February 14, 2008
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Sharat Shroff, Justin D. Ronco, Joedy K. Blackstad, Wilhelmina P. Dietrich
  • Patent number: 7296241
    Abstract: Described is a system and method for managing a message view on a mobile device. The system includes a switch manager and a plurality of message stores. Message stores may include an email account, SMS account, and a MMS account. A message view may include a custom view of the message stores. An input is received that enables the switch manager to switch between one view of the message stores and another view. In one embodiment, the input is a left or right key entry. Continuous entry of the left or right key entry enables a user to switch through views of the message stores, in a deterministic approach.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Marc Seiji Oshiro, Louis Wang
  • Patent number: 7263667
    Abstract: A user interface for facilitating a decision making process, such as planning a trip. A unified view of various types of information related to an event may be provided. The unified view may be presented in a simulated three-dimensional environment having different types of information depicted on different windows. Different types of information related to a common event may be visually linked. A window showing a particular type of information may be brought into a focus view for closer inspection by a user. Alternative decisions may be depicted to permit vagueness or uncertainty, particularly at early iterations in the decision making process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Tobias Hans Hoellerer, George G. Robertson, David D. Thiel, Daniel C. Robbins, Maarten R. van Dantzich
  • Patent number: 7260787
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus provides the user with a status of a device on a network correctly and efficiently to improve the work efficiency of the user. A display unit displays a device map according to information previously stored in a storage unit, when an application for displaying the device map (status of the device on the network) is activated, and re-displays the device map thereafter according to the latest information obtained by an obtaining unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shigeo Nara
  • Patent number: 7251783
    Abstract: A large area display workstation provides a liquid crystal display, configured to produce an image. The electrical components of the liquid crystal display are disposed on a substrate through a large area fabrication technique. The workstation has a first, high-resolution video display, and the large area display is a second, lower-resolution file identification display. The computer displays a user-selected file in a high-resolution format on the high-resolution video display for manipulation, and displays a plurality of file indicators in a low-resolution format on the large area display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Warren Jackson, Ping Mei
  • Patent number: 7246328
    Abstract: A method, computer program product and system are provided for performing automated linking between sheets of a drawing set depicting an electronic representation of an electrical wiring diagram. The method, computer program product, and system automatically transform drawings into a format that provides enriched electronic display and navigation among drawings. Connections and relationships among large sets of drawings are automatically discovered and extracted by utilizing complex graphical recognition and logical inference. Links are then created that represent the connections and relationships between common elements of the drawings. As such, the present invention automatically produces an interactive electronic representation of a drawing set that allows a user to quickly and accurately view, highlight and/or alter a portion of a drawing and all of the drawings that connect to or also depict that portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Molly L. Boose, Lawrence S. Baum, John H. Boose, Carey Chaplin
  • Patent number: 7246323
    Abstract: Data items contained in personal information are displayed in manner that is indicative of both the importance and the urgency of the data items. A first visual cue is assigned to the data item based on an importance of the data item. The first visual cue may cause more important items to be displayed with increased size and less important items to be displayed with decreased size. A second visual cue is assigned to the data item based on an urgency of the data item. The second visual cue may cause more urgent items to be displayed in a first color and less important items to be displayed in a second color. The data item is displayed using the first and second visual cue as to provide a visual indication as to both the importance and urgency of the data item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Marcelo R. Uemura, Daniel Joseph Rogers
  • Patent number: 7237204
    Abstract: A first process communicates to a second process what data will be used to display a graphical user interface element such as a window or screen. The second process determines if the data used to display the graphical user interface element has changed, and, if the data used to display the graphical user interface element has changed, communicates to a third process that the data used to display the graphical user interface element has changed. Moreover, the third process receives the communication that the data used to display the graphical user interface element has changed, and, in response to the communication that the data used to display the graphical user interface element has changed, displays the graphical user interface element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: ADC DSL Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: David J. Kasper, II
  • Patent number: 7237206
    Abstract: A graphical user interface element such as a window or a screen is displayed on an output device by sending a single message indicating that the graphical user interface element should be displayed. The message is received, and all the components of the graphical user interface element are displayed. After that, the graphical user interface element can be updated on a component-by-component basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: ADC DSL Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: David J Kasper, II
  • Patent number: 7237207
    Abstract: Mapping between a source object and a destination or target object uses techniques and functoids that provide an auto-linking feature in which mappings are automatically provided based solely on source and target field names, or, ignoring field names, field locations within hierarchy. Functoids provide support for callout to programming artifacts, such as custom programming logic embedded in .NET assemblies or custom XSLT, and table-looping to generate and map data into a target document even though that data did not exist in the map input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Nagalinga Durga Prasad Sripathi Panditharadhya, Udaya Kumar Bhaskara, John David Dallard
  • Patent number: 7203904
    Abstract: Disclosed is a data processing system using a dual monitor, on which separate contents are displayed respectively, as a display device. The data processing system includes: a memory providing a data processing area using programs; an input device for inputting data; a first VGA generating screen data for a result processed by programs; a second VGA generating screen data for a result processed by programs and different from the contents displayed by the first VGA; a processor processing data input through the input device using the memory and outputting the processed result through the first and second VGAs; a first monitor for displaying screen data from the first VGA; and a second monitor for displaying screen data from the second VGA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignees: Tophead.com
    Inventor: Eun Seog Lee
  • Patent number: 7170510
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates using visual effects within a three-dimensional (3D) display environment to indicate a usage context of a computational resource, which is represented by a 3D object in the 3D display environment. During operation, the system determines the usage context of the computational resource. Next, the system determines visual effects corresponding to the usage context to apply to the 3D object which represents the computational resource. Finally, the system applies the visual effects to the 3D object. In this way, the usage context of the corresponding computational resource can be determined by viewing the 3D object within the 3D display environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2007
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Hideya Kawahara, Chester D. Rose
  • Patent number: 7149983
    Abstract: A user interface, system, and method are disclosed to facilitate specification of queries and displaying corresponding results. The user interface presents the user with dimensions that contain one or more headings arranged according to an information taxonomy, which can vary based on the intended implementation for the system and user interface. A corresponding filter or query is constructed based on the user selecting of one or more headings. The filter is applied to one or more databases to return results that satisfy the filter. The results are presented in the user interface and can include interactive items based on a particular query as well as can correspond to a fully specified task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: George G. Robertson, Steven Drucker, Daniel C. Robbins, Kim Cameron, Timothy K. Olson
  • Patent number: 7139980
    Abstract: A method and system for allowing a user to select and save non-focusable objects presented by a browser application. The non-focusable objects may be objects that the browser application does not allow the user to select and save. The browser application may present the non-focusable objects as a list of objects, rather than as the non-focusable objects. The user may select an object from the list of objects and save a file that defines the object. As a result, the user may select and save the objects presented by the browser application even though the objects were presented as non-focusable objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2006
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Michael Lundy, Benjamin P. Blinn, Robert H. Miller
  • Patent number: 7120877
    Abstract: A system and method for creating a graphical program including a plurality of portions to be executed sequentially. User input may be received, e.g., during development of the graphical program, wherein the user input indicates a desire to specify a plurality of portions of graphical source code to be executed sequentially. In response, a plurality of frames may be displayed in the graphical program, such that two or more frames from the plurality of frames are visible at the same time. A portion of graphical source code may be included in each frame in response to user input. The plurality of frames may define an execution order for the corresponding portions of graphical source code, such that during execution of the graphical program, the portions of graphical source code are executed sequentially according to this execution order. In the preferred embodiment, all of the frames are visible at the same time, thus giving the program developer a complete view of the graphical program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2006
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Adam Gabbert, Jeff Washington
  • Patent number: 7114130
    Abstract: A mechanism for predicting whether user interface elements, such as keyboard cues, would be helpful to a computer user and either displaying or hiding the user interface elements based on that prediction is disclosed. Briefly described, an identification is made whether the last input device was a keyboard or a pointing device, such as a mouse. If the last input device was a pointing device, the keyboard cues are hidden. If the last input device was a keyboard, the keyboard cues are displayed. If the input device changes after the keyboard cues have been initially either hidden or displayed, a message so indicating is passed up the window hierarchy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Mihai Costea, Gerardo Bermudez, Michael A. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 7114129
    Abstract: A view controller, such as a scroll bar, for a first application which is currently displayed within an inactive window is detached and remotely displayed within an active window in addition to the view controller associated with the content of that active window. A Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) link is then established between the remotely displayed view controller and the first application such that user inputs to the remotely displayed view controller can be utilized to modify the display of the first application without requiring the user to activate the inactive window. In this manner data within the first application can be scrolled and visually accessed by the user while the user is working within an active window, without requiring the user to toggle the focus back and forth between two windows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Faisal M. Awada, Joe Nathan Brown, Philip Bernard Burkes
  • Patent number: 7051284
    Abstract: Data items contained in personal information are displayed in manner that is indicative of both the importance and the urgency of the data items. A first visual cue is assigned to the data item based on an importance of the data item. The first visual cue may cause more important items to be displayed with increased size and less important items to be displayed with decreased size. A second visual cue is assigned to the data item based on an urgency of the data item. The second visual cue may cause more urgent items to be displayed in a first color and less important items to be displayed in a second color. The data item is displayed using the first and second visual cue as to provide a visual indication as to both the importance and urgency of the data item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Marcelo R. Uemura, Daniel Joseph Rogers
  • Patent number: 7032182
    Abstract: A graphical user interface (GUI) allows a picture database user to enter metadata serving to annotate digital pictures to promote efficient picture database browsing. The annotation is permitted, not just for individual pictures, but for groups of pictures. The annotation information can be entered quickly, via a user-friendly interface (200, 204, 206), and can contain “social” information (via 116, 118 and 120) about groups of pictures (130–146), such as capture location, date and time, people or objects featured in groups of pictures, and events recorded by a group of pictures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Prasad V. Prabhu, Andrew J. Cowell
  • Patent number: 7032188
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for displaying a plurality of icons on the display of a mobile terminal are provided. Icons are displayed in at least two different sections. The first section includes icons having sizes determined by comparing characteristics of associated messages to one or more context values, such as time of day, geographic area, or user profile characteristics. The second section includes icons having sizes determined by the proximities of the message sources to the mobile terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Marja Salmimaa, Juha Lehikoinen, Hannu Korhonen, Eero Rāsänen
  • Patent number: 7020848
    Abstract: A comprehensive, multi-dimensional graphical user interface (GUI) using metadata provides for multiple methods and displays for browsing and retrieving pictures in a picture database. The main level display 100, which is linked to other level displays has in the preferred embodiment, a hierarchical picture grouping iconic region (104) with directories and files containing pictures in the database, a main display area (102) for displaying pictures, thumbnails and graphical browsers, a picture content iconic region (106) according to predefined content categories and picture metadata, and a graphical browser region (108) having indicia of the graphical browsers utilized by the GUI. In addition to the main level (100), the present-inventive GUI also has a number of display levels linked to the main display level (100) via one or more icons (104, 106, 108 and 110) in the main display level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Elizabeth Rosenzweig, Prasad V. Prabhu, Douglas B. Beaudet
  • Patent number: 7013435
    Abstract: A method and system of providing a three dimensional spatial user interface (SUI) to a user of a computing device. The SUI may be manipulated in three dimensions and contains a plurality of portals. A portal may contain a sensory cue that provides a reminder as to the content of the portal. Upon selection of a portal, an application program associated with the cue in the portal is invoked. Portals may also contain further instances of the SUI of the present invention, thus providing hierarchical depth. In the preferred embodiment, the SUI is implemented as a sphere and may be viewed from an external or internal perspective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Vizible.com Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Carmen Gallo, Colin Eric Graham, Ron Dembo, Jimmy Daniel Talbot, Peter James Gallagher
  • Patent number: 7003733
    Abstract: A programming system includes a graphical data entry user interface for a plurality of sequential steps displayed to a user on a monitor. The user selects outputs to be activated for each of the sequential steps and any inputs to be monitored or timer to be enabled for the sequential steps. The inputs, outputs, and timer enable commands, and timer values identified by the user are converted into data tables each having a plurality of data elements. Each data element corresponds to one of the sequential steps. A programmable logic controller directs a process by reading the data elements corresponding to a sequential step and, for that sequential step, activating the outputs identified by the output data element, monitoring any inputs identified by the input control data element, and enabling a timer for a selected time period if identified in the input control data element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Inventor: David W. Duemler
  • Patent number: 7000195
    Abstract: A viewer in the form of a browser displays a Web page which is accessible by an associated unique identifying information. The associated identifying information is a URL. The viewer includes a definition management note which stores a number of times of display of any Web page which has been accessed by an associated URL. The viewer also includes an importance degree control unit to count a number of times of display of any Web page accessed by the unique URL. The importance degree control unit outputs a number for storage by the definition management note. When the counted number of times of access of a unique URL exceeds a threshold value, the associated Web page is automatically updated to a bookmark by way of the unique URL. A number of different processes may be executed to sort the URLs registered in the bookmark according to a degree of importance. The different processes include assigning different colors to the URLs or changing a display in a Web page accessed by a registered URL.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Toshinao Komuro
  • Patent number: 6968510
    Abstract: In an apparatus, menu items are displayed on a screen, and when a predetermined menu item is selected, a function corresponding to the selected menu item is executed. The menu item displaying method comprises the steps of determining whether a function corresponding to a menu item displayed on the screen can be executed, and when it is determined that the function cannot be executed, disabling the menu item corresponding to the function from being selected and displaying a reason why the menu item cannot be selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Tatsuo Yokota
  • Patent number: 6968509
    Abstract: Methods, computers, and computer readable media are disclosed for recording user-driven events within an application running on a computer that utilizes a graphical user interface. Changes of focus of the application are detected and entries for the resulting focus are logged. While the changes of focus are being detected, the application is monitored for a window message that signifies user activity. When a window message occurs, the activity of the window message is used to specify the user-driven event. A focus of an entry previously logged may also be obtained and used to specify the user-driven event, such as a mouse click on a specific tool bar button of the graphical user interface. A series of user-driven events can be recorded up to the occurrence of an application malfunction, and then the recorded events can be followed by a user to reproduce the malfunction and begin debugging the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael J. Chang, Li Wen
  • Patent number: 6956591
    Abstract: Textual content arranged in lines and displayed on the screen of electronic device is browsed by a signal processor in response to a down direction selection signal from a down button on a keypad and any links displayed in the lines in a top half of the screen are highlighted link-by-link toward a central area of the screen, wherein after the highlighting progresses to a central area of the screen, in response to further assertions of the down button, scrolling of the textual content commences, line-by-line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2005
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Jim Lundin, Jere Tuominen, Mika Kalenius
  • Patent number: 6931625
    Abstract: Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an improved software development tool that simplifies a graphical representation of software code for a developer. The software development tool provides the developer with a more coherent, manageable, and abstract graphical view of the project model, and facilitates the developer in graphically debugging and editing the associated software code. The improved software development tool detects a group of related elements in the code, and collapses a portion of the graphical representation of the code associated with the group of related elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Borland Software Corporation
    Inventors: Peter Coad, Dietrich Charisius, Alexander Aptus
  • Patent number: 6874130
    Abstract: A copy/move graphical user interface apparatus and method. The apparatus displays a graphical user interface informing a user of a current status of a copy/move operation. The graphical user interface includes progress bars indicating the progress of a current file copy/move operation as well as the overall copy/move operation. The graphic user interface further includes estimated times of completion and a listing of files that are in a copy/move queue. Additionally, the graphical user interface allows a user to modify the order in which files are copied/moved and to skip or delete files in the copy/move queue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Baljeet Singh Baweja, Kulvir Singh Bhogal, Nizamudeen Ishmael, Jr., Mandeep Singh Sidhu
  • Patent number: 6823495
    Abstract: A graphical user interface and method for creating a mapping between a source object and a destination or target object are provided. The user interface includes a source screen region which displays a graphical representation of a source object, a target screen region which displays a graphical representation of a target object, and a mapping screen region which allows a user to create a mapping between the graphical representation of the source object and the graphical representation of the target object using graphical mapping indicia. The methodology includes displaying a graphical representation of a source object in a source screen region, displaying a graphical representation of a target object in a target screen region, creating a mapping between the graphical representation of the source object and the graphical representation of the target object in a mapping screen region using graphical mapping indicia, and displaying the mapping in the mapping screen region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2004
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Nagender P. Vedula, Aditya G. Bhandarkar, Dharma K. Shukla, William R. Taylor