Showing papers on "Graphical user interface published in 1998"

ROOT: an object-oriented data analysis framework

Abstract: The ROOT system in an Object Oriented framework for large scale data analysis. ROOT written in C ++, contains, among others, an efficient hierarchical 00 database, a C ++ interpreter. advanced statistical analysis (multi-dimensional histogramming, fitting, minimization, cluster finding algorithms) and visualization tools. The user interacts with ROOT via a graphical user interface, the command line or batch scripts. The command and scripting language is C + + (using the interpreter) and large scripts can be compiled and dynamically linked in. The 00 database design has been optimized for parallel access (reading as well as writing) by multiple processes.

Intelligent touch display

Abstract: The system and method consistent with the present invention provides a touch-responsive graphical user interface for electronic devices. The graphical user interface determines a pointer size of the object making contact with a display and activates a function corresponding to the pointer size. The graphical user interface may invoke a wide array of functions such as a navigation tool, draw function, an erase function, or a drag function. The graphical user interface of the present invention may be especially useful in portable electronic devices with small displays.

Computer interface method and apparatus with targeted advertising

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing an automatically upgradeable software application that includes targeted advertising based upon demographics and user interaction with the computer. The software application is a graphical user interface that includes a display region used for banner advertising that is downloaded from time to time over a network such as the Internet. The software application is accessible from a server via the Internet and demographic information on the user is acquired by the server and used for determining what banner advertising will be sent to the user. The software application further targets the advertisements in response to normal user interaction, or use, of the computer. Associated with each banner advertisement is a set of data that is used by the software application in determining when a particular banner is to be displayed. This includes the specification of certain programs that the user may have so that, when the user runs the program (such as a spreadsheet program), an advertisement will be displayed that is relevant to that program (such as an advertisement for a stock brokerage). This provides two-tiered, real-time targeting of advertising--both demographically and reactively. The software application includes programming that accesses the server on occasion to determine if one or more components of the application need upgrading to a newer version. If so, the components are downloaded and installed without requiring any input or action by the user.

Real time face and object tracking as a component of a perceptual user interface

Abstract: As a step towards a perceptual user interface, an object tracking algorithm is developed and demonstrated tracking human faces. Computer vision algorithms that are intended to form part of a perceptual user interface must be fast and efficient. They must be able to track in real time and yet not absorb a major share of computational resources. An efficient, new algorithm is described here based on the mean shift algorithm. The mean shift algorithm robustly finds the mode (peak) of probability distributions. We first describe histogram based methods of producing object probability distributions. In our case, we want to track the mode of an object's probability distribution within a video scene. Since the probability distribution of the object can change and move dynamically in time, the mean shift algorithm is modified to deal with dynamically changing probability distributions. The modified algorithm is called the Continuously Adaptive Mean Shift (CAMSHIFT) algorithm. CAMSHIFT is then used as an interface for games and graphics.

Dynamically updating themes for an operating system shell

Abstract: A theme provides a group of multi-media resources for enhancing displays in a graphical user interface to an operating system of a computer according to a topic of the theme. The theme's resources are periodically updated by retrieving updating resources from a remote computer at which the updating resources are stored by a theme provider, so as to provide continually updating enhancements to the graphical user interface display consistent with the theme's topic. The theme's resources can include hypertext templates which define the graphical user interface displays as hypertext pages, allowing the theme to provide a wide variety of enhancements to the displays including text, graphics, hyperlinks, and software components, among others. The theme also enhances a graphical user interface with a view port that plays live or locally cached information from the Internet in each of a plurality of categories, by adding a category for the theme so as to play information from the theme's provider in the view port.

General purpose metering mechanism for distribution of electronic information

Abstract: A computer network system that contains a metering mechanism which can meter the flow of electronic information to a client computer within a network. The information can be generated by a publisher and electronically distributed to a plurality of metering servers which each contain the metering mechanism. The metering servers each reside in a local area network that contains a number of client computers. The client computers each contain a graphical user interface that allows an end user to request consumption of the information. The metering mechanisms control the transfer of information into the client computers. Each unit of information has an associated cost type and cost value that are used to calculate a price for the information. When the end user request consumption of information, the metering mechanism determines whether the end user can consume the information. If the end user can access the information, the meter will transfer the information to the end user and charge the price of the information to an electronic account of the end user stored in a database of the metering server. The metering mechanism can periodically transfer the balance of the account, and the charges associated with the account to a billing database that resides in a regional server which automatically generates a bill for the end user.

Graphical user interface for a portable telephone

Abstract: A portable telephone provides a graphical user interface (GUI) using a high-resolution display. The GUI provides a Universal Mailbox for storing both electronic mail and voicemail messages (44), either of which can be accessed by a user from the same display screen. An automatic reply feature allows a user to initiate an outgoing reply to a received message with the touch of a button. For a reply to a voicemail message, the GUI accesses Caller ID information to automatically identify and dial out to the phone number (45) of the sender of the original message. For an electronic mail reply, the GUI automatically displays a reply form addressed to the source address (52). An advanced call control feature automatically checks an outgoing telephone number (45) against a database to determine whether the phone number (45) is currently appropriate. An animated call duration indicator indicates the length of telephone calls. A ticker-tape display automatically displays scrolled text messages according to the context of what the user is doing.

Computer telephone system

Abstract: A telecommunications system (10) is provided that provides for telephone functions to be accessed through client computer system (14). A server computer system (16) provides telephony services, database services and access to E-mail, voice mail, video conferencing and facsimile systems. A graphical user interface 116 is presented to a user to allow the user to perform a large number of functions and to access databases of information associated with calling and called parties.

System and method for developing interactive speech applications

Abstract: The disclosed system and method for developing interactive speech applications stores a plurality of dialogue modules in a speech processing system, wherein each dialogue module includes computer readable instructions for accomplishing a predefined interactive dialogue task in an interactive speech application. In response to user input (Figure 7, S1), a subset of the plurality of dialogue modules (Figure 7, 710, 720, 730) are selected to accomplish their respective interactive dialogue tasks and are interconnected in an order defining the call flow of the application (Figure 1, 110-180). A graphical user interface is disclosed, representing the stored plurality of dialogue modules as icons in a graphical display (Figure 7) in which icons are selected in the graphical display in response to user input, the icons for the subset of dialogue modules are graphically interconnected and the interactive speech application is generated based upon the graphical representation.

Method and apparatus providing a graphical user interface for representing and navigating hierarchical networks

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided which present hierarchical data to a user via a graphical user interface. A preferred embodiment represents hierarchical data related to a computer network and is provided to a user as part of a network management software application. In the interface, hierarchical data is represented by nodes, beginning with one or more top nodes and extending into lower hierarchical levels by the display of child nodes, child's child nodes, and so forth. The arrangement of nodes on the graphical user interface is such that scaling portrays the various hierarchical levels, and nodes do not spatially interfere with one another. Navigation through the hierarchical data is provided by allowing the user to select any visible node, at which point a zoom-in or zoom-out view to the selected node as a centrally located node on the interface is performed. Child nodes at lower hierarchical levels that were not visible before selection are then made visible up to a predetermined number of levels within the hierarchy. A map is provided on the interface which allows a user to graphically comprehend the present location of all nodes displayed on the interface in relation to their position within the overall hierarchy. As applied to network management, the interface allows errors in low level devices within a network to be visually propagated up to the upper levels of the hierarchy, for display to a user viewing only the top levels. The interface and computing system configured according to the invention overcomes problems of prior art systems which obscure a user location within a large hierarchy and the invention overcomes significant navigation problems of prior art systems.

Graphic user interface for a digital content delivery system using circular menus

Abstract: Menu structures having a balanced, predominantly circular appearance for a graphic user interface (GUI) for a delivery system of multiple categories of digital information content. The menu has two concentric rings having icons arranged along the rings identifying menu choices. The outer menu ring presents choices of categories of digital contents available from the content delivery system, while the inner menu ring presents choices of sub-categories of contents associated with a category. The icons are individually selectable. The categories and subcategories displayed are dynamically determined based on the content available to the user. The GUI system allows a user to select a category and sub-category of digital contents by selecting an icon from the outer and inner menu ring, respectively. In response to each selection, the GUI generates animated effects on the graphic display to highlight the selected item.

Electronic book with automated look-up of terms of within reference titles

Abstract: An electronic reading system is disclosed which allows users to download books and other types of content to a hand-held reader device for viewing. Using software which runs on a personal computer (PC), the user can download titles from Internet sites to the PC. Titles are then automatically transferred to the device when the device is placed in a cradle which is connected to the PC. Using the device's touch-sensitive display and graphical user interface, the user can access various software-implemented features associated with the display and management of the content. One feature is a user-definable hotkey that can be “dragged and dropped” onto a menu item to create a shortcut to that item. Another feature allows the user to tap twice on a displayed word to cause the device to look the word up in a pre-specified or default reference title, such as a dictionary or an encyclopedia. Another feature allows the user to block a passage on the touch-sensitive display and then specify one or more destinations (email addresses, file folders, fax numbers, printers, etc.) for routing the passage; when the device is subsequently placed in the cradle, the passage is automatically retrieved by the PC and routed to the specified destination(s). The device also implements a user interface feature for allowing the user to rapidly and conveniently adjust the orientation of the displayed title.

Software update manager

Abstract: A method and apparatus for checking/updating existing software on a user's computer (100) utilizes a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI (16) enables the user, without knowing what software exists on the computer, to download a text file from a remote server (14) and check whether the software on the remote server (14) is contained on the user's computer (100). The user can also download and automatically install a new or updated program via the GUI (16).

Method and apparatus for implementing a graphical user interface keyboard and a text buffer on electronic devices

Abstract: A method and apparatus for implementing a graphical user interface keyboard (10) and a text buffer (12) on an electronic device. A character that is active upon pointer-up is accepted as a text character, even though the character that is active upon pointer-up is different from a character that was active and inserted in the text buffer (12) upon pointer-down.

Methods, apparatus and data structures for providing a user interface, which exploits spatial memory in three-dimensions, to objects and which visually groups matching objects

Abstract: A graphical user interface in which object thumbnails are rendered on a simulated three-dimensional surface which (i) exploits spatial memory and (ii) allows more objects to be rendered on a given screen. The objects may be moved, continuously, on the surface with a two-dimensional input device. Furthermore, the interface determines a degree to which each such object is related, either through similarity or matching, to other such objects and displays an appropriate cue proximate to and associated with the former object to visually signify this degree.

Channel bar user interface for an entertainment system

Abstract: A graphical user interface for an entertainment system assists a viewer while navigating channels. The user interface is a channel bar which is displayed together with the currently selected channel. The channel bar has a plurality of linearly arranged channel-related icons for navigating the channels. A viewer-controllable focus is movable along the channel bar to permit the viewer to select and actuate any one of the icons, causing the entertainment system to jump to the channel associated with the selected icon. The entertainment system is a computerized viewing unit which has a processor, memory, and a multitasking operating system that provides a graphical user interface environment which supports presentation of graphical windows. An application executes on the processor to provide the channel bar user interface. An input device--such as a mouse, keyboard, remote control handset, etc.--enables the viewer to invoke the channel bar and to manipulate the focus along the channel bar. The channel bar UI includes a banner which contains information pertaining to the presently selected channel and a recent channels bar which contains linearly-arranged actuatable icons that are associated with channels that have been most recently selected by the viewer. The channel bar UI also includes a favorite channels bar having actuatable icons for channels most preferred by the viewer and a tools bar having actuatable icons that are associated with control features for operating the entertainment system. The tools bar has an icon which permits a viewer to toggle between a television mode, in which programs are displayed full screen, and a windows mode in which the program and channel bar are confined to a window.

Method and apparatus for test generation during circuit design

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for functionally verifying an integrated circuit design. A hardware-oriented verification-specific object-oriented programming language is used to construct and customize verification tests. The language is extensible, and shaped to provide elements for stimulating and observing hardware device models. The invention is platform and simulator-independent, and is adapted for integration with Verilog, VHDL, and C functions. A modular system environment ensures interaction with any simulator through a unified system interface that supports multiple external types. A test generator module automatically creates verification tests from a functional description. A test suite can include any combination of statically and dynamically-generated tests. Directed generation constrains generated tests to specific functionalities. Test parameters are varied at any point during generation and random stability is supported. A checking module can perform any combination of static and dynamic checks. Incremental testing permits gradual development of test suites throughout the design development process. Customized reports of functional coverage statistics and cross coverage reports can be generated. A graphical user interface facilitates the debugging process. High-Level Verification Automation facilities, such as the ability to split and layer architecture and test files, are supported. Both verification environments and test suites can be reused.

Computer network remote data mirroring system

Abstract: A computer network remote data mirroring system writes update data both to a local data device and to a local, chronologically sequenced journal storage area, or writelog device. If the local computer system crashes, upon recovery or re-boot of the local computer system, the two most current updates in the writelog device are written to the local data device to assure that the data stored on the local data device is current. Additional memory or disk space is dynamically assigned to the writelog device to prevent a memory overflow condition. The computer network remote data mirroring system can be structured to provide logical groups of local data device/writelog device pairs. A primary mirror daemon on a local computer system monitors the writelog device for data updates and feeds the data over a network in the same order in which it is stored to a receiving remote mirror daemon on a remote computer system, which in turn commits the data updates to a mirror device. Failure recovery with the primary and remote mirror daemons is initiated automatically for certain failures which do not affect the basic operability of the overall computer system. A graphical user interface enables a user to configure the logical groups and create throttles, as well as to monitor performance of the remote data mirroring system. Network bandwidth throttling enables a predetermined portion of the network bandwidth to be assigned to remote data mirroring based on user-selected criteria.

Graphic user interface that is usable as a PC interface and an A/V interface

Abstract: A graphic user interface for use with a multi-recording media storage apparatus includes a determiner for determining the identity of at least one of a plurality of recording media retained within the apparatus and an accumulator for accumulating statistical information regarding the identity of that medium. Additional information is obtained from an external database based upon the identity of the recording medium, and further additional information is obtained from an external information source in accordance with the accumulated statistical information. The graphic user interface allows a user to view and manipulate the additional information and the further additional information in order to select a particular recording medium for playing, or to perform various other operations.

Remote control device with a graphical user interface

Abstract: A two-way remote control unit with a graphical user interface controls various audio/video devices interconnected in a multimedia system. The remote control unit includes a transceiver for transmitting and receiving control commands to/from multimedia components, which are displayed in the user-friendly format on a display of the remote control unit. The user can scroll, select, browse, etc. through various menu items on the display, and activate any desired function on the multimedia system component by selecting the desired representation of that function on the display. In addition, the remote control unit communicates, also through wireless transmission, with a personal computer and obtains information from remote or local databases for either controlling or enhancing the operation of the multimedia system devices.

Graphical user interface for web enabled applications

Abstract: An integrated system of user interfaces (20) is provided for communicating with remote services. A backplane architecture controls and manages the user interfaces by instantiating, launching, overseeing and closing the user interfaces associated with a plurality of applications residing in a plurality of remote servers (24, 26, 28, 31, 32, 34, 52). Each application communicates with one another and with the backplane via messaging interfaces.

Interactive graphical user interface for television set-top box

Abstract: A graphical user interface (GUI) for a television set-top box which includes a web browser. The set-top box has an Internet data connection and is controlled from user inputs entered through a remote control device. The GUI generates menu screens that are superimposed over conventional television video images, so that the user can view browser graphics generated by the GUI while viewing television images in the background. The GUI further provides animated on-screen notifications of the presence of interactive content, such as hypertext links to World Wide Web pages, which may be associated with television content currently being received. The GUI can also provide animated on-screen notifications of other events, such as previously-specified dates and times or the end of a television commercial. A main menu screen includes function buttons which appear to slide back and forth. A two-state progress indicator indicates that a download is in progress and the degree of completeness of a download.

Methods, apparatus and data structures for providing a user interface, which exploits spatial memory in three-dimensions, to objects and which provides spatialized audio

Abstract: A graphical user interface in which object thumbnails are rendered on a simulated three-dimensional surface which (i) exploits spatial memory and (ii) allows more objects to be rendered on a given screen. The objects may be moved, continuously, on the surface with a two-dimensional input device.

Dynamic maintenance management system

Abstract: A computerized maintenance management system for the process control environment which integrates a CMMS system (110) with a process control system (134). The system includes configurator software which allows users to link process control data and maintenance management data (190) using a graphical user interface (130). Integration provides the ability to identify conditions requiring work order response and to either automatically respond to such conditions or to notify plant operators and engineers of required actions. The integrated system can easily associate work orders, maintenance history and equipement health with operational assets using process control objects such as motors, valves, pumps, alarms, and other device display icons.

Web based integrated customer interface for invoice reporting

Abstract: A Web-based invoice viewing system and method for enabling a customer to generate invoices relating to various network services provided to the customer by an enterprise. A Web enabled invoice viewing system provides billing and invoice information to remote customers having a workstation with a Web browser and an Internet access. A graphical user interface system at the customer workstation presents a list of invoice documents organized into products and date ranges applicable to the customer for the customer to select and view. Various displays presented at the customer workstation may be printed, faxed, or queued for batch printing at the enterprise remotely. The customer is enabled to view dynamically summed results of numerical figures displayed on the invoice documents by highlighting the numbers in the document directly on the display.

Graphical programming system and method which includes icons for performing iteration/looping, conditional branching and sequencing operations

Abstract: A method for programming a computer to execute a procedure is based on a graphical interface which utilizes data flow diagrams to represent the procedure. The method stores a plurality of executable functions, scheduling functions, and data types. A data flow diagram is assembled in response to the user input utilizing icons which correspond to the respective executable functions, scheduling functions, and data types which are interconnected by arcs on the screen. A panel, representative of an instrument fron panel having input and output formats is likewise assembled for the data flow diagram. An executable program is generated in response to the data flow diagram and the panel utilizing the executable functions, scheduling functions, and data types stored in the memory. Furthermore, the executable functions may include user defined functions that have been generated using the method for programming. In this manner, a hierarchy of procedures is implemented, each represented by a data flow diagram.

Wheelesley: A Robotic Wheelchair System: Indoor Navigation and User Interface

Abstract: Many people in wheelchairs are unable to control a powered wheelchair with the standard joystick interface. A robotic wheelchair can provide users with driving assistance, taking over low-level navigation to allow its user to travel efficiently and with greater ease. Our robotic wheelchair system, Wheelesley, consists of a standard powered wheelchair with an on-board computer, sensors and a graphical user interface. This paper describes the indoor navigation system and the customizable user interface.

Electric field sensing for graphical interfaces

Abstract: The earliest bit-mapped graphical computers have progressed to bring real-time 3D rendering and digital video to the desktop, but the common physical interface remains unchanged from the first workstations. As a result, many applications, such as modeling or navigating in virtual worlds, are often limited not by processing speed but by the users' difficulty in conveying desired actions to the computer. We outline the theory and implementation of low-frequency electric fields as sensing techniques, then present a range of applications developed for interacting with computer graphics.

Agent-based on-line information retrieval and viewing system

Abstract: A Subject-specific Information Retrieval and Viewing System (SIRViS) enables multiple users of a local computer system to access information stored remotely on a wide area network. The SIRViS is designed to retrieve and display to a user information relating to a particular, predefined subject area. The SIRViS includes a graphical user interface including a control panel and a content viewer. The control panel enables each local user to define a unique set of search rules for locating information on the particular subject area stored in one or more remote databases across the network. The control panel provides each set of search rules to a search agent, which accesses content in the remote databases according to the search and stores the information in a local database, including maintaining the overall structure in which the data was stored in the remote database and associating retrieved information with particular sets of search rules. Any of the local users can use the content viewer to access and display information stored in the local database relating to the particular subject area and to that particular user. The local processing system may include multiple SIRViS, each of which is customized to retrieve and display information in a different subject area.

Automated forms publishing system and method using a rule-based expert system to dynamically generate a graphical user interface

Abstract: A system and method includes a rule-based expert system that uses high-level rules for determining what graphical interface features should be displayed to a user. The rules can be written in a language such as PROLOG and used in an inference engine to drive the graphical user interface. The rules can be changed without recoding and testing of computer software, and without specialized computer software knowledge. Consequently, people other than programmers can customize and change a graphical user interface easily and without errors. Certain embodiments include a scanner and related software that captures data fields from existing paper forms; a database for storing field definitions and their relationships together with rules for determining which user interface features to display at a particular point in a data entry sequence; an inference engine for executing the rules; a graphical user interface component that provides the user with dynamically generated screen configurations based on execution of the rules (which are fired based on inferences drawn from data the user has entered); and a printing component that generates paper and/or electronic forms based on the user's inputs and the execution of the rules. Other embodiments include a method for using a graphical user interface to dynamically represent information based on previous responses including steps of displaying a first set of information for which data selection is required; using the first set of information to fire rules in an inference engine, wherein the rules produce conclusions that are used to dynamically generate a second set of information for which data selection is required; storing the results of the first and second sets of information as predicates for further rules; and generating one or more forms using the first and second sets of information.