Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-25
2001-02-13
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2773)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S215000, C709S241000, C709S241000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06188401
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to systems and methods for implementing user interfaces in television-based systems that also provide Web browsing features.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In areas relating to user input and output, personal computer hardware has become very standardized. As an example, most personal computers utilize keyboards having identical sets of keys that generate identical electrical signals. Computer mice are another example of this trend. Even where hardware is slightly different, as with video display monitors, most differences are handled transparently by driver software. As a result, developers of application programs can focus their efforts on higher levels of functionality rather than having to deal with the details of hardware interaction.
With the widespread use of graphical user interfaces such as the Windows is family of operating systems (sold by Microsoft Corporation), the details of user interaction have also become somewhat standardized. The Windows operating system allows developers to utilize pre-written software components to implement user controls and makes possible a unified “look and feel” across a wide range of applications.
These degrees of standardization have not yet been attained in other technological products that require complex user interaction, such as interactive television products and products that attempt to combine Internet Web browsing with traditional and enhanced television services. In these products, different manufacturers implement different types of input hardware (keyboards, mice, etc.) and wish to design and experiment with different methods of user interaction. Indeed, there is often an attempt by each manufacturer to implement a unique “look and feel,” to differentiate a product from competing products.
This presents a problem for a company such as Microsoft Corporation that wants to design and sell a single software product such as an operating system and Web browser for use with products manufactured by different companies. The software product must adapt to different hardware for each manufacturer's product, and must also be customizable to implement each manufacturer's unique graphical user interface.
Normally, customizing a software product for each manufacturer is extremely inefficient from both production and maintenance standpoints. Although the manufacturers could conceivably be allowed to modify a software product's source code to implement a desired interface, this too involves maintenance problems. Furthermore, many such manufacturers are not equipped to perform computer programming at this level.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention utilizes an Internet Web browser architecture that allows the visual components of a user interface to be implemented through a combination of documents or source files written in conventional Internet hypertext formats. In particular, the user interface is implemented using individual HTML (hypertext markup language) components in conjunction with a global script written in a popular scripting language such as JavaScript.
The global script file is written so that it responds to user input and other events with conventional and extended JavaScript event handlers such as “onKeyDown”, “onClick”, etc. In response to user input, the global script file opens and displays appropriate HTML elements and responds to user selection of such elements. These elements can communicate with each other and with the global script using JavaScript methods and properties. The script file and HTML elements also interact with device hardware in response to defined events.
The invention utilizes a supervisory application program that runs under an operating system such as Windows CE. The application program implements an extended document object model for use by the global script and by scripts embedded in HTML control elements. The global script runs perpetually, under the supervision of the supervisory application program, as does one or more instances of a conventional Web browser.
The extended document object model includes methods relating to the creation and maintenance of user interface components, referred to above as HTML elements and also referred to herein as dialogs. These methods accept designations of local HTML files representing user controls. Such HTML files exist and are specified apart from informational content obtained as a result of browsing.
A particular HTML control can be opened either as a modal dialog or as a modeless dialog. The extended document object model methods allow the dialogs to be opened, closed, resized, moved, and closed. The dialogs act as conventional HTML components, potentially containing event handler scripts that respond to user input events and to other events, including custom events defined by OEMs in conjunction with their own hardware. The HTML controls have access to the extended document object model and to properties and methods implemented within the global script. In addition, the global script has access to methods and properties defined and exposed by script code within the HTML controls. Accordingly, the global script and the various HTML components can communicate and interact with each other to produce a full and flexible user interface.
Using this architecture, a software manufacturer can sell a single product such as a Web browser to many different manufacturers. As shipped, the product includes a default global script file and associated HTML controls, for implementing a default graphical user interface in conjunction with default hardware. However, the default global script file is easily modified or replaced by customers using well-known Web content creation tools rather than more complex high-level compiled languages such as C or C++. Thus, it is very easy for a customer to create an entirely new user interface, and to adapt it to new hardware, without disturbing more critical underlying aspects of the software product.
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Bautista X. L.
Bayerl Raymond J.
Lee & Hayes PLLC
Microsoft Corporation
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