Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-05
2004-02-03
Cabeca, John (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06686938
ABSTRACT:
COPYRIGHT NOTICE AND WAIVER
©1999 Apple Computer, Inc.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material to which a claim for copyright is made. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but reserves all other copyright rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates generally to graphical user interfaces for computer systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing menu tools generally associated with application user interfaces from an operating system.
The evolution of the computer industry is unparalleled in its rate of growth and complexity. Personal computers, for example, which began as little more than feeble calculators with limited memory, tape-driven input and monochrome displays are now able to tackle almost any data processing task with highly integrated high speed processors, gigabyte storage, high resolution video displays, and the now ubiquitous “mouse” input technology, which revolutionized the industry with the concept of “point-and-click”. While this meteoric increase in processing speed and power, storage capacity, and input and output technology was almost sufficient to satisfy the demand of application designers and end users alike, the corresponding increase in complexity created an ease-of-use problem which the industry was somewhat slower in solving. Thus, designers were faced with a new challenge: to harness this computing power in a form usable by even those with relatively little computer training to smooth the transition of other industries into a computer-based information paradigm.
As a result, in the early to mid-1980's many new I/O philosophies, such as “user friendly”, “WYSIWYG” and “menu driven” came to the forefront of the industry. These concepts are particularly applicable to microcomputers, also known as personal computers, which are intended to appeal to a broad audience of computer users, including those who previously feared and mistrusted computers. An important aspect of computers which employ these concepts was, and continues to be, the interface which allows the user to input commands and data and receive results, which is commonly referred to as a graphical user interface (GUI).
The success of the GUI type human interface is evident from the sheer number of companies which have either emulated the virtual desktop environment or developed applications designed to operate in one. Even successful concepts, however, must continually be improved in order to keep pace with the rapid growth in this industry. For example, with the advent of multimedia, driven by technical advances in networking such as the Internet, and high capacity/fast access data storage devices such as CD-ROM devices, capable of providing streaming audio and video, application designers and users alike, demand additional functionality and greater ease of use from the desktop environment.
To appreciate the challenges associated with continuing GUI design, consider an early and continuing example of a GUI which has evolved over time: the Finder™ user interface and information management system (simply “Finder™ user interface” hereafter) associated with the Apple Macintosh™ computer. The Finder™ user interface is based on display principles using “windows” and “icons” to help manage computer information, launch applications, perform system management functions, and the like. The main or root window is called the “desktop” area, or more generally the primary display region. The desktop, or primary display region, is always open (displayed on the screen with its contents accessible or at least partially accessible), and takes up substantially the full display screen area when other windows are not open. The desktop is usually visible in the background when “icons” are displayed thereupon and other windows are open to other than their full size.
Icons are graphical objects which represent and serve to identify information, system resources, applications, and the like, and may exist inside any particular window, including the desktop itself. An icon may be associated with a particular collection of computer information, typically representing a “file” which may be a collection of data, a particular device or device handle, an application, program, and the like. An icon also may represent a window corresponding to, for example, an application in an active but “minimized” state. As described, icons are graphic images which may be displayed on the computer screen and usually correspond in appearance to the type of information, system resource, or application which the icon provides access to when the icon is visible. The use of icons and windows is well known in the art.
A “file” generally refers to a collection of information which the user wishes to use, create or modify; each particular file has an associated unique name for identification by both the system and the user. Therefore, any given file may be located within the information management system by knowing a file name, an iconographic representation associated with the name, or a window name associated, for example, with a group of files which are stored together. All information (files) grouped within a particular window may be identified with that particular window's own identification location within the computer information management system. Therefore, any particular file information can be retrieved knowing its particular identification name and its window name. Accordingly, a Finder™ user interface screen display, for example, may be broken down into multiple windows and graphic icons.
Another important element of conventional user interfaces is a screen cursor. The cursor allows direct user control over the user interface and generally represents the point on the desktop which is presently “active”, e.g. where input may be received, or output may be seen or taken. The Finder™ user interface may be complemented with a “mouse” and a corresponding “pointer” which makes up the cursor control device and provides the “point-and-click” user interface. The pointer may be used to change where on the desktop the active cursor is at a given time. A mouse is an electro-mechanical device that translates two-dimensional mouse movement controlled by a user into a two-dimensional screen position movement represented by, for example, a pointer or arrowhead. The user may contact and direct the mouse while observing the position of the pointer on the screen thus bringing the user and the computer closer together via the interaction between the user, the mouse, the pointer and the display. When the mouse is moved signals are generated and input to the computer on an input port and the pointer moves correspondingly to a point on the display. Visual feedback may be used to control the exact location of the pointer by movement of the mouse. In addition, the computer may store the location of the pointer which corresponds to an exact location on the display. It should be noted that the computer may also store the location of each icon or other interactive object such that when the pointer and an icon location coincide, specific actions may be taken by the user to “activate” the icon as described in greater detail herein below.
The mouse may also be provided with one or more push buttons which may be used to effectuate control over the pointer by selecting or deselecting specific icons or other interactive tools. The mouse may be considered to be “activated” when the mouse button is depressed and the pointer remains active until the button is released. Pointer activation may also be initiated by sequences of mouse button presses, such as a “double click” interaction which involves rapidly pressing the mouse button press twice in sequence. By placing the pointer in a new location on the desktop and “clicking” or “double clicking”, the location of the active cursor, for example, may be chang
Jobs Steven P.
Lindsay Donald J.
Wasko Tim
Apple Computer Inc.
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Cabeca John
Detwiler Brian
LandOfFree
Method and system for providing an embedded application toolbar does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method and system for providing an embedded application toolbar, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method and system for providing an embedded application toolbar will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3317439