Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-16
2001-06-26
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2773)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C709S206000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06252588
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electronic messaging systems.
2. Background Art
With the proliferation of personal computers and communications networks such as the internet, electronic mail, commonly referred to as “e-mail,” has become a popular mechanism for the exchange or distribution of information among individuals, and within or between enterprises, for both private and commercial purposes. There are a number of disadvantages of current e-mail systems. One disadvantage is that a computer system is needed. Another disadvantage is that it is difficult to use if a sender wants to attach pictures or audio messages to an e-mail message. These disadvantages can be understood by reviewing the way e-mail works.
An e-mail message may be analogized to a posted letter or piece of mail. However, instead of a physical object that is itself physically transported from a sender to a recipient, an e-mail message is an electronic representation that is communicated electronically through a communications network. Examples of communications networks used for communicating e-mail messages include, but are not limited to, telecommunications networks, wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), the Internet, intranets, extranets, wireless networks, and other networks over which electronic, digital, and/or analog data may be communicated.
Prior Art E-mail Systems
E-mail messages are created, sent, received, and read using a communications program, often referred to as a “mail” or “e-mail” application program. An interface of one prior art e-mail program is illustrated in FIG.
2
. The example of
FIG. 2
is the interface of the mail module of Netscape Communicator, an internet browser application program. The interface is displayed in a window
200
. The interface includes a row of control buttons
201
-
210
arranged along the top of window
200
, column heading boxes
212
-
215
arranged below control buttons
201
-
210
, and a display field
217
that displays a list of messages. In the example of
FIG. 2
, the list indicates a single message
216
. The information displayed for message
216
in display area
217
includes an icon
218
indicating that message
216
is an e-mail message, text
219
indicating the subject of message
216
, namely “Meeting on the 20th”, text
220
indicating the source or destination of message
216
, in this case “Sender” and text
221
indicating the time that message
216
was sent or received, in this case 9:20 PM.
Control buttons
201
-
210
are used to create, modify and manipulate messages. Button
201
, “Get Msg” is used to display a message that has been selected from the list of messages displayed in display area
217
(messages can also be opened by double clicking on them). Button
202
, “New Msg” is used to generate a new message form that can be completed and mailed to a recipient. “Reply” button
203
is used to generate a reply form for replying to a message that is currently in view. When activated, a message form is generated that has as its address the address of the sender of the message being viewed. Optionally, the reply message may include the entire text of the sender's message. “Forward” button
204
generates a message form that includes the sender's message, but with a blank address, so that the message may be optionally annotated and forwarded to another recipient.
Button
205
, “File”, is used to save a message into a file in a text or other format. Button
206
, “Print”, is activated to print the message on an attached printer. “Security” button
208
activates security options for a message such as, for example, encryption, or the use of a digital certificate or digital signature. Messages can be deleted using “Delete” button
209
. “Stop” button
210
is used to interrupt or stop operations.
Column heading boxes
212
-
215
contain column headings for the information displayed in display area
217
. The headings specified in column heading boxes
212
-
215
are “Subject”, “To/From”, “Date”, and “Priority”, respectively. Messages in the list can be sorted by subject, by sender or recipient, by ascending or descending date, by priority, or by any combination thereof.
An e-mail message form
300
generated using the example e-mail program of
FIG. 2
is illustrated in FIG.
3
. E-mail message form
300
includes a palette of control buttons
301
-
308
, an address entry area
309
, a subject entry area
310
, and a message editing area
311
. Address entry area
309
indicates the destination(s) for the message, in this case “Receiver@receiver.com”. Subject entry area
308
indicates the subject of the message, here “Meeting on the 20th”. The body
311
of the message is displayed in editing area
312
.
“Send” button
301
is activated to initiate the transmission of the message from the sender to the recipient. “Quote” button
302
is used to insert text from another message into body
311
of message displayed in editing area
312
. “Address” button
303
prompts the sender to enter an address of the recipient or to select an address from a stored address book. “Spelling” button
305
performs a spell check on the message text, and “Save” button
306
is used to save a message as a text file.
“Attach” button
304
is used to attach one or more electronic files to the e-mail message. The operation of this e-mail file attachment feature illustrates disadvantages and limitations of the prior art. Often a sender wishes to send one or more files to a recipient. One method of sending a file to a recipient is to copy the information from the file (e.g. the text from a text file) and paste that information into the body
309
of an e-mail message. If the file is large, this may not be possible, since some e-mail programs have limitations on the size of the body of an e-mail message. In other cases, the files represent non-text data, such as sound, images, or movies, for example, that cannot be easily pasted into the body of an e-mail message. In such circumstances, the file attachment feature is used.
When “Attach” button
304
is activated, a dialogue box appears that allows the send er to navigate through a file system and select files to be attached to the e-mail message. After one or more files are selected, the sender causes the e-mail program to transmit the e-mail message and attached file(s) to a recipient. When the recipient reads the message, the reader's e-mail program displays an indicator indicating that one or more files are attached. If the recipient uses the e-mail program of
FIGS. 2 and 3
the recipient may retrieve the attached file(s) by activating the “Attach” button. Upon activating the “Attach” button, the recipient is presented with a dialogue box that enables the recipient to retrieve the attached file or files and store them in the recipient's file system.
Attaching Image Files to E-mail Messages
Users often desire to send one or more pictures with an e-mail message. These pictures can be photographs, digital photographs, computer drawings, graphic images, or any other type of image. These kinds of image files often require preparatory work to make them suitable for attachment to e-mail messages. Accordingly, attaching image files to an e-mail message can be a complex process.
Before an image file can be attached to an e-mail message, the file must be present on the computer, or must be placed on the computer. If the file is already located on the computer the user must remember what the file is named, and where it is located. Often it is necessary not only locate the file but also to view it first to make sure that it is indeed the correct file that is intended to be sent. The file must be in a format that the person receiving the file has a capability to use. If it is not the file may have to be converted, using a conversion program, to a common format (such as GIF or JPEG) that the person receiving the file has the capability of viewing.
If the file is not already on the computer it must be taken from another source and
Bayerl Raymond J.
Hailu Tadesse
The Hecker Law Group
Zentek Technology, Inc.
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