Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-05
2003-04-01
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, C345S215000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06542163
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to displaying helpful information to a user of a computer application program, and more particularly, to a method and a system for displaying context sensitive tips in an unobtrusive manner to the user.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A computer application program often has an associated data file that is processed during the normal execution of the application program. The data file may contain information that is processed for presentation to a user as a video and/or audio performance. A presentation program is one example of a computer application program that processes an associated data file.
A presentation program enables a user to create, edit, manage, and perform “slide show presentations” on a computer. One example of a popular presentation program is “PowerPoint,” which is available from the Microsoft Corporation, of Redmond, Wash. A slide show presentation includes a set of electronic “slides,” each slide corresponding to one screen or page of output. An electronic slide may also be converted to a 35 mm or overhead transparency for display in a standard slide projector or overhead projector. Each slide may contain one or more objects, such as text, graphic images, graphic automation and animations. A slide may also include a sound object or video that is played when the slide is displayed during a slide show presentation. A presentation program “performs” a slide show by sequentially displaying a series of slides contained within the slide show presentation. The slides are displayed on a computer screen or projected onto a separate surface. During a performance of a slide show, a “presenter” controls the performance by invoking commands to “advance” to the next slide. A command can be entered using a keyboard, a mouse, or another suitable input device. Alternatively, an author of a slide presentation can associate a slide “timing” with each slide. A slide timing associated with a slide indicates the number of seconds that the slide is displayed before the presentation program automatically advances to the next slide in the slide show presentation. In this way, during the performance of the slide show presentation, the presentation program will automatically advance to the next slide when the existing slide's timing ends. Also, the sequence for displaying the slides in the slide show is determined by the author of the slide show presentation. However, during the performance of the slide show presentation, a presenter may enter commands to the presentation program that will change the sequence for displaying the slides.
Each user of a presentation program may have varying levels of proficiency with different features. For example, one user of the presentation may be familiar with commands for displaying the slide show presentation to others and another user may be versed in commands for authoring the content in a slide. Also, each user's skill at entering information in a computer may vary. Thus, there is a need to provide access to help information so that a user may learn new features and understand how to more effectively use known features of the presentation program.
Different types of help facilities have been available throughout the history of computer applications. These help facilities have improved from command line displays of plain text to interactive and graphical help facilities, such as the Microsoft Corporation's “Office Assistant” facility. The “Office Assistant” is a help facility incorporated into the Microsoft Corporation's “Office 97” suite of application programs for displaying help and/or advisory messages to the user in a standard graphical user interface format, rather than each application in the suite having its own separate format to provide helpful information.
One portion of the “Office Assistant” facility, hereinafter the OA facility, generates the content of the tips that are graphically displayed to a user. Previously, the OA facility did not generate helpful tips that were context sensitive and the facility did not enable the user to select the type of tips, the obtrusiveness of the tips, the relevance of the tips, or customize how the tips were displayed. Also, the tips displayed by the OA facility have been oriented to explaining a feature and did not provide the user with the option of having the facility automatically complete an attempted task. The present invention is directed to solving the problem of providing relevant tips in an unobtrusive, task-oriented, and customizable manner to the user along with the option of automatically completing the attempted task.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a method for automatically displaying a tip for a condition detected in a computer application program, such as a presentation program, is provided. The method includes: (1) detecting the occurrence of the condition in the application program; (2) determining that the condition is associated with the tip; (3) determining that the tip is relevant to the current use of the application program by a user; (4) displaying a relevant tip message that is associated with the condition, so that the condition may be acknowledged by the user; and (5) responding to the user's acknowledgment of the tip message in an appropriate way, which may include invoking code in the application to automatically complete the user's task. A type and a priority is identified for each condition associated with a tip.
In accordance with other aspects of this invention, there are at least two types of tip conditions, i.e., event and state. An event based tip condition is usually associated with an action or a series of actions and a state based tip condition is often associated with the state of the application program.
In accordance with other aspects of the present invention, each type of tip condition has a priority value associated with the tip condition e.g., low, medium and high. For a high priority tip condition, the present invention will immediately display a tip message associated with the tip condition. When a low priority tip condition occurs, the present invention may display a selectable graphic image associated with a tip message for the condition.
In accordance with further aspects of the present invention, a graphic image may be displayed at a location adjacent to an object corresponding to a tip condition that does not have a high priority value. Selecting the graphic image causes a tip message associated with the condition to be displayed and the display of the graphic image to be removed. The graphic image may be translucent and/or an icon. The graphic image is generally sized equal to or greater than a minimum non-obtrusive size and large enough so that the user can view and select the graphic image. When a tip condition does not correspond to an object, the graphic image may be disposed at a default position in the display.
In accordance with still other aspects of this invention, event and state conditions may be associated with an action or series of actions that have a high priority which will cause the invention to immediately display a tip message to the user without first displaying the graphic image.
In accordance with still further aspects of this invention, the event and state conditions may be associated with an action or series of actions that have a medium priority that may cause the immediate display of the graphic image.
In accordance with yet other aspects of this invention, a state condition may be associated with a state of the application program that will cause the display of the graphic image when the application program is idle for a predetermined time interval.
In accordance with yet further aspects of this invention, a description may be displayed with the tip message indicating how to perform a task that will correct the condition associated with the tip. The display of the tip message may be disabled.
In accordance with yet still other aspects of this invention, a type of the condition may be disabl
Gorbet David P. H.
Nixon Robert M.
Bayerl Raymond J.
Christensen O'Connor Johnson & Kindness PLLC
Microsoft Corporation
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