Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1995-08-07
2003-01-28
Nguyen, Cao H. (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06512525
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to computer systems, and more particularly to systems for adjusting collections of parameters used in conducting transactions in pen-based computer systems.
Computers are becoming increasingly powerful, lightweight, and portable. The computing power of computers that once filled entire rooms is now residing on a desktop. Laptop, notebook, and sub-notebook computers are virtually as powerful as their desktop counterparts. Even smaller hand-held computers are now capable of computing tasks that required much larger machines a few short years ago.
As a part of this trend, computerized personal organizers are becoming increasingly popular with a large segment of the population. Computerized personal organizers tend to be small, lightweight, and relatively inexpensive, and can perform such functions as keeping a calendar, an address book, a to-do list, etc. While many of these functions can also be provided in conventional computer systems, personal organizers are very well suited to the personal organization task due to their small size and portability. Personal organizers are available from many companies including Sharp and Casio of Japan.
A relatively new form of computer, the pen-based computer system, holds forth the promise of a marriage of the power of a general purpose computer with the functionality and small size of a personal organizer. An example of a pen-based computer system is the Newton® 120 pen-based computer made and marketed by Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.
A pen-based computer system is typically a small, hand-held computer where the primary method for inputting data includes a “pen” or stylus. A pen-based computer system is commonly housed in a generally rectangular enclosure, and is provided with a dual-function display assembly that can serve as both an input device and an output device. When operating as an input device or “tablet”, the display assembly senses the position of the tip of a stylus on the viewing screen and provides this positional information to the computer's central processing unit (CPU). Some display assemblies can also sense the pressure of the stylus on the screen to provide further information to the CPU. When operating as an output device, the display assembly presents computer-generated images on the screen.
The dual-function display assemblies of pen-based computer systems permit users to operate the computer as a computerized notepad, among other functions. For example, graphical images can be input into the pen-based computer by merely moving the stylus on the surface of the screen. As the CPU senses the position and movement of the stylus, it generates a corresponding image on the screen to create the illusion that the stylus is drawing the image directly upon the screen, i.e. that the stylus is “inking” an image on the screen. By “ink” it is meant that pixels on the screen are activated in such a manner that it appears that the stylus is leaving a trail of ink on the display assembly. With suitable recognition software, the “ink” can be recognized to input text, numerics, graphics, and other recognized information into the pen-based system.
Because pen-base computer systems are portable and easy to use, owners often use them in various locations and for various types of tasks. In essence, the pen-base computer system becomes an “agent” of its owner, performing for the owner various routine tasks such as faxing, note taking, e-mailing, etc. Frequently the owner takes on various roles or “personas” such as, for example, private citizen, professional employee, volunteer, hobbyist, etc.
A difficulty arises in this context because entirely different sets of parameters (used by the pen-base computer system to perform its tasks) may be associated with each of these various personas. It can be cumbersome for the agent pen-base computer system to seamlessly adapt to these various roles. For example, various of the personas may have associated therewith separate addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, etc. Often these various pieces of information must be separately specified for such activities as automatically generating correspondence, sending a facsimile, or purchasing items. Specifically, to charge a facsimile transmission from a pen-base computer system, the computer system owner might use one phone card number (for a business line) when adopting a professional persona and a different phone card number (for a home line) when adopting a private citizen persona. The situation may be further complicated because a given pen-based computer system might be used by its owner's family members or other colleagues from time-to-time. Each of these other users have their own personas.
Some desk top and lap top computer systems such as the Macintosh® available from Apple Computer, Incorporated of Cupertino Calif., have provided the ability to quickly switch between collections of parameters associated with different “worksites”. For example, one worksite may be associated with a principle business office at which a desktop computer sits, and second worksite might be at a company's branch office. Each of these worksites likely uses a different printer and has a different phone number. Some applications have been proposed for use on the Apple Macintosh® that would have allowed users to switch between various “worksites settings” depending upon where the computer was used. In this manner, printer settings, phone numbers and an entire suite of parameters associated with a given worksite could be changed very easily. Unfortunately, these worksite-specific parameters are sometimes not useful in situations where a user is changing personas. In fact, a user may often change personas in the course of a short period of time, without ever changing a worksite.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide some method for quickly and easily changing an entire collection of parameters of relevance to the pen-based computer system when its owner adopts different personas.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides computer systems which may adopt one of many personas, depending upon the role that its owner is currently undertaking. The computer system includes a central repository of extensible personas available to all applications running on the computer system. Each such persona has associated therewith a suite of parameters, or specific values for parameters, which are appropriate for conducting transactions in the name of their particular persona. The computer system further provides a graphical user interface which allows the user to switch from persona to persona by simply selecting a particular persona from a list of available personas displayed on a display screen of the computer system. By selecting such persona, the user causes the computer system to globally change the entire suite of parameter values so that subsequent transactions conducted with the computer system employ the parameter values of the current persona. In preferred embodiments, the suite of parameters representing a given persona can be extended by applications running on the computer system. Specifically, various applications may add certain persona-specific parameters to the system's personas as required.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a method, implemented on a computer system having a display screen, which can be characterized as including the following steps: (1) identifying a transaction specified by a user via a graphical user interface of the computer system, the transaction requiring, in order to be performed, that values of a collection of parameters be specified; (2) determining a current persona for the computer system, the persona being one of multiple personas available on the computer system and associated with one or more users of the computer system, each of the personas having an associated set of values for persona parameters, at least some of the persona parameters being within the collection of parameters required to perform the tr
Ansanelli Joseph G.
Capps Stephen P.
Fang Ton-Yun
Apple Computer Inc.
Beyer Weaver & Thomas LLP
Nguyen Cao H.
LandOfFree
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