Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-15
2001-03-27
Brier, Jeffery (Department: 2672)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06208338
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to documentation and help systems for computer-based systems.
Today, most computer-based systems (data processing systems) provide some kind of written documentation and, in combination thereto, a help system. The documentation generally represents the aids provided for understanding the structure and intended uses of the system or its components, mainly describing the requirements, capabilities, limitations, design, operation, and maintenance of the system. The help system generally provides one or more display images that describe how to use an application or how to do a system operation. In most cases, the help system is started by a help key as a function key that displays a help text when it is pressed, or by selecting a help menu describing alternative actions when a user encounters a problem with the system or application.
The documentation may be embodied by printed manuals and/or as online documentation. The online documentation may be stored within the computer system or onto a server in a network structure, e.g. in a public network such as the Internet or in an internal proprietary network (intranet), allowing navigation within the documentation by so-called “hyperlinks” which link documentation pages stored on different locations in either the same or different servers. The online documentation typically provides a document reader for reading specified documentation files which generally do not coincide with such information used for the help system.
In most cases, the help system is implemented as an online help function in the computer system. Online help systems provide the user of the computer system with some assistance when performing a particular task. The online help systems may be context sensitive, meaning that an information requested depends on the context within the current application. The context sensitive online help system enables the user to quickly access help information, for example, by pressing a dedicated help key while a mouse cursor is pointing to an area of interest.
Online as used herein means that the respective information is accessible directly by the computer system and, e.g., while an application is running on the computer system.
FIG. 1
shows a help system for a computer system as known in the art. A display
10
within the computer system displays a mouse cursor
20
pointing on an area of interest
30
. A dedicated help key
40
is embodied, e.g., within a terminal
50
. On request by the help key
40
over a line
45
, a help engine
60
provides a help information via a line
65
to the computer system which again may be displayed by the display
10
. The provided help information may be context sensitive meaning that the help information is related to the specific context of the area of interest
30
as pointed out by the mouse cursor
20
(as indicated by arrow
67
). The help engine
60
searches for the help information by applying a context related signal on a line
68
to a database
70
and receiving the help information on a line
75
.
In most cases, the database
70
is implemented as an indexed database, meaning that an access path to a file
80
within the indexed database
70
is built on key values, and a record
90
in the file
80
is identified by a key field. The record
90
contains an information page comprising information requested as the help information. The position of the record
90
is recorded in an index as a separate portion of the file
80
. The indexed database
70
contains the indices as well as the thereto corresponding text information within the respective records of the file
80
, however in a compiled data format. The indexed database
70
usually receives its information from text files
110
generally compiled by a compiler
120
.
The information page of the record
90
might also comprise an indexed cross reference
100
to one or more other records. Cross references
100
such as links to other related information pages are handled by the help engine
60
and are stored and maintained within the database
70
.
One major disadvantage of today's solution is that the documentation is strictly separated from the help functionality. The help information might give a brief description of a particular task and it is up to the user to look into the appropriate section of the documentation to get more information about the underlying concepts etc.
Another disadvantage is that today's online help systems generally use some kind of proprietary help compiler
120
needed to translate the textual representation of the help information into the text file
110
to a compiled form which is suitable for the proprietary context sensitive help system in the indexed database
70
. This implies that customizing the help information requires access to and knowledge about the respective proprietary compiler
120
.
In automated test equipment (ATE) systems, it has been found particularly difficult to use online help functions or online documentation, since ATE systems are generally not used in standard applications predefined by the supplier of the ATE system, but in very specific customer-oriented applications defined by the user of the ATE system. This makes it quite difficult for the supplier of the ATE system to provide a document useful for a plurality of customers.
Further more, most of the knowledge about the processes to be executed by the ATE systems and the environment wherein the ATE system is to be used, which is to be outlined in a documentation and/or required for help systems, is generally not owned by the supplier of the ATE system, but by the user thereof. In that case, the user of the ATE system needs to ‘write’ an own (customer internal) user documentation describing the use of the ATE system in the respective customer's environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved documentation and help system for computer-based systems in general, and in particular for ATE systems.
According to the invention, the documentation and help system is combined in an integrated online information system comprising an online help engine for requesting and receiving documentation and help information, an address database for storing addresses of documentation and help information, and a browser for receiving documentation and help information in a network architecture corresponding to an address applied to the browser.
The online information system assists users of the data processing system in quickly retrieving any information at any level of detail. Integrating the documentation and help system also ensures consistency between both types of information.
The integrated online information system according to the invention allows to format a text and to process links to other sources of information avoiding the disadvantages of using proprietary formats in a proprietary online help information as known in the art. Thus, it is easy for users to extend and maintain the information provided by the computer or software system vendor to include best practices, personalized examples, links to other information found in the network, etc. In an ATE environment, it is possible to provide direct links to test related design information such as device data sheets, schematics, etc.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention also allows the user to directly access and maintain the online documentation (which can also be used for online help purposes) by means of the browser without requiring an access to the online help engine or to other software tools.
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patent: 5434963 (1995-07-01), Kuwamoto et al.
patent: 5483632 (1996-01-01), Kuwamoto et al.
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patent: 5517605 (1996-05-01), Wolf
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patent: 97112319 (1997-09
Fischer Martin
Perner Horst
Brier Jeffery
Cinningham G. F.
Hewlett--Packard Company
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