Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-26
2001-11-13
Cabeca, John (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
06317143
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to user interfaces for multimedia entertainment and computing systems, particularly to devices and methods for controlling the various components in such systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The home electronics industry, in the midst of an on-going convergence of televisions and computers, has produced a new class of products, known as PC-TV systems, or personal-computer-television systems. In their simplest form, these systems allow users to selectively switch between using a video monitor, or display, to watch television or to support computer activities, like word processing, creating spread sheets, playing computer games, or even surfing the world wide web. A seminal example, the Gateway Destination PC-TV system, from Gateway 2000, Inc., not only weds a television to a personal computer, but allows system expansion to include video-cassette recorders, laser-disc players, video cameras, direct-broadcast-satellite receivers, and so forth.
Another feature of systems such as the Gateway Destination system is the use of a remote control, or wireless keyboard, placed some distance from the computer, so that users may participate in home entertainment as a family, instead of individually. Due to the number of components capable of being connected in such a system, control of the various components can become tedious. A graphical user interface displayed on the computer screen may allow individual control of the components of the system.
A number of application programs for communication and navigation on the Internet and world wide web are in common use, such as Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer. These programs or browsers communicate with remote computer systems via the Internet or other computer network. When executed, the browser software causes the computer to operate a network communication device such as a modem. When browsing the world wide web, a user navigates to different environments, known as web pages. On these web pages, any number of features may be present, including applets.
An applet is a small application that is often present on world wide web sites. Applets are typically also shipped with an operating or a larger product, such as the calculator that comes with Windows. Applets on world wide web sites are often written in a programming language known as Java. Java is a platform-independent programming language. Java programs are commonly referred to as applets since they are most often used for small, transportable programs.
Applets are commonly loaded into a web browser when a user is navigating web pages. The applets may modify their own user interfaces. Applications taking the form of software stored on the hard drive of a computer also have graphical user interfaces for control of the applications. These user interfaces are modifiable by the user and by the program as well. Each application or applet has its own individual user interface.
Each individual user interface of an application or applet may contain a large number of functionalities. In certain instances, the functionalities of user interfaces may overlap to a small or even large degree. Applications and applets may modify their own user interfaces. However, each application or applet has its own functionality setup, and each application or applet generally has its own specific user interface. The various user interfaces are all separate. They do not act together or in a consistent manner.
Many consumer electronic appliances having screen displays, such as set top boxes, televisions, VCRs, and the like, are increasingly being connected to a home computer-based audio/video/computer system. An example of such a system is the Gateway Destination PC-TV system manufactured by Gateway 2000, Inc. Many such consumer electric appliances have severely limited on screen display (OSD) generators. Further, many of these types of appliances also have no windowing. In the computer-oriented marketplace, OSDs and windowing have become important tools for the management of various user preferences for such appliances.
It would be desirable to provide a graphical user interface having increased capability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To address these and other shortcomings, the inventor devised an apparatus and method of programming a graphical user interface to define and redefine the graphical user interface according to functionality of various applications and applets.
In one embodiment, a software module for programming a graphical user interface is provided. The software module communicates with and is responsive to applications and applets, and their individual and collective functionality. Such functionality information is supplied by or retrieved from an application or applet, and the software creates, defines, and redefines the graphical user interface when a new application or applet is launched.
A method embodiment of the present invention for defining a graphical user interface in response to the functionality of an application or applet comprises operating or launching a first application, retrieving functionality information of the first application, defining a graphical user interface for controlling the functionality of the first application, and controlling the first application with the defined GUI. When additional applications or applets are launched, the method redefines the GUI in response to additional functionality information provided by the new application or applet. The new application or applet may be controlled along with the previous application or applet.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a shared graphical user interface capable of control of a plurality of computer applications or applets. The shared graphical user interface is defined and redefined as different applications or applets are launched, by receiving information from the applets or from software designed to retrieve the functionality of the applications or applets.
A machine readable medium embodiment of the invention comprises machine readable instructions for causing a computer to perform a method comprising operating a user interface to a first application, retrieving functionality information of the first application, defining a graphical user interface for controlling the functionality of the first application, and controlling the first application with the defined GUI. A further embodiment of the machine readable instructions causes the computer to retrieve the functionality of a second application or applet launched in the computer, and integrates the functionality of the second application into the graphical user interface. The machine readable medium may integrate any number of applications or applets into the GUI, subject only to the physical limits imposed by the available memory, storage, and hardware. Further, the GUI may incorporate functionality of consumer electric appliances, allowing a programmable GUI for set-top boxes, televisions, VCRs, and the like.
Other embodiments and advantages of the invention will become apparent after considering the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description.
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Cabeca John
Cool Kenneth J.
Gamon Owen J.
Gateway Inc.
Schwegman - Lundberg Woessner - Kluth
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