Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1997-04-04
2001-07-10
Ho, Ruay Lian (Department: 2172)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06259444
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a computer-implemented interactive system in which a computer can react to the occurrence of physical events by selecting and processing a stored action item so as to cause additional data processing or a controlled hardware response. More specifically, the invention is directed to an event interpreter which, based on the physical event, selects and processes an action item from a collection of action items which together form the interactive system, as well as to a method which uses the computer file system to create, modify and view the action items in the interactive system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer-controlled interactive systems allow a computer to sense the occurrence of a physical event and to react to the physical event in accordance with a stored application of predefined responses, such as by performing specific data processing or by controlling hardware equipment. For example, in the case of an interactive voice response (IVR) system, a computer can sense the occurrence of an incoming call, respond by controlling the telephone to go off-hook and by playing out a series of user options, and can then sense the occurrence of dual tone modulated frequency (DTMF) tone commands from the caller and respond with appropriate data processing and telephone hardware control sequences.
Because of the complexity of interactive systems, they are ordinarily designed by highly trained software engineers using sophisticated and complicated software programming techniques. And, because the interactive systems must be created to an end user's specifications, most interactive systems are customized to that single user's requirements and cannot easily be tailored to other user's requirements. Thus, once an interactive system has been designed and coded, if changes are required, then either a new system must be written or the old system must be revised by highly trained software engineers at great expense.
Recently, some interactive systems have become available which allow their owner to make minor modifications on his own. However, in these cases the modification capability is itself a new program which the owner must learn and, once learned, it can only be used to modify the interactive system and not for any other purpose.
Thus, current modification capabilities are specifically tailored for their associated interactive systems and cannot be used flexibly for other interactive systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the above-noted drawback by allowing the owner to use the presenter/editor in the computer's file system, which is the same file system by which all files on the computer are created and modified and viewed, to create, modify and view the interactive system. According to this aspect of the invention, a method for visually representing content and structure of an interactive system application stored in a file system includes the steps of selecting from the file system an interactive system application containing at least one event-actuatable action item, displaying, in a hierarchical arrangement, a graphical representation of the at least one event-actuatable action item, and displaying an event identifier associated with the displayed action item of the selected interactive system application, wherein physical occurrences of an event corresponding to the event identifier causes actuation of the action item.
According to another aspect, the invention provides an event interpreter which controls processing of the interactive system by matching names of events to an event identifier of action items which comprise the interactive system, and by processing action items which are selected when a match is found. According to this aspect, an event interpreter for selecting action items for execution based on occurrences of events in an interactive system includes an input section by which the event interpreter receives a computer-usable signal indicating that a physical event has occurred, an event name generator for generating an event name based on the computer-usable signal, and an action item selector for comparing the event name to the event identifier for action items stored in a file system and for selecting for execution an action item whose event identifier corresponds to the event name.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an interactive system for monitoring and for responding to physical events includes a file system which includes a plurality of action items, each action item having an identifier corresponding to a physical event monitored in the interactive system. A physical event interface detecting an occurrence of a physical event and outputs a signal in response to the occurrence of an event. A name generator receives the signal from the physical event interface and generates an event name based on the received signal. An event interpreter selects and processes an action item from the file system, the action item having an event identifier corresponding to the generated event name.
In yet a further aspect of the invention, there is a method for visually representing content and structure of an interactive system using a conventional file system. In the method, an interactive system application containing at least one event-actuatable action item is selected from the file system. A graphical representation of the at least one event-actuatable action item is displayed in a hierarchical arrangement, and an event identifier associated with the at least one action item is displayed. The event identifier operates to actuate the at least one action item upon the occurrence of an event having a corresponding event name to the event identifier.
This brief summary of the invention is provided so that the nature of the invention may be understood quickly. A full understanding may be obtained by reference to the following detailed description of the invention in connection with the appended drawings.
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Palmer Douglas L.
Ray Richard Douglas
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Ho Ruay Lian
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