International Business Machines Corporation

Alan Joseph Happ

David Frederick Champion

Ravi Shankarnarayan Adapathya

Kevin Laverne Schultz

Keith Preston Loring

Brad Michael Lawrence

Mark Edward Molander

Randal Lee Bertram

Kerry Alan Ortega

Alice G Klein

Peter Rowland Eastwood

Maria Milenkovic

Andrew Ehrenzeller

Daniel William Kruse

Peter Eastwood

A method is disclosed for aurally indicating progress. In one embodiment, a node count module determines a node threshold. A discovery module searches for a plurality of nodes over a communications channel wherein each node is autonomously connected to the communications channel. In addition, the discovery module receives a reply from a node. The node count module may direct an indicator module to modify an aural indicator in response to the node count exceeding the node threshold. The indicator module further emits the aural indicator.

Apparatus, system, and method for aurally indicating progress

A system and method in accordance with the present invention allows blind and visually impaired users to quickly identify links to relevant material when 'viewing' web pages that consist primarily of either plain text or images. By generating an aural or visual index to the links on the page being 'viewed', blind and visually impaired users can quickly jump to interesting sites that are linked from the current page without having to wait for the entire page to be voiced by a screen reader application.

Method and system for providing an index to linked sites on a web page for individuals with visual disabilities

A system and method for minimizing essential tremor effects while utilizing a pointing device on a computer system is disclosed. The system and method comprises obtaining an individual's tremor characteristics and calculating the frequency components of the tremor to obtain digital filter coefficients. The method and system further includes creating a calibration profile comprised of digital filter coefficient that plugs into a pointing device driver; and utilizing the modified device driver to eliminate the effects of the essential tremors. The system and method includes a software tuning algorithm used to obtain an individual's tremor characteristics. A spectral analysis system will calculate the frequency components of the tremor and digital filter coefficients will be saved as a profile. The appropriate filter coefficients will be passed to a device driver via the profile. The modified device driver will filter the pointing device input data based on the filter coefficients and eliminate tremor effects from the on-screen pointer. Because the profile is transferable, if a device driver capable of accepting the profile plug-in were already installed on a computer, the profile could be loaded and used immediately on the computer without the need for re-calibration.

Device driver system for minimizing adverse tremor effects during use of pointing devices

Conversation management is provided in a computer speech recognition system by generating a number of graphical and audio interfaces. The system allocates video and speech for different purposes to cue a user when to speak. The system also makes use of video and speech to cue a user regarding how to speak, thereby alleviating the vocabulary problems common to many speech recognition interfaces. These techniques permit a user to be informed when and how to speak during a fairly complex situation such as an interview.

Conversation management in speech recognition interfaces

A first graphical user interface for a video environment display is generated. A second graphical user interface for a synthesized environment display is generated. An audio output interface for audibly transmitting audio information associated with the first and second graphical user interfaces is generated. An audio input interface for receiving audible information as an input for the speech recognition interface is generated. The context is separated from the content by providing video and synthesized environments having different but complementary functions.

A scroll transfer control button is provided so that a single set of scroll controls can be used to alternately control scrolling in a plurality of separate windows which may be concurrently presented on a display device. Each time a scroll transfer control button is activated, active scroll control switches so that scroll control can be transferred from a work object contained in a first displayed window to another displayed window. Active scroll control can be returned to the first displayed window by toggling the scroll control button until the active scroll control returns. The single set of scroll controls is preferably provided at the edge of the edge of the available area for displaying windows containing work objects. The single set of scroll controls can be trivially thin in appearance or may be transparent due to their consistent presentation at an extreme edge of a display area.

Method and apparatus for single scroll bars in graphical windows user

A method and apparatus for use with a computer having a graphical user interface, including a desktop, displayed on a computer screen. The system is designed for controlling the execution of a computer application program, and the relative position of a window associated with said application along a z-axis defined as extending perpendicular to the surface of the computer screen. The invention includes a new graphical user interface element in the form of a handle positioned along a peripheral edge of a desktop. The handle is configured so that it is always visible on the desktop, and the position of the handle is user defined or programmable according to a convention. A link is provided between the handle and an associated application so that when handle is activated by means of a pointing device, a window associated with the application will be displayed as a foreground window on the desktop. The system permits the application to be efficiently and quickly accessed by activation of the handle.

Method and apparatus for handles to components in graphical windows user

A visual feedback aid, for a computer system performing speech recognition functions, provides indications on a display monitor of the system representing the current state of operation of a system microphone, the current mode of operation of the system in respect to speech, and a string of text representing the system's recognition (correct or incorrect) of commands instantly spoken into the microphone. The indications preferably are located in a reserved area of a display window associated with a currently active application involving speech recognition. The reserved area preferably would be a prominent one, such as the application title bar.

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Alan Joseph Happ