Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Patrick J Naughton

Edward H Frank

James A Gosling

Joseph M Palrang

R Michael Sheridan

Chris Warth

David A LaVallee

Charles H Clanton

John C Liu

Christopher S Warth

David A LaValle

Craig Stephen Forrest

Michael R Sheridan

Jonathan Payne

David A La Valle

Charles H Clanton, Iii

Charles H Clayton, Iii

An intuitive graphical user interface is based upon a geographic map structure, and includes a system for controlling remote external electronic devices. In the defined graphical user interface, each space of the geographic map structure is rendered on a touch screen display as a graphic image of a geographic space. Within each space are colored cartoon-like icons called 'objects' which can be selected and manipulated by the user. Certain objects, referred to as portals, transport the user from one space to another space when Selected. Other objects, referred to as buttons, perform associated actions or functions when Selected. The graphical user interface is displayed on a hand-held display device used to control remote devices. Each remote electronic device transmits a user interface program object that defines a graphical user interface to the display device. The hand-held display devices displays the graphical user interface associated with the remote device when a user selects an icon associated with the remote device on the display device's touch screen display.

Graphical user interface for displaying and navigating in a directed graph structure

A central processing unit (CPU) is provided and is coupled to a display for displaying graphic and other data in multiple overlapping windows. The CPU is further coupled to one or more input devices which permits a user to selectively position a cursor and input and manipulate data within each of the windows on the display. The windows include defined areas having window features such as text, icons and buttons corresponding to functions to be executed by the CPU. Multiple applications may be executed concurrently by the CPU such that each application is associated with one or more windows. Each display element (&ldquo;pixel&rdquo;) comprising the display is represented by multiple bits in a computer frame buffer memory coupled to the CPU. An alpha value (&agr;) is associated with the intensity of each pixel of the display, such that multiple images may be blended in accordance with a predefined formula utilizing the alpha values. By setting the alpha values appropriately, transparency may be accomplished such that data associated with underlying windows may be rendered visible to the user. Effectively, the present invention merges multiple images through alpha &ldquo;blending&rdquo; such that several images appear transparently on top of one another. The present invention, through the selective use of alpha blending, permits underlying windows to display data visible to the user through windows which are overlaid above an underlying window.

Method and apparatus for presenting information in a display system using transparent windows

An intuitive graphical user interface is based upon a geographic map structure, and includes a system for controlling remote external electronic devices. In the defined graphical user interface, each Space of the geographic map structure is rendered on a touch screen display as a graphic image of a geographic space. Within each Space are colored cartoon-like icons called &ldquo;objects&rdquo; which can be Selected and manipulated by the user. Certain objects, referred to as portals, transport the user from one Space to another Space when Selected. Other objects, referred to as buttons, perform associated actions or functions when Selected. The graphical user interface is displayed on a hand-held display device used to control remote devices. Each remote electronic device transmits a user interface program object that defines a graphical user interface to the display device. The hand-held display devices displays the graphical user interface associated with the remote device when a user selects an icon associated with the remote device on the display device's touch screen display.

Graphical user interface for displaying and manipulating objects

Agent icon for a display screen of a programmed computer system

The graphics applications of a 2-D graphics computer system provide each object to be rendered on a 2-D raster display with a pair of rendering reference coordinates (x and y), and a relative depth value (z). Additionally, the computer system is provided with a library of predetermined 2-D images and sounds, and a number of graphics toolkit routines. As the user &ldquo;moves&rdquo;, the graphics toolkit routines render selected ones of the predetermined images based on x/z and y/z values of recomputed x and y rendering coordinates and the relative depth value z of the objects, and actuate the sounds if applicable based on their predetermined manners of rendering. As a result, the objects that are further away from the user will move slower than the objects that are closer to the user, thereby introducing the effect of parallax and added realism to the 2-D graphics computer system at a substantially lower cost.

Method and apparatus for rendering objects on a display with added realism

Graphical user interface with method and apparatus for interfacing to

Toy house

An intuitive graphical user interface is based upon a geographic map structure, and includes a system for controlling remote external electronic devices. In the defined graphical user interface, each Space of the geographic map structure is rendered on a touch screen display as a graphic image of a geographic space. Within each Space are colored cartoon-like icons called 'objects' which can be Selected and manipulated by the user. Certain objects, referred to as portals, transport the user from one Space to another Space when Selected. Other objects, referred to as buttons, perform associated actions or functions when Selected. The graphical user interface is displayed on a hand-held display device used to control remote devices. Each remote electronic device transmits a user interface program object that defines a graphical user interface to the display device. The hand-held display devices displays the graphical user interface associated with the remote device when a user selects an icon associated with the remote device on the display device's touch screen display.

A central processing unit (CPU) is provided and is coupled to a display for displaying graphic and other data in multiple overlapping windows. The CPU is further coupled to one or more input devices which permits a user to selectively position a cursor and input and manipulate data within each of the windows on the display. The windows include defined areas having window features such as text, icons and buttons corresponding to functions to be executed by the CPU. Multiple applications may be executed concurrently by the CPU such that each application is associated with one or more windows. Each display element ('pixel') comprising the display is represented by multiple bits in a computer frame buffer memory coupled to the CPU. An alpha value (.alpha.) is associated with the intensity of each pixel of the display, such that multiple images may be blended in accordance with a predefined formula utilizing the alpha values. By setting the alpha values appropriately, transparency may be accomplished such that data associated with underlying windows may be rendered visible to the user. Effectively, the present invention merges multiple images through alpha 'blending' such that several images appear transparently on top of one another. The present invention, through the selective use of alpha blending, permits underlying windows to display data visible to the user through windows which are overlaid above an underlying window.

Method and apparatus for presenting information in a display system

Graphical user interface for displaying and navigating in a directed

A method and apparatus for quickly copying a first frame region into a second frame region. A video memory array comprising a plurality of video random access memory devices is divided into at least two frame regions. A background image is rendered by a central processing unit into a background frame region within the video memory array. The central processing unit then requests the background image in the background frame region to be copied into a new frame region in the video memory array. A dedicated circuit copies the entire background image in the background frame region into the new frame region. The dedicated circuit operates by using a serial data register within each video random access memory device during the vertical retrace period of a video timing signal. The dedicated circuit performs the background frame copy without requiring any processing resources from the central processing unit.

Method and apparatus for constructing a frame buffer with a fast copy

Method and apparatus for improved graphical user interface having

The graphics applications of a 2-D graphics computer system provide each object to be rendered on a 2-D raster display with a pair of rendering reference coordinates (x and y), and a relative depth value (z). Additionally, the computer system is provided with a library of predetermined 2-D images and sounds, and a number of graphics toolkit routines. As the user 'moves', the graphics toolkit routines render selected ones of the predetermined images based on x/z and y/z values of recomputed x and y rendering coordinates and the relative depth value z of the objects, and actuate the sounds if applicable based on their predetermined manners of rendering. As a result, the objects that are further away from the user will move slower than the objects that are closer to the user, thereby introducing the effect of parallax and added realism to the 2-D graphics computer system at a substantially lower cost.

Growing community of inventors

Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Patrick J Naughton