The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 18, 1998
Filed:
Jul. 01, 1996
Donald R Gentner, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Sun Microsystems, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
An electronic digital computer system includes a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for displaying graphical objects such as icon buttons, scrolling text lists, and text entry fields on a monitor. A keyboard includes a label key such as a conventional alternate (Alt) key which, when depressed, causes alphanumeric characters to be superimposed on the graphical objects. Depression of an alphanumeric key on the keyboard corresponding to the alphanumeric character superimposed on a selected object causes an associated operation to be launched. The GUI includes an object table having an entry for each graphical object. Each entry includes an object name, corresponding alphanumeric character, object type (e.g. icon button, text input field), and object display position. A display generator accesses the object table using the object names as inputs, obtains the alphanumeric characters as outputs, and superimposes and displays the alphanumeric characters on the objects. The alphanumeric characters are displayed at positions that are offset from the object display positions by predetermined distances and directions corresponding to the object types.