Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
142 words
A method for controlling the operation of a digital computer system having a memory, a visual display, and a keyboard, said method causing said computer system to perform specific functions in successive repeatable tasks including the steps of: displaying user schematics of said successive tasks on said visual display in a format which contains in part an unchanging representation of at least a core plurality of keys of said keyboard in the same arrangement used on said keyboard; indicating, within the unchanging representation of said core plurality of keys, a dynamically changeable function representation of functions to be performed upon operation of a corresponding one of said keys; and changing said changeable representation in a hierarchal sequence and causing said computer system to perform said specific functions in response to successive operations of selected ones of said core plurality of said keys.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
142 words
A method for controlling the operation of a digital computer system having a memory, a visual display, and a keyboard, said method causing said computer system to perform specific functions in successive repeatable tasks including the steps of: displaying user schematics of said successive tasks on said visual display in a format which contains in part an unchanging representation of at least a core plurality of keys of said keyboard in the same arrangement used on said keyboard; indicating, within the unchanging representation of said core plurality of keys, a dynamically changeable function representation of functions to be performed upon operation of a corresponding one of said keys; and changing said changeable representation in a hierarchal sequence and causing said computer system to perform said specific functions in response to successive operations of selected ones of said core plurality of said keys.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein said unchanging representation of at least a core plurality of the keys of said keyboard includes the display thereon of character labels corresponding to the same character labels appearing on said keyboard for each of the displayed keys.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein said dynamically changeable function representations include navigation icons and task icons.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein the unchanging representation of at least a core plurality of the keys of said keyboard as displayed on said visual display includes labels corresponding to the same labels on said keyboard.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method according to claim 4 wherein said dynamically changeable function representations include navigation icons and task icons.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method according to claim 1 wherein said dynamically changeable function representations include navigation icons and task icons.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
176 words
A graphical user interface for use in controlling the operation of a digital computer system having a memory, a visual display and a keyboard, said graphical user interface including in combination: a digital computer operatively connected to said memory, said visual display and said keyboard; whereupon said digital computer is operated through said keyboard for performing functions structured as a series of hierarchal tasks displayed by said graphical user interface as: a primary display of user schematics of said hierarchal tasks on said visual display in a format which contains, in part, an unchanging representation of at least a core plurality of the keys of said keyboard in the same arrangement used on the keys of said keyboard; and indicating, within the unchanging representation of said core plurality of said keys, a dynamically changeable function representation of functions to be performed upon operation of a corresponding one of said keys of said keyboard, said changeable function representation changing in a hierarchal sequence in response to successive operations of selected ones of said keys of said keyboard.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
176 words
A graphical user interface for use in controlling the operation of a digital computer system having a memory, a visual display and a keyboard, said graphical user interface including in combination: a digital computer operatively connected to said memory, said visual display and said keyboard; whereupon said digital computer is operated through said keyboard for performing functions structured as a series of hierarchal tasks displayed by said graphical user interface as: a primary display of user schematics of said hierarchal tasks on said visual display in a format which contains, in part, an unchanging representation of at least a core plurality of the keys of said keyboard in the same arrangement used on the keys of said keyboard; and indicating, within the unchanging representation of said core plurality of said keys, a dynamically changeable function representation of functions to be performed upon operation of a corresponding one of said keys of said keyboard, said changeable function representation changing in a hierarchal sequence in response to successive operations of selected ones of said keys of said keyboard.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
54 words
The system according to claim 7 wherein said graphical user interface displayed on said visual display comprises a displayed representation to the user of the finger and direction of finger movement required to achieve the desired result indicated by the GUI without requiring movement of the hands of the user away from the keyboard.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
47 words
The combination according to claim 8 wherein said unchanging representation of at least a core plurality of the keys of said keyboard includes a representation of character labels which correspond to the same character labels appearing on said keyboard for each of said core plurality of keys.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
63 words
The combination according to claim 9 wherein said system includes a GUI display on said visual display of hierarchal panels representative of navigational operations and task operations for causing said digital computer system to execute automatically the required functions depicted by said GUI upon operation of a key on said keyboard corresponding to the indicated task of the GUI display which is selected.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
63 words
The combination according to claim 7 wherein said system includes a GUI display on said visual display of hierarchal panels representative of navigational operations and task operations for causing said digital computer system to execute automatically the required functions depicted by said GUI upon operation of a key on said keyboard corresponding to the indicated task of the GUI display which is selected.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
The system according to claim 11 wherein said graphical user interface displayed on said visual display comprises a displayed representation to the user of the finger and direction of finger movement required to achieve the desired result indicated by the GUI without requiring movement of the hands of the user away from the keyboard.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
47 words
The combination according to claim 7 wherein said unchanging representation of at least a core plurality of the keys of said keyboard includes a representation of character labels which correspond to the same character labels appearing on said keyboard for each of said core plurality of keys.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
63 words
The combination according to claim 13 wherein said system includes a GUI display on said visual display of hierarchal panels representative of navigational operations and task operations for causing said digital computer system to execute automatically the required functions depicted by said GUI upon operation of a key on said keyboard corresponding to the indicated task of the GUI display which is selected.