US5905992A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Document display system for organizing and displaying documents as screen objects organized along strand paths
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
•
Filing: 1996-11-25
•
Granted: 1999-05-18
•
Expires: 2016-11-25
Abstract
Abstract A system for displaying documents on a computer controlled display device is disclosed. The disclosed system supports displaying documents as strands, such that documents in a strand follow a strand path. The strand path is a two dimensional line through a three dimensional display space. The documents displayed on the strand are known as child documents, and each strand also has a parent document. Various constraints defining the strand are associated with the parent document, including a strand function defining the strand path when evaluated, minimum and maximum separation constraints defining the distance between the child documents on the strand, and an origin constraint defining the positional relationship of the strand path to the display of the parent document.
Inventors
- 👤 Peter Lucas
- 👤 Jeffrey A. Senn
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 06:12
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/01; G06F3/048; G06F3/0481; G06F3/0483; G06F16/00; G06F16/30; G06F16/33; G06F16/338; G06F16/34; G06F16/90; G06F16/93
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
127 words
An apparatus for displaying documents, comprising: a computer controlled display device; means for displaying a strand of documents on said display device, said strand having a parent document and one or more child documents, said parent document represented on said display device by a screen object, one or more of said child documents represented on said display device by a screen object displayed on a strand path, said strand path consisting of a two dimensional line through a three dimensional virtual display space in which said parent document and said child documents are arranged; and a set of one or more constraints associated with said strand, said set of constraints including a strand function, said strand function defining said strand path when said strand function is evaluated.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
127 words
An apparatus for displaying documents, comprising: a computer controlled display device; means for displaying a strand of documents on said display device, said strand having a parent document and one or more child documents, said parent document represented on said display device by a screen object, one or more of said child documents represented on said display device by a screen object displayed on a strand path, said strand path consisting of a two dimensional line through a three dimensional virtual display space in which said parent document and said child documents are arranged; and a set of one or more constraints associated with said strand, said set of constraints including a strand function, said strand function defining said strand path when said strand function is evaluated.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
61 words
The apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising: a workspace viewer process for maintaining said three-dimensional virtual display space, said three dimensional virtual display space known as a workspace; and a perspective function, within said workspace viewer process, for translating coordinates of said parent document and said child documents in said three-dimensional workspace from three-dimensional coordinates into two dimensional screen coordinates.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus as in claim 2, further comprising: a processor; a memory coupled with said processor; said documents stored as data in said memory; said perspective function consisting of software stored in said memory and executing on said processor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
44 words
The apparatus as in claim 3, wherein said strand function is code stored as a high level language in said parent document, and said strand function is interpreted into executable code by a script interpreter, and said executable code is executed on said processor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
The apparatus as in claim 4, wherein said strand function is a code representation of a mathematical equation which when interpreted by said script interpreter and executed on said processor outputs the coordinates of said strand path.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising: a user interface for manipulating the position of said strand as displayed on said display device.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
The apparatus as in claim 6, said user interface further comprising: a mouse; and strand moving means, responsive to said mouse, for selecting said strand and moving the location of said strand as a whole in said workspace.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
40 words
The apparatus as in claim 7, further comprising document removing means, responsive to said mouse, for selecting one of said child documents, and removing said child document from said strand by dragging said child document off of said strand path.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus as in claim 1, said parent document including a minimum spacing constraint defining a minimum distance along said strand path between each screen object on said strand.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus as in claim 1, said parent document including a maximum spacing constraint defining a maximum distance along said strand path between each screen object on said strand.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus as in claim 1, said parent document including a knot constraint, defining a point on said strand path, such that any of said child documents displayed between said parent document and said knot constraint belong to a first sub-strand, and all other of said child documents belong to a second sub-strand.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus as in claim 1, said parent document including an origin constraint, said origin constraint defining the position of said strand on said display device relative to the screen object of said parent document.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said strand function is one of a set of one or more pre-calculated strand functions.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
13 words
The apparatus as in claim 1, where said strand function is user defined.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US5233687A
Cited
US5060135A
Cited
US5101345A
Cited
US5179718A
Cited
US5303388A
Cited
US5317686A
Cited
US5132900A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-05-17 | 2002-11-16 | 2003-05-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-05-17 | 2006-11-16 | 2007-05-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-05-17 | 2010-11-16 | 2011-05-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |