US6502233B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Automated help system for reference information
Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC
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Filing: 1998-11-13
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Granted: 2002-12-31
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Expires: 2018-11-13
Abstract
Abstract Automatic parameter help is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system comprises an editor to provide for developing source code for a computer program, where the source code includes an identifier; and an automatic help module invoked upon a predetermined event by the editor. The automatic help module is operative to display reference information associated with the identifier.
Inventors
- 👤 Shankar Vaidyanathan
- 👤 Philip Lucido
- 👤 Sundeep Bhatia
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 20:07
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/44; G06F9/451; G06F9/453; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99951; Y10S707/99952; Y10S707/99953; Y10S707/99954
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 43
Claim 1
Independent Claim
106 words
A system comprising: an editor to provide for developing source code for a computer program, said source code including an identifier entered by a user when the user is entering source code in the editor; and an automatic help module invoked upon a predetermined event and operative to display information associated with the identifier including at least one of a description of the identifier, a description of the type of identifier and a description of syntax associated with the identifier for further entry by the user, said information being displayed directly in response to said predetermined event without further action by the user of the editor.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
106 words
A system comprising: an editor to provide for developing source code for a computer program, said source code including an identifier entered by a user when the user is entering source code in the editor; and an automatic help module invoked upon a predetermined event and operative to display information associated with the identifier including at least one of a description of the identifier, a description of the type of identifier and a description of syntax associated with the identifier for further entry by the user, said information being displayed directly in response to said predetermined event without further action by the user of the editor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The system of claim 1 , wherein the identifier is a function name, macro name, or template name.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system of claim 2 , wherein the reference information comprises a parameter list for a function identified by the function name.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 3 , wherein a required parameter is highlighted within the reference information.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system of claim 1 , wherein the identifier is an attribute name.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system of claim 1 , wherein the reference information is displayed within a tooltip box.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of claim 1 , further comprising a database module operative to supply at least a subset of the information when queried by the automated help module.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
58 words
The system of claim 7 , wherein the database module manages a pre-created database and a dynamically updated database, said pre-created database and dynamically updated database containing reference information on a plurality of entities; and wherein the automatic help module queries said pre-created database and dynamically updated database to obtain reference information on an entity matching the identifier.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
The system of claim 1 , further comprising a parser operative to parse the source code and to obtain parsed data for the identifier.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 9 , wherein the parsed data includes a data type for the identifier.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of claim 9 , wherein the parsed data includes a class specifier for the identifier.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system of claim 1 , wherein the automatic help module further comprises a comment search module operative to scan a set of source code for a code comment associated with the identifier and wherein the reference information displayed comprises the code comment.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined event occurs when a cursor is positioned over the identifier.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
20 words
The system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined event occurs when the identifier is entered into the source code.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
100 words
A method comprising: developing at least a section of source code for a computer program, said source code including an identifier entered by a user when the user is entering said section of source code; detecting an event; searching for information on the identifier including at least one of a description of the identifier, a description of the type of identifier and a description of syntax associated with the identifier for further entry by the user in response to the event; and displaying the information directly in response to said event without further action by the user of the editor.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
100 words
A method comprising: developing at least a section of source code for a computer program, said source code including an identifier entered by a user when the user is entering said section of source code; detecting an event; searching for information on the identifier including at least one of a description of the identifier, a description of the type of identifier and a description of syntax associated with the identifier for further entry by the user in response to the event; and displaying the information directly in response to said event without further action by the user of the editor.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein the event comprises entering an identifier into the source code.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein the event comprises positioning a cursor over the identifier.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein searching for information includes searching a database for information.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein searching for information includes searching a source file for comments associated with the identifier.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein displaying the information displays the information in a tooltip box.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein searching for information includes dynamically parsing the section of source code to provide parsed data and using a subset of the parsed data as a search parameter.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
116 words
A computer comprising: a processor; a computer-readable medium; an editor to provide for developing source code for a computer program, said source code including an identifier entered by a user when the user is entering source code in the editor; and an automatic help module invoked upon a predetermined event detected by the editor and operative to display reference information associated with the identifier including at least one of a description of the identifier, a description of the type of identifier and a description of syntax associated with the identifier for further entry by the user, said information being displayed directly in response to said predetermined event without further action by the user of the editor.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
116 words
A computer comprising: a processor; a computer-readable medium; an editor to provide for developing source code for a computer program, said source code including an identifier entered by a user when the user is entering source code in the editor; and an automatic help module invoked upon a predetermined event detected by the editor and operative to display reference information associated with the identifier including at least one of a description of the identifier, a description of the type of identifier and a description of syntax associated with the identifier for further entry by the user, said information being displayed directly in response to said predetermined event without further action by the user of the editor.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
13 words
The computer of claim 22 , wherein the identifier is a function name.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
13 words
The computer of claim 22 , wherein the identifier is an attribute name.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
16 words
The computer of claim 22 , wherein the reference information is displayed within a tooltip box.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
20 words
The computer of claim 22 , further comprising a database module containing at least a subset of the reference information.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
53 words
The computer of claim 26 , wherein the database module manages a pre-created database and a dynamically updated database, said pre-created database and dynamically updated database containing reference information on a plurality of entities; and wherein the automatic help module queries said pre-created database and dynamically updated database to obtain the reference information.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
24 words
The computer of claim 22 , further comprising a parser operative to parse the source code and to obtain parsed data for the identifier.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
17 words
The computer of claim 28 , wherein the parsed data includes a data type for the identifier.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
17 words
The computer of claim 28 , wherein the parsed data includes a class specifier for the identifier.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
21 words
The computer of claim 22 , wherein the reference information comprises a parameter list for a function identified by the identifier.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
109 words
A computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising: developing at least a section of source code for a computer program, said source code including an identifier entered by a user when the user is entering said section of source code; detecting an event; searching for information on the identifier including at least one of a description of the identifier, a description of the type of identifier and a description of syntax associated with the identifier for further entry by the user in response to the event; and displaying the information directly in response to said event without further action by the user of the editor.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
109 words
A computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising: developing at least a section of source code for a computer program, said source code including an identifier entered by a user when the user is entering said section of source code; detecting an event; searching for information on the identifier including at least one of a description of the identifier, a description of the type of identifier and a description of syntax associated with the identifier for further entry by the user in response to the event; and displaying the information directly in response to said event without further action by the user of the editor.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
17 words
The medium of claim 32 , wherein the event comprises entering an identifier into the source code.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
18 words
The medium of claim 32 , wherein the event comprises entering a separator token into the source code.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
16 words
The medium of claim 32 , wherein the event comprises positioning a cursor over the identifier.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
16 words
The medium of claim 32 , wherein searching for information includes searching a database for information.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 32 , wherein searching for information includes searching a source file for comments associated with the identifier.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 32 , wherein displaying the information displays the information in a tooltip box.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 32 , wherein searching for information includes dynamically parsing the section of source code to provide parsed data and using a subset of the parsed data as a search parameter.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-12-30 | 2006-07-01 | 2006-12-31 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-12-30 | 2010-07-01 | 2010-12-31 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-12-30 | 2014-07-01 | 2014-12-31 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |