JP2003513350A - System and method for simultaneously displaying multiple information sources - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: A computerized method for providing information on a display device from various information sources. Specifically, the present invention describes a graphical user interface for organizing the simultaneous display of information from multiple information sources. In particular, the present invention provides a graphical user interface for organizing content from various information sources into a grid of tiles, each of which can refresh its content independently of other tiles. The grid functionally manages the refresh rate of multiple information sources. The present invention is intended to operate in a platform independent manner.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for providing information on a display device from various sources. Specifically, the present invention describes a graphical user interface for organizing the simultaneous display of information from multiple sources.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The range of global communication capabilities, including fixed links and wireless networks, continues to expand rapidly. The variety and complexity of communication devices is increasing, and the number of users is increasing. As a result, users are faced with increasingly complex systems and interfaces for managing large numbers of information sources. At the same time, society has increased the demands on time and productivity, so that users are no longer given the luxury of focusing their attention on a single source of information or means of communication. Instead, today's standard is for people to perform many tasks simultaneously.

As one might expect, these requirements have placed many challenges on modern communication technologies. In particular, users face insufficient resources to manage and access the vast array of available information in an effective and productive manner. Various tools have been created that are designed to help access and manage these resources, but these tools remain inadequate. Therefore, the user
Each has its own usage and is often hampered by the myriad of information sources with their own login and password requirements, as well as the slow search times to access the information. The result is an unacceptable delay in many tasks.

Under current technology, for example, it is common for users to lack bandwidth resources to receive multiple video signals simultaneously. When an individual is receiving one video signal, it is usually impractical to simultaneously receive the second video signal due to bandwidth constraints. Thus, a user may not be able to monitor multiple video data streams, for example for sports or news events, instead the user may only monitor one video data stream at a time.

To address such bandwidth resource limitations, state-of-the-art techniques access information only when a user requests it. As a result, there is an unavoidable delay between the user's request for information and the communication device's provision of information. For example, if a user wants to monitor a new source of information on the Internet using the latest browser technology, the user may need to update the new source of data to determine if the data has been updated. Must be continuously requested manually from. Prior to a request for data and subsequent reception, the user has no way of knowing whether the data has been updated. In any case, the user may want to refresh the state of each application, as often as necessary to ensure that the information is up to date, by the user manually intervening. I don't get it. Moreover, if the user wants to view two or more web pages at the same time, the user must run two or more copies of the web browser program. Manually refreshing the contents of an alternative program to see which program is providing new material is basically inefficient.

Similarly, a user's access to such data must wait for the user to request the information from its source and wait for the source to convey the information to the user each time the user wants to see the information. Not real-time, or even near real-time. The user then has to wait until his communication device receives and processes the information before it is provided. With complex information, such as a video signal, it can take a minute or more to generate, and even simple information can take seconds to process. Therefore, users are denied real-time or near real-time access to information.

Current techniques for locally storing or “caching” previously accessed information to get it to the user more quickly do not solve this problem because the cached information is necessarily stale. The user's communication device still has to verify the accuracy of the information at the source before the system displays the cached information. As a result, the user is denied real-time or near real-time access to the updated information.

Similarly, if a user wants to perform two or more downloads simultaneously, there is no control over the relative speed with which each download occurs. So-called "push technology" seeks to tackle this challenge by organizing information from many relevant sources and sending it to users on a regular basis. This configuration relieves the user from being actively involved in the download, but at the cost of having little control over the organization of the information, and being able to handle a small number of such communications at one point. I can only do it. Each transfer depends on the available bandwidth.

Of course, not all tasks require the same allocation of resources, and thus not all tasks have equal priority for a given user. In particular, the user may want to customize the information environment such that many processes occur synchronously, but each communicates with the user at an acceptable rate. For example, a viewer of a television may want to know what is being broadcast on several channels at the same time, but only want to watch one of the channels closely. Internet users have access to audio, video, chat rooms, video conferencing, and email checkers.
You'll want to touch the data sources from the utilities continuously, but not all of them updating at the same frequency, and you'll be satisfied with just a glance at each up-to-date state. Will. Some of these processes, such as chat room activity, require little data transfer and can in fact be updated effectively on a continuous basis, while others require a large amount of bandwidth. , But can be beneficially sampled at a low rate. The current state of the art lacks techniques for controlling the refresh rate of each of several simultaneous information sources.

While users are limited by system resources, they are also aware that they do not have an effective way to manage the large number of data types and information sources available. The tools available are confusing, inflexible, and / or difficult to implement, so that you can perform two or more different types of computational work at the same time, or use two or more different sources of information. It is difficult to monitor at the same time. Users need immediate access to a wide range of up-to-date content provided in a flexible and easily customizable interface.

In addition to the capacity limitations of today's networks, there is little similarity between the content of information. A typical communication device, such as a personal computer, television or cell phone, comprises a display unit connected to a processing unit capable of receiving information from many different sources. As mentioned above, the signals, data, and / or data streams available for such devices are diverse, including, for example, HTML content, email, or streaming audio and video. Correspondingly, software tools that interpret and process different sources of information each provide different ways to the user. From the user's perspective, the differences between different information types can be usefully removed, and each viewed in a similar way, with the most recent view associated with the information source providing an immediate view of the most recent content. Good to give. However, it is difficult in reality. The user has to deal with a wide range of icons and program windows that take up space on the user's display screen. Another lack of conformity is the different modes of behavior in programs that are directed to different types of information. Efforts to standardize how to provide different types of information to users would be advantageous. Similarly, a unified approach to managing these types of information saves time and increases user productivity. Productivity diminishes when users have to deal with different attributes of different programs and learn clear norms for different types of information.

The nature of application program windows and their respective icons found primarily on computer displays today is limited. The application program window generally displays the latest contents or output of only a single program, and the icon of the program does not convey the latest status or contents of the program. In many cases, the icon is a static image of the program's current state or its contents, rather than just the nature of the program or data displayed by it. With current technology, there is no inclusion between the window and the icon.

Therefore, although the size of the window can be changed appropriately, the window often occupies the entire display area, effectively limiting the viewing of a single program by the user. A window is a menu bar, scrollbar, or toolbar that is designed to allow the user to control aspects of the appearance of the window or set parameters that specify the behavior of programs that control the appearance of the window. Such as having an active area around the edge. In contrast, icons provide ease of display when multiple programs are active, but do not allow viewing or control of the data displayed by the underlying program or icon. Instead, the icon requires user intervention, typically in the form of a mouse click on the icon of interest, in order to view or control the program or information. Therefore, the option of viewing the user is between options that provide very limited information about a large number of programs and information, and options that provide the entire information, but only for a single program or data source. Limited to choices.

The fact that current state of the art GUIs are very limited to icons and windows reduces the ability to organize, manage and access available information. The need for flexible information management tools has become extremely important as the Internet represents an ever expanding view of global information that is currently accessible. Similarly, with the recent expansion of, for example, television programming available via cable and satellite television, the need to manage this audiovisual content has become acute. Television programming and the concentration of computers have increased the need for these controls.

Modern computer operating system software utilizes a bookmarking mechanism for managing internet locations and complex database techniques for managing specialist information. None of these provide visual directness or ease of layout. The bookmark formula hierarchy is
Offered as a cascading textual menu, database technology arranges information in a well-defined structure. Inability to display
A visual classification in which the area of the unit itself becomes a bookmark and the arrangement on the display becomes a classification independent of the type of content.

The most common way to access information sources is via a personal computer, but current technology lies in communicating via a television, handheld computer, or cell phone. In such cases, Internet content and other data can be displayed as a small portion of the screen.
Technology is becoming more and more convergent. That is, televisions (for example, using "vertical blanking interval" technology in which the signal is inserted into the main video signal, or by a set-top box that provides limited computer and communication capabilities). We are beginning to find use as a viewer for non-TV data. Also, computers have already found applications for displaying movies and real-time data streams and providing audio data. In addition, handheld computers and cell phones have also enabled access to the Internet and other sources of information.

To summarize the state of the art, display technology currently organizes information of any type, in a coherent manner, and with all currently open channels on a continuous basis. It lacks an interface that can display such activity and provide such information to the user in such a way that it can be performed on any device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides an easy-to-use graphical user interface that facilitates the organization and management of multiple data sources that address the needs and interests of users.
Provides the interface. The present invention includes a grid of tiles on a user's computer desktop. The tile grid provides a uniform graphical environment in which a user can access, manipulate, and / or control multiple data sources on an electronic device. The graphical environment is uniform for the source of information accessed and can manage multiple streams of user-selected raw content. For example, the present invention is applicable to video clips, email messages, whether the information is stored locally or is available via a modem, T1 line, infrared, or any other form of communication. , Television shows, Internet sites, application programs, data files and folders, live video streams, music, radio shows, and any other form of analog signal, digital data, or electronically stored information. To provide users with uniform and simultaneous. The effect of the user interface is also independent of the type of electronic device implemented.

The present invention is a method, under the control of a program, executed by a computer having a memory for storing the program, the method comprising the steps of dividing a visual representation of the computer into an array of tiles; Assigning a first refresh rate to a first tile of the array of tiles and a second refresh rate to a second tile of the array of tiles, and providing the first tile according to the first refresh rate Updating the information provided to the second tile according to a second refresh rate.

The present invention is further an electronically readable memory that directs an electronic device to function in a particular manner, the first set of instructions for controlling simultaneous communication with a plurality of information sources and a display. A second set of instructions for arranging a plurality of tiles in an array of tiles, a first information source of the plurality of information sources associated with a first tile of the array of tiles, and a second information source of the plurality of information sources. A third associated with the second tile of the array of tiles
A set of instructions and a fourth set of instructions for retrieving information from the first information source according to a first search rate and retrieving information from the second information source according to a second search rate; and a fourth set of instructions according to the first search rate. And a fifth set of instructions for providing information to the first tile and providing information to the second tile according to the second search rate.

The application programs of the present invention execute on many different devices, including, but not limited to, set top boxes, personal computers, and handheld devices. Grids and tiles retain the same properties regardless of operating device. For example, tiles are individually configurable and can provide near real-time visibility into their data content. Thus, the application allows to unify the user's interaction with a range of electronic devices.

Additional objects and features of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION FIG. 1 shows an exemplary form of a graphical user interface of the present invention. A grid 1 constituted by a 3 × 3 matrix of 9 tiles displays some of the different content that tiles can display. Tile 20 is an email
Display the active folders in the utility. Tile 30 displays a portion of an alphabetical list of quoted companies. Tiles 40, 50,
Reference numerals 60, 70 and 80 denote websites displaying high technology news, electronic goods for sale, business news categories, items available by auction, and Wall Street Journal, respectively. Tile 90 shows a window-based operating system file viewer that displays the currently accessible disk drives.

Within the scope of the present invention, information sources can include analog signals and sources or data streams of digital data including, but not limited to, video, audio, text, and graphics. The information includes, but is not limited to, ASCI II, bitmap, MP3, JPEG, GIF, T.
It can be in any format, including markup languages such as IFF, HTML, XML, VRML, HDML, formatted text such as rich text format, or binary.

FIG. 2 illustrates a data display system 100 in which the present invention can be implemented.
FIG. The system 100 includes a central processing unit 104, an input device 106, and a data connection port 108-, all connected via a bus 116.
1-108-N, display 110, and main memory 112. Memory 1
12 has an operating system 120, a file system 122, a cache 124 for temporarily storing information, application programs 128-1 to 128-N, and responsibility for presenting information on the display 110. There is a graphical user interface (GUI) program 126. Information may be connected to tuner 114 or to a communication network via network interface 134, ports 108-1 to -1.
Enter the system through any one of 08-N. If the tuner 114 is used, the input can be derived from the wireless signal 130 or the cable network 132.

In one embodiment of the invention, system 100 is a personal computer, such as a desktop workstation or a portable notebook computer. In this case, the input device 106 can be a keyboard, mouse, trackpad, trackball, or any combination thereof, and the display 110 can be a conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) display, or an active matrix flat display. It can be a screen display. The network interface 134 can then be connected to the Internet or a local area network via a cable and a modem or subscriber line.

In another embodiment of the invention, the system 100 is a mobile phone or personal digital assistant (PDA) and the input device 106 comprises some buttons on a keypad and a touch device or microphone. Touch sensitive screen and voice recognition software. In this embodiment, the display 110 is preferably an LCD screen or electroluminescent display and the port 108 receives data from wireless signals or portable modems.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, system 100 includes a set top box, where display 110 is a TV screen or monitor and tuner 114 is in the form of a wireless signal 130. Input from the broadcast transmission or a cable signal from the cable network 132. The input device 106 can be a set-top box or a hand-held remote control that is placed in the touch-sensitive area of the display 110.

As known to those skilled in the art, the graphical user interface resides in the memory 12 of some data processing systems and contains information, or application
A computer program that provides a means for presenting the input to the program 128 or the output from the application program 128 or the contents of the associated data stream from the port 108 on the display. In the background art,
Each data stream is associated with a window. The graphical user interface allows the user to control the device and display the format of the data content in each window. Graphical user interfaces typically allow the user to identify and modify the operating parameters of application programs running on the system, but at any given time, special windows continuously populate their contents. A special application program will get a priority which means to update. General operating parameters can be changed depending on the application program, but the number of buttons on the toolbar, the number of visible toolbars, the size of the displayed text,
And the background color.

In contrast, the graphical user interface of the present invention allows the user to control the layout of the data content as well as prioritize each application program running on the system and each data stream of interest. It is possible to turn on. A novel feature of the present invention is that the data content of many programs can vary in real time and the user can control the rate at which each display is updated.

Tile Objects The following discussion introduces and describes tile objects and contrasts them with existing elements of the graphical user interface. Tiles present content from any source of information. The background art conventional graphical user interface provides two separate displays for programs, files, and data streams, as shown in FIG. One display is icon 320, the other display is window 3
40. The icon generally occupies only a relatively small portion of the display area used and either by its logo 322 or by some distinguishing picture with a visible program title 324, It is a depiction in which a program or file can be easily recognized. The icon can be selected by, for example, a touch screen pointer, a cursor controlled by a mouse with buttons, or a keyboard stroke, or any combination of the above.
In response to further selection operations on the icon, such as double-clicking the mouse button, the graphical user interface can be used to communicate further information to the program or to view the associated data stream. Provide a window.

A window is a significant percentage of the available screen space (typically 90
~ 100%) can be occupied. Window 340 typically includes a title bar 348 and a display area 354. The window 340 typically has a format that can be resized by the user, such as by using the button 352 or the draggable area 356, and includes many active areas around its edges. Examples of active areas include menu bar 342, vertical scroll bar 344, horizontal scroll bar 350, and one or more toolbars 3.
46 are included. Each active area controls aspects of the appearance of the window, or text formatting options in the word processing package, or the behavior of the associated program, such as the web to the stored home location, redirecting the web browser. Can be used to set parameters that specify

The present invention introduces a third graphical representation of programs and files, here called tiles. Tiles enable "dynamic bookmarking" of information in that each tile is a viewer of a single information source, including streaming data sources, and can be customized by the user's choice of content. The tiles differ from the icons because they overlap and provide a real-time or near real-time view of the information, including continuously updated content. Tiles differ from windows because their size is typically small, allowing the user to view multiple tiles simultaneously if desired.

A tile provides a glimpse into the current state of the program or file with which it is associated, but does not necessarily have multiple active areas associated with windows such as title bars, menu bars, and scroll bars. . Thus, tiles provide a reduction in clutter on the display screen, as many tiles can be displayed simultaneously without overlapping each other in a way that the window must necessarily display. Tiles are superior to icons because they give an immediate indication of the current state of a program or file and have utility functions associated with tiles, as described below. Another advantage of using tiles is the uniformity of appearance between tiles that correspond to different programs and files. The display contents of tiles differ in the size of each application, but no format is required.

Tiles, like icons and windows, are associated with programs, files, or data streams. Tiles can provide data in a number of ways. For example, in the preferred embodiment, tiles are miniaturized "thumbnail" views of underlying information, "porthole" views of some of the underlying information, such as can be seen in full size, A symbol can be provided to indicate whether the information has been updated since the last time it was viewed, or a custom interface designed to allow quick access to the underlying information. The way the tiles are displayed can be configured separately for each tile.

FIG. 4 shows a representative tile. The tile 402 is a bitmap, JPEG,
Display a picture or graphic, such as stored on a TIFF or GIF file, or World Wide Web page. The content of tile 402 is typically a miniaturized representation of an image or still frame from the data stream. Tile 40
4 displays a text document or part of the text of a World Wide Web page. In this sense, the tile acts as a transparent panel placed on top of the document, allowing a portion of the document to be displayed. Tile 406 displays another array of tiles that can be viewed entirely by expanding tile 406 to occupy the entire area of the display. Tile 408 was configured to link to an email program. The alarm settings associated with tile 408 have been configured so that when an unread message is received by the mail program, the tile displays the envelope and the message "New Mail". The tile 410 displays the name "FM101" associated with the tile, in this case an audio broadcast signal. Tile 412 displays the "thumbnail" of the document as seen in a window such as 340. As used herein, a "thumbnail" is a miniaturized representation of an image that retains sufficient properties to allow easy recognition of the image. For example, if the document displayed in the window is a multi-page document, tile 412 can display a thumbnail of the first page of the document.

Tiles are selectable and live. Selecting a tile by mouse clicks or other means causes the data to be stored at different levels or tiles in the user, i.e. word processing that is stored on the local area network.
A tile, whether a file, a spreadsheet stored locally on the user's computer, an HTML file on the Internet, or a hierarchical menu system leading to a television signal, immediately overlays the underlying information. Provide access to users. Tiles are alive in that each contains real-time or near real-time information.

In the preferred embodiment, the selection operation is associated with a tile. For example, clicking on a tile will immediately update its contents. The selection of the tile 402 allows the most recent frame of the video stream to be displayed by the tile, or the most recent version of the file can be displayed by the tile when a picture is obtained from a still image file. To Selection of tile 404 or tile 412 allows the most recent version of the document to be displayed.

In the preferred embodiment, double-clicking on a tile occupies a large portion of the overall display area. In this embodiment, tiles 402 or 41
A double click of 2 allows the image to be enlarged to fit the entire display area. In another embodiment, selecting a tile causes the tile to occupy a central area of the display area where the area is larger than a single tile, but does not occupy the entire display area. When the tile 404 is double-clicked, a document having the same size as that which can be displayed by the tile enlarged to the regular front dimension is visually recognized. Double-clicking on tile 408 causes the window of the email utility's mailbox to expand to allow new messages to be selected and read. Double-clicking on tile 410 allows the audio stream to be heard on the appropriate channel of the system.

A representative tile data structure 500 is shown in FIG. It is important to understand that the tile itself is an image that resides on the file system at any given moment. This image is distinct from the application program or file associated with the tile. The tile data structure 500 has two addresses, a tile address 502 that defines the location on the file system where the image of the tile is stored, and a target address where the file or application program associated with the tile can be found. And 504. In addition, the tile data structure includes a name 506 that is displayed on the tile in some circumstances.
The tile of the present invention includes, but is not limited to, an initialization function 508 that ensures a connection with a target address 504, an update function 510 that updates the tile image stored at tile address 502, and a request. A screen size function that stores the size of the display area that the tile fills when received, and an alarm function 514 that allows the tile to display an alarm when an application program associated with the tile encounters a specified event. , A on-mouseover function 518 and an on-mouseout function 52 that control the behavior of tiles when a selection tool such as a mouse-controlled cursor is placed on and away from the tile, respectively.
At least seven functions can be assigned, including 0 and a toolbar function 522 that allows a particular array of buttons to appear on or adjacent to the tile for the purpose of adjusting the nature of the tile. In one embodiment, the tile is configured such that a right click of a 2 or 3 button mouse activates the toolbar function when the cursor is over the tile. In a preferred embodiment, a right click on a tile may bring up a menu of options that allows the user to see the properties of the tile, such as bandwidth consumed.

In one embodiment of the invention, the tile is itself a document generated in a markup language such as HTML or XML, as shown in FIG. 6, and displayed in a web browser. Suitable for In this embodiment, tiles occupy positions in a table defined by elements of the markup language that are familiar to those skilled in the art. Certain characteristics of tiles are introduced that control how the web browser displays the tiles. In the example of FIG. 6, the tile has a clickable map,
That is, when clicked, another area of the tile produces another result. This tile is also a toolbar that appears in one embodiment when you right-click with the mouse while the cursor is over the tile.

In another embodiment of the invention, tiles communicate with each other and have state content. That is, the content of one tile is determined by another content.

Grid Objects Referring now to FIGS. 7-13, we describe the composition, layout, and independent functionality of tiles on a display and exemplary software for controlling them.

The overall hierarchy of the graphical user interface embodied by the present invention is summarized in FIG. The grid 700 is a function associated with an application program. The grid can replace the functionality of the user's computer desktop and provide similar and additional features. Grid 700 includes a matrix of tiles represented by tiles 702, 704, 706, 708, 710. The user has tiles 702, 704, 706, 708, 7
The grid can be controlled so that 10 provides simultaneous information content from multiple sources. The grid controls the layout and priority of tiles. Each tile is associated with a data stream or application program and allows the selection of images to display. In particular, different tiles can be associated with different content. For example, tile 702 is connected to a web page viewer 712, such as a browser. The tile 704 is connected to a source 714 of streaming video, such as a real player. The tile 706 is connected to an audio player 716, such as a CD player program, or a source of streaming audio, such as real audio. Tile 708 is a file viewer 7 such as a text editor or word processing package.
18 is connected. Tiles 710 are associated with another grid object 720, which allows for "stratification" of the information hierarchy. In the preferred embodiment, the grid embodies similar underlying data structures in tiles.

Each tile is separately associated with a source of information, eg, an application program, data stream or file, any one of which can be a separate grid object. Such a hierarchical structure allows a user to organize programs and information through a graphical user interface. For example, different categories of information can be displayed on different grids that associate each grid with a theme. By using the natural characteristics of tiles, the user can specify the display of a grid consisting of dimensions (ie the number of tiles to display and their composition) and the program or file with which each tile should be associated. it can. Thus, a single grid composed of multiple tiles can simultaneously provide multiple sources of information.

Both grids and tiles allow users to simultaneously view information from multiple available sources, including multiple sites on the Internet, receive signals from multiple broadcast channels, and open multiple files. Including applications that allow you to. In its first embodiment, the application is executed by a conventional computer operating system, overlaid on the user's desktop and acting as if it were a "borderless browser". Therefore, the application resides on an existing application without replacing any of the existing applications. Rather, the application allows existing applications to be called from the grid itself. Thus, the application becomes a graphical file manager in which the content of a continuously changing file or data stream is displayed in real-time or near real-time, depending on the assigned priority. This application has the effect of replacing the user's desktop with a more visually intuitive dynamic menu system.

In the preferred embodiment, a grid of tiles is used in many modern computer
Computer "desktop" utilized by the operating system
It replaces the function of. The desktop is typically occupied by static icons and toolbars, but a grid of tiles instead provides the user with an array of snapshots of the latest programs and files. The essence of the grid is that its content is dynamic and informative. As mentioned above, icons are inherently limited to the information they can provide, and windows are scattered throughout the desktop. On the other hand, each tile on the grid can show the latest state of its associated data or data stream. The fact that tiles relate to another grid is due to the nesting of grids,
Therefore, it is possible to form a hierarchy of organized information sources.

The grid also understands the user's interests and acts as a container for passwords and distinguished names for signature services. In this way, the user does not have to remember and enter a user name and password to access data requiring such login. At this same property, each site can have its own tile, "bookmarked" on the Internet sites of interest and stored by the grid. Grids are also nested in that tiles in one grid can point to another grid, tiles in another grid can go back to the previous grid to show this, or even more grids. Is. If desired, the user can impose "themes" on the grid, which allow him to categorize, categorize and / or otherwise manage his data sources. In this way, the user can categorize the tiles with respect to a particular subject, Internet site, document, or other provided in the grid with some features. Tiles in such a grid can be linked to another grid to connect between related categories. Similarly, tiles in more than one grid can indicate the same source of information.

In a preferred embodiment, the grid arranges tiles regularly on the display screen so that the tiles are of uniform size and shape as shown in FIGS. Each tile is searched by its position on the grid.
For example, 802-2-1 is the first tile in the second row. The tiles in the first row of the grid are 802-1-1, 802-1-2, 802-1-3, etc. to 802-1.
Up to -N. The tiles in the second row of the grid are 802-2-1, 802
-2-2, 802-2-3, etc. to 802-2-N. The tiles in the bottom row are 802-M-1, 802-M-2, 802-M-3, etc. to 802-MN. There are no gaps between the tiles, the tiles do not overlap and the entire grid is covered by the tiles. FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment in which all tiles are the same size and are provided in an array of M rows and N columns. Composition is 1
There is no special requirement that it consist of more rows and more than one column. For mobile or miniature phone displays, for example, a row of tiles is suitable.

In FIG. 9, the size of the unit tile that is the tile 802-1-1 is set, and each of the tiles 802-1-2 and 802-M-1 is equal to an exact multiple of the size of the unit tile. 3 illustrates an array configured to occupy the area of the grid. Such an arrangement can be useful and important when one or more data streams are of particular interest, but other data streams are to be monitored simultaneously.

FIG. 10 shows an array of tiles in which tile 802-M-1 is associated with another grit 1000. The lower half of FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a tile showing a grid of Y columns and X rows. FIG. 11 shows an array of tiles showing different application programs associated with the three tiles. Tile 802-2-2 links to a file viewer that displays a particular file, tile 802-M-1 provides streaming video, and tile 802-M-N is for information on the World Wide Web. Indicates a page. FIG. 12 shows a schematic data structure of attributes of one embodiment of grid object 700. The architecture shown in FIG. 12 applies to any grid, including the top-level grid 700 shown in FIG. 7, as well as grids contained within tiles.

Importantly, the grid manages the flow of information to tiles. For example, the grid can communicate with the display device to determine its latest settings and resource allocations. In one embodiment, the grid constantly cycles through the tiles currently being displayed, one at a time, refreshing the contents of the tiles each time they are accessed. Once a given tile has been refreshed, the refresh operation is complete before refreshing the next tile in sequence. In this way, the circulation rate can be set so that the current contents of all tiles are reasonably up to date. The circulation is hindered by the selection of a predetermined tile by the user, and the tile alone is continuously updated. In this way, the user does not have to worry about manually refreshing a large number of tiles.

In a preferred embodiment, the grid manages the refresh rate of each tile in the grid, according to the priorities that can be applied to individual tiles on a tile-by-tile basis if desired. To do. For example, for locally stored word processing or spreadsheet files, the user
The tiles can be configured to refresh only when the underlying data is written to the local hard drive. Similarly, the user can configure tiles containing rarely updated HTML data from the Internet to be refreshed at some time each day. On the other hand, the user configures an active tile that displays a television channel at a refresh rate of 29 frames per second, and at the same time an inactive tile that displays a different channel at a refresh rate of once every 5 seconds. be able to. In this way, the user can monitor many channels until the content of interest appears in one of the tiles, without the obligation to actively refresh each tile.

The grid itself has an address 1204 that identifies the location in the file system of the device on which the application program runs. The grid has some of its utility programs: a setup wizard 1206 that the user can call when setting up a new grid, a tile generation function 1208 used by the setup wizard when initializing a new tile, in case of error. Alternatively, it has been associated with the tile disappearing function 1210 used when changing the size of the grid.

The grid object is the number of rows 1212 and columns 1214 of tiles provided.
Stores the number of. The grid also stores a tile list that includes the attributes of each respective tile. In particular, the address of each tile, its priority, and its refresh rate are stored by the grid program. The grid also stores other attributes of the tile, such as their respective positions on the grid, given by the number of columns and rows. The tile priority can be used to determine the refresh rate in one embodiment of the invention. If it is desired to limit access to the contents of the tile, the tile can incorporate password features. The grid itself can have a toolbar whose attributes can be accessed and modified.

In a preferred embodiment, the grid is a special form of tile. It is tiles that can generate and manage arrays of other tiles. Therefore, its data structure also includes these elements of the tile data structure shown in FIG. 5 in addition to those shown in FIG. If the grid has a parent grid, the address of the parent grid 1202 is stored. For example, grid 1000 associated with tile 802-M-1 in FIG. 10 has grid 700 as a parent.

The grid can be configured to include any number of tiles, from one up to a number that can reasonably fit on the user's display. In one embodiment of the invention, the grid is HTML, S shown in FIG.
A document generated in a markup language such as GML or XML, and thus suitable for viewing by a web browser. In this embodiment,
Each of the parent grid's address, the grid itself, and the tile is represented as a Universal Resource Locator (URL). The various functions controlled by the grid can be accessed by function calls devised according to methods familiar to those skilled in the art. For example, "Dynamic HTML", Java applets, or simple CGI-scripts can provide the technical basis for enabling various grid utilities.

The application can be downloaded from a given web site and operates in client-server mode. The user can download a preset grid from a given client server. A grid configuration "wizard" program that guides the user through step-by-step configuration of a custom grid can also be downloaded. Other web hosts are
The contents can be sent to the end user via a predetermined server. Some basic functions of the grid can be implemented on a given server and provided to the user.

Grid Setup Wizard In one embodiment of the invention, the settings for a particular grid are configured by a grid setup program (“wizard”) downloaded to the display device from a remote site.
). The grid setting program allows users to
Allows you to define and install one or more grids on your system. A grid setting program can also be used when a tile is divided into yet another array of tiles. One embodiment of the grid setup wizard user interface is shown in FIG. The first screen displayed by the grid setup wizard comprises an application program logo 1404, a button 1406 that guides the user to the next screen, and a number of choices such as 1408. The user is provided with a selection of preset or "standard" grid settings from a list.
Examples of such grids include content-like grids, such as sports-related grids, or grids whose theme is provided by a type of data such as grids whose content is video-based.

Furthermore, the user can configure each tile from a list of predefined samples, or configure a “customized” grid that can be initialized according to the user's wishes. In the second screen 1412 displayed by the grid setup wizard, the tile area 1416 represents a grid created by the user. A category 1418 of sample tiles is listed, such as "Weather", "News", "Stocks", or "Sports". In another embodiment, the selected document 1414 is moved on the display area of the grid setting program.
The "drag and drop" technique allows the grid to be filled and the grid will automatically be tiled. Button 1410 provides the user with an opportunity to return to a screen.

In the third screen 1420 displayed by the grid setup wizard, the user can name the grid and optionally store it for future reference, eg in an archive of the preferred grid. The user
The grid configuration can be selected by clicking the Finish button 1412 or the grid can be activated immediately by activating button 1422. If you start the grid immediately, the grid will
Automatically configured on the fly according to the content and model specified by the user during the setup procedure.

Application Program Software Architecture The software hierarchy in the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. This software contains a number of modules. In FIG. 15, the arrow connecting two modules means that one module uses the interface of the other module. The arrow leads from the module that calls the interface to the module where the interface is called. The interface is simply
It can be a function call between two modules, for example a call to a dynamic linked library (DLL).

The surfcast application program 1500 has two sources,
That is, the underlying data is acquired from the metabase 1506 and the system library 1514 on the device on which the application program is executed. For example, application program 1500 may request that a function be called from a system library at its execution. The actual tiles that the user sees can be generated from the metabase 1506.

The data structure of the user tile 1502 is obtained from the XP core 1504,
Core 1504 itself also utilizes components from system library 1514.
The XP core is an abstraction layer in the operating system environment. A tile that uses components such as buttons will have those components in the widget set 1.
Obtained from 508. Widgets are basic user interface elements such as buttons or text entry boxes. The metabase also uses the interface of the widget set 1508 and thus can use the functionality within the widget set. Widget sets request functionality from the XP core.

Metabase 1 for retrieving content from remote sources such as the World Wide Web
The objects at 506 are the connection manager and bandwidth controller 151.
Use 2. The URL loader 1510 determines whether further content should be obtained by contacting the connection manager 1512 or from content previously stored in the cache. The URL loader effectively manages the connection manager,
Call a function in the connection manager. The functionality from the operating system library 1516 supplied to the device on which the application program executes runs underneath the operation of all application programs.

Next, referring to FIGS. 16 to 21, each of the objects shown in FIG. 15 will be described in more detail. The surfcast application program 1500 shown in FIG. 16 includes a launcher 1618 and a framework 1620. The launcher
While opening a program from scratch, the framework is responsible for managing grids and tiles. The user interacts directly with the framework to set the preferred tile configuration on the display. In one embodiment, the framework initially includes a pre-written set of tiles. The framework communicates between tiles, for example in the case of state content.

The tile 1502 shown in FIG. 16 is the equivalent of an application in a conventional GUI system. Tiles is a surfcast tile builder application program interface (API) that uses XP core classes.
Or in a C ⁺⁺ language, with a utility such as a customized tile editor, or with a script file. Some pre-defined tiles include web browser tiles named surf tiles 1602 and connection and communication tiles such as chat tiles 1604.
A basic surfcast system is included, including an email tile 1608. Media player tiles, such as video tile 1606, are also provided as tiles that interface with commonly used desktop programs. The word tile 1610 provides a word processor interface,
Excel tile 1612 provides an interface to the spreadsheet program. A general content viewer, or layout tile 1616, that can include pieces of content clipped from various sources is also provided.
Leg tiles 1614 are general purpose tiles that allow the user to define their own tile type.

In the preferred embodiment, all tiles have a common base class, and each specified type of tile has its own class built on the base class. There are many ways in which a particular tile class can be derived from a common base class. The functionality of a particular tile class will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Tiles can also be represented by markup language files and viewed within a web browser environment.

The data class in the XP core 1504 shown in FIG. 16 includes a base class and a utility class in which tiles and widgets are built. In general, the classes in the XP core describe how tiles communicate with each other and with the entire framework 1620 of the application program. In particular,
The XP core class is generic and portable, which enables cross-platform capabilities.

The XP core class is a tile base 1622 for a generic class located under all tiles, a tile base view 1624, and a tile controller 1.
626, a canvas 1628, and a class 1630 for event processing. Views are what tiles use to draw themselves. Tile-based views are the base class for all views associated with visual objects. The controller handles events such as mouse movements, clicks, keyboard events and external events. Tile controller is a base class for controllers associated with tiles. The canvas is the area of the screen that represents several images, for example in tiles.

The metabase 1506 shown in FIG. 17 is a local storage for platform-specific implementations of tile, grid, and other object descriptions. Tiles, grids, and content are created, saved, and restored via the metabase. The metabase has a tile-type and content-type registry, such as a tile registry 1732, and a local database of grids and content, such as content storage 1732 and grid storage 1736. Unknown tiles and content types can be obtained from the remote server. The type of tile is abstracted so that if the grid contains a special type of tile, for example an email tile, the meter base will provide whatever is appropriate for the device on which the application is running. . Items in the meter base are
"Immutable", i.e. they are not explicitly saved, but saved on a session-by-session basis.

The widget set 1508 shown in FIG. 17 comprises a platform-specific set of visual components that tiles can use. The widget set has predetermined widgets included in the system. The widget set can also be extended to new widgets. Widget
The set is a button 1738, a label 1740, an edit widget 1742 that allows the user to enter text into an editable field, and a widget list 174 that allows the user to select from a set of options.
Contains useful widgets, such as 4. Items in the widget set include:
Tile types such as text input tiles, web browser tiles, and streaming tiles can be used. The term "widget" can also include more complex objects such as video players that can be easily inserted into tiles like buttons.

The URL loader 1510 shown in FIG. 17 provides a mechanism for retrieving content. The URL loader 1510 interacts with the connection manager 1512 for tiles that need to make a network connection. Tiles and metabases claim content for a given URL and the content manager attempts to retrieve it. The meter base also contacts the connection manager through the URL loader to see if there is sufficient bandwidth for transmission. In particular, the connection manager determines whether the URL loader should serve the tile contents from cache 1746, as if the contents were recently displayed and stored locally. Alternatively, the URL loader manages the loading of content from the location specified by the URL if the content is not cached.

The URL loader also includes a file manager 1784 for organizing cached content. The URL loader further comprises a DOM (Data Object Model) renderer 1750 that handles page parsing in a markup language such as XML or HTML. The URL loader also comprises an API implementation for XML rendering such as SAX. In another embodiment, such API is in the XP core module.

The system 1514 includes, but is not limited to, code for string manipulation,
It includes utilities normally used within application programs, including file processing and server communication. The system library module contains generic code and can be compiled on any operating system.

The operating system library 1516 is different in implementation depending on the system, but has a utility required for operating an application program. For example, the utilities that can be found in system library 1516 include thread and synchronization 1752, debugging tools 1754, graphics library 1756, another basic string manipulation 1760, and connections 1762. To support. Further, although not shown in FIG. 17, useful items in the operating system library include utilities that allow the definition of objects, sockets, input devices, and hardware devices. Items in the operating system library are accessible from classes with a documented public interface.

The operation of the widget set 1508 will be further described with reference to FIG. As mentioned above, a widget set has widgets of various functions such as buttons, text labels, and so on. A set of widgets for buttons is shown in FIG. FIG. 18 shows the class hierarchy for a button widget. The base classes for widgets are grouped together in box 1809.
Widget class 1810 provides a container for other classes. All widgets are stored in the XP core module and use the base class widget 1810 which is described further below. Therefore, the button 1800 is a particular class inherited from the widget 1810. The widget view 1812 is a class that is stored in XP core and defines the appearance and feel of the widget. Button view 1802 inherits from the widget view and controls how the button draws itself.

In the scheme of FIG. 18, user tiles 1816 are found in three objects, each found in the XP core and described further below: tile controller 1626, base class tile 1622, and tile view. 1624 and.
The tile view is responsible for drawing tiles and can utilize one or more widgets.

The button can be clicked by the user. Buttons provide button events to button event consumers. Button event consumers are also known as clients, that is, clients that use button event consumers that implement buttons to notify of button events.
For example, a button event consumer could be a "play" feature on a video tile. The button event consumer interacts with the control structure tile controller 1626 associated with the user tile 1816 by indicating the tile on which the button is activated. The button event consumer 1808 is a class that inherits from an event consumer class described later.

The button controller 1804 controls how button events are handled, for example mouse and keyboard events. It inherits the class structure from the widget controller 1814, which is stored in the XP core. Not all button events are recognized by the button controller. For example, special keystrokes cannot affect the state of the button.

Other widgets follow the same pattern. They are a text editor for entering text, a text label for displaying text, a text spinner for choosing from a choice of options, a date widget for entering a date, a list for choosing from a choice of options. , Title bar, and toolbar.

The metabase 1506 will be further described with reference to FIG. Arrows between components in FIG. 19 indicate interfaces. The metabase is a registry 1900 and storage means 1902 for tile and grid types and a content storage means 1.
918 and content and tile link database 1920. The content storage 1918 is a cache containing the content of tiles from the previous session. The content tile link database 1920 deals with the relationships between tiles and a description of the theme of related tile content. This database is used in connection with "knowledge management", ie operations that monitor user behavior and attempts, and suggests a further source of content based on it. Content storage means 1
Both 918 and database 1920 interface to a tiled registry 1900.

The tile type registry 1900 has a list of tiles and widget types, information about how to create them and what to call them,
In addition, it has information such as pointers to the objects for which tiles are created. The tile and grid storage unit 1902 has a library of stored grids and tiles. Tiles can save themselves or be restored. In the preferred embodiment, the grid is just a special case of tiles. Tiles can be displayed on the screen by calling the tile library and requesting the registry to load the tile. The tile and grid storage means is an interface of the XML library 1906.

Tiles from tile and grid storage means can also be saved outside of the metabase in a library of markup language files, eg, XML library 1906. The metabase tile 1904, which utilizes the tile base 1622 from the XP Core module, is also in the metabase.

DLLs can have additional tiles and widgets that can be generated by independent third parties. These are both tile type registries 1
It can be implemented in the metabase through a tile factory 1916 and tile creator 1914 that interface to 900. The tile factory 1916 has the descriptions and classes needed by anyone registering a new tile type. The tile creator 1914 is code that creates tiles at run time. In general, the independent generation of tiles is facilitated by providing a toolkit of tiles to a third party.

The query utility 1912 is an optional means for external users to interconnect with the metabase, eg, to verify the class structure of the stored tile classes. The content store 1918 follows a similar pattern to the tile type registry and tile store. The content / tile / link database 1920 is a database of information about how tiles and grids are related and how content is related between them.

FIG. 20 further provides a description of the classes found in the XP core and their interaction with the operating system library 1516. As will be described below, some arrows between objects in XP Core indicate class inheritance. Canvas 1628 describes the area of the screen that can be drawn.

The Gfx context 2002 is the basis for a set of graphics, such as line drawing, color, and space filling. It is a generic version that encapsulates and abstracts certain operating system features inherited from the Gfx Context Factory 2302 in the operating system library 1516. Win32Gfx context 2
034 is an example of a graphics context used in a Windows operating system. The other Gfx content 2036 includes another platform dependent graphics context.

The base classes are tile base 1622, tile base view 1624, and tile base controller 2008. Tilebase 1622 is a base class for all visible objects such as tiles, bases, and grids. The tile class 2010 and the widget base class 2016 are inherited from the tile base. Widgets effectively act as a special type of tile that can be placed within a tile. The widget base 2016 is not meant to be illustrative of itself, but is the basis of the widget class 1810 used by generic widgets.

Tile-based view 1624 is a base class for all views associated with visible objects. Views are what tiles use to draw themselves. Tile view 2012, Tile widget view 1812
Base classes for all views associated with, and base views for all views associated with widgets also inherit from tile-based views. The tile base view and tile base are interconnected with a canvas 1628.

The tile-based controller 2008 is the base class for all controllers associated with visible objects. The tile-based controller also inherits the tile controller 1626, the base class for the controller associated with the tile and widget controller 2020, and the base class for all controllers associated with the widget. The controller handles all events. The tile base interconnects both the tile base view 1624 and the tile base controller 2008. The tile-based controller interconnects with the event system 2022. Finally, event system 2
022 communicates between the operating system library 1516 and the tile box controller 2008.

The event system 2022 will be further described with reference to FIG. The event can be a mouse move event, another mouse event like a mouse click,
Or it could be any one of keyboard events such as keyboard strokes. In FIG. 21, the event 2112 is a base class.
Other classes, such as mouse move event 2106, mouse event 2108, and keyboard event 2110, are inherited from the base class.
The event consumer 2104 is a class responsible for directing an event to the controller. The event producer 2102 translates system events into surfcast events for event consumers. Boxes 2122, 2124, 2126, 2128, 2130, 2132 are multiplexes that handle cases where multiple types of events affect multiple clients. The event communicates with the tile-based controller 2008.

Managing Connections to More Than One Data Stream When two or more tiles are connected to data sources utilized on the network, it is possible to control the rate at which updated data is transmitted to the grid. Communication must be established to be able to. In practice, an embodiment of the application residing on the user's computer would require a flow control protocol such as TCP. In this way, each tile can communicate with the linked remote data stream and a determination can be made regarding the bandwidth available during data transmission. In another approach, client-server mode flow control is not required because communication with the server is sufficient as described below.

Launching a separate browser program from each tile that wants to download data from sites on the World Wide Web is not practical. Web browsers are very space intensive in terms of memory and resources and users will have little or no control over the speed at which data is downloaded from different sites.

Instead, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a hierarchy of layers manages concurrent connections and resource allocation to different World Wide Web sites, as shown in FIG. Layered structure applies to the way any given tile downloads content.

At the highest level, there is a widget called "Surf Widget" 2200, which is the basic browser control in the application program of the present invention. Ideally, this widget works in conjunction with any commonly used World Wide Web browser. It is generally associated with a tile type such as surf tile 1602.

The Surf Widget communicates with the Surf Widget Controller 2202 at the control layer. Web browser application program 2
204 is also in the control layer. Examples of such programs include Microsoft's "Internet Explorer" and Netscape's "Navigator" software. Surf Widget Controller 2202
Handles the interaction between the surf widget 2200 and the web browser 2204. The Surf Widget Controller also has the next layer, the URL layer 220.
At 5, the browser sends a request to the URL manager 2206. At that time, the surf widget controller returns the result to be given to the surf widget. A typical example of this process regarding operation is that a user clicks on a hyperlink in a web page, a web browser makes a request for the page to the surf widget controller 2202, and the request is a UR.
The L Manager 2206 will be told that when the page is loaded, the URL Manager 2206 will notify the Surf Widget Controller and the Surf Widget Controller will send the information to the web browser for presentation.

The responsibility for getting the content page is the responsibility of the URL layer 2205. When a URL is requested, URL manager 2206 makes a request for the page and subsequently mediates to connection manager 2210. If requested again, the URL manager keeps track of the requested URL for future use. U
The RL manager also follows the URL requested according to its focus, namely the active
Wait for the order of the tile most recently selected by the user according to their respective priority.

In a preferred embodiment, a prefetch utility such as URL Prefetch Manager 2208 can be implemented. It saves the user time if the item can be pre-fetched without waiting for download. Several strategies can be used to try prefetch items for the user. A history of the user's prior browsing habits can be used to predict what the user may want next. Another function of the prefetch utility is to periodically check the validity of items in the cache to make sure they are up to date. As those skilled in the art are familiar, some of the new HTTP 1.1 methods prove to be very useful for this, ie for obtaining status. Another strategy is to start loading links from the page the user is viewing, regardless of whether the user has selected the link. Even if such an approach becomes a very uneconomical resource when there are a large number of links and ultimately few accesses, and in the presence of a very large amount of bandwidth, This approach is effective because many links are likely to be advertised.

The connection layer 2209 handles each individual request for a download made via the URL manager, whether it is an HTML page or a graphic or sound file. The connection manager 2210 understands the total bandwidth available for allocation, whether the device is connected to a model or connected to a T-1 line, for example. The connection manager 2210 also manages connections to requested sites and maintains its own cache. Before making a network request for an item, the connection manager 2210 first checks its cache, the connection manager cache 2212. If the item is not in the cache, the connection manager 2210 will return to the protocol layer 2215.
At, a request is made to the HTTP protocol socket 2214. HTT
Those skilled in the art are familiar with the P protocol and how cache works.

The protocol layer 2215 is a set of different socket types 2214, 2216, 22 intended to support different communication protocols such as HTTP, FTP.
18 and the client-server protocol specified to the application program via the surfcast protocol socket 2218.

The socket layer 2219 includes at least one socket 2220. The socket layer contains all system implementation characteristics for a given platform, allowing a generic socket type to be built on the desktop. Socket is
Keeps track of the bandwidth that can be queried at the connection layer. The socket layer then facilitates bandwidth management.

Since all communication is done over the same socket layer, it is possible to easily collect data about socket bandwidth usage. If you notice that you have exceeded your total bandwidth allocation at the connection layer, this means that more data will be used until such time as total bandwidth usage decreases below what is allocated. It would be a simple case to prevent the transfer of. As the user changes focus from one tile to another, priorities can be dynamically reassigned to ensure the fastest possible loading of the selected page. All other communications can then follow the same rules, allowing complete control.

The sequence of events and functions in the “Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation” feature of the present invention are described below. The dynamic bandwidth allocation feature includes a URL loader, a connection manager, and a bandwidth controller.

A tile that needs access to network resources to download content from a URL is a URL that manages all such requests from the tile.
Tell the loader some parameters. These parameters include the URL itself,
Includes tile priority, minimum bandwidth condition, if any, and maximum bandwidth condition, if any. The URL loader detects the need for a connection to a network resource, as notified by the connection manager. In the case of dial-up connections, the connection manager is responsible for allocating modem resources and dialing up. Once the connection is made and network resources are available, the URL loader will
It requests the bandwidth controller to start sending out the required content, considering the additional parameters for each request.

Bandwidth controller 2300 is an object that includes a number of functions, as shown in FIG. The additional URL 2303 is a function used by the URL loader to add additional connection requests to those already considered. The remove URL 2304 is used by the URL loader when canceling or aborting the request. The get URL state 2306 is used by the URL loader to get a status report for a given request. The bandwidth controller also
A main cycle loop can be performed for significant URL requests for the purpose of managing bandwidth. The following pseudo code describes the steps within the main cycle loop according to one embodiment of the invention. While (uncompleted requests outstanding) {calculate bandwidth obtained per request; check for need to postpone, stall or cancel lower priority requests; check for need to increase higher priority requests; detect completed requests and notify requestor; detect undeliverable requests and reissue or cancel if necessary; carry out other service and statistics functions, as required;}

Each of these steps will be described as follows. One or more steps may be performed in an order different from that described above without departing from the scope of the invention.

The step of calculating the bandwidth obtained for each request includes the bandwidth obtained for each of the managed requests, including requests that are suspended (or deferred) due to priority issues. Use the function to calculate. This calculation is done frequently due to the nature of the network. The available bandwidth can change dramatically even during the course of individual network transactions, so priority-based dynamic systems must constantly cope with such variations. The resulting bandwidth calculation results are used both for feedback to the user and for making decisions in subsequent steps within the main cycle loop.

Checking the need to defer, suspend, or cancel low priority requests is another alert mechanism used for the purpose of coordinating currently active connections. If a significant request does not achieve the desired minimum bandwidth, or the actual bandwidth that matches the priority of a given request is not achieved, the bandwidth will stop and cancel the lower priority request. Must be used for higher priority requests, either by delaying or postponing. Throttling features implemented that are consistent with the layer nature of the stack can be applied where the frequency of making requests can be reduced. Complete cancellation of the request followed by reload from cache is usually the last resort.

The step of checking the need to increase high priority requests has the opposite effect. If this is the case, the higher priority requests are increased, either by causing additional concurrent requests or by increasing the throttles mentioned above.

Both the need to check deferral and the need to increase priority can be fed back to the user in terms of their success or failure. Further state parameters can be collected and calculated. The step of detecting the completed request and notifying the requester utilizes a facility for handling successful completed requests. Conversely, the step of detecting an undeliverable request and subsequently reissuing or canceling the request if necessary avoids the undeliverable request or temporarily turns it into an unavailable request. It is a mechanism to try again. Although it is necessary to provide information to layers above the connectivity layer, other services or statistical functions can also be invoked.

Client-Server Interaction In one embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 24, client device 2400.
Users interact with server software on server 2402. The server locally stores a profile containing user-specified content 2406 that can provide customized data to the user. For example, the user can store a predetermined grid configuration on the server. In addition, the password for the particular website can be stored with the user's profile. The grid generator 2404 on the server generates a grid of tiles according to the content specified by the user. Each tile has been created on the server by creating an image from a specified location. For example, tile creator 2408-1 creates a tile from content 2410-1. Therefore,
When a user logs on to the server, for example from a traditional web browser,
A grid of tiles is downloaded to your system.

The clant-server embodiment provides a number of advantages. For example, differences can be made to individual users and the devices they use. Therefore, the content of tiles sent by the server can be customized according to the rendering device.

Referring now to FIG. 25, each time a user logs on to the server, a “session” is started (step 2500). The server confirms the user's identity (
In step 2502), the login is approved (step 2506). The client registers one or more resources, such as connection bandwidth, cost per transmission unit, and the nature of the local player (step 2504). From this information, the server identifies the client device type, eg, set top box or personal computer (step 2508). Step 25
At 10, the server retrieves the user-specified grid settings, if appropriate. Session details as determined by tile content and priorities to allow users to continue their work in progress and to protect them from the harmful consequences of abnormal disconnections. Can be extended from one session to another. Further, targeted advertisements and messages can be delivered to a subset of users via a given server.

Upon displaying the grid (step 2512) and sending it to the client device, the user can request the data stream (step 2518).
). Any number of data streams can be requested at one time and corresponding stream request information, which defines the parameters for each stream, is communicated to the server. At the end of these steps, the server knows the characteristics of the client and can distribute the bandwidth utilized by the client among multiple content servers. In this example, if the client has an input bandwidth of around 56 Kbits / sec, then for each request, the server will say that 56/3 = 18.7 Kbits / sec of bandwidth is available for each request. Will respond.

The requested data stream is displayed on the client device (step 2
520) If the user changes the tile content or explicitly requests a tile update or refresh operation (step 2522), the updated request is
It is sent to the server (step 2524). When the new contents are received, the grid is displayed again (step 2526). Intensive work on each displayed tile is also guided through a given server. For example, a refresh operation on a tile creates a refresh request that is sent to a given server. Similarly, a request to thumbnail a given image can be implemented by the request on a given server, resulting in a compressed image 1.
3 is sent to the user.

In the embodiments described above, the server component may reside locally on the client's machine, in which case the server is known as the “resource manager” or remote server. Can be a server. In the preferred embodiment of the client-server operation shown in FIG. 26, aspects of the user's grid profile are communicated to a third party, who communicates tile-based content directly to the user. You can For example, a user's custom grid may have a tile that shows a third party website 2604. Content 2606 from third party websites is typically transported to a server for presentation to the user. The server 2602 informs the third party website that the user is requesting tile data, for example by passing user information 2608. The third party then allows the tile-based content of the website to be communicated directly to the user.

The use of a server also allows the latest version of tiles to be downloaded and installed on all devices. The user can then share the grid and tiles with other users. The server-side technology utilized allows a consistent experience for users of all client devices, from desktop personal computers to mobile phones. The majority of server-side code is written in Java using C ⁺⁺ if necessary. Inter-server communication also utilizes XML to align with other aspects of the invention. In the preferred embodiment, either Oracle 8i or SQL Server 2000 is used to form the relational database (RDB) functionality of the server. Both of these RDBs today provide direct SQL to XML conversion. The database is developed using the ANSI92SQL standard where either RDB is used.

Thin Client Technology The purpose of the application program of the present invention is to be able to communicate by mobile phones, handheld web browsers, palm pilots, personal digital assistants, and wireless application protocols (WAP). Various telecommunication devices, including mobile telecommunication devices, such as Therefore, because most handheld or mobile devices do not have the same amount of local storage and processing power as desktop computers and set-top boxes, a special version of the application program of the present invention will I am assuming. The special version embodies the so-called "thin client" technology, where many operations are performed by the server rather than the device itself.

An “n-layer” architecture is, for example, a personal computer, PDA, W
It is designed generically for a number of platforms, such as AP phones and UNIX systems. Therefore, to maximize the use of mobile devices, the application program of the present invention implements an n-tier architecture that allows most of the processing to be performed on the server and the results sent to the device for display. Materialize. This model allows a small system to be stored on a mobile device with the system's logic residing on a remote server. The characteristics of moving from the client to the server depend on the device in question. For example, more features can be provided to the client on a personal digital assistant such as the Palm Pilot than on the WAP phone.

To provide a certain level of consistency between the device and the server, the markup language XML is used to wrap the data to be communicated. As mentioned above, the system of the present invention uses a metabase to store information about the user's latest grid and tile settings. The synchronization procedure allows the metabase to be stored on the server and queried by any device. In this way, a consistent grid and tile means can be provided regardless of the device and its location.

FIG. 27 provides an example of how a wireless device may interact with a server. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) 2700 or WAP Phone 2702
Communicate wirelessly with dial-in bank 2704. The dial-in bank communicates data to a server farm 2706 connected to the Internet 2710, optionally through a firewall. In another approach, another personal digital assistant, such as 2714, is connected to the Internet 2710,
It is possible to communicate with an Internet service provider such as 2712. The server farm 2706 can directly connect to a PDA such as 2700, or 27
Content can be provided indirectly to PDAs such as 14 via the Internet.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a user interface of the present invention, including a grid of tiles shown on a display screen.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system for accepting data in at least one form from at least one port and additionally displaying data to a user in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a stylized example of icons and application windows typically found in background computer display systems.

FIG. 4 illustrates some tiles as found in an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary data structure of tile objects within the graphical user interface of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates one embodiment of tiles in markup language.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a hierarchy of software objects underlying the present invention, including grid objects, tile objects, and file or application software.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary layout of a display produced according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates another exemplary layout of a display produced by the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary layout of a display of the invention, where the tiles include another instance of a grid.

FIG. 11 shows an exemplary layout of a display of the present invention, including a particular example of tile content.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the data structure of a grid object forming part of the graphical user interface of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of one embodiment of a grid in markup language.

FIG. 14: In one embodiment of the invention, the grid is a “wizard”.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a sequence of windows showing how the tool is set for initial use.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of an architecture of a computer program according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an architecture of an application program and its components in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an architecture of components of a computer program according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an outline of a widget set used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an outline of a metabase according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an outline of interaction with an XP core and an operating system library in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an overview of an event system used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 shows an overview of the connection layer responsible for controlling the downloading of multiple web pages from the World Wide Web.

FIG. 23 illustrates a number of functions used by a bandwidth controller.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between a server and a client device.

FIG. 25 illustrates a series of interactions between a client device and a server.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing how the contents of a user, a server, and a third party communicate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 illustrates an embodiment in which an application program communicates with one or more wireless devices.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (81) Designated countries EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, I T, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE), OA (BF, BJ , CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, K E, LS, MW, MZ, SD, SL, SZ, TZ, UG , ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AE, AG, AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, BZ, C A, CH, CN, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM , DZ, EE, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, K E, KG, KP, KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS , LT, LU, LV, MA, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MZ, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, R U, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM , TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, UZ, VN, YU, ZA, ZW F-term (reference) 5B069 CA14 FA08                 5C082 AA01 BA02 BA12 BB01 BB25                       CA64 CB06 DA51 DA61 DA87                       MM09 MM10                 5E501 AA02 AB14 AB15 AC15 BA03                       BA05 CA02 CB02 CB09 EA05                       EB05 EB06 FA02 FA04 FA06                       FA23 FA44

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. A method, under the control of a program, performed by a computer having a memory for storing the program, the method comprising: dividing a visual representation of the computer into an array of tiles. Assigning a first refresh rate to a first tile of the tiles and assigning a second refresh rate to a second tile of the array of tiles; Updating, and updating the information provided to the second tile according to a second refresh rate. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dividing step comprises dividing the array of tiles according to a user-defined array size. 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of dividing includes the step of dividing the array of tiles in a non-overlapping form such that each tile of the array of tiles has a uniform size and shape. The method described. 4. The first assigning step associated with the first tile.
A first priority value of the information source and a second of the second information source associated with the second tile.
The method of claim 1 including assigning the first refresh rate and the second refresh rate according to a priority value. 5. The allocating step comprises the first tile and the second tile.
2. The method of claim 1, including the step of selectively placing tiles in a selected or unselected state. 6. An electronically readable memory for directing an electronic device to function in a particular manner, the first set of instructions for controlling simultaneous communication with a plurality of information sources, and the display of a tile. A second set of instructions arranged in an array, a first information source of the plurality of information sources associated with a first tile of the array of tiles, and a second information source of the plurality of information sources of the tiles. A third set of instructions associated with a second tile of the array and a fourth set of instructions for retrieving information from the first information source according to a first search speed and retrieving information from the second information source according to a second search speed. An instruction and a fifth set of instructions for providing information to the first tile according to the first search speed and providing information to the second tile according to the second search speed. 7. The electronically readable memory of claim 6, further comprising a set of instructions for processing a network data stream from a network data source. 8. The electronically readable memory of claim 6, further comprising a set of instructions for processing a tuner signal from a tuner device. 9. The electronically readable memory of claim 6, wherein the second set of instructions arranges the array of tiles on a display of a mobile phone. 10. The electronically readable memory of claim 6, wherein the second set of instructions arranges the array of tiles on a display of a television. 11. The electronically readable memory of claim 6, wherein the second set of instructions arranges the array of tiles on a computer display. 12. The electronically readable memory of claim 6, wherein the second set of instructions arranges the array of tiles on a personal digital assistant. 13. The electronically readable memory of claim 6, further comprising a set of instructions for assigning a password to a selected tile of the array of tiles. 14. The electronically readable memory of claim 6, wherein the second set of instructions produces an array of non-overlapping tiles, each tile having a uniform size and shape. 15. The fourth set of instructions according to a predetermined priority scheme
The electronically readable memory of claim 6, wherein the first search speed and the second search speed are assigned. 16. The electronically readable set of claim 6, further comprising a set of instructions for selectively assigning selected or unselected states to a particular tile of the array of tiles. memory. 17. The electronic device of claim 6, further comprising a set of instructions for interrupting the first search rate and providing still information from the first data stream to the first tile. Readable memory. 18. The selected textual content from the first information source to the first
The electronically readable memory of claim 6, further comprising a set of instructions to send to the tile. 19. The electronically readable memory of claim 6, further comprising a set of instructions for sending a video signal to a selected tile of the array of tiles. 20. The electronically readable memory of claim 6, further comprising a set of instructions for sending a frame of a broadcast TV signal to a selected tile of the array of tiles. 21. The electronically readable memory of claim 6, further comprising a set of instructions to send information from a network document to selected tiles of the array of tiles. 22. The electronically readable memory of claim 6, further comprising a set of instructions for submitting a web page to a selected tile of the array of tiles.