Accessibility system and method

• US 20040064593A1
• Filed: 02/14/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McKeon, Brendan, Sinclair, Robert, Wagoner, Patricia M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,434,167 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A method and system providing a client with user interface information are described. An accessibility system for providing user interface information to a client. The accessibility system comprises an accessibility system core including user interface automation services and APIs. The user interface automation tools filter information based on whether the user interface information is interesting to the client. The accessibility system additionally comprises a client side interface including a logical tree for revealing user interface information that is interesting to the client and for hiding user interface information that is not interesting to the client. The accessibility system also comprises a server side interface for facilitating information transfer from a server side regardless of the server side technology.

Claims

1. An accessibility system for providing user interface information to a client, the accessibility system comprising:

an accessibility system core including user interface automation services for filtering information based on whether the user interface information is interesting to the client;

a client side interface including a logical tree for revealing user interface information that is interesting to the client and for hiding user interface information that is not interesting to the client; and

a server side interface for facilitating information transfer from a server side application regardless of the user interface engine used to build that application.

2. The accessibility system of claim 1, wherein the user interface automation services form an event mechanism including a user interface automation client operating across the client side interface and a user interface automation server for operating across the server side interface.

3. The accessibility system of claim 2, wherein the user interface automation client operates so as to receive an event registration request from the client and to inform the user interface automation server of the event registration request.

4. The accessibility system of claim 3, wherein the user interface automation server seeks event information from a user interface engine on the server side and filters the event information to discard information outside a scope of the event registration request.

5. The accessibility system of claim 1, wherein the logical tree includes a plurality of elements, wherein each of the elements represent one of a control, an item in a control, or a grouping structure.

6. The accessibility system of claim 1, wherein an underlying application technology determines an appropriate technique for navigating the logical tree.

7. The accessibility system of claim 1, wherein the logical tree unifies user interfaces from different applications.

8. The accessibility system of claim 1, further comprising interfaces for exposing functionality associated with control patterns.

9. The accessibility system of claim 8, wherein an accessibility system API returns a logical tree position to provide the client with information pertaining to an application.

10. A computer-implemented method for providing user interface information to a client, the method comprising the steps of:

monitoring user interface information with accessibility system automation services;

transferring user interface information over a server side interface regardless of server side technology; and

determining specific user interface information that is interesting to the client using a logical element tree that forms a part of the client-side interface.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a user interface automation client operating across the client side interface and a user interface automation server for operating across the server side interface.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving an event registration request from the client at the user interface automation client and informing the user interface automation server of the event registration request.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising seeking event information from a user interface engine on the server side and filtering the event information to discard information outside the scope of an event registration request.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising representing one of:

a control, an item in a control, or a grouping structure with each element in the logical tree.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining an appropriate technique for navigating the logical tree using an underlying application technology.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising unifying user interfaces from different applications in the logical tree.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing interfaces for exposing functionality associated with control patterns.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising using an accessibility system to return a logical tree position to provide the client with information pertaining to an application.