Persistent portal

• US 20060284892A1
• Filed: 05/14/2004
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Timothy M. Sheridan
• Original Assignee: Timothy M. Sheridan
• Inventors: Sheridan, Timothy M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,796,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/661
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A method of proportionally reducing the area of the operating system'"'"'s active “desktop” display with all functions operational, then deploying and displaying a secondary graphical user interface (GUI) known as a “Persistent Portal” (PP) into the resulting blanked area.

Claims

1. A method of proportionally reducing the size and area of the operating system'"'"'s active “

desktop”

display with all functions operational, while maintaining a complete view of the desktop (display intact) including the functional controls that provide access to resident applications and documents, then deploying a secondary graphical user interface (GUI) known as a “

Persistent Portal”

(PP) having two dimensions, each dimension having a number of pixels, into the resulting blanked area, comprising;

a. adjusting parameters for the desktop display area residing inside of, but not including the overscan border, by a number of pixels that equals the required area to be occupied by the PP interface when deployed.

b. addressing the settings of the video mode or monitor resolution for said required pixels within said computer system;

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the dimension of said desktop display area in which the number of pixels is reduced are both vertical and horizontal resulting in a blanked area at the top of the original desktop display area;

and in which the number of pixels is reduced is horizontal resulting in a blanked area on the left outermost side of the original desktop display area.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the resulting blanked area is occupied by the Persistent Portal Interface with all related proprietary controls, functions, and features visible and operational.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said interface utilizes the movable pointer that functions within the normal desktop display area for the purpose of user input causing interaction and command response from the PP program.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the dimension of said desktop display area in which the number of pixels is reduced are both vertical and horizontal resulting in a blanked area at the bottom of the original desktop display area;

and in which the number of pixels is reduced is horizontal resulting in a blanked area on the left outermost side of the original desktop display area.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the resulting blanked area is occupied by the graphical Persistent Portal Interface with all related proprietary controls, functions, and features visible and operational.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said interface utilizes the movable pointer that functions within the normal desktop display area for the purpose of user input causing interaction and command response from the PP program.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the dimension of said desktop display area in which the number of pixels is reduced are both vertical and horizontal resulting in a blanked area at the top of the original desktop display area, and in which the number of pixels is reduced is horizontal resulting in a blanked area on the right outermost side of the original desktop display area.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the resulting blanked area is occupied by the graphical Persistent Portal Interface with all related proprietary controls, functions, and features visible and operational.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said interface utilizes the movable pointer that functions within the normal desktop display area for the purpose of user input causing interaction and command response from the PP program.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the dimension of said desktop display area in which the number of pixels is reduced are both vertical and horizontal resulting in a blanked area at the bottom of the original desktop display area;

and in which the number of pixels is reduced is horizontal resulting in a blanked area on the right outermost side of the original desktop display area.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the resulting blanked area is occupied by the graphical Persistent Portal Interface with all related proprietary controls, functions, and features visible and operational.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein said interface utilizes the movable pointer that functions within the normal desktop display area for the purpose of user input causing interaction and command response from the PP program.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the dimension of said desktop display area in which the number of pixels is reduced are both vertical and horizontal resulting in a blanked area at the top and bottom of the original desktop display area;

and in which the number of pixels is reduced is horizontal resulting in a blanked area on the left outermost and right outermost sides of the original desktop display area, a configuration of the preferred embodiment.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the resulting blanked area is occupied by the graphical Persistent Portal Interface with all related proprietary controls, functions, and features visible and operational.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said interface utilizes the movable pointer that functions within the normal desktop display area for the purpose of user input causing interaction and command response from the PP program.

23. The device of claim 12 wherein said interface utilizes the movable pointer that functions within the normal desktop display area for the purpose of user input causing interaction and command response from the PP program.

17. A device for proportionally reducing the size and area of the operating system'"'"'s active “

desktop”

display with all functions operational, while maintaining a complete view of the desktop (display in tact) including the functional controls that provide access to resident applications and documents, then deploying a secondary graphical user interface (GUI) known as a “

Persistent Portal”

(PP) having two dimensions, each dimension having a number of pixels, into the resulting blanked area, comprising;

a. a means for adjusting parameters for the desktop display area residing inside of, but not including the overscan border, by a number of pixels that equals the required area to be occupied by the PP interface when deployed; and

b. a means, within said computer system, for addressing the settings of the video mode or monitor resolution for said required pixels; and

c. a means for writing the image of said PP interface to video display memory; and

d. a means for displaying said image from said video display memory onto said “

blanked”

area resulting from said desktop display area reduction process.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the dimension of said desktop display area in which the number of pixels is reduced are both vertical and horizontal resulting in a blanked area at the top of the original desktop display area;

and in which the number of pixels is reduced is horizontal resulting in a blanked area on the left outermost side of the original desktop display area.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the resulting blanked area is occupied by the graphical Persistent Portal Interface with all related proprietary controls, functions, and features visible and operational.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein said interface utilizes the movable pointer that functions within the normal desktop display area for the purpose of user input causing interaction and command response from the PP program.

21. The device of claim 17 wherein the dimension of said desktop display area in which the number of pixels is reduced are both vertical and horizontal resulting in a blanked area at the bottom of the original desktop display area;

and in which the number of pixels is reduced is horizontal resulting in a blanked area on the left outermost side of the original desktop display area.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein the resulting blanked area is occupied by the graphical Persistent Portal Interface with all related proprietary controls, functions, and features visible and operational.

24. The device of claim 17 wherein the dimension of said desktop display area in which the number of pixels is reduced are both vertical and horizontal resulting in a blanked area at the top of the original desktop display area;

and in which the number of pixels is reduced is horizontal resulting in a blanked area on the right outermost side of the original desktop display area.

25. The device of claim 24 wherein the resulting blanked area is occupied by the graphical Persistent Portal Interface with all related proprietary controls, functions, and features visible and operational.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein said interface utilizes the movable pointer that functions within the normal desktop display area for the purpose of user input causing interaction and command response from the PP program.

27. The device of claim 17 wherein the dimension of said desktop display area in which the number of pixels is reduced are both vertical and horizontal resulting in a blanked area at the bottom of the original desktop display area;

and in which the number of pixels is reduced is horizontal resulting in a blanked area on the right outermost side of the original desktop display area.

28. The device of claim 27 wherein the resulting blanked area is occupied by the graphical Persistent Portal Interface with all related proprietary controls, functions, and features visible and operational.

29. The device of claim 28 wherein said interface utilizes the movable pointer that functions within the normal desktop display area for the purpose of user input causing interaction and command response from the PP program.

30. The device of claim 17 wherein the dimension of said desktop display area in which the number of pixels is reduced are both vertical and horizontal resulting in a blanked area at the top and bottom of the original desktop display area;

and in which the number of pixels is reduced is horizontal resulting in a blanked area on the left outermost and right outermost sides of the original desktop display area, a configuration of the preferred embodiment.

31. The device of claim 30 wherein the resulting blanked area is occupied by the graphical Persistent Portal Interface with all related proprietary controls, functions, and features visible and operational.

32. The device of claim 30 wherein said interface utilizes the movable pointer that functions within the normal desktop display area for the purpose of user input causing interaction and command response from the PP program.

33. A user interface program for a computer, the user interface being renderable on a display for a computer so that the active content area of the display is substantially proportionally reduced, the user interface having one or more zones, each zone having one or more modules of features or functions.

34. The user interface of claim 33 wherein the user interface is disposed along at least two adjoined sides of the active content area.

35. The user interface of claim 34 wherein the user interface is disposed along at least three adjoined sides of the active content area.

36. The user interface of claim 33 wherein the user interface is disposed along four adjoined sides of the active content area.

37. The user interface of claim 34 wherein the user interface includes at least two zones.

38. The user interface of claim 33 wherein the user interface has at least two of the following modules:

Alert Module(s), Content Access Modules, Multi-function Ticker Module, User Managed Drag and Drop Module, Search Engine Module, Sub-Channel Modules, Sponsor or 3^rd Party Icon/Access Modules, Custom Application Modules (Client Customization), User Preferences Module, Network Preferences and Updates Module, Publisher Preferences Module, Ad Banner and/or Message Display Module, Personal Tools Applications Module(s), Application Service Provider (ASP) Products Download Module, Universal or Proprietary Chat Module, Entertainment Module (games, music, video and pay-per view events).

39. The user interface of claim 38 wherein the interface includes at least three of the modules.

40. A computer system comprising a first computer having a program for generating a user interface on a display for a computer so that the active content area of the display is substantially proportionally reduced, the user interface having one or more zones, each zone having one or more modules of features and/or functions.

41. A computer system comprising:

a first computer with means for publishing content to a plurality of other computers hosting a user interface having one or more zones with one or modules for receiving or interacting with content, the first computer communicating with the plurality of other computers over a data network; and

the user interface being renderable on displays for the plurality of computer so that the active content area of the display is substantially proportionally reduced.

42. The inventions as described and shown herein.