METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EFFICIENT DISPLAY OF CRITICAL INFORMATION IN A DISPATCH ENVIRONMENT

• US 20110016401A1
• Filed: 07/16/2009
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eagle Technology, LLC (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dailey, Timothy Eugene
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/736
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5116 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5175 Call or contact centers supervision arrangements

Abstract

The invention pertains to methods and apparatus for displaying information about a communication network efficiently in a compact display area that can occupy a small portion of a monitor. The methods and apparatus also provide efficient mechanisms for interfacing with the communication network and calling up additional information at will.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium encoded with computer executable programming instructions for generating a graphical user interface for interfacing with a communication system comprising:

a first computer software package having executable instructions for controlling a communication network and providing a first graphical user interface including User Interface controls for interfacing with and controlling the communication system, the first graphical user interface designed to consume substantially all of a display screen; and

a second computer software package distinct from the first computer software package having computer executable instructions for generating a second graphical user interface including a plurality of User Interface controls comprising a subset of the User Interface controls of the first graphical user interface, the second graphical user interface designed to consume only a portion of a display screen, and computer executable instructions for interfacing with the first software package for transmitting User Interface control inputs input into the second computer software package to the first software package.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the second graphical user interface is in the form of a toolbar.

3. A computer system comprising a first computer and a second computer and including the computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the first software package is running on the first computer and the second software package is running on the second computer.

4. The computer system of claim 3 wherein the first software package is a dispatch console for a communication network.

5. The computer system of claim 4 further comprising a third software package, the third software package comprising a computer aided dispatch software package and wherein the third software package is running on the second computer.

6. The computer system of claim 5 wherein the second software package and the third software package are exclusive with respect to each other.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 4 wherein the computer executable instructions for interfacing with the first software package comprise an application programming interface.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the first software package further comprises computer executable instructions for transmitting information about the communication system to the second software package and the second computer software package further comprises computer executable instructions for receiving the information about the communication network and computer executable instructions for displaying the information in the second graphical user interface.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the second software package further comprises computer executable instructions for calling up from at least one of the User Interface controls in the second graphical user interface at least one additional graphical user interface comprising additional User Interface controls allowing a user to interface with and control the communication system.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the second software package further comprises computer executable instructions for permitting a user to select which User Interface controls appear in the second graphical user interface.

28. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

means for receiving information about the communication system from the software package; and

means for displaying the information in the second graphical user interface.

11. A computer readable medium encoded with computer executable programming instructions for generating a graphical user interface for interfacing with dispatch console software that controls a communication system comprising:

computer executable instructions for generating a plurality of User Interface controls operable to control the dispatch console software to cause the dispatch console software to control the communication system, wherein at least one of the User Interface controls also displays information about the communication system received from the dispatch console software;

computer executable instructions that, responsive to a first user interface operation in connection with one of the User Interface controls, causes a graphical user interface window to open displaying information about the communication system in list form; and

computer executable instructions that, responsive to the first user interface operation, pre-sorts or pre-filters the list as a function of the particular User Interface control in connection with which the first user interface operation was performed.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the pre-sorting or pre-filtering is a function of events occurring in the communication network.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the information about the communication system in list form comprises a list of calls made on the communication system.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the window comprises a User Interface control that, when operated, causes the list to be filtered to show only the last call by each caller on the communication system.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the User Interface controls of the graphical user interface comprise a subset of User Interface controls available in the dispatch console and wherein the graphical user interface is designed to consume only a portion of a display screen.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the graphical user interface is in the form of a toolbar.

17. A computer system including the computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the computer executable instructions for generating the graphical user interface are running on a computer different than a computer on which the dispatch console is running.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the graphical user interface does not interface with a computer aided dispatch software package.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the graphical user interface is a software module distinct from the dispatch console software and interfaces with the dispatch console software via an application programming interface.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the graphical user interface is a software module executing within the dispatch console software.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 11 wherein the graphical user interface is a plug-in software module to a computer aided dispatch software module.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 11 comprising:

computer executable instructions for generating a first graphical user interface module dedicated to User Interface controls conveying information about talk groups in the communication system other than a selected talk group, the first graphical user interface module including a text box that displays information about the most recently received call in any talk group other than the selected talk group.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 11 further comprising:

computer executable instructions for generating a second graphical user interface module dedicated to User Interface controls pertaining to a specific talk group;

computer executable instructions for causing the second graphical user interface module to include a first User Interface control displaying an identity of the at least one specific talk group and, responsive to operation of the first User Interface control, activate the specific talk group for communications; and

computer executable instructions for causing the second graphical user interface module to include a second User Interface control that displays a volume to which the specific talk group has been set when there are no communication in the specific talk group and displays an identity of an individual transmitting in the specific talk group when an individual is transmitting in the specific talk group.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 11 comprising:

computer executable instructions for generating a speaker graphical user interface module, the speaker graphical user interface module including a User Interface control corresponding to each of a plurality of speakers; and

computer executable instructions for causing each of the User Interface controls in the speaker module to be in a first condition, responsive to the absence of communication in the corresponding talk group, in which it displays a volume to which the corresponding talk group has been set and to be in a second condition, responsive to transmissions in the corresponding talk group, in which it displays an identity of an individual transmitting in the specific talk group.

25. An apparatus for generating a graphical user interface for interfacing with a computer software package for controlling a communication network and providing a first graphical user interface including User Interface controls for interfacing with and controlling the communication system, the first graphical user interface designed to consume substantially all of a display screen comprising:

means for generating a second graphical user interface including a plurality of User Interface controls comprising a subset of the User Interface controls of the first graphical user interface, wherein the second graphical user interface is designed to consume only a portion of a display screen; and

means for interfacing with the software package to transmit User Interface control inputs input into the second computer software package to the first software package.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the second graphical user interface is in the form of a toolbar.

27. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the means for interfacing with the first software package comprise an application programming interface.

29. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising:

means for calling up from at least one of the User Interface controls in the second graphical user interface at least one additional graphical user interface comprising additional User Interface controls allowing a user to interface with and control the communication system.

30. The apparatus of claim 25 further comprising:

means for permitting a user to select which User Interface controls appear in the second graphical user interface.

31. An apparatus for generating a graphical user interface for interfacing with dispatch console software that controls a communication system comprising:

means for generating a plurality of User Interface controls operable to control the dispatch console software to cause the dispatch console software to control the communication system, wherein at least one of the User Interface controls also displays information about the communication system received from the dispatch console software;

means that, responsive to a first user interface operation in connection with one of the User Interface controls, causes a graphical user interface window to open displaying information about the communication system in list form; and

means that, responsive to the first user interface operation, pre-sorts or pre-filters the list as a function of the particular User Interface control in connection with which the first user interface operation was performed.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the means for pre-sorting or pre-filtering pre-sorts or pre-filters as a function of events occurring in the communication network.

33. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the information about the communication system in list form comprises a list of calls made on the communication system.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the window comprises a User Interface control that, when operated, causes the list to be filtered to show only the last call by each caller on the communication system.

35. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the User Interface controls of the graphical user interface comprise a subset of User Interface controls available in the dispatch console and wherein the graphical user interface is designed to consume only a portion of a display screen.

36. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein the graphical user interface is in the form of a toolbar.

37. The apparatus of claim 31 comprising:

means for generating a first graphical user interface module comprising User Interface controls conveying information about talk groups in the communication system other than a selected talk group, the first graphical user interface module including a text box that displays information about the most recently received call in any talk group other than the selected talk group.

38. The apparatus of claim 31 comprising:

means for generating a second graphical user interface module comprising User Interface controls pertaining to a specific talk group;

means for causing the second graphical user interface module to include a first User Interface control displaying an identity of the at least one specific talk group and, responsive to operation of the first User Interface control, activate the specific talk group for communications; and

means for causing the second graphical interface module to include a second User Interface control that displays a volume to which the specific talk group has been set when there are no communication in the specific talk group and displays an identity of an individual transmitting in the specific talk group when an individual is transmitting in the specific talk group.

39. The apparatus of claim 31 comprising:

means for generating a speaker graphical user interface module, the speaker graphical user interface module including a User Interface control for each of a plurality of speakers; and

means for causing each of the User Interface controls in the speaker graphical user interface module to be in a first condition when there are no communication in the specific talk group in which it displays a volume to which the specific talk group has been set and to be in a second condition, when an individual is transmitting in the specific talk group, in which it displays an identity of an individual transmitting in the specific talk group.