System and Method for Simultaneous Display of Multiple Information Sources

• US 20120124498A1
• Filed: 06/17/2011
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Surfcast, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Surfcast, Inc.
• Inventors: Santoro, Ovid, Lagermann, Klaus
• Granted Patent: US 9,043,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• 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 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations

Abstract

A computerized method of presenting information from a variety of sources on a display device. Specifically the present invention describes a graphical user interface for organizing the simultaneous display of information from a multitude of information sources. In particular, the present invention comprises a graphical user interface which organizes content from a variety of information sources into a grid of tiles, each of which can refresh its content independently of the others. The grid functionality manages the refresh rates of the multiple information sources. The present invention is intended to operate in a platform independent manner.

Claims

1. A method executed by a computer under the control of a program, said computer including a memory for storing said program, said method comprising the steps of:

partitioning a visual display of a computer into an array of tiles;

assigning a first refresh rate to a first tile of said array of tiles and a second refresh rate to a second tile of said array of tiles;

updating information presented to said first tile in accordance with said first refresh rate; and

renewing information presented to said second tile in accordance with said second refresh rate.

2. An electronic readable memory to direct an electronic device to function in a specified manner, comprising:

a first set of instructions to control simultaneous communication with a plurality of information sources;

a second set of instructions to arrange a display into an array of tiles;

a third set of instructions to associate a first information source of said plurality of information sources to a first tile of said array of tiles and a second information source of said plurality of information sources to a second tile of said array of tiles;

a fourth set of instructions to retrieve information from said first information source in accordance with a first retrieval rate and retrieve information from said second information source in accordance with a second retrieval rate; and

a fifth set of instructions to present information to said first tile in accordance with said first retrieval rate and present information to said second tile in accordance with said second retrieval rate.