Object oriented system for representing physical locations
First Claim
1. A method for storing information relating to a physical location in a memory of a computer system having a display device, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) storing information defining a plurality of place classes in the memory, each of the plurality of place classes including;
means for generating on the display device an image representative of a physical location;
a data structure for holding information;
a constructing function for constructing a place object from the respective place class;
a plurality of inserting member functions, each of the plurality of inserting member functions inserting information for objects in the data structure; and
a plurality of transferring member functions, each of the plurality of transferring member functions for transferring information identifying an object from a first place object to a second place object;
(b) executing the constructing member function to instantiate a first place object in the memory for one of the plurality of users, the first place object having a display presentation representing a first physical location;
(c) executing a first one of the plurality of inserting member functions to insert user preference information for the one user in the data structure of the first instantiated place object; and
(d) executing a second one of the plurality of inserting member functions to insert an application program which performs a function characteristic of the first physical location of the first place object so that the preference information inserted in the data structure by the first one of the plurality of inserting member functions is applied to the application program.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for providing each of a plurality of users of a computer system with a corresponding place object. Each of the place objects represent one of a variety of actual physical locations and contains one or more subplace objects and person objects which indicate the presence or absence of a person from a given place. Each of the one or more subplace objects capture a formal or functional characteristic of the particular place object in which it is contained. Each of the place objects are supported by at least one of a plurality of user selectable collaboration models thereby enabling users who have accessed the same place object to collaborate and interact with one another.
221 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method for storing information relating to a physical location in a memory of a computer system having a display device, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) storing information defining a plurality of place classes in the memory, each of the plurality of place classes including;
means for generating on the display device an image representative of a physical location;
a data structure for holding information;
a constructing function for constructing a place object from the respective place class;
a plurality of inserting member functions, each of the plurality of inserting member functions inserting information for objects in the data structure; and
a plurality of transferring member functions, each of the plurality of transferring member functions for transferring information identifying an object from a first place object to a second place object;(b) executing the constructing member function to instantiate a first place object in the memory for one of the plurality of users, the first place object having a display presentation representing a first physical location; (c) executing a first one of the plurality of inserting member functions to insert user preference information for the one user in the data structure of the first instantiated place object; and (d) executing a second one of the plurality of inserting member functions to insert an application program which performs a function characteristic of the first physical location of the first place object so that the preference information inserted in the data structure by the first one of the plurality of inserting member functions is applied to the application program. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 15, 16, 17)
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4. A computer system for interacting among a plurality of users, comprising:
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(a) a memory; (b) a plurality of place classes stored in the memory, each of the place classes having attributes representative of a different physical location; (c) a place object stored in the memory, wherein the place object is instantiated from one of the plurality of place classes and represents the physical location of the corresponding one place class; (d) at least one workspace element referenced in the place object; (e) a user information profile stored in the place object (f) means for activating the place object; and (g) means for applying the user information profile to the workspace element when the place object is activated. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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18. A method for organizing information for each of a plurality of users of a computer system having a memory and a display device, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) storing Information defining a place class in the memory, the place class including;
means for generating on the display device an image representative of a physical location;
a data structure for holding information; and
a member function for constructing a place object from the place class;(b) storing information defining a plurality of place subclasses in the memory, each of the plurality of place subclasses including;
means for generating on the display device an image representative of a physical portion of the physical location;
a data structure for holding information;
a member function for constructing a subplace object from the each place subclass;
a plurality of member functions for inserting information for objects in the data structure; and
a plurality of member functions for transferring information identifying an object from a first subplace object to a second subplace object;(c) executing the place class constructing member function to instantiate a first place object in the memory, the first place object having a display presentation representing a first physical location; (d) executing the place subclass constructing member function to instantiate a first subplace object in the memory for one of the plurality of users, the first subplace object having a display presentation representing a portion of first physical location; (e) executing a first one of the plurality of place class Inserting member functions to insert information identifying the first instantiated subplace object into the data structure of the first instantiated place object; (f) executing a first one of the plurality of place subclass inserting member functions to insert preference information for the one user in the data structure of the first instantiated subplace object; and (g) executing a second one of the plurality of place subclass inserting member functions to insert an application program which performs a function characteristic of the portion of the physical location in the data structure of the first instantiated subplace object so that the preference information is applied to the application program.
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19. A memory for use with a computer system, the memory for storing data for access by a plurality of application programs being concurrently executed on a computer, the memory comprising:
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(a) computer operating system program stored in the memory, the computer operating system program including an application programming interface provided as a system framework for defining an application interface to each of the plurality of concurrently executing application programs, the system framework including; (b) a plurality of class data sets stored in the memory, each of the plurality of class data sets defining a like plurality of application-subclassable place classes and each of the plurality of class date sets including; (1) means for generating on a display device an image representative of the physical location defined by the class data set; (2) a data structure for holding information; (3) first computer readable program code means for constructing a place object from the corresponding application-subclassable place class by instantiating an object from the place class for each of the plurality of application programs which provide an instruction to the first computer readable program code means for constructing; (4) second computer readable program code means for inserting user preference information for a user in the data structure of a place object instantiated from the place class; (5) third computer readable program code means for providing a function characteristic of the physical location in the data structure of the instantiated place object wherein the third computer readable program code means provides the function by associating an application program which provides the function with the place object such that the preference information is applied to the application program; and (6) fourth computer readable program code means for transferring information identifying an object from a first place object to a second place object. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. An apparatus for organizing and segmenting information according to actual physical locations, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) a processing unit; (b) a storage media coupled to the processing unit; (c) a presentation device coupled to the processing unit; (d) a plurality of containable objects stored in the storage media, each of the plurality of containable objects instantiated from a containable class with at least one of the plurality of containable objects corresponding to a person object representative of a user of the apparatus; (e) a plurality of place classes stored on the storage media each of the plurality of place classes representative of a different physical location and each of the plurality of place classes derived from a container class; (f) a first place object stored in the storage media, the first place object instantiated from a first one of the plurality of place classes, the first place object representing a physical location and including; 1. means for presenting the first place object on the presentation device; 2. a plurality of presentation attributes wherein each of the presentation attributes provide one of a corresponding plurality of presentation characteristics representative of a physical appearance of the first place object on the presentation device; 3. means for referring to first ones of the plurality of containable objects with at least one of the first ones of the plurality of containable objects corresponding to the person object; 4. means for instructing a second place object according to a predefined collaboration policy; 5. means for accessing and navigating to a second different place object stored in the storage device; and 6. means for determining the presence of the one person object in the place object; and means, responsive to a user access command, for placing a person object, representative of the user, in a place object by invoking the means for referring such that an association relationship is formed between the place object and the person object. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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Specification