Natural computing system

• US 5,680,557 A
• Filed: 02/16/1994
• Issued: 10/21/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Karamchetty, Somayajulu D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US08/197,787
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 395/10, 395/11, 395/12, 395/13, 395/20, 395/21, 395/22, 395/700, 395/775, 395/155, 395/156, 395/157, 395/158, 395/159, 395/160, 395/161, 364/419.01
• US Class Current: 715/866
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A natural computational system and environment replaces domain-specific centional application programs by allowing the juxtaposition of text, graphs, tables, equations, and sketches while concurrently permitting the use of these computational features in calculations and other problem-solving procedures, allowing non-programmers to develop computational schemes and obtain solutions to domain problems in a natural manner, with little or no code development, using familiar representational schemes presented to the user with the same functionality as is provided by a textbook or handbook. Each of the features is made up of a plurality of objects in a hierarchical scheme which permits development and use of the features in a completely natural and flexible manner. The system and environment thus permits the development of electronic textbooks, handbooks, and catalogs in which the text and features are simultaneously displayed, but which permits interactive use of the features.

Claims

1. A computational system, comprising:

means including first memory locations for storing data and information;

means including second memory locations for storing software objects;

said objects being selected from an objected group consisting of text, tables, graphs, equations, procedures, and sketches;

an input device;

a display device;

means including said input device and display device for enabling a user to create, manipulate, and interconnect said objects with no assistance from domain specific computer programs or application programmers and wherein said objects are arranged in a hierarchy of classes, each of which includes said objects representing features found in books, and selected from the group consisting of text, tables, graphs, equations, procedures, and sketches, and wherein said objects are implemented as classes following the object-oriented programming methods and languages,

and wherein said objects are capable of receiving information and data from a user or another of said objects,

and wherein said objects are capable information and data to a user or another of said object,

and where each of said objects is capable of automatically performing its inherent calculation for said user in addition to displaying the functionality of said objects to said user,whereby a resultant solution to a user selected problem is automatically produced for said user.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of said objects represent tables, the tables being decomposed into at least the following parts:

table structure, table caption, table header, table body, table footnotes, and table othernotes.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least the table body is divided into cells and organized into adjacency lists for manipulation, and which include pointers to locations in said first memory locations which contain contents of said cells.

4. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the table header and table body are divided into cells, and wherein contents of the cells are independent of the first memory locations where the contents are stored.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said objects represent graphs.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said objects are equations.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said objects are worksheets and spreadsheets strips.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said objects are units strips.

9. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said objects include macros.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said macros include templates for conditional statements selected from the group consisting of If-Then-Else, Do-loop, and Case statements.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said objects include forms and flowcharts.

12. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for embedding said objects in text, means for connecting said embedded objects through procedures, and means for embedding said procedures in said text.

13. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for embedding said objects in other objects.

14. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for combining text with symbols which permit a feature object to be called as the text is displayed.

15. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means including connectors for transferring values from one object to another object, thereby permitting procedures to be developed.

16. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said objects are schematics and sketches.

17. A system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising additional input and display devices for use in a networked or multi-user environment.

18. A method of using a computer to solve a computational problem, comprising the steps of:

predefining generic objects selected from the group consisting of tables, graphs, equations, text, units strips, worksheets, spreadsheets, templates, macros, sketches, schematics and procedures;

implementing said objects as classes following the object-oriented programming methods and languages, wherein said objects are used for calculations in addition to displaying functionality of said objects;

defining said objects to behave like their paper counterparts;

enabling the objects to perform calculations;

displaying said objects in stand-alone fashion;

combining said objects into procedures for solving the problem using data connecting pipes;

storing said objects in memory;

retrieving said objects from memory;

enabling a user to create, manipulate, and interconnect said objects with no assistance from domain specific computer programs or applications programmers;

making said objects capable of receiving information and data from a user or another of said objects;

making said objects capable of passing information and data to a user or another of said objects;

embedding said objects mutually in one another and in text;

selecting and highlighting any of said previously embedded objects;

entering domain-specific information and data into said generic objects to create domain-specific objects;

making each of said objects capable of automatically performing its inherent calculation for said user in addition to displaying the functionality of said objects to said user, whereby a resultant solution to a user selected problem is automatically produced for said user.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the steps of testing one of said objects for its isolated behavior;

identifying limitations; and

including restrictions on input or output values in order to prevent errors from propagating through said procedures.

20. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the step of arranging said objects in a hierarchy of classes, each of said classes including objects representing features found in books.

21. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the step of representing tables as a plurality of said objects decomposed into different table parts.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, further comprising the steps of dividing at least a table body into cells and organizing the cells into adjacency lists for manipulation, wherein the cells include pointers to memory locations which contain contents of said cells.

23. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the step of embedding said objects in text, and representing said objects as symbols which can be selected to display a respective object for manipulation in conjunction with information contained in said text.

24. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the steps of embedding said objects in text, connecting said embedded objects through procedures, and embedding said procedures in said text.

25. A system as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the steps of embedding said objects in other objects.

26. An interactive electronic book, comprising:

a memory;

means for displaying contents of the memory in the form of text and objects embedded in the text simultaneously;

means for identifying said objects in said text; and

means for allowing a user to manipulate said objects with no assistance from domain specific computer programs or applications programmers while reading said text wherein said objects are selected from the group consisting of tables, graphs, equations, units strips, worksheets, spreadsheets, templates, macros, sketches, and schematics.

27. An electronic book as claimed in claim 26, wherein said book is a textbook.

28. An electronic book as claimed in claim 26, wherein said book is a handbook.

29. An electronic book as claimed in claim 26, wherein said book is a catalog of parts, and said objects include tables of data concerning the parts.

30. An electronic book as claimed in claim 26, further comprising means for combining said objects into procedures for solving a computational problem using object connecting pipes.

31. An electronic book as claimed in claim 26, further comprising means for suppressing said symbols such that said text and objects are displayed as they would be displayed on a printed page.

32. An electronic book as claimed in claim 26, wherein said object identifying means comprises means for finding an object based either on a position of said object in said text or from a list of said objects.

33. An electronic book as claimed in claim 26, further comprising means for embedding said objects in text, means for connecting said embedded objects through procedures, and means for embedding said procedures in said text in order to provide an interactive electronic book.

34. A menu-driven process for solving computational problems using a computer, in which menus are used to select objects for viewing or manipulation, the objects appearing to the user as features found in books.

35. A process as claimed in claim 34, wherein said objects are arranged in a hierarchy of classes representing features of said objects for individual manipulation in a manner which simulates the manner in which book features are manipulated.

36. A process as claimed in claim 34, wherein said objects include inputs and outputs for data and information, said objects being usable either in stand-alone form or as part of programs or procedures.

37. A process as claimed in claim 34, wherein said objects are selected from the group consisting of tables, graphs, equations, and sketches.

38. A process as claimed in claim 34, wherein said objects are embedded in text and selectable either from a list of said objects or based on a location in said text.

39. A process as claimed in claim 34, wherein said objects are embedded in text, connected through procedures, and wherein said procedures are also embedded in said text.