Object-oriented computer user interface

• US 5,727,175 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 03/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Berenson, Richard W., Malone, Thomas W., Yu, Keh-Chiang, Lai, Kum-Yew
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phu K.
• Application Number:
  US08/479,784
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 395/155, 395/161, 395/356, 395/357, 395/333, 395/336, 395/335, 345/27, 345/28
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/252 between a Database Management System and a front-end application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A computer user interface includes a mechanism for graphically representing and displaying user-definable objects of multiple types. The object types that can be represented include data records, not limited to a particular kind of data, and agents. An agent processes information automatically on behalf of the user. Another mechanism allows a user to define objects, for example by using a template. These two mechanisms act together to allow each object to be displayed to the user and acted upon by the user in a uniform way regardless of type. For example, templates for defining objects allow a specification to be input by a user defining processing that can be performed by an agent.

Claims

1. A computer user interface comprising:

means for graphically representing a set of objects as instances of types of semi-structured objects, wherein each object type has a set of actions that can be performed upon instances of such object type and wherein an object has a set of fields and one of the fields may contain information of any type, and wherein a first object may contain, as part of the value of one of the fields of the first object, a link to a second object, and wherein a graphical representation of the first object includes a display of an indication the link;

means for arranging the objects in a hierarchy of increasingly specialized types of a generic object type, and for causing each object type to inherit fields and actions from any parent thereof; and

means for defining each type of object by means of a template.

2. A computer user interface according to claim 1, wherein the displayed indication of the link includes at least one of a symbol for the second object and a template associated with the second object.

3. A computer user interface according to claim 1, further comprising:

means for causing display of the second object when the displayed indication of the link is selected by a user.

4. A computer user interface comprising:

means for graphically representing objects that collectively are instances of a plurality of object types, wherein a data record is one of such object types;

means for causing at least some of the objects to be semi-structured in that each such object has at least one field in which the permitted value is not restricted to a specific kind of information and wherein at least one object includes at least one link to another object;

means for displaying an object including means for displaying an indication of any link from the object to another object;

means, responsive to user selection of a displayed indication of a link from one object to another object, for displaying the other object; and

means for providing a tailorable summary display of objects in response to user selection of fields of the object type.

5. A computer user interface according to claim 4, wherein the means for providing a tailorable summary display includes means for tailoring the summary display by user selection from a displayed list of alternatives.

6. A computer user interface according to claim 4, wherein a folder, comprising a collection of instances of an object type, is a pre-defined type of object.

7. A computer user interface according to claim 4, wherein

the means for displaying the first object displays a graphical indication of the link.

8. A computer user interface according to claim 7, wherein the means for providing a tailorable summary display includes means for causing the selectable summary display of a collection of objects and of the relationships, represented by links, between the objects.

9. A computer user interface according to claim 4, wherein the at least one field may include a plurality of links to other objects.

14. A computer user interface according to claim 4, wherein the means for displaying the first object displays a template of the second object embedded in the display of the field of the first object.

10. A computer user interface, comprising:

means for graphically representing objects that collectively are instances of at least one object type, each object type is semi-structured by having a set of fields, wherein at least one field contains information of any type, wherein a first object may contain, as part of the value of one of the fields, a link to a second object;

means for displaying the first object and an indication of the link;

means, responsive to user selection of the displayed indication of the link from the first object to the second object, for displaying the second object; and

means for providing a tailorable summary display of objects in response to user selection of fields of the object type.

11. A computer user interface according to claim 10, wherein the objects collectively are instances of a plurality of object types.

12. A computer user interface according to claim 11, wherein a data record is one of such object types, and an agent is another of such object types.

13. A computer user interface according to claim 12, wherein a folder is one of such object types.

15. An object-oriented computer user interface system, comprising:

a first semi-structured object type, wherein an instance of the first object type comprises;

a collection of fields, wherein information in at least one of the fields may be of any type, and wherein a value in at least one field includes a link to another instance of any object type;

a display method for displaying the instance of the object type, including displaying an indication of the link to the other instance of any object type;

a display link method for displaying the other instance of any object type upon selection by the user of the displayed indication of the link; and

a second semi-structured object type, wherein an instance of the second object type comprises;

a collection of fields, wherein information in at least one of the fields may be of any type, and wherein a value in at least one field includes a link to another instance of any object type;

a display method for displaying the instance of the object type, including displaying an indication of the link to the other instance of any object type;

a display link method for displaying the other instance of any object type upon selection by the user of the displayed indication of the link; and

means for displaying a summary view of a plurality of instances of an object type, wherein fields to be displayed are selectable by a user.

16. The object-oriented user interface of claim 15, wherein the means for displaying includes means for displaying the summary view in a format selected by a user.