Multi-media data communication system having a plurality of types of graphical user interfaces
First Claim
1. A multi-media data communication system comprising:
- a server having a plurality of graphic user interface (GUI) structures which are different in metaphor image from each other but function to provide the same service, for transmitting a specific one of said plurality of GUI structures in response to an inputted service request including an identifier data for designating one GUI structure, and for providing a specific service designated based on said transmitted GUI structure; and
a plurality of terminal equipments that are connected to said server via a bidirectional communication line and each of which is capable of issuing the service request, wherein a request issuing terminal equipment of said plurality of terminal equipments issues the service request including the identifier data to said server via said bidirectional communication line, receives said GUI structure transmitted from said server to establish a GUI, designates said specific service using the established GUI, and receives said specific service from said server,wherein one of the plurality of graphic user interface structures which are different in metaphor image from each other but function to provide the same service is selectable by a user of one of said plurality of terminal equipments by the user making a selection on a display screen provided on said one of said plurality of terminal equipments in response to a metaphor change request outputted from said one of said plurality of terminal equipments.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a multi-media data communication system, there are in a server a plurality of user graphic interface (GUI) structures which are different in metaphor image from each other but function to provide the same service. A service request including a metaphor designating data for designating a specific one of the plurality of GUI structures and a terminal identifier of a request issuing terminal equipment of a plurality of terminal equipments is issued from the request issuing terminal equipment to the server via a bidirectional communication line. The server determines whether the request issuing terminal equipment is allowed to receive a service and whether the service request includes the metaphor designating data when it is determined that the request issuing terminal equipment is allowed to receive service. When the service request includes the metaphor designating data, the server transmits the specific one of the plurality of GUI structures to the request issuing terminal equipment in response to the service request. The request issuing terminal equipment designates a specific service using the transmitted GUI structure transmitted from the server and the server provides the specific service designated based on the transmitted GUI structure by the request issuing terminal equipment. In this manner, the request issuing terminal equipment can receives the specific service from the server.
54 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A multi-media data communication system comprising:
-
a server having a plurality of graphic user interface (GUI) structures which are different in metaphor image from each other but function to provide the same service, for transmitting a specific one of said plurality of GUI structures in response to an inputted service request including an identifier data for designating one GUI structure, and for providing a specific service designated based on said transmitted GUI structure; and a plurality of terminal equipments that are connected to said server via a bidirectional communication line and each of which is capable of issuing the service request, wherein a request issuing terminal equipment of said plurality of terminal equipments issues the service request including the identifier data to said server via said bidirectional communication line, receives said GUI structure transmitted from said server to establish a GUI, designates said specific service using the established GUI, and receives said specific service from said server, wherein one of the plurality of graphic user interface structures which are different in metaphor image from each other but function to provide the same service is selectable by a user of one of said plurality of terminal equipments by the user making a selection on a display screen provided on said one of said plurality of terminal equipments in response to a metaphor change request outputted from said one of said plurality of terminal equipments. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A method of providing a service using a user friendly type of graphic user interface (GUI) in a multimedia data communication system, comprising the steps of:
-
providing in a server a plurality of GUI hierarchical structures which are different in metaphor image from each other but function to provide the same service, wherein each of said plurality of GUI hierarchical structures is composed of GUI structures of a plurality of layers and each of said GUI structures is composed of an image data and control program; issuing a service request including a metaphor designating data for designing a specific one of said plurality of GUI hierarchical structures and a terminal identifier of a request issuing terminal equipment of a plurality of terminal equipments from said request issuing terminal equipment to said server, the service request being made based on a selection by a user of the specific one of said plurality of GUI hierarchical structures from a display of a list of said plurality of GUI hierarchical structures on a display screen of said request issuing terminal equipment; determining in said server whether said request issuing terminal equipment is allowed to receive a service and whether the service request includes the metaphor designating data when it is determined that said request issuing terminal equipment is allowed to receive said service; transmitting the GUI structures of the specific one of said plurality of GUI hierarchical structures designated by the metaphor designating data from said server to said request issuing terminal equipment in response to the service request when the service request includes the metaphor designating data; designating a specific service through the transmission of the GUI structures from said server and selections in said request issuing terminal equipment; providing to said request issuing terminal equipment the specific service designated by said request issuing terminal equipment based on said transmitted GUI structures; and receiving said specific service from said server in said request issuing terminal equipment. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A multi-media data communication system comprising:
-
a server having a plurality of graphic user interface (GUI) structures which are different in metaphor image from each other but function to provide the same service, wherein each of said plurality of GUI structures has a hierarchical structure composed of a plurality of layers, wherein each of said plurality of GUI structures has a plurality of selection paths to each of which a set of image data and service program corresponding to the image data is provided, and wherein said server sequentially transmits sets of image data and service program for the plurality of layers in a specific one of said plurality of GUI structures in response to an inputted service request including GUI designating data for designating one GUI structure and selections in each of the plurality of layers, and provides a specific service designated based on said transmitted GUI structure; and a plurality of terminal equipments which are connected to said server via a bidirectional communication line and each of which is capable of issuing the service requests, wherein a request issuing terminal equipment of said plurality of terminal equipments issues the service request to said server via said bidirectional communication line, sequentially receives the sets of image data and service program for the plurality of layers in the specific one of said plurality of GUI structures to execute the selections for the specific service using the received sets, and receives said specific service from said server. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification