Computer controlled user interactive display system with each of a plurality of windows having a border of a color varied to reflect a variable parameter being tracked for the window

• US 6,445,400 B1
• Filed: 09/23/1999
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McBrearty, Gerald Francis, Shieh, Johnny Meng-Han, Maddalozzo, John Jr., Rojas, Hypatia
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Cuong T.
• Application Number:
  US09/404,279
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 345/781, 345/790, 345/794, 345/796, 345/797, 345/789, 345/803, 345/802, 345/765, 345/866, 345/589, 345/593, 345/595
• US Class Current: 715/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• 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 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

There is provided a computer controlled display interface permitting simplified tracking of access time periods to secured data in a user interactive display system with a multitude of displayed windows comprising secured data. A process is provided for tracking for each of said plurality of windows a variable parameter relative to the window, in combination with a process for displaying along at least a portion of the borders of each of said windows a color varying with said variable parameter being tracked for said window. In secured access systems, the parameter being tracked is the period of access time.

Claims

1. A computer controlled user interactive display system comprising:

means for storing a plurality of displayed overlapping windows comprising data,

means for tracking for each of said plurality of overlapping windows a limited time period for user access to the window, and

means for displaying along at least a portion of the borders of each of said windows a color varying with said time period being tracked for said window.

2. The display system of claim 1 further including means for limiting access for a limited time period to each of said plurality of windows to users inputting a password wherein said limited time period is tracked.

3. The display system of claim 2 wherein at least one of said windows is overlapped by another window.

4. The display system of claim 3 wherein:

said portion of said border displaying a color varying with said time period in said overlapped window is completely overlapped, and

further including means responsive to the near expiration of said time period for raising the overlapped window above its overlapping window.

5. The display system of claim 2 wherein said data in said windows is obtained from databases through a computer network.

6. In a computer controlled interactive display system, a method for alerting interactive users to variable parameters relative to the display comprising:

storing a plurality or displayed overlapping windows comprising data,

tracking for each of said plurality of windows a variable a limited time period for user access to the window, and

displaying along at least a portion of the borders of each of said windows a color varying with said time period being tracked for said window.

7. The method of claim 6 further including the step of limiting access for a limited time period to each of said plurality of windows to users inputting a password wherein said limited time period is tracked.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein at least one of said windows is overlapped by another window.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:

said portion of said border displaying a color varying with said time period in said overlapped window is completely overlapped, and

further including the step, responsive to the near expiration of said time period, of raising the overlapped window above its overlapping window.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein said data in said windows is obtained from databases through a computer network.

11. A computer program having program code included on a computer readable medium for the interactive control of a display system comprising:

means for storing a plurality of displayed overlapping windows comprising data,

means for tracking for each of said plurality of windows a limited time period for user access to the window, and

means for displaying along at least a portion of the borders of each of said windows a color varying with said time period being tracked for said window.

12. The computer program of claim 11 further including means for limiting access for a limited time period to each of said plurality of windows to users inputting a password wherein said limited time period is tracked.

13. The computer program of claim 12 wherein at least one of said windows is overlapped by another window.

14. The computer program of claim 13 wherein:

said portion of said border displaying a color varying with said time period in said overlapped window is completely overlapped, and

further including means responsive to the near expiration of said time period for raising the overlapped window above its overlapping window.

15. The computer program of claim 12 wherein said data in said windows is obtained from databases through a computer network.

16. A computer controlled user interactive display system comprising:

means for setting a time period during which data may be accessed,

means for tracking said time period, and

means for displaying a color continuously varying with the passage of the tracked time in said period.

17. In a computer controlled user interactive display system, a data security system comprising:

means for identifying a user permitted access to secured data,

means for setting a time period during which said data may be accessed by said user,

means for tracking said time period, and

means for displaying a color continuously varying with the passage of the tracked time in said period.

18. In a computer controlled user interactive display system, a method of alerting a user to the passage of a time period comprising:

setting a time period during which data may be accessed,

tracking said time period, and

displaying a color continuously varying with the passage of the tracked time in said period.

19. In a computer controlled user interactive display system, a method of time related data security comprising:

identifying a user permitted access to secured data,

setting a time period during which said data may be accessed by said user,

tracking said time period, and

displaying a color continuously varying with the passage of the tracked time in said period.

20. A computer program having program code included on a computer readable medium for alerting a user of a computer controlled display system to the passage of a time period comprising:

means for setting a time period during which data may be accessed,

means for tracking said time period, and

means for displaying a color continuously varying with the passage of the tracked time in said period.

21. A computer program having program code included on a computer readable medium for controlling time related data security in a computer controlled display system comprising:

means for identifying a user permitted access to secured data,

means for setting a time period during which said data may be accessed by said user,

means for tracking said time period, and

means for displaying a color continuously varying with the passage of the tracked time in said period.