Adaptive computer display screen window

• US 6,462,759 B1
• Filed: 02/25/1999
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Levanoni, Menachem, Kurtzberg, Jerome M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US09/257,427
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326, 345/333, 345/342, 345/334, 345/700, 345/712, 345/744, 345/745, 345/747, 345/783, 345/806, 345/811, 345/764, 345/781, 345/864, 345/762, 345/767, 345/788, 345/782, 345/803
• US Class Current: 715/803
• 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

Abstract

The invention monitors user edit actions to window properties, as the edit actions develop over some time period of a first computer operating session. The invention then creates a user profile reflecting such editing actions, for instantiation of an instant window in a second operating session, the instant window responding to and reflecting the user edit actions developed or prompted over the first operating session.

Claims

1. A computer operated method comprising:

ascertaining a window property to be displayed on a computer screen in a default condition during a first operating session;

monitoring window property changes prompted by user inputs to effect changes from the default condition of the window, thereby reflecting a user'"'"'s specific window activity pattern developed over a plurality of operating sessions;

creating a referent comprising a history of the window activity pattern;

statistically sampling user window activity over said plurality of operating sessions; and

using the referent for generating an instant window which has been adaptively modified from the default condition window,

wherein an adapted display window is based on statistically sampled user window activity over said plurality of operating sessions.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said ascertaining a window property comprises ascertaining a status of the default condition by registering at least one of font, color, location, shape and content of the default window.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said window property changes comprise changes prompted by the user throughout said plurality of operating sessions.

4. A program storage device readable by machine, and tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for providing an adaptive window display, the method comprising:

ascertaining a window property to be displayed on a computer screen in a default condition during a first operating session;

monitoring window property changes prompted by user inputs to effect changes from the default condition of the window to reflect a user'"'"'s specific window activity pattern developed over a plurality of operating sessions;

creating a referent comprising a history of the window activity pattern;

statistically sampling user window activity over said plurality of operating sessions; and

using the referent for generating an instant window which has been adaptively modified from the default condition window,

wherein an adapted display window is based on statistically sampled user window activity over said plurality of operating sessions.

5. A computer system suitable for providing an adaptive computer screen window display, the system comprising:

CPU means for ascertaining a window property to be displayed on a computer screen in a default condition during a first operating session;

CPU means for monitoring window property changes prompted by user inputs to effect changes from the default condition of the window to reflect a user'"'"'s specific window activity pattern developed over a plurality of operating sessions;

CPU means for creating a referent comprising a history of the window activity pattern;

statistically sampling user window activity over said plurality of operating sessions; and

CPU means for using the referent for generating an instant window which has been adaptively modified from the default condition window,

wherein an adapted display window is based on statistically sampled user window activity over said plurality of operating sessions.

6. A computer system comprising:

an open loop structure comprising;

a default screen node;

a summing node;

a first input vector derived from the default screen node for input to the summing node and comprising a computer display default screen from a preceding operating session;

a second input vector to the summing node comprising a user generated display screen for input to the summing node during a current operating session, the summing node capable of receiving said first and second input vectors and outputting a first signal; and

a display processing module which receives the first signal and outputs a resultant display screen; and

a closed loop structure comprising a feedback loop which closes around the open loop structure by;

sensing changes in a current display;

remembering a history of resultant changes developed over a plurality of operating sessions;

statistically sampling user changes over said plurality of operating sessions; and

generating a display screen which is correlated to the history of changes for outputting to the default screen node a new default screen for presentation upon instantiation of a subsequent operating session,

wherein said new default screen is based on statistically sampled user changes over said plurality of operating sessions.

7. A method for adapting a computer display screen to a user preference, comprising:

detecting user changes to at least one property of said display screen during an operating session;

storing said user changes in memory over a plurality of operating sessions;

statistically sampling user changes over said plurality of operating sessions;

altering said display screen, based upon said user changes, to generate an adapted display screen during a subsequent operating session,

wherein said adapted display screen is based on statistically sampled user changes over said plurality of operating sessions.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said window property comprises a window layout of said display screen.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein said detecting is performed at predetermined time intervals.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein said window property comprises the size of an image on said display screen.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein said window property comprises the location of an image on said display screen.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein said adapted display screen comprises a user preferred display screen.

13. The method according to claim 7, wherein only said user changes having a measure greater than a user-selected threshold are used to alter said display screen.

14. The method according to claim 7, wherein said altering said display screen comprises automatically altering said display screen.