Alternate access through a stored database model of a computer controlled interactive display interface to information inaccessible directly through the interactive display interface

• US 6,748,391 B1
• Filed: 07/21/1998
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Thatcher, James Winthrop, Schwerdtfeger, Richard Scott, Weiss, Lawrence Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Veillard, Jacques
• Application Number:
  US09/121,747
• Time in Patent Office: 2,149 Days
• Field of Search: 707/4, 707/10, 707/3, 707/102, 707/101, 707/529, 707/530, 707/526, 345/335, 345/339, 345/157, 345/700, 345/738, 345/744, 345/747, 717/2, 717/4, 717/3, 715/500, 715/506, 715/513
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A computer controlled display interface system is provided for accessing information interactively inaccessible through said display interface comprising means for storing a database model of the dynamic data content of said display interface, means for connecting said display interface to said stored database model, means in said database model for sensing predetermined displayed data content in said interface, and means responsive to said sensing means for providing said information to said interface. The information provided may come from a help library or from a database accessed through an Internet or World Wide Web Browser.

Claims

1. A computer controlled display system with an interactive display interface comprising:

means for dynamically storing a database model of the data content of said display interface,

means in said database model for sensing displayed data content in said interface, and

means responsive to said sensing means for providing additional displayed information to said interface.

2. The computer controlled display system of claim 1, wherein said sensed displayed data content is text.

3. The computer controlled display system of claim 2, wherein said displayed text is responsive to a user input indicating a need for help relative to displayed text.

4. The computer controlled display system of claim 3, wherein said user input designates the displayed text for which help is needed.

5. The computer controlled display system of claim 3, wherein said user input indicating a need for help is an error in said user input.

6. The computer controlled display system of claim 5, wherein said means responsive to said sensing means for providing additional information is a help system.

7. The computer controlled display system of claim 2, wherein said means for providing additional displayed information is a network browser program.

8. The computer controlled display system of claim 7 wherein said browser includes means for establishing links to databases accessed through said network.

9. In a computer controlled display system, a method for providing a display interface comprising:

dynamically storing a database model of the data content of said display interface, program,

in said database model, sensing displayed data content in said interface, and

responsive to said sensed displayed data content, providing additional displayed information to said interface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said sensed displayed data content is text.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said text is displayed responsive to a user input indicating a need for help relative to displayed text.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said user input designates the displayed text for which help is needed.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said user input indicating a need for help is an error in said user input.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said additional information provided responsive to said sensing is a help system.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein said additional displayed information provided responsive to said sensing is accessed through a network browser program.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said browser program establishes links to databases accessed through said network.

17. A computer controlled display program having program code included on a computer readable medium for providing a display interface comprising:

means for dynamically storing a database model of the data content of said display interface,

means in said database model for sensing displayed data content in said interface, and

means responsive to said sensing means for providing additional displayed information to said interface.

18. The display program of claim 17, wherein said sensed displayed data content is text.

19. The display program of claim 18, wherein said displayed text is responsive to a user input indicating a need for help relative to displayed text.

20. The display program of claim 19, wherein said user input designates the displayed text for which help is needed.

21. The display program of claim 19, wherein said user input indicating a need for help is an error in said user input.

22. The display program of claim 21, wherein said means responsive to said sensing means for providing additional information is a help system.

23. The display program of claim 17, wherein said means for providing additional displayed information is a network browser program.

24. The display program of claim 23 wherein said browser includes means for establishing links to databases accessed through said network.

25. In a computer controlled display system having an interactive display interface provided by the combination of an operating system and an application program, a system for accessing information interactively inaccessible through said display interface comprising:

means for dynamically storing a database model of the data content of said display interface,

means in said database model for sensing displayed data content in said interface, and

means responsive to said sensing means for providing said information to said interface.

26. The computer controlled display system of claim 25, wherein said sensed displayed data content is text.

27. The computer controlled display system of claim 25, wherein said means responsive to said sensing means for providing additional information is a help system.

28. The computer controlled display system of claim 25, wherein said means for providing additional displayed information is a network browser program.

29. The computer controlled display system of claim 28 wherein said browser includes means for establishing links to databases accessed through said network.

30. The computer controlled display system of claim 26, wherein said application program is a text editor program.

31. The computer controlled display system of claim 26, wherein said application program is a program for a personal computer emulating a display interface to a mainframe computer.

32. In a computer controlled display system having an interactive display interface provided by the combination of an operating system and an application program, a method for accessing information interactively inaccessible through said display interface comprising:

dynamically storing a database model of the data content of said display interface,

through said database model, sensing for displayed data content in said interface, and

providing said information to said interface in response to the sensing of said displayed data content.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said information provided in response to said sensing is provided through a help system.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said information provided in response to said sensing is provided through a network browser program.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said browser includes the step of establishing links to databases accessed through the network.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein said sensed displayed data content is text.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein said application program is a text editor program.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein said application program is a program for a personal computer emulating a display interface to a mainframe computer.

39. A computer controlled display program having program code included on a computer readable medium for accessing information normally inaccessible through an interactive display interface provided by the combination of an operating system and an application program in a computer display comprising:

means for dynamically storing a database model of the data content of said display interface,

means in said database model for sensing displayed data content in said interface, and

means responsive to said sensing means for providing said information to said interface.

40. The display program of claim 39, wherein said means responsive to said sensing means for providing additional information is a help system.

41. The display program of claim 39, wherein said means for providing additional displayed information is a network browser program.

42. The display program of claim 41 wherein said browser includes means for establishing links to databases accessed through said network.

43. The display program of claim 39, wherein said application program is a text editor program.

44. The display program of claim 39, wherein said application program is a program for a personal computer emulating a display interface to a mainframe computer.