System and method for simultaneous display of multiple information sources

• US 7,376,907 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2005
• Issued: 05/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Surfcast, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Surfcast, Inc.
• Inventors: Santoro, Ovid, Lagermann, Klaus, Dechaene, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cao(Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US11/140,546
• Publication Number:
  US 20050283734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 715764-790, 715716-729, 715/840
• US Class Current: 715/765
• 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: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations

Abstract

A computerized method of presenting information from a variety of sources on a display device. Specifically the present invention describes a graphical user interface for organizing the simultaneous display of information from a multitude of information sources. In particular, the present invention comprises a graphical user interface which organizes content from a variety of information sources into a grid of tiles, each of which can refresh its content independently of the others. The grid functionality manages the refresh rates of the multiple information sources. According to one embodiment, the method of the present invention allocates refresh rates to tiles according to priorities that are assigned based on identifiers such as quality of service (QoS) tags associated with one or more of the information sources. The present invention is intended to operate in a platform independent manner.

Claims

1. A method executed by a processor under the control of a program, said method comprising:

partitioning a display into an array of tiles wherein information from a first source is displayed on a first tile in said array of tiles and information from a second source is displayed on a second tile in said array of tiles;

assigning a first refresh rate to said first tile and a second refresh rate to said second tile, wherein information from at least one of said first source and said second source contains an identifier that is used in said assigning;

updating information from said first source presented to said first tile in accordance with said first refresh rate; and

updating information from said second source presented to said second tile in accordance with said second refresh rate,

wherein said partitioning includes arranging said array of tiles into a non-overlapping configuration wherein at least one of said tiles of said array of tiles has a different size and shape from another of said tiles of said array of tiles.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each tile has a size that is an exact multiple of a unit tile size.

3. An electronic readable memory to direct a device, comprising:

a first set of instructions to control simultaneous communication with a plurality of information sources;

a second set of instructions to partition a display unit of the device into an array of tiles, wherein said instructions to partition include instructions for arranging said array of tiles into a non-overlapping configuration wherein at least one of said tiles of said array of tiles has a different size and shape from another of said tiles of said array of tiles;

a third set of instructions to associate a first information source of said plurality of information sources with a first tile of said array of tiles and a second information source of said plurality of information sources with a second tile of said array of tiles, such that information from sail first source is displayed on said first tile and information from said second source is displayed on said second tile, and wherein information from at least one of said first source and said second source contains an identifier;

a fourth set of instructions to retrieve information from said first information source in accordance with a first retrieval rate and to retrieve information from said second information source in accordance with a second retrieval rate wherein at least one of said first and second retrieval rates is allocated based upon said identifier; and

a fifth set of instructions to present information to said first tile in accordance with said first retrieval rate and present information to said second tile in accordance with said second retrieval rate.

4. The electronic readable memory of claim 3, wherein the second set of instructions further includes instructions for arranging said array of tiles into a non-overlapping configuration such that each tile has a size that is an exact multiple of a unit tile size.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the instructions to partition a display into an array of tiles further include instructions for arranging said array of tiles into a non-overlapping configuration such that each tile has a size that is an exact multiple of a unit tile size.

5. A system for facilitating the organization and management of multiple data sources, the system comprising:

a device that includes a processor configured to execute instructions;

a memory connected to said processor to store at least one program that includes a graphical user interface; and

an input device,

wherein said processor executes instructions to;

control simultaneous communication with a plurality of information sources;

partition a display into an array of tiles, wherein said instructions to partition include instructions for arranging said array of tiles into a non-overlapping configuration wherein at least one of said tiles of said array of tiles has a different size and shape from another of said tiles of said array of tiles;

associate a first information source of said plurality of information sources with a first tile of said array of tiles and a second information source of said plurality of information sources with a second tile of said array of tiles, such that information from said first information source is displayed on said first tile and information from said second information source is displayed on said second tile, wherein information from at least one of said first source and said second source contains an identifier;

retrieve information from said first information source in accordance with a first retrieval rate and retrieve information from said second information source in accordance with a second retrieval rate wherein said first and second retrieval rates are allocated based upon said identifier; and

present information to said first tile in accordance with said first retrieval rate and present information to said second tile in accordance with said second retrieval rate.