Information display system

• US 8,656,301 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Epsis AS
• Original Assignee: Epsis AS
• Inventors: Nordtvedt, Jan-Erik, Hosy, Jrgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): NABI, REZA U
• Application Number:
  US12/387,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20100281419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,755 Days
• Field of Search: 715/781
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

An information display system (10) comprises computing hardware (30) coupled to a graphical screen interface. (50) The system (10) further includes one or more interface modules (70) including local data processing thereat for receiving input data streams (S₁ to S_N). Moreover, the computing hardware (30) is operable to execute one or more software products for generating a software environment presented in operation on the graphical screen interface (50). Furthermore, the computing hardware (30) is operable when executing the one or more software products to present a representation of one or more of the input data streams (S₁ to S_N) in one or more graphical windows (100, 110, 120A to 120F) within the software environment as provided on the graphical screen interface (50).

Claims

1. An information display system, comprising:

at least one graphical screen interface;

a computer device including one or more interface modules for receiving input data streams, said computer device including memory for storing one or more software products, and at least one processor operable to execute the one or more software products for generating and displaying a software environment on the at least one graphical screen interface,

said one or more software products when executed on said computer device being operable to control one or more temporal processes, each process comprising one or more steps which are associated with one or more of the input data streams;

wherein during execution of each of the one or more steps said computer device generates and displays, in real time, one or more graphical windows that include content from the one or more input data streams associated with each step of the software environment being displayed on the at least one graphical screen interface; and

wherein the content displayed on the one or more graphical windows on the at least one graphical interface selectively changes in a predetermined sequence as each of the corresponding one or more steps progresses to a next step during the execution of the one or more software products by the computer device,

wherein each step of the process has two or more windows, the two or more windows selected from a set of windows, the set of windows comprising

a visual image of one or more users,

a real-time image of external parties associated with the process, and

at least one data window.

2. The information display system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more graphical windows are defined a priori in association with their one or more steps.

3. The information display system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more software products are operable when executed upon said computing hardware so that said one or more graphical windows are susceptible to being created in real time when their corresponding one or more steps are being presented on said graphical screen interface.

4. The information display system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said one or more graphical windows created in real time are associated with their corresponding one or more input streams by defining one or more signatures present in said one or more input data streams.

5. The renewable energy facility controlled and managed using a system as claimed in claim 1.

6. The information display system of claim 1, wherein the computer device is communicably coupled to one or more interface modules having one or more inputs for receiving the one or more input data streams.

7. The information display system of claim 1, wherein execution of the one or more steps is invoked by one or more users of the information display system.

8. The information display system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two or more windows is three or more windows selected from the set of windows.

9. The information display system as claimed in claim 8, wherein a first window includes a visual image of a user, a second window includes a real-time image of an external party, and a third window includes the at least one data window.

10. The information display system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one data window comprises at least one of graphs, diagrams, data sheets, regulation documents, real-time images, and functions of the facility.

11. A method of controlling one or more processes by employing an information display system including at least one graphical screen interface communicably coupled to computing hardware having memory for storing one or more software products and at least one processor for executing the one or more software products stored in memory said method comprising:

(a) receiving input data streams from one or more interface modules communicably coupled to the computing hardware;

(b) executing, in said computing hardware, the one or more software products for generating and displaying a software environment on the at least one graphical screen interface;

(c) displaying in real time, when executing one or more steps of said one or more software products on said computing hardware, a representation of one or more of the input data streams in one or more graphical windows within said software environment as provided on said at least one graphical screen interface; and

(d) changing the representation in a predetermined sequence of one or more of said input data streams, in real time, to display different content from the input data streams in the one or more graphical windows as each of the one or more steps progresses to a next step during execution of the one or more software products, wherein each step of the process has two or more windows, the two or more windows selected from a set of windows, the set of windows comprising

a visual image of one or more users,

a real-time image of external parties associated with the process, and

at least one data window.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further including the step of defining said one or more graphical windows a priori in association with their one or more steps.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, further including the step of implementing said one or more software products to be operable when executed upon said computing hardware so that said one or more graphical windows are susceptible to being created in real time when their corresponding one or more steps are being presented on said graphical screen interface.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, further including the step of associating said one or more graphical windows created in real time with their corresponding one or more input streams by defining one or more signatures present in said one or more input data streams.

15. The software product recorded on a non-transitory machine-readable data carrier, said software product being executable upon computing hardware for implementing a method as claimed in claim 11.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the two or more windows is three or more windows selected from the set of windows.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein a first window includes a visual image of a user, a second window includes a real-time image of an external party, and a third window includes the at least one data window.

18. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one data window includes at least one of graphs, diagrams, data sheets, regulation documents, real-time images, and functions of the facility.