Method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices interfaced with computer software

• US 8,850,345 B1
• Filed: 05/13/2004
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Randall B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Doon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Le
• Application Number:
  US10/846,430
• Time in Patent Office: 3,792 Days
• Field of Search: 715/771, 715/740
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

In a method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software, a graphical representation of a physical device that can be graphically interconnected with a graphical representation of a software module is generated. The graphical representation of the physical device is capable of being represented as either a graphical copy mode representation or a graphical ghost mode representation. On-screen interaction with functionality of the physical device is enabled when the graphical representation of the physical device is in the graphical copy mode representation. A true physical state of the physical device is tracked when the graphical representation of the physical device is in the graphical ghost mode representation. The tracking of the true physical state of the physical device disables on-screen interaction with functionality of the physical device. A dual-mode graphical user interface element for interfacing with a physical device also is described.

Claims

1. A method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software, comprising:

generating a graphical representation of a physical device that is connected by a virtual wire to a graphical representation of a software module, the graphical representation of the physical device capable of being represented as either a graphical copy mode representation or a graphical ghost mode representation;

enabling on-screen interaction with the graphical copy mode representation to change a setting of the physical device and provide the changed setting as an input to the software module, whereby the software module operates to test and debug the system based on the changed setting received as the input by way of the interaction with the graphical copy mode representation when the graphical representation of the physical device is in the graphical copy mode representation, the on-screen interaction causing a change in a visual appearance of the graphical representation of the physical device so as to visually indicate the changed setting provided as the input; and

tracking a true physical state and a true setting of the physical device when the graphical representation of the physical device is in the graphical ghost mode representation, the true physical state and the true setting of the physical device being graphically displayed in the graphical ghost mode representation, wherein tracking of the true physical state and the true setting of the physical device disables on-screen interaction with functionality of the physical device as enabled with the graphical copy mode representation, thereby maintaining the true physical state and the true setting of the physical device during testing and debugging of the system using the software module.

2. A method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

switching the graphical representation of the physical device between the graphical copy mode representation and the graphical ghost mode representation based on a user interaction.

3. A method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 2, wherein the user interaction is provided using a pull down menu, a popup menu, or a mouse click.

4. A method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical representation of the physical device in the graphical copy mode representation is rendered in a first manner and the graphical representation of the physical device in the graphical ghost mode representation is rendered in a second manner, the second manner being different from the first manner.

5. A method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical representation of the physical device in the graphical copy mode representation is rendered as opaque and the graphical representation of the physical device in the graphical ghost mode representation is rendered as translucent.

6. A method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software, comprising:

defining a graphical representation of a software module;

generating a graphical representation of a physical device that is connected by a virtual wire to the graphical representation of the software module, the graphical representation of the physical device capable of being represented as either a graphical copy mode representation or a graphical ghost mode representation;

enabling on-screen interaction with the graphical copy mode representation to change a setting of the physical device and provide the changed setting as an input to the software module, whereby the software module operates to test and debug the system based on the changed setting received as an input by way of the interaction with the graphical copy mode representation when the graphical representation of the physical device is in the graphical copy mode representation, the on-screen interaction causing a change in a visual appearance of the graphical representation of the physical device so as to visually indicate the changed setting provided as the input; and

tracking a true physical state and a true setting of the physical device when the graphical representation of the physical device is in the graphical ghost mode representation, the true physical state and the true setting of the physical device being graphically displayed in the graphical ghost mode representation, wherein tracking of the true physical state and the true setting of the physical device disables on-screen interaction with functionality of the physical device as enabled with the graphical copy mode representation, thereby maintaining the true physical state and the true setting of the physical device during testing and debugging of the system using the software module.

7. A method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

switching the graphical representation of the physical device between the graphical copy mode representation and the graphical ghost mode representation based on a user interaction.

8. A method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 7, wherein the user interaction is provided using a pull down menu, a popup menu, or a mouse click.

9. A method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 6, wherein the graphical representation of the physical device in the graphical copy mode representation is rendered in a first manner and the graphical representation of the physical device in the graphical ghost mode representation is rendered in a second manner, the second manner being different from the first manner.

10. A method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 6, wherein the graphical representation of the physical device in the graphical copy mode representation is rendered as opaque and the graphical representation of the physical device in the graphical ghost mode representation is rendered as translucent.

11. A method for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 6, wherein the software module provides functional processing of an input or inputs from the graphical representation of the physical device.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software, comprising:

program instructions for generating a graphical representation of a physical device that is connected by a virtual wire to a graphical representation of a software module, the graphical representation of the physical device capable of being represented as either a graphical copy mode representation or a graphical ghost mode representation;

program instructions for enabling on-screen interaction with the graphical copy mode representation to change a setting of the physical device and provide the changed setting as an input to the software module, whereby the software module operates to test and debug the system based on the changed setting received as the input by way of the interaction with the graphical copy mode representation when the graphical representation of the physical device is in the graphical copy mode representation, the on-screen interaction causing a change in a visual appearance of the graphical representation of the physical device so as to visually indicate the changed setting provided as the input; and

program instructions for tracking a true physical state and a true setting of the physical device when the graphical representation of the physical device is in the graphical ghost mode representation, the true physical state and the true setting of the physical device being graphically displayed with the setting in the graphical ghost mode representation, wherein tracking of the true physical state and the true setting of the physical device disables on-screen interaction with functionality of the physical device as enabled with the graphical copy mode representation, thereby maintaining the true physical state and the true setting of the physical device during testing and debugging of the system using the software module.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

program instructions for switching the graphical representation of the physical device between the graphical copy mode representation and the graphical ghost mode representation based on a user interaction.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 13, wherein the user interaction is provided using a pull down menu, a popup menu, or a mouse click.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 12, wherein the graphical representation of the physical device in the graphical copy mode representation is rendered in a first manner and the graphical representation of the physical device in the graphical ghost mode representation is rendered in a second manner, the second manner being different from the first manner.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for interacting with a system that includes physical devices that are interfaced with computer software as recited in claim 12, wherein the graphical representation of the physical device in the graphical copy mode representation is rendered as opaque and the graphical representation of the physical device in the graphical ghost mode representation is rendered as translucent.