Method and apparatus for providing customizable graphical user interface and screen layout
First Claim
1. A system comprising a computer, software, system memory, a storage device, an operator interface, and a display monitor, wherein said storage device stores a display/editor text file in a first format and a screen layout text file in a second format different than said first format;
- said software comprises application software, web scripting software, and web browser software; and
in response to an input to said operator interface, said application software combines current system data with data derived from said display/editor text file to create a populated display/editor text in said first format;
said web scripting software creates a display text in said second format based at least in part on said screen layout text file and said populated display/editor text file; and
said web browser software displays a user interface on said display monitor based on said display text in said second format.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and a method for providing customized graphical user interfaces and/or screen layouts in computer systems. A web browser is nested in an application. XML text files are used to describe one or more user interfaces. The application software uses the information (e.g., source code) in the XML files to generate the user interface. For dynamic updates this may be done “on the fly,” allowing changes to the files and the addition/deletion of files even at run-time. The general layout of a user interface is defined in an HTML-based template. The details of the user interface are generated by software which retrieves a selected XML display/editor template text file, populates the XML display/editor text with current system data, converts the XML data to HTML, and then populates the HTML template to produce an HTML-based text for display. The user interface is then generated from the HTML-based display text by the web browser.
307 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A system comprising a computer, software, system memory, a storage device, an operator interface, and a display monitor, wherein said storage device stores a display/editor text file in a first format and a screen layout text file in a second format different than said first format;
- said software comprises application software, web scripting software, and web browser software; and
in response to an input to said operator interface, said application software combines current system data with data derived from said display/editor text file to create a populated display/editor text in said first format;
said web scripting software creates a display text in said second format based at least in part on said screen layout text file and said populated display/editor text file; and
said web browser software displays a user interface on said display monitor based on said display text in said second format. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
- said software comprises application software, web scripting software, and web browser software; and
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12. A system comprising a computer, system memory, a storage device, an operator interface, and a display monitor, wherein said storage device stores a display/editor text file in a first format and a screen layout text file in a second format different than said first format;
- and said computer is programmed to perform the following steps in response to an input to said operator interface;
reading said display/editor text file and said screen layout text from said storage device;
retrieving current system data;
creating a populated display/editor text in said first format which is populated with said retrieved current system data;
creating a display text in said second format based at least in part on said screen layout text file and said populated display/editor text file; and
displaying a user interface on said display monitor based on said display text in said second format. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
- and said computer is programmed to perform the following steps in response to an input to said operator interface;
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20. A method for displaying a graphical user interface, comprising the following steps:
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storing a display/editor text file in a first format;
storing a screen layout text file in a second format different than said first format;
selecting said display/editor text file and said screen layout text in response to an input inputted via an operator interface;
reading current system data from memory;
creating populated display/editor text in said first format which is populated with said current system data;
creating display text in said second format based at least in part on said screen layout text file and said populated display/editor text; and
displaying a graphical user interface based on said display text in said second format. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for remotely diagnosing a malfunction of a remotely located scanner from a central service facility, comprising the following steps:
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downloading populated display/editor text in a first format from said scanner to said central service facility, said populated display/editor text being populated with current scanner data;
downloading screen layout text in a second format different than said first format from said scanner to said central service facility;
downloading script for creating display text in said second format based at least in part on said screen layout text file and said populated display/editor text file;
displaying a graphical user interface based on said downloaded populated display/editor text, screen layout text and script; and
observing the current scanner data displayed in said graphical user interface. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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27. A system comprising a first computer system at a remote location, a second computer system at a central location, and a communications channel for connecting said first and second computer systems, wherein said first computer system comprises a computer, software, system memory, an operator interface, and a display monitor, wherein said storage device stores a display/editor text file in a first format and a screen layout text file in a second format different than said first format;
- said software comprises application software, web scripting software, web browser software, and web server software, and in response to an input to said operator interface, said application software combines current system data with data derived from said display/editor text file to create populated display/editor text in said first format;
said web scripting software creates display text in said second format based at least in part on said screen layout text and said populated display/editor text; and
said web browser software displays a user interface on said display monitor based on said display text in said second format, and in response to a request received from said second computer system via said communications channel, said web server software downloads to said second computer system said populated display/editor text, said screen layout text, and a portion of said web scripting software which translates said populated display/editor text into said second format and then populates said screen layout text with said translated text from said populated display/editor text. - View Dependent Claims (28)
- said software comprises application software, web scripting software, web browser software, and web server software, and in response to an input to said operator interface, said application software combines current system data with data derived from said display/editor text file to create populated display/editor text in said first format;
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29. A system comprising a scanner connected to a diagnostic service center via a communications channel, wherein said scanner is programmed to download the following to said diagnostic service center in response to a request:
- populated display/editor text in a first format, said populated display/editor text being populated with current scanner data, screen layout text in a second format different than said first format, and script for creating a display text in said second format based at least in part on said screen layout text and said populated display/editor text.
- View Dependent Claims (30)
Specification