Communicating screen saver

• US 6,353,449 B1
• Filed: 12/10/1998
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jaaskelainen, Jr., William, Gregg, Leon Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/210,128
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 345/331, 345/333, 345/335, 345/334, 345/339, 345/349, 345/751, 345/762, 345/765, 345/744, 345/764, 345/839, 705/1, 705/13, 705/14
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/04 Display protection
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A method and implementing computer system are provided in which screensavers are used to lock a workstation and present an eye-pleasing display while the user is away from the workstation. Users are enabled to select from a plurality of screensaver types which are applied in a screensaver mode. The screensaver displays include application indicia representative of work-in-progress when a screensaver mode was activated. The application indicia can be selectively obscured to hide work which may be of a sensitive or proprietary nature.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a screensaver technique, said method being adaptable for use with a computer system, said computer system being selectively operable for executing at least one application program and displaying a working screen for said one application to a user on a display screen of a display device, said working screen being continuously changeable in response to user input, said method comprising:

activating a screensaver mode function; and

modifying said working screen to appear as one of a plurality of selectable application images on said display screen, each application image containing display indicia representative of information present on said working screen of a corresponding application program when said screensaver function was activated, wherein selected ones of said application images are on said display screen during a continuance of said screensaver mode.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said screensaver mode function is automatically activated after a predetermined period of user input inactivity.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said screensaver mode function is actively initiated by said user.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said selectable application image is reduced in size from said working screen of said corresponding application program.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein contents of said working screen are decipherable from said display indicia.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 and further including:

restoring said working screen to said display screen in response to a predetermined condition.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 wherein said predetermined condition is a predetermined input from a user.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7 wherein said predetermined input from said user is a password input.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein contents of said working screen are undecipherable from said display indicia.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said display screen is a cathode ray tube display device.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said display device is a flat screen device.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said display device is a liquid crystal display device.

13. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said computer system is arranged to execute a first number of application programs, said first number being greater than one, said method further including:

selectively providing a second number of application images, said application images containing display characteristics uniquely representative of an application program being represented by said application image.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13 and further including:

presenting an application image selection screen to said user to enable said user to select a particular application image to represent any of said application programs.

15. The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein said application images are selectively presented and removed from said display screen such that only one application image is present on said display screen at any given time.

16. The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein said application images are selectively presented on said display screen such that all user-selected application images are presented on said display screen during said screensaver mode.

17. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said computer system is arranged to execute a first number of application programs, said first number being greater than one, said method further including:

selectively providing a second number of application images, said application images containing display characteristics representative of an application program being represented by said application image, said second number being equal to said first number whereby each of said application programs is represented by a corresponding application image on said display screen during said screensaver mode.

18. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said computer system is arranged to execute a first number of application programs, said method further including:

selectively providing a second number of application images, said application images containing display characteristics representative of corresponding application programs being represented by said application images, said second number being less than said first number whereby selected ones of said application program working screens are omitted from being displayed on said display screen during said screensaver mode.

19. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including:

moving said application image on said display screen during said screensaver mode.

20. The method as set forth in claim 19 wherein said screensaver mode is terminated when said user actuates said input pointing device while pointing said input pointing device at said application image while said application image is moving on said display screen.

21. The method as set forth in claim 1 and further including:

presenting a screensaver format selection screen to said user; and

modifying said application images to conform to a screensaver format selected by said user.

22. The method as set forth in claim 21 wherein one of said screensaver formats is effective to present said application image enclosed within a shape of a falling leaf, said falling leaf appearing to fall across said display screen.

23. The method as set forth in claim 21 wherein one of said screensaver formats is effective to present said application image enclosed within a bouncing ball, said bouncing ball appearing to bounce across said display screen.

24. The method as set forth in claim 21 wherein one of said screensaver formats is effective to present said application image enclosed within a shape of a waterfall, said application image appearing to flow over said waterfall.

25. The method as set forth in claim 21 wherein one of said screensaver formats is effective to present said application image continuously appearing and fading out from said display screen.

26. A storage medium including machine readable coded indicia, said storage medium being selectively coupled to a reading device, said reading device being selectively coupled to processing circuitry within a computer system, said reading device being selectively operable to read said machine readable coded indicia and provide program signals representative thereof, said program signals being effective to implement a screen saver processing methodology by which a screen saver display may be selected and presented on a user display screen, said program signals being effective for:

activating a screensaver mode function; and

modifying said working screen to appear as one of a plurality of selectable application images on said display screen, each application image containing display indicia representative of information present on said working screen of a corresponding application program when said screensaver function was activated, wherein selected ones of said application images are displayed on said display screen during a continuance of said screensaver mode.

27. An information processing system comprising:

a system bus;

a user input device coupled to said system bus;

a processing device coupled to said system bus;

a memory unit coupled to said system bus; and

a display device coupled to said system bus,

said processing device being selectively responsive to program signals from said memory unit for implementing a screensaver technique, said processing device being selectively operable for executing at least one application program and displaying a working screen for said one application to a user on a display screen of a display device, said working screen being continuously changeable in response to user input, said processing device being further selectively operable for activating a screensaver mode function and modifying said working screen to appear as one of a plurality of selectable application images on said display screen, each application image containing display indicia representative of information present on said working screen of a corresponding application program when said screensaver function was activated, wherein selected ones of said application images are displayed on said display screen during a continuance of said screensaver mode.