Patent · US Expired

User interface simulation and management for program-controlled apparatus

US4870561A · kind A · utility

217Cited by
5References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 20, 1987
Grant dateSep 26, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 20, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F30/20
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An interactive graphical tool is provided for designing the user interface of a program-controlled instrument. The tool runs on a computer workstation and is used to model the application code of the instrument as a first network in which sessions of user interaction with the application code are represented by respective elements of the network. The actual user interaction sessions themselves are modelled by respective second networks; each second network includes information for defining the interface states of the modelled user interaction session. The full user interface can thereafter be simulated by progressing through the first model until a user interaction element is met and then entering the corresponding second network; the interface state information contained in the second network is used to drive a simulation of the instrument interfaace on the display of the computer workstation. The separation of the modelling of the application code from that of the user interaction sessions facilitates modification of the interface simulation.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.