Systems and methods for a customizable sprite-based graphical user interface
US5673401A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 31, 1995 |
| Grant date | Sep 30, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 31, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N21/47
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An object-oriented system for generating and displaying control items that allow users of an interactive network to recognize and select control functions via a graphical user interface. The manipulation of the control items on a display screen is linked to a set-top terminal associated with the interactive network. The control items, which can be visible or audible, are associated with control objects. Control objects are arranged in a hierarchy, and can contain one or more child control objects. Attributes of a child control object are inherited from an ancestor control object. A control item can be graphically manipulated independently by drawing the control item into its own sprite, or can be manipulated by drawing the control item into the sprite of a parent. The system provides building blocks of control elements that can be composed and customized to produce versatile interfaces for applications and content.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.