Patent US5657460A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5657460A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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System and method for storing and displaying data
Assignee: Cone Robert L
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Filing: 1995-04-11
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Granted: 1997-08-12
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Expires: 2015-04-11
Abstract
Abstract A system and method are provided for managing a plurality of data values which define an attribute of an object. The system includes a computer having a display. The computer has a user defined database or spread sheet which stores the data values. A facility is provided for defining an arbitrary, user defined graphic representing the object; that is displayed by the computer. A region is identified within the graphic. A value is associated with the region. The value represents a visual attribute. The identified region of the graphic is linked to a data field of the database or spreadsheet. The data field stores one of the plurality of data values. A rule is applied to determine the value of the visual attribute as a function of the data value stored in the data field. The visual attribute of the region is automatically changed according to the rule when the data value changes. An exemplary system displays a graphic representing the bottom of a truck. The individual regions of the graphic represent the tires of the truck. The regions representing tires are colored as a function of tire tread depth, tire age, or both tire tread depth and tire age.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald G. Egan
- 👤 John Fisher
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 10:57
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01B; G01B21/00; G01B21/18; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/20; G06F16/24; G06F16/248; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S715/00; Y10S715/961; Y10S715/962
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
202 words
A system for managing a plurality of data values which define an attribute of an object, comprising: a computer having a display and including a user defined database or spread sheet which stores the data values; means for defining an arbitrary, user defined graphic representing the object that is displayed by the computer; means for identifying a region within the graphic, and for associating a value with the region, the value representing a visual attribute, wherein the region identifying means include a region data structure for the region, the region data structure comprising: a region identifier, a value of the visual attribute at a border of the region, and a plurality of position coordinates defining a location of a point in the region; means for linking the identified region of the graphic to a data field of the database or spreadsheet, the data field having one of the plurality of data values stored therein; means for applying a rule to determine the value of the visual attribute as a function of the one data value, stored in the data field; and means for automatically changing the visual attribute of the region in accordance with the rule when the one data value changes.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
202 words
A system for managing a plurality of data values which define an attribute of an object, comprising: a computer having a display and including a user defined database or spread sheet which stores the data values; means for defining an arbitrary, user defined graphic representing the object that is displayed by the computer; means for identifying a region within the graphic, and for associating a value with the region, the value representing a visual attribute, wherein the region identifying means include a region data structure for the region, the region data structure comprising: a region identifier, a value of the visual attribute at a border of the region, and a plurality of position coordinates defining a location of a point in the region; means for linking the identified region of the graphic to a data field of the database or spreadsheet, the data field having one of the plurality of data values stored therein; means for applying a rule to determine the value of the visual attribute as a function of the one data value, stored in the data field; and means for automatically changing the visual attribute of the region in accordance with the rule when the one data value changes.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
48 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein: the graphic defining means includes means for forming the graphic in the form of a bitmap, and the plurality of position coordinates define a corner of the region as a location in the graphic relative to a corner of the bitmap.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein the database includes an entry representing an age of the object, and the rule applying means include means for determining the value of the visual attribute as a function of the age of the object.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
A system according to claim 3, wherein: the object is a tire of the truck, the tire has a tread depth, and the rule applying means include means for determining the color of the region as a function of both the tread depth and the age of the tire.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
A system according to claim 1, wherein the graphic is an image of a truck, the object is a tire of the truck, the region is a representation of the tire, and the visual attribute is a color of the region.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
46 words
A system according to claim 5, wherein: the tire has a tire tread depth, the database includes an entry representing the tire tread depth, and the rule applying means include means for determining the color of the region as a function of the tire tread depth.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
A system according to claim 5, wherein: the database includes an entry representing an age of the tire, and the rule applying means include means for determining the color of the region as a function of the age of the tire.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
243 words
A system for managing a plurality of data values which define an attribute of an object, comprising: a computer having a display and including a user defined database or spread sheet which stores the data values; means for defining an arbitrary, user defined graphic representing the object that is displayed by the computer; means for identifying a region within the graphic, and for associating a value with the region, the value representing a visual attribute; means for linking the identified region of the graphic to a data field of the database or spreadsheet, the data field having one of the plurality of data values stored therein; means for applying a rule to determine the value of the visual attribute as a function of the one data value stored in the data field, wherein the rule applying means includes a rule data structure comprising: a rule identifier of the rule, at least one argument having a value, a value which defines the argument by type, an identifier of a database in which the plurality of data are stored, a query that is used to retrieve the one data value from the database for use as the value of the argument, and the rule, wherein the rule defines the value of the visual attribute as a function of the value of the argument, and means for automatically changing the visual attribute of the region in accordance with the rule when the one data value changes.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
243 words
A system for managing a plurality of data values which define an attribute of an object, comprising: a computer having a display and including a user defined database or spread sheet which stores the data values; means for defining an arbitrary, user defined graphic representing the object that is displayed by the computer; means for identifying a region within the graphic, and for associating a value with the region, the value representing a visual attribute; means for linking the identified region of the graphic to a data field of the database or spreadsheet, the data field having one of the plurality of data values stored therein; means for applying a rule to determine the value of the visual attribute as a function of the one data value stored in the data field, wherein the rule applying means includes a rule data structure comprising: a rule identifier of the rule, at least one argument having a value, a value which defines the argument by type, an identifier of a database in which the plurality of data are stored, a query that is used to retrieve the one data value from the database for use as the value of the argument, and the rule, wherein the rule defines the value of the visual attribute as a function of the value of the argument, and means for automatically changing the visual attribute of the region in accordance with the rule when the one data value changes.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
39 words
A system according to claim 8, wherein the region identifying means includes a region data structure for the region that stores: a region identifier, and a plurality of position coordinates defining a location of a point in the region.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
58 words
A system according to claim 9 further comprising a single file structure which contains: image data representing the graphic; a plurality of region data structures, the region data structure being included in the plurality of region data structures; and a plurality of rule data structures, the rule data structure being included in the plurality of rule data structures.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
A system according to claim 10, further comprising means for displaying the graphic and a plurality of region indicators, each region indicator being superimposed on a respectively different one of the plurality of regions.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
44 words
A system according to claim 10, further comprising means for generating and transmitting a message which identifies a number of regions in the plurality of regions, and the region identifier, the visual attribute value, and the position coordinates stored in each region data structure.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
A system according to claim 10, further comprising means for dynamically selecting a subset of the plurality of regions for which the value of the visual attribute is determined using the rule.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
312 words
A system for managing a plurality of data values which define an attribute of an object, comprising: (a) a computer having a display and including a user defined database which stores the data values; (b) means for defining an arbitrary, user defined graphic as a bitmap that is displayed by the computer; (c) means for identifying a plurality of regions within the graphic, each region being associated with a respective value which represents a visual attribute of the region, the identifying means including means for storing a graphic data structure which includes: (1) the bitmap; (2) a plurality of region data structures, including a region data structure for each respective region, each comprising: (A) a region identifier of the region, (B) a value of the visual attribute at a border of the region, and (C) a plurality of position coordinates defining a point in the region as a location in the graphic; (3) a plurality of rule data structures, each, comprising: (A) a rule which defines the value of the visual attribute as a function of an argument, (B) a rule identifier of the rule, (C) the argument of the rule, (D) a value which defines the argument by type, (E) an identifier of a database in which the plurality of data are stored, and (F) a query that is used to retrieve one of the data values from the database to be used as the value of the argument; (d) means for linking individual ones of the plurality of regions of the graphic to respective data fields of the database, each data field having one of the plurality of data values stored therein; and (e) means for automatically changing the visual attribute of each region, individually, in accordance with a respective one of the plurality of rules corresponding to the region, when the respective data value corresponding to the region changes.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
312 words
A system for managing a plurality of data values which define an attribute of an object, comprising: (a) a computer having a display and including a user defined database which stores the data values; (b) means for defining an arbitrary, user defined graphic as a bitmap that is displayed by the computer; (c) means for identifying a plurality of regions within the graphic, each region being associated with a respective value which represents a visual attribute of the region, the identifying means including means for storing a graphic data structure which includes: (1) the bitmap; (2) a plurality of region data structures, including a region data structure for each respective region, each comprising: (A) a region identifier of the region, (B) a value of the visual attribute at a border of the region, and (C) a plurality of position coordinates defining a point in the region as a location in the graphic; (3) a plurality of rule data structures, each, comprising: (A) a rule which defines the value of the visual attribute as a function of an argument, (B) a rule identifier of the rule, (C) the argument of the rule, (D) a value which defines the argument by type, (E) an identifier of a database in which the plurality of data are stored, and (F) a query that is used to retrieve one of the data values from the database to be used as the value of the argument; (d) means for linking individual ones of the plurality of regions of the graphic to respective data fields of the database, each data field having one of the plurality of data values stored therein; and (e) means for automatically changing the visual attribute of each region, individually, in accordance with a respective one of the plurality of rules corresponding to the region, when the respective data value corresponding to the region changes.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
254 words
A computer-readable medium for use in a computer system having a display and including a user defined database management system or spread sheet which stores data, said computer readable medium being encoded with a computer program for managing a plurality of data which define attributes of vehicle tires, the data including at least one of the group consisting of tire tread depth data and tire age data, the computer-readable medium comprising: means for causing the computer to define and display an arbitrary, user defined graphic representing the object; region identifying means for causing the computer to identify a region within the graphic, and associate a value with the region, the value representing a visual attribute, wherein the region identifying means include a region data structure for the region, the region data structure comprising: a region identifier, a value of the visual attribute at a border of the region, and a plurality of position coordinates defining a location of a point in the region; means for causing the computer to link the identified region of the graphic to a data field of the database or spreadsheet, the data field having one of the plurality of data values stored therein; means for causing the computer to apply a rule to determine the value of the visual attribute as a function of the one data value stored in the data field; and means for causing the computer to automatically change the visual attribute of the region in accordance with the rule when the one data value changes.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
254 words
A computer-readable medium for use in a computer system having a display and including a user defined database management system or spread sheet which stores data, said computer readable medium being encoded with a computer program for managing a plurality of data which define attributes of vehicle tires, the data including at least one of the group consisting of tire tread depth data and tire age data, the computer-readable medium comprising: means for causing the computer to define and display an arbitrary, user defined graphic representing the object; region identifying means for causing the computer to identify a region within the graphic, and associate a value with the region, the value representing a visual attribute, wherein the region identifying means include a region data structure for the region, the region data structure comprising: a region identifier, a value of the visual attribute at a border of the region, and a plurality of position coordinates defining a location of a point in the region; means for causing the computer to link the identified region of the graphic to a data field of the database or spreadsheet, the data field having one of the plurality of data values stored therein; means for causing the computer to apply a rule to determine the value of the visual attribute as a function of the one data value stored in the data field; and means for causing the computer to automatically change the visual attribute of the region in accordance with the rule when the one data value changes.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
295 words
A computer-readable medium for use in a computer system having a display and including a user defined database management system or spread sheet which stores data, said computer readable medium being encoded with a computer program for managing a plurality of data which define attributes of vehicle tires, the data including at least one of the group consisting of tire tread depth data and tire age data, the computer-readable medium comprising: means for causing the computer to define and display an arbitrary, user defined graphic representing the object; means for causing the computer to identify a region within the graphic and associate a value with the region, the value representing a visual attribute; means for causing the computer to link the identified region of the graphic to a data field of the database or spreadsheet, the data field having one of the plurality of data values stored therein; rule applying means for causing the computer to apply a rule to determine the value of the visual attribute as a function of the one data value stored in the data field, wherein the rule applying means includes a rule data structure comprising: a rule identifier of the rule, at least one argument having a value, a value which defines the argument by type, an identifier of a database in which the plurality of data are stored, a query that is used to retrieve the one data value from the database for use as the value of the argument, and the rule, wherein the rule defines the value of the visual attribute as a function of the value of the argument, and means for causing the computer to automatically change the visual attribute of the region in accordance with the rule when the one data value changes.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
295 words
A computer-readable medium for use in a computer system having a display and including a user defined database management system or spread sheet which stores data, said computer readable medium being encoded with a computer program for managing a plurality of data which define attributes of vehicle tires, the data including at least one of the group consisting of tire tread depth data and tire age data, the computer-readable medium comprising: means for causing the computer to define and display an arbitrary, user defined graphic representing the object; means for causing the computer to identify a region within the graphic and associate a value with the region, the value representing a visual attribute; means for causing the computer to link the identified region of the graphic to a data field of the database or spreadsheet, the data field having one of the plurality of data values stored therein; rule applying means for causing the computer to apply a rule to determine the value of the visual attribute as a function of the one data value stored in the data field, wherein the rule applying means includes a rule data structure comprising: a rule identifier of the rule, at least one argument having a value, a value which defines the argument by type, an identifier of a database in which the plurality of data are stored, a query that is used to retrieve the one data value from the database for use as the value of the argument, and the rule, wherein the rule defines the value of the visual attribute as a function of the value of the argument, and means for causing the computer to automatically change the visual attribute of the region in accordance with the rule when the one data value changes.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
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| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2004-08-11 | 2005-02-10 | 2005-08-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2008-08-11 | 2009-02-10 | 2009-08-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |