Patents on Software Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)

Index of Selected GUI Software Patents

Apple Computer, Inc's "Multiple Theme Engine" Patent (6,188,399)

Apple Computer, Inc's "Automatic URL" Patent (6,189,018)

IBM's "Window Manager" Patent (6,181,338)

IBM's "Desktop Thumbnail" Patent (6,181,342)

Also see CPT's page on Patents on Graphical Software for more information on the Adobe/Macromedia patent disputes involving patents on GUIs.

Apple's "Multiple Theme Engine" Patent

6,188,399. This is Apple Computer, Inc.'s "Multiple theme engine graphical user interface architecture patent" filed on May 8, 1998 and granted on February 13, 2001. Note: Unlike most software/ business method patents, this particular patent falls under Class 345 (subclass 334) of the U.S. Patent Classification System. Class 345 encompasses "Computer Graphics Processing, Operator Interface Processing, and Selective Visual Display Systems." Subclass 334 covers "Graphical appearance." Here is the abstract of Apple's '399 patent:

Systems and methods for providing a user with increased flexibility and control over the appearance and behavior of objects on a user interface are described. Sets of objects can be grouped into themes to provide a user with a distinct overall impression of the interface. These themes can be invoked by calling a corresponding theme engine. Theme engines can be hard-coded or data-driven.

Analysis

A March 3, 2001 article in The Register commented on scope of Apple's '399 patent.

"The patent ... follows on from an earlier patent, 5,959,624, covering a 'system and method for customising apperance and behaviour of graphical user interfaces'. That's a pretty comprehensive description of how skinning works, whether on an application by application basis, or across an entire UI."

Also see:

March 9, 2001. Tony Smith Apple Patents Desktop Themes. The Register.

February 25, 2001. Apple Patents GUI Theme Engine. Slashdot.

Apple's "Automatic URL" Patents

5,983,245. This is Apple Computer Inc.'s first patent entitled "Method and apparatus for implementing universal resource locator menus." It was filed on December 27, 1996 and granted by the US PTO on November 9, 1999, and is linked to Apple's patent 6,189,018, and has the same abstract (see below).

6,189,018. This is Apple Computer Inc's "Method and apparatus for implementing universal resource locator menus" patent, awarded on February 13, 2001. According to the "Parent Case Text" of the patent, patent '018 "is a divisional application of copending prior Application No. 08/777,223 filed on Dec. 27, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,245..." (see above)

Here is the abstract shared by both patents:

Disclosed is a method for generating universal resource locator links in a graphical user interface based HTML file. The method includes the operations of selecting one of a picture object and text contained within the graphical user interface based HTML file. Once one of the picture object and text are selected, a short-cut universal resource locator icon is selected. Upon selecting the short-cut universal resource locator icon, a nested menu is displayed. Preferably, the nested menu contains a list of most recently used universal resource locators, and a list of open HTML files. Next, one of the universal resource locators is selected from the list of most recently used universal resource locators and the open HTML file from the list of open HTML files. Once selected, a link is generated from the selected one of the picture object and text contained within the graphical user interface based HTML file to one of the selected universal resource locators from the list of most recently used universal resource locators and the open HTML file.

Analysis

Apple's '018 patent concerns software used to generate webpages (html editors). The patent appears to cover the use of a "cascaded graphical user interface menu" that displays a list of recently typed-in URL's. Here is a summary of the claimed process:

The user of a html editor program is presented with a two-part cascaded GUI menu.

The first portion of this menu contains a list of "most recently used universal resource locators" (claim 2).
The second part of the menu displays a URL list of "open webpage files" which have been opened by the html editor (claim 3). Anchor links contained within the current html document may be displayed in a "nested sub-menu" (claim 5). The URL list in this part of the menu is automatically updated every time a "webpage file is opened and closed" (claim 8).

The 16 claims of Apple's '018 patent only seem to cover the process of generating and displaying the two-part menu of URLs described above.

The claims of Apple's earlier '245 patent describe additional aspects of the "automatic url" process relating to the GUI implementation. The '245 claims appear to cover the following method:

The user of an html editor program selects a portion of the open html document (for instance, a picture or a snippet of text) that he wishes to associate a hyperlink with (claim 1).
The user clicks on a "short-cut universal resource locator icon" (claim 1), which may be contained within a "floating link editor" (claim 4).
A menu of URLs is displayed (as disclosed in the '018 patent discussed above).
The user selects the appropriate URL to be associated with the previously-selected text snippet, picture, etc. and a hyperlink is generated in the open html document.

IBM's "Window Manager" Patent

6,181,338. This is IBM's "Apparatus and method for managing windows in graphical user interface environment" patent, awarded on January 30, 2001. Here is the abstract:

The preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for managing and controlling the size and location of windows in a GUI-based computer system. Specifically, a window control mechanism is provided to enhance the basic functional features of a window in any windowing environment. By interacting with the window control mechanism, a user can quickly and easily relocate and resize a window without unnecessary mouse movement. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the user invokes the window control mechanism by positioning the cursor over the title bar of a window and using both buttons of a two button mouse. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the user invokes the window control mechanism by positioning the cursor over a window decoration and using both buttons of a two button mouse. Yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention allows the user to specify a keyboard keystroke combination to invoke the window control mechanism.

IBM's "Desktop Thumbnail" Patent

6,181,342. This is IBM's "Computer file directory system displaying visual summaries of visual data in desktop computer documents for quickly identifying document content," awarded on January 30, 2001. Here is the abstract:

A graphical user interface to desktop documents presents a visual display of visual summaries extracted from still image files, video image files, presentation slide documents, and word processing documents that include figures therein, in a computer file system, in response to a computer user requesting a directory listing. The user can select a visual summaries to cause the computer to search for files/documents containing similar images. The visual summaries can be presented in a hierarchy, with the top level of the hierarchy containing one visual summary per file/document, the next level containing visual summaries of all images in each file/document, and the lowest level containing visual summaries of each individual component, if any, in each image in a document. Further, for an alpha-numeric document having no images, the corresponding visual summary can be a visual representation of the appearance of a portion of the document, such as a portion of the first page of the document.

Questions, comments and suggestions to Vergil Bushnell vbushnell@cptech.org

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