System and method for iconic software environment management
Cygnus Systems, Inc.Cygnus Systems, Inc., the holder of the '850 patent, has asserted the patent in litigation against Google, Microsoft and Apple alleging their use of document preview icons - thumbnails - in their operating systems and browsers. If successful in this action, this patent may be asserted against other operating systems and browsers.
The '850 patent claims continuation from a patent application filed June 12, 1998.
Last updated: about 1 year ago
Summary / Description
| Summary / Description | The xterm terminal emulator of the X Window System had a feature where it would show the automatically generated contents of the screen in a 1x2 font (a representation) when it was turned iconic . This dates to 1986 (or before).. |
Basic Information
| Type of Prior Art | Source Code |
| Name/Title | xterm icon feature |
| Publication Date | January 1, 1985 |
| Author | Mark Vandevoore, Bob McNamara, myself, a host of others. |
| URL | http://xorg.freedesktop.org/rel... |
| System Type | Application Program |
| Printed Materials (Documentation, Manual, Training Guide, Literature, et cetera) | Yes |
| Online Source Code Repository | Yes |
| Online project documentation | Yes |
| Storage Media (Floppy disk, CD-ROM, Tape, et cetera) | Yes |
| Other | No |
| How to Locate the Evidence (e.g. Location of the System Documentation -- Product Manual, User Guide, or Training Guide) | look in xterm/main.c, man/xterm.1 for minature window icons. |
| URL for Software Repository | http://xorg.freedesktop.org/rel... |
| URL for Product Description | |
| Licensing Model | Open Source |
| Programming Language | C |
Notes / To Do
| Notes | I know this is in X10R4; I haven't gone looking to see exactly when it went in. But R4 is fine: even better in that it was shipped in product.... I haven't tried to analize the claims claim for claim. |
Excerpt
-bi This option forces the icon to be a static bitmap rather
than the default miniature window.
This was the default behavior in xterm in that era.
Relevance
Claims
Graphical representation of files and method for accessing
A method of accessing one or more computer files via a graphical icon, comprising the steps of: capturing automatically one or more graphical representations of one or more portions of information content of one or more computer files while an application is manipulating the one or more computer files; creating automatically an icon including selected portions of the captured one or more graphical representations of the information content of the one or more computer files wherein the icon graphically depicts at least a portion of the information content from the one or more computer files and wherein the icon is created while the application was manipulating the icon's corresponding one or more computer files and includes selected portions of the captured one or more graphical representations of the information content; linking the icon to the application and to the one or more computer files based on the ability of the application to manipulate the information content of the one or more computer files corresponding to the icon; storing the icon in a memory; displaying the icon in a window on a display screen; invoking the application for manipulating the information content of the one or more computer files upon selection of the icon by accessing the more or more computer files by reference to an underlying file system corresponding to the icon and opening the one or more computer files within the application.
Relevance
The xterm minature icon feature seems to cover much/all of this.
The xterm minature icon feature seems to cover much/all of this.
Claim Chart
All
