[54] SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RENDERING ON-SCREEN ICONIC BUTTONS WITH DYNAMIC TEXTUAL LINK
[75] Inventors: Chip Alexander, Belmont; Robert Hoexter, Fremont, both of Calif.
[73] Assignee: Oracle Corporation, Redwood Shores, Calif.
[ * ] Notice: This patent issued on a continued prosecution application filed under 37 CFR 1.53(d), and is subject to the twenty year patent term provisions of 35 U.S.C. 154(a)(2).
[21] Appl. No.: 08/864,844 [22] Filed: May 29, 1997
[51] Int. CI. G06F 15/00
[52] U.S. CI 345/349; 345/335; 345/348;
345/354
[58] Field of Search 345/326, 348,
345/349, 352, 353, 354, 357, 335; 701/500,
501, 502
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
5,687,331 11/1997 Volk et al 345/352
5,724,595 3/1998 Gentner 345/335
5,761,656 6/1998 Ben-Shachar 345/335
5,808,613 9/1998 Marrin et al 345/355
5,835,712 11/1998 DuFresne 395/200.33
5,838,906 11/1998 Doyle et al 345/326
Primary Examiner—Ba Huynh
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—-Wagner Murabito & Hao LLP [57] ABSTRACT
A display button for a web page integrating both a graphic pictorial image with character based textual information (with link) into a single iconic button. By providing a graphic image within a display button, the present invention provides the advantages of a graphic icon, e.g., speed of location and user recognition as well as increased meaning. By providing a character based dynamic textual link, the present invention provides an iconic button whose information can be readily translated between various languages (e.g., Italian, English, French, German, etc.) without requiring the image to be redrawn using complex and time consuming means; e.g., using an artist and a drawing tool. Instead, translation can be accomplished using automatic word and/or phrase conversion. Preferably, the display button of the present invention is represented in a table structure within HTML. The table structure contains two end cells which display graphic images therein and in between them a slightly shorter text cell is inserted that can display character based text. Filling the height difference between the text cell and the end cells are thin horizontal row cells that are colored to mach the end cells. The background colors of all the cells are selected to create a visual image of a complete display button having both graphic images and textual information. The display button can be selected by a user to obtain further display information or to advance to another web page or another website (e.g., used as a link). Within the present invention, a subroutine structure can be created in a language called JavaScript that is useful in reducing the amount of program code required to generate multiple display buttons in a single web page.
20 Claims, 11 Drawing Sheets
