MXPA00003298A - Application wrapper methods and systems - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods and systems for optimally controlling the operation of object oriented computer software applications use what we call"application wrappers". An application wrapper is a software application that gives programmers the ability to extend their programs'functionality beyond the rigid constraints placed on them by the computer system's operating system. An application wrapper is associated with each software application stored on the computer system and is loaded when the system is powered up. An object oriented display of the application wrapper is generated for the computer user, which can take almost any identifiable form. Application wrappers provide a computer user more rapid modular access to the functional and data files contained within said software applications, saving computer system resources such as RAM and processing time.

Description

METHODS AND LIMITING SYSTEMS OF APPLICATION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to methods and systems for controlling object-oriented application programs, and more particularly, to methods and systems for optimally controlling the functionality and access to data files contained within the object-oriented application programs.

Prior Art The current standards of computer programs narrowly define the functions that the computer program can perform before an application is launched or launched. All aspects of a program's appearance and behavior within an operating environment are controlled by an operating system. The operating system of the computer generally restricts the operations of the application programs in this way.

The characteristics of an application program can only be accessed when the entire application is started, which causes the computer to load a large part of the program, usually in the form REF.; 119054 of an executable file (".exe") together with several smaller files, in the random access memory ("RAM") of the computer. This method of running an application program is time-consuming and waste valuable computer resources. A conventional piece of the program that is written to operate under an object-oriented operating system, such as WindowsR or Windows 95R, should follow narrow guidelines set by the operating system vendor. When a computer user loads the application program into the computer system for the first time, the application program will provide the operating system with enough information to create a static icon and a simple instruction on how to run the program. The icon that is created always remains static and is the only means by which the user can access any of the program's features. The operating system associates the static icon with a line of instructions that will start the application program. When the user of a computer starts the application program by clicking on or selecting the static icon, the operating system automatically runs on the instruction line that the application program starts. See Figure 2. The line of instructions that the operating system automatically runs when a user activates the static icon will in general start the executable file of the application program. In turn, the executable file of the application program takes control of the entire application program and loads several files associated with the characteristics of the application. Unfortunately, many of these files can be directed to certain features of the application program that the user does not want to use. As a result, time and processing power can be wasted when loading files that are unnecessary. As an example, a Windows application program "is written and linked as a program with one or more dynamic link library (" DLL ") files. In an application program written for WindowsR, large quantities of data in the operating system and "link" together.This action requires a lot of RAM, processing power and time to finish.In addition, the application programs written for these operating systems are somewhat secret and difficult to install and use. It is a frequent solution, but this usually requires that the computer user has already loaded the program into the main memory of the computer system and has started running it before it has access to the help files. the application, the computer user must be very knowledgeable about the application program since he must know how to locate and collect various classes of e help files. A few examples of these files are the WindowsR help files (".HLP"), README.TXT files, and HTML files. The configuration information for the application programs in general does not follow a normal format, but is usually very specific to the program. Usually, the configuration information is located within the application program that can only be accessed when the entire application is started. A few application programs will install a second executable file that allows modification of the configuration files without starting the main executable file, but this is the exception and not the norm. In these types of application programs, the two executable files run independently from each other and the user is only allowed access to the configuration settings. In order to change a simple configuration setting, for example, either the entire application program must be run, or the completely separate application program must be started. This can frustrate a computer user and cause excessive, unnecessary use of computer system resources. An example will be the launching of a complete mail system to activate a self-test message or to transmit information. Over the years, operating systems have added features that make it appear that application programs are performing more functions. A typical example of this is the animation of the mouse pointer while loading an application. These changes are only additions to the structure of the program management system, found in most operating systems or user interfaces and do not represent any increase in flexibility. Inflexibility has not previously been considered a problem. However, as computers gain power and include more memory, users' expectations for computer performance and application programs have dramatically increased. In this way, there is a need for improved operational capability and greater flexibility in the use of application programs for object-oriented computer system.

Brief Description of the Invention The present invention provides methods and systems for more optimally controlling object-oriented application programs in computer systems and for increasing flexibility in application programs designed using object-oriented programming. In this invention, an "application limiter" is incorporated into the computer system to allow selective access to the specific functions and data of an object-oriented application program without initiating the entire application program. Where an application limiter is incorporated into the design of an application program, a programmer has the ability to define the appearance and behavior of the application despite the limitations placed on the programmer by the operating system of the computer. In this way, the use of the application limiter avoids artificial constraints imposed by the operating system, by separating the application limiter control from the operating system, but at the same time establishing and maintaining a stable interface between the two. The present invention also provides application limiters that are capable of communicating with the operating system and can create object-oriented visualizations with graphical capabilities beyond those permitted by operating system restrictions. The computer icons can now be designed with the use of an application limiter of the invention, to include sound, computer animation and videomusical short films. Additionally, the use of a limiter of The application gives the programmer the ability to design application programs that run on a modular basis, thus using less system resources when operating the load of the present full program. .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a block diagram, schematic showing a simplified model of the manner in which an object-oriented application program and the application limiter interact with a computer system in accordance with the present invention. . Figure 2 is a block diagram, schematic of the prior art, showing a simplified mode of the way in which an object oriented application program interacts with a computer system. Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating in more detail the manner in which an application limiter interacts with the computer system according to the present invention.

-And VfáVip¿f * ft Nr * ~ --- Detailed Description of the Invention With reference now to the drawings, similar reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements throughout the various views. Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention that includes two "application limiters" 10 and 12 for known application programs 14 and 16. An "application limiter" is a program that runs independently of the operating system 18 of the computer and allows a user to selectively access the individual functions and data of an object-oriented application program without starting the program of full application. The incorporation of the application limiter in an object-oriented computer system frees application developers from artificial constraints placed therein by the operating system 18 of the computer. Each of the application limiters 10 and 12 provides an object-oriented method for optimally controlling one of the object-oriented application programs 14 and 16 that operate and co-exist with the operating system 18 of the computer.

In Figure 1, two application limiters 10 and 12 are illustrated in main memory 20 within the computer system, to demonstrate that one or more application limiters can be used by a computer system and can also operate at the same time . An application limiter A 10 is associated with a specific application program A 14 in the computer system, the application limiter B 12 is associated with a specific B 16 application program. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each application program installed in the computer system will be assigned by an application limiter. As shown, both application limiters 10 and 12 are in communication with the operating system 18 of the computer as well as with the central processing unit ("CPU") 22. Operating system 18 sees the application limiters 10 and 12 as independent programs, and the three that operate in the control of the CPU 22. The operating system 18 is usually loaded into the computer system and starts running as soon as the computer is turned on and it finishes its verification of the system. The application limiters 10 and 12 are loaded as soon as the CPU 22 has fully loaded the operating system 18. Therefore, both application limiters 10 and 12 are loaded with the operating system 18 in a random access memory (" RAM ") 24 by the CPU 22 in the ignition. See Figure 3. As shown in Figure 2 of the prior art, the known application programs 62 and 64 provide sufficient data to the operating system 18, so that the operating system 18 can create static icons 26 and 28 on a computer screen. display 30 and a simple instruction that runs the application programs 62 and 64. The instruction that causes one of the application programs 62 and 64 to start running in the computer system is activated when one of the static icons 26 and 28 in the display screen 30 is selected by a computer user through an input device 32, such as a keyboard, touch screen or mouse. In this type of environment, all aspects of the appearance and behavior of the application program are rigidly defined by the characteristics and limitations of the operating system 18.

With reference once more to Figure 1, in the present invention, once the application limiters 10 and 12 have been started, the object-oriented visualizations of the application limiters 10 and 12 are generated on the display screen 30. The application limiters 10 and 12 can be displayed on the display screen 30 using one of several methods. The preferred method for optimally displaying application limiters 10 and 12 is to create small icons within a program manager of the computer system that can be easily viewed and accessed. The icons that are used to represent the application limiters 10 and 12 on the display screen 30 may change the appearance in response to the user inputs of the computer via the input device 32. Different from the static icons 26 and 28 used in the prior art methods depicted in Figure 2, the identification means and icons of an application limiter 10 and 12 can take the form of anything that a programmer of the application program wishes to use to attract the user's attention from the computer to that particular application program 14 and 16. This means of identification and icons can take the form of sound messages, computer animation, static or video images, or a combination of these. Therefore, the developers of the application programs using the application limiters 10 and 12 as depicted in Figure 1 are not limited by the constraints of a conventional computer operating system. As an additional benefit that application limiters 10 and 12 can provide to computer programmers is the ability to allow computer users to interconnect on a modular basis with application limiters 10 and 12 and their application programs 14 and 16 associates. For example, once the application program A 14 and all its dependent parts are loaded into the main memory 20 in the computer system, the application limiter A 10 assigned to the application program A 14 allows the user to access to the data files and control the functionality of the application program A 14. All access and control can occur within the actual application program A 14 although the computer system is loaded in RAM 24. The application program B 16 in the computer system will be controlled by its application limiter B 12 in the same way. As noted previously, in the preferred embodiments of the invention, each of the application programs 14 and 16 installed in a computer system are provided with their own application limiter 10 or 12, respectively. In this way, by using the application limiters 10 and 12, valuable resources of the computer, such as processor time and memory, are preserved and made available for other uses. Once activated by a computer user, each of the application limiters 10 and 12 can be used in a separate and selective manner in a modular format to access the data files 36, 38, help files 40, 42 , configuration files 46, 48 and / or other files contained within the associated application program 14 or 16. Application limiters 10 and 12 can also be used to control functionality 44, 50 of application programs 14 and 16 in a modular format. The application programs 14 and 16 generally have online help files 40, 42 associated with the application programs 14 and 16. The application limiter A 10 may provide, in response to the input of the computer user to the device. entry 32, access to online help files 40 of application program A 14 without yet loading any other part of the actual application program A 14. In addition, the application limiter A 10 gives a computer user the ability to access certain functions 48 that the application program A 14 can perform on a modular basis. Additionally, the application limiter A 10 can be used to provide access to the configuration files 44, help files 40 and data files 36 of the application program A 14 in a modular format without still loading the entire application program A 14 Similarly, the application limiter B 12 can be used to have modular access to the help files 42, configuration files 46, data files 38, and functionality pieces 50 of the application program B 16 without having to load the complete application program.

The prior art methods for controlling the application programs, shown in Figure 2, require that the application program A 62 be loaded into the RAM 24 of the computer system before a computer user can gain access to the computer. any of the data files 66, functionality 68, configuration files 70, or help files 72 of the application program A 62. In addition, to have access to any of the data files 76, functionality 78, configuration files 74 and help files 80 of application program B 64, which application program B 64 will similarly have to be loaded into RAM 24 of the computer system. The configuration and help files for these prior art application programs are usually limited either closely to the application program or comprise a completely different program. Recently, the help information for some application programs has been separated into different files of the application program so that the user is able to see them separately from the application program. However, if the application program does not automatically configure this option when it is installed, the computer user has to know the exact location and names of the help files and is also required to call a "reader" program that understands the format of the files. The ability of the methods and systems using application limiters 10 and 12 to run application programs 14 and 16 on a modular basis conserves the resources of the computer system and gives programmers the ability to include features in programs of application 14 and 16. As shown in Figure 3, in operation of operating system 18 and application limiters 10 and 12, they are loaded into RAM 24 of the computer system. The system generates one or more identification means or icons 52, 54, 56, 58 that can be used to identify and gain access to any one or more of the files associated with the A 10 application limiter and the application program A 14 and / or the application limiter B 12 and the application program B 16. As indicated above, these identification means may be static or animated, possibly sequentially and may have associated sounds. In response to the input of the user of the computer in the input device 32, by selecting one of the icons 52, 54, 56, 58 of the application limiter, the CPU 22 loads the file or functions selected from the application program 14 or 16 selected in RAM 24 of the computer system. In addition, as shown in Figure 3, the application programs 14 and 16 may comprise several modules or smaller files residing in the main memory 20 until they are called in operation by the computer user input through the device of input 32 to application limiters 10 and 12 when selecting one or more identification means 52, 54, 56, 58. Programming with application limiters 10 and 12 thus allows application programs 14 and 16 to use small modules, thus reducing the size of the files that need to be loaded by the CPU 22. An additional benefit of using smaller file sizes to perform different tasks associated with application programs 14 and 16 is realized because less RAM 24 is needed to store and run the application programs 14 and 16. The invention also provides a stable interface between the application limiters 10. and 12 and operating system 18 so that changes can be made to anyone without affecting the functionality of the other. The application limiters 10 and 12 are programmed in such a manner to communicate with the operating system 18 without affecting the manner in which the operating system 18 runs the computer system. Equally, each application program 14 and 16 can be provided in a link to operating system 18 which is capable of notifying application programs 14 and 16 in changes to operating system 18. For example, application programs 14 and 16 are they could report changes in operating system 18 as a power on or off of the computer system. Another feature of the present invention is the ability to provide a link between the application programs 14 and 16 and the operating system 18 that finds out if an object contained in a storage device is one that application programs 14 and 16 can interpret. It gives the computer user the ability to quickly extract and view files that can be interpreted by application programs 14 and 16. The application program A 14 and the application program B 16 are capable of being linked together so that each application program 14 and 16 can call the other's functionality to view and manipulate the data contained in an object, or the objects can be programmed and stored using a common file format. Some of the functionality that the application limiters 10 and 12 can control in response to the input of the computer user through the input device 32 are the start and end of the actual application programs 14 and 16. The application limiters 10 and 12 can be programmed to communicate with other application programs in the computer system, regardless of whether the other application programs use application limiters. In addition, the application limiters 10 and 12 can also be programmed to automatically clear an application program 14 or 16 and all of its dependent objects from the operating system 18 of the computer system and memory mainly in response to the computer user inputs. to the input device 32. Each application limiter 10 and 12 contained in a computer system is associated with a common database 60 of the application limiter, as shown in Figure 3. The database 60 as a delimiter of The application can be accessed by the computer user to change the configuration settings within each of the application limiters 10 and 12. The common database 60 of the application limiter may also contain information that is common to the application programs. A 14 and A 16 in the computer system and each application limiter 10 and 12 must share this information. Some of the data and configuration files that can be accessed through the common database 60 of the application limiter are the personal profile of the user of the computer, a bubble aid of the application program, adjustments to control the appearance and behavior of the icon of an application program, an option to start any of application programs 14 and 16 in a safe mode, and limits on the use of allowable memory and priorities of application programs 14 and 16. One mode of the invention comprises a device of the communication system, such as a cellular phone. This communication device may comprise a small housing carrying a keyboard, an LCD screen, a microprocessor, a random access memory, more memory, and one or more application limiters and object-oriented application programs to provide one or more functions selected by the user, such as storage of telephone numbers, recovery and dialing, calculation, global time entry, storage and retrieval of messages, interconnection to the Internet and the like, and telephone and cellular communication components. This device allows a user to make a telephone call while taking notes, entering the information into the memory, performing full calculations, making drawings, and any other application that can be provided by the computer program. The application limiters 10 and 12 of the present invention allow a computer user to access and use one or more specific files, such as the help files, of an object-oriented application program in the computer system and enjoy the benefits of a more user-friendly interface with your computer system. The invention provides computer programmers with the ability to create object-oriented application programs that are not artificially restricted by the computer's operating system and can be used quickly and easily. When using an application limiter as outlined with Prior to this, the computer programmer can provide optimal control of its application program to a computer user. The use of application limiters 10 and 12 is advantageous for any of the systems of computer. Preferred embodiments of the present invention can be installed in installed or personal digital assistants to minimize the use of computer system resources, as long as functionality is available that was not previously possible due to the Restrictions on size and limited storage capacity of smaller, portable computer systems. Application limiters provide benefits to any computer system, due to the ease of use and functionality that can be included in application programs now that were briefly prevented by restrictions of computer operating systems. While the invention has been described in its currently best known mode and embodiment, other modes and embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art only limited by the scope of the claims that follow. For example, while the preferred embodiments illustrate systems incorporating application limiters, plurals, and application programs, the methods and systems of the invention may incorporate only an individual application limiter.

It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the present invention is that which is clear from the present description of the invention. Having described the invention as above, the content of the following is claimed as property:

Claims (67)

1. CLAIMS 1. A method for controlling computer application programs, object-oriented, characterized in that it comprises: providing at least one application limiter; assigning at least one application program to each of at least one application limiter; provide a stable interface between an operating system and each application limiter so that changes can be made to anyone without affecting the functionality of the other; generate a display screen for each application limiter for a computer user; access the data contained in each application program in a modular format in response to the computer user inputs to each application limiter; and controlling the functionality of each application program in a modular format in response to the computer user inputs to each application limiter.
2. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises the step of initiating at least one application limiter in the ignition of the computer system.
3. 3. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of providing a link between the operating system and each application program, wherein the operating system can find out whether an object is one that can interpret the application program.
4. . The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of providing a link between the operating system and each application program to notify each application program of changes in the OS.
5. 5. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 4, characterized in that the link notifies each application program of a pending shutdown of the computer system.
6. 6. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 4, characterized in that the link notifies each application program of an ignition of the computer system.
7. 7. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of generating at least one identification means on a display screen to assist the computer user in the opening and access to each application limiter.
8. 8. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 7, characterized in that the identification means is displayed on the display screen by an animated icon
9. 9. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 7, characterized in that the identification means is selected from the group including sound, computerized animation, static images and video images.
10. 10. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises the step of generating a 15 display screen of at least one help file of the application programs in response to the computer user inputs to each application limiter.
11. 11. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 1, characterized in that the data contained within each application program comprises configuration adjustment. 25 ? «ß
12. 12. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of starting each application program in response to the computer user's inputs to the application limiters .
13. 13. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of exiting from each application program in response to the computer user inputs to the application limiters.
14. 14. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of communicating with other application programs in the computer system in response to the computer user's inputs to the limiters of the computer. application.
15. 15. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of deleting the application programs and all their dependent objects from the computer system in response to the computer user inputs to the application limiters.
16. 16. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of linking a plurality of application programs together so that an object is visible within each application program without affecting the functionality of any application program.
17. 17. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises the step of associating each application limiter stored within the computer system with a common database of the application limiter.
18. "^" * ^ JlmmKf * ~ - > ^ 18. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 17, characterized in that the common database of the application limiter is accessible by the computer user through an input device to change the configuration settings and to access the data files associated with each application limiter.
19. 19. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 18, characterized in that the configuration settings and the data files include at least one database file selected from the group comprising a personal file of the user of the computer, a bubble aid of the specific application program, a plurality of settings to control the appearance and behavior of the application limiter icon, an option to launch the application program in a secure process, and a limit on the use and plurality of available memory, of the application programs.
20. 20. A method for controlling computer application programs, object-oriented, characterized in that it comprises: providing at least one application limiter; assign at least one application program to each application limiter; provide a stable interface between an operating system and each application limiter so that changes can be made to anyone without affecting the functionality of the other; generate a display screen for each application limiter for a computer user; and have access to the data contained in the application programs in a modular format in response to the computer user inputs to each application limiter.
21. 21. The method for controlling computer application programs, object-oriented according to claim 20, characterized in that it also comprises the step of initiating at least one application limiter in the ignition of the computer system.
22. 22. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 20, characterized in that it further comprises the step of providing a link between the operating system and each application program, wherein the operating system can find out whether an object is one that can interpret the application program.
23. 23. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 20, characterized in that it further comprises the step of providing a link between the operating system and each application program to notify each application program of changes in the OS.
24. 24. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 23, characterized in that the link notifies each application program of a pending shutdown of the computer system.
25. 25. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 23, characterized in that the link notifies each application program of an ignition of the computer system.
26. 26. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 20, characterized in that it further comprises the step of generating at least one identification means in a display to assist the computer user in the opening and access to each application limiter.
27. 27. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 26, characterized in that the identification means is displayed on the display screen by an animated icon.
28. 28. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 26, characterized in that the identification means is selected from the group including sound, computed arithmetic animation, static images and video images.
29. 29. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 20, characterized in that it further comprises the step of generating a display of at least one help file of the application programs in response to the computer user's inputs. to each application limiter.
30. 30. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 20, characterized in that the data contained within each application program comprises configuration settings.
31. 31. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 20, characterized in that it further comprises the step of communicating with other application programs in the computer system in response to the user's computer inputs to the limiters of the computer. application.
32. 32. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 20, characterized in that it further comprises the step of deleting the application programs and all their dependent objects from the computer system in response to the computer user inputs to the application limiters.
33. 33. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 20, characterized in that it further comprises the step of linking a plurality of application programs together so that an object is visible within each application program without affect the functionality of any application program.
34. 34. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 20, characterized in that it further comprises the step of associating each application limiter stored within the computer system with a common database of the application limiter.
35. 35. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 34, characterized in that the common base of the application limiter is accessible by the computer user through an input device to change the configuration settings and to have access to the selected data files, associated with each application limiter.
36. 36. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 35, characterized in that the limitation settings and the data files include at least one database file selected from the group comprising a personal user profile of the user. computer, a bubble support of the specific application program, a plurality of settings to control the appearance and behavior of the application limiter icon, an option to launch the application program in a secure process, and a limit on the use and plurality of allowable memory of the application programs.
37. 37. A method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs, characterized in that it comprises: providing at least one application limiter; assign at least one application program to each application limiter; provide a stable interface between the operating system and each application limiter so that changes can be made to anyone without affecting the functionality of the other; generate a display of each application limiter for a computer user; and controlling the functionality of each application program in a modular format in response to the computer user inputs to each application limiter.
38. 38. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 37, characterized *; because it also comprises the step of initiating at least one limiter of apli < £ = g $ h when turning on the computer system.
39. 39. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 37, characterized in that it further comprises the step of providing a link between the operating system and each application program wherein the operating system can find out if an object is one that can interpret each application program.
40. 40. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 37, characterized in that it further comprises the step of providing a link between the operating system and each application program to notify each application program of changes in the OS.
41. 41. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 40, characterized in that the link notifies the application program of a pending shutdown of the computer system.
42. 42. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 40, characterized in that the link notifies each application program of an ignition of the computer system.
43. 43. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 37, characterized in that it further comprises the step of generating at least one means of identifying a display to assist the computer user in the opening and access to each application limiter.
44. 44. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 37, characterized in that the identification means is displayed in the display by an animated icon.
45. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 43, characterized in that the identification means is selected from the group including sound, computed animation, static images and video images.
46. 46. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 37, characterized in that it further comprises the step of generating a display of at least one help file of the application programs in response to the user inputs of the user. computer to each application limiter 15.
47. 47. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 37, characterized in that it further comprises the step of starting each application program in response to the inputs of the computer user to the application limiters. 25 48 The method to control programs of
48. It is an object-oriented computer application according to claim 37, characterized in that it also comprises the step of exiting the application program in response to computer user inputs to application limiters.
49. 49. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 37, characterized in that it further comprises the step of communicating with other application programs in the computer system in response to the computer user's inputs to the limiters of the computer. application.
50. 50. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 37, characterized in that it further comprises the step of deleting the application programs and all their dependent objects from the computer system in response to the computer user's inputs to the application limiters.
51. 51. The method to control programs of In addition, it comprises the step of linking a plurality of application programs together so that an object is visible within the each application program without affecting the functionality of any application program.
52. 52. It also comprises the step of associating each application limiter stored in the computer system with a common database of the application limiter.
53. 53. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 52, characterized in that the common database of the application limiter is accessible by the computer user through an input device to change the configuration settings and have access to the selected data files, associated with each application limiter. ^ & ^^ my & kis ^ ^
54. 54. The method for controlling object-oriented computer application programs according to claim 53, characterized in that the configuration settings and the data files can include at least one database file selected from the group. comprising a personal profile of the computer user, a bubble aid of the specific application program, a plurality of settings to control the appearance and behavior of the application limiter icon, an option to launch the application program in a secure process, and a limit to the permissible use and plurality of memory of the application programs.
55. 55. An improved method for managing the operation of object-oriented application programs in a computer system, the improvement characterized in that it comprises: providing at least one application limiter; assign at least one application program to each application limiter; and provide modular access to each application program in response to the input of the computer user to each application limiter without the need to initiate the entire application program.
56. 56. The improved method for managing the operation of object-oriented application programs in a computer system according to claim 55; characterized in that at least one application limiter is charged at the ignition of the computer system.
57. 57. The improved method for managing the operation of object-oriented application programs in a computer system according to claim 55, characterized in that a further improvement comprises providing modular access to the functionality of each application program in response to the input of the application. computer user to each application limiter without the need to start the entire application program.
58. 58. The improved method for managing the operation of object-oriented application programs in a computer system according to claim 55, further characterized in that the improvement comprises providing modular access to at least one data file 5 of each application program in response to the input of the computer user to each application limiter without the need to initiate the full application program.
59. 59. The improved method for managing the operation of object-oriented application programs in a computer system according to claim 55, characterized in that further improvement comprises generating a means 15 of identification of each application limiter in an exhibition.
60. 60. The improved method to handle the operation of targeted application programs 20 to objects in a computer system according to claim 59, characterized in that the identification means is generated in a visualization selected from the group including sound, computer animation, images 25 static and video images.
61. * J 61. The improved method for managing the operation of object-oriented application programs in a computer system according to claim 55, characterized in that the further improvement comprises generating a display of each application limiter in response to the selection. of the means of identification of the computer user. 10
62. 62. In an object-oriented computer system comprising a central processing unit, a means of storing data and programs, a means of display, a 15 object-oriented operating system, a computer user input means, and at least one object-oriented application program includes a plurality of sets of functional instructions or data files for use by the user. 20 central processing unit, the improvement is characterized in that it comprises at least one means of application limiter to generate an output in the display or display means and to send instructions to the processing unit 25 central in response to user inputs from i-? i á & ßí? r. - computer through an input device to the application limiter, a means for retrieving at least one set of the plurality of the set of functional instructions and data files, and a means for storing at least one set of functional instructions of data files. data in the random access memory for use by the computer user.
63. 63. A computer system that includes object-oriented, controlled application programs, the system is characterized in that it comprises: a central processing unit; a means for storing and retrieving programs and data connected to the central processing unit; an operating system stored in the middle to store and retrieve programs and data; an input device connected to the central processing unit; a display screen connected to the central processing unit; at least one application program stored in the medium to store and retrieve ag ^^^^^ aa ^ itMy data programs; and at least one application limiter associated with the application program to provide modular access to each application program.
64. 64. The computer system that includes object-oriented application programs, controlled in accordance with the claim 10 63, characterized in that the application limiter provides modular access to at least one data file of each application program.
65. 65. The computer system that includes 15 object-oriented, controlled application programs according to claim 63, characterized in that the application limiter can provide modular access to the functionality of the application program.
66. 66. The computer system that includes object-oriented, controlled application programs, in accordance with claim 63, characterized in that the computer system 25 is adapted to operate a device of ^. communications
67. 67. The computer system that includes object-oriented, controlled application programs in accordance with claim 66, characterized in that the communication device includes a cellular telephone. A ¿^. > i «^ Aat < la ^, ^ J.