Appeal No. 1998-3134 Page 2
Application No. 08/437,225
different from the one created by its original designer. With
this approach, software
developers and users can change the appearance of the
graphical elements associated with the GUI. For example, one
developer may design an interface with a traditional theme, in
which the elements have symmetrical shapes and are displayed
with subdued colors, whereas another developer may design an
interface with a radical theme, using bright colors and
elements of all sizes and shapes. A user can select from
among the different available themes.
While the ability to customize the GUI to present
different
appearance themes enhances the user's experience, it also
presents problems regarding the size of memory. More
particularly, each theme requires its own set of definitions
for each of the elements of the interface. In the
aforementioned example, a traditional theme requires software
that defines the appearance of windows, menus, and each of the
available control objects. Similarly, the radical theme also
requires its own set of software which contains a definition
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