Systems and method for turning pages in a three-dimensional electronic document

• US 20050151742A1
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Etome Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hong, Lichan, Card, Stuart K., Mackinlay, Jock D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,667,703 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics

Abstract

A system and method for turning pages of a three-dimensional electronic book. A closed three-dimensional electronic book is modeled as at least one three-dimensional object having length, width and thickness dimensions. An opened three-dimensional book electronic is modeled as at least two three-dimensional objects having length, width and thickness dimensions, representing the left side of the opened book and the right side of the opened book. The page(s) to be turned is modeled as at least a three-dimensional object having length, width and thickness dimensions. The cross-section parallelogram having a width dimension and a thickness dimension based on the width and thickness dimensions of the closed three-dimensional electronic book, and a user-selected number of page(s) to be turned. Page turning of a three-dimensional electronic book is modeled as a dynamic animation showing the concurrent movement of three three-dimensional objects representing the left side pages block, the right side pages block, and the pages(s) to be turned.

Claims

1. A method for turning pages of a three-dimensional electronic document having a predetermined length, a predetermined width and a predetermined thickness, comprising:

selecting a number of pages of the three-dimensional document to be turned, each of the pages having a predetermined thickness;

animating, relative to predetermined coordinates of a static base line, movement of a first three-dimensional object, a second three-dimensional object connected to the first three-dimensional object at a first connection point, and a third three-dimensional object connected to the second three-dimensional object at a second connection point; and

maintaining the first connection and the second connection while animating the movement of the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein animating the movement of the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object, and the third three-dimensional object comprises:

splitting an initial three-dimensional object into the second three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object;

setting a starting animation time to be a current clock time, and setting an animation time;

determining coordinates of points of the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object at the animation time; and

displaying the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein animating the movement of the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object, and the third three-dimensional object further comprises loading low-resolution page textures corresponding to a top face and a bottom face of the second three-dimensional object, and a top face of the third three-dimensional object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein animating the movement of the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object, and the third three-dimensional object further comprises replacing the low-resolution page textures with high-resolution page textures.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein animating the movement of the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object, and the third three-dimensional object further comprises merging the first three-dimensional object and the second three-dimensional object to form a new first three-dimensional object.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein splitting the initial three-dimensional object into the second three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object comprises:

determining a thickness of the second three-dimensional object based on the selected number of pages and the predetermined thickness of the page;

determining a thickness of the third three-dimensional object based on the difference between a predetermined thickness of the initial three-dimensional object and the determined thickness of the second three-dimensional object; and

determining initial coordinates of points of the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object, and the third three-dimensional object based on the respective thickness, the predetermined length and the predetermined width, and relative to the predetermined coordinates of the static base line.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the coordinates of the points of the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object, and the third three-dimensional object at the animation time comprises:

determining the coordinates of the second connection point of the second three-dimensional object based on a function of the animation time, and the first connection point and the second connection point at the beginning of a page turning animation;

translating the third three-dimensional object based on a movement of the second connection point;

translating the first three-dimensional object based on a movement of the first connection point; and

translating, rotating, and deforming the second three-dimensional object based on a function of a movement of the second connection point and the animation time.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein setting the animation time comprises setting the animation time to be the current clock time minus the starting animation time.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object includes displaying each of the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object having six faces.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object includes displaying at least one face of at least one of the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object as aflat surface.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object includes displaying at least one face of at least one of the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object as a parallelogram.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the first three-dimensional object includes displaying at least one face of the first three-dimensional object as a curved surface.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the second three-dimensional object includes displaying at least one face of the second three-dimensional object as a curved surface.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying the third three-dimensional object includes displaying at least one face of the third three-dimensional object as a curved surface.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object is not displayed.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying multiple resolution page textures to the first three-dimensional object, the second three-dimensional object and the third three-dimensional object.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein applying multiple resolution page textures comprises applying, in a non-static state, low-resolution page textures to a top face of the first three-dimensional object, a bottom and a top face of the second three-dimensional object, and a top face of the third three-dimensional object.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein applying multiple resolution page textures further comprises replacing, in a static state, some of the low-resolution page textures with corresponding high-resolution page textures.

19. A method for turning pages of a three-dimensional electronic document having a predetermined length, a predetermined width and a predetermined thickness, comprising:

animating, relative to predetermined coordinates of a static base line, movement of at least two three-dimensional objects connected at a connection; and

maintaining the connection while animating the movement of the at least two three-dimensional objects,

wherein displaying the at least two three-dimensional objects includes displaying the at least two three-dimensional objects as a function of time and initial coordinates of the connection.

20. A system for turning pages of a three-dimensional electronic document, comprising:

a pages block determining circuit, routine or application that determines dimensions of three-dimensional objects representing the three-dimensional electronic document and coordinates of the three-dimensional objects relative to predetermined coordinates of a static base line; and

a display device that displays the three-dimensional objects based on the determined dimensions and the determined coordinates,

wherein the pages block determining circuit, routine or application determines the coordinates of the three-dimensional objects as a function of animation timeand an initial first connection that connects two of the three-dimensional objects.