System and method for exact rendering in a zooming user interface

• US 20060267982A1
• Filed: 05/22/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SeaDragon Software, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Aguera y Arcas, Blaise
• Granted Patent: US 7,554,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/428
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4007 based on interpolation, e.g. bilinear interpolation image demosaicing G06T3/4015; edge-driven or edge-based scaling G06T3/403
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4084 in the transform domain, e.g. fast Fourier transform [FFT] domain scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed that facilitates realistic navigation of visual content by displaying an interpolated image during navigation and a more exact image when the navigation ceases. Methodologies are disclosed for rendering and displaying “tiles”, portions of the visual content at different levels of detail to minimize perceivable discontinuities.

Claims

1. A method of displaying visual content, said method comprising:

generating a plurality of different levels of detail (LODs) of the visual content;

displaying the visual content as an interpolation of said LODs while the visual content is navigated; and

displaying a final image including at least a portion not as an interpolation of said LODs when said navigation substantially ceases.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said navigation comprises one or more of the following:

two or three dimensional translation, rotation, image filtering, local stretching, dynamic spatial distortion, magnification or minification.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein prior to said final image being displayed, an intermediate final image is generated by interpolation from said plurality of said LODs.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said intermediate final image gradually changes to said final image.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said final image or said intermediate image is rendered on a tile-by-tile basis.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein each LOD is comprised of tiles and said final image or said intermediate final image is displayed by using tiles from several LODs displayed as composite tiles.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the tiles of each LOD are made available for entry into a frame buffer in an order that depends at least in part upon the LOD in which the tile is, or whether the tile is viewable presently, or the degree of foveation of such tile.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein viewable tiles are rendered first, and within said viewable tiles, tiles are rendered in order of increasing resolution, and within tiles of a similar resolution, tiles are rendered in foveated order.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein said visual content comprises vector and nonvector data.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said plurality of LODs are generated at a remote terminal, and said intermediate and final images are generated at a locally viewable terminal.

9. (canceled)

12-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A method of representing visual content comprising combining a first LOD with a second LOD, each of said LODs being comprised of plural tiles, the tiles being arranged so that edges of said tiles in said LODs do not align throughout substantially all the visual content.

25. The method of claim 24 applied to three or more such LODs having increasing resolution, wherein when the LODs are arranged in order of increasing resolution, no two consecutive LODs differ in resolution by a rational multiple.

26. A method of combining plural LODs to display visual content, the method comprising weighting each of the LODs with an associated contribution, and varying the contribution provided by each LOD over time and space.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the weighting is an opacity level.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the total opacity of the combined LODs is less than one hundred percent.

29-32. -32. (canceled)

33. A method comprising displaying an intermediate final image and then displaying a final image, the final image and intermediate final image being comprised of tiles rendered in foveated order, a transition from the intermediate final image to the final image being displayed occurring upon detection of navigation substantially ceasing.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein lower resolution tiles are displayed prior to higher resolution tiles.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein said transition is gradual.

36-40. -40. (canceled)

41. A method of displaying visual content comprising combining plural LODs representing visual content, and gradually altering a contribution attributable to at least three of said LODs so that said displayed visual content gradually changes, wherein said contribution is altered gradually by assigning at least one weight to plural tiles within plural LODs, and then altering said weights, and wherein said assigning assigns plural weights to each of said tiles in at least one LOD.

42-45. -45. (canceled)