Method and apparatus for displaying a gain control interface with non-linear gain levels

• US 20080088720A1
• Filed: 10/15/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alan Cannistraro, Kelly Jacklin, Roger Powell
• Original Assignee: Alan Cannistraro, Kelly Jacklin, Roger Powell
• Inventors: Powell, Roger, Jacklin, Kelly, Cannistraro, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 7,805,685 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/255
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

A method for displaying a gain control interface having a gain level display with non-linear gain levels. The gain level display has a first end having an associated first pixel offset value and a second end having an associated second pixel offset value. A range of pixel offset values span from the first pixel offset value through the second pixel offset value. The method includes receiving a plurality of pixel offset values in the range of pixel offset values, calculating a gain level value for each of the plurality of pixel offset values (whereby a difference between two pixel offset values of two gain level values having a gain level difference is not equal to a difference of two pixel offset values of any other two gain level values having the same gain level difference), and mapping a gain level value to a pixel offset value.

Claims

1-22. -22. (canceled)

23. A method for generating a scale for display on a display device comprising a plurality of pixels, the method comprising:

defining a set of values for a parameter of a media content; and

mapping the set of values to a set of pixels of the display device using a non-linear equation, wherein a number of pixels between two values with a particular difference is not equal to a number of pixels between any other two values with the same particular difference.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the non-linear equation comprises a logarithmic equation.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein mapping the set of values using the non-linear equation comprises (1) selecting a particular pixel within the set of pixels, (2) determining the position of the particular pixel within the set of pixels, and (3) associating a defined value with the particular pixel by applying a scaling value to a predetermined maximum value for the set of values, wherein the scaling value is determined based on the position of the particular pixel within the set of pixels.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the set of pixels specifies a vertical column of pixels of the display device.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the set of pixels specifies a horizontal row of pixels of the display device.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the scaling value changes the density of a pixel resolution around a particular value within the set of values.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the media content is an audio signal, the parameter is a gain level of the audio signal, and the set of values specify gain levels for the audio signal, wherein the particular value within the set of values specifies a gain level of 0 decibels.

30. The method of claim 23 further comprising specifying a user interface item for moving along the set of pixels of the scale, wherein a position of the user interface item along the scale identifies a specific pixel corresponding to a particular mapped value.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising specifying a display area for displaying a graph comprising a plurality of data events using a different set of pixels, wherein each data event identifies a value selected by the user interface item at a particular instance in time.

32. The method of claim 23, wherein the set of values are relative to the set of pixels and the set of values does not change when the position of the scale changes to a different set of pixels.

33. A method for editing a parameter of a media content using a media application, the method comprising:

defining a scale for the media application, said scale comprising a set of values and a user interface item for moving along the set of values to specify any value from the set of values; and

mapping a range of parameter values for the parameter of the media content to the set of values using a non-linear equation, wherein a position of the user interface item along the set of values specifies a particular parameter value for the media content.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the non-linear equation comprises a logarithmic equation.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein mapping the range of parameter values using the non-linear equation comprises (1) selecting a particular value within the set of values, (2) determining the position of the particular value within the set of values, and (3) calculating a parameter value for the particular value by applying a scaling value to a predetermined maximum parameter value in the range of parameter values, wherein the scaling value is based on the position of the particular value within the set of values.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the media content is an audio signal and the parameter values specify gain levels of the audio signal, the method further comprising modifying the gain level of the signal to the specified particular parameter value.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the media content is an audio signal and the parameter values specify panning levels of the audio signal, the method further comprising modifying the panning level of the signal to the specified particular parameter value.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the media content is a video signal and the parameter values specify contrast levels of the video signal, the method further comprising modifying the contrast level of the signal to the specified particular parameter value.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the media content is a video signal and the parameter values specify brightness levels of the video signal, the method further comprising modifying the brightness level of the signal to the specified particular parameter value.

40. A computer readable medium storing a computer program which when executed by at least one processor generates a scale for display on a display device comprising a plurality of pixels, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for:

defining a set of values for a parameter of a media content; and

mapping the set of values to a set of pixels of the display device using a non-linear equation, wherein a number of pixels between two values with a particular difference is not equal to a number of pixels between any other two values with the same particular difference.

41. A computer readable medium storing a computer program which when executed by at least one processor displays a scale for specifying a value for a parameter of a media content, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for:

defining the scale using a set of values and a user interface item for moving along the set of values to specify any value from the set of values; and

mapping a range of parameter values for the parameter of the media content to the set of values using a non-linear equation, wherein a position of the user interface item along the set of values specifies a particular parameter value for the media content.

42. A graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) for setting a value for a parameter of a media content, said GUI when displayed on a display device comprises a plurality of pixels of the display device, the GUI comprising;

a scale comprising a range of parameter values, wherein the range of parameter values is mapped to a set of pixels of the display device using a non-linear equation; and

a user interface item movable along the scale, wherein a position of the user interface item along the scale identifies a specific pixel corresponding to a parameter value.

43. The GUI of claim 42, wherein the media content comprises an audio signal or a video signal.

44. The GUI of claim 42 further comprising a display area for displaying parameter values for the media content as adjusted by a user through the user interface item over a time interval.

45. The GUI of claim 44, wherein the display area is a graph comprising a plurality of data events, each data event representing a parameter value of the media content at a specific instance in time in the time interval.

46. The GUI of claim 42, wherein said GUI interfaces with a media editing application to pass the selected parameter value to the media editing application, wherein the media editing application produces a signal with the parameter value.

47. The GUI of claim 42, wherein a number of pixels between two parameter values with a particular difference is not equal to a number of pixels between any other two parameter values with the same particular difference.