User Interfaces

• US 20090217187A1
• Filed: 02/13/2006
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Software Limited (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Next Device Ltd. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Kendall, Geoff, Rivers, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,713,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/00 Geometric image transformations in the plane of the image

Abstract

User interface (UI) techniques, and more particularly to graphical user interface (GUI) techniques providing 3-dimensional (3-D) renditions. A method of displaying one or more graphical objects, the method being carried out in an electronic device, the device having processing circuitry, memory and a display device, the method comprising: obtaining first image data, the first image data defining at least one two-dimensional graphical component; performing a transformation operation on the first image data to generate second image data, the second image data defining, for the or each graphical component, a modified form of the graphical component; using said second image data, displaying the modified form whereby the or each graphical component has the appearance of having a component of dimension perpendicular the plane of the display device.

Claims

1. A method of displaying one or more graphical objects, the method being carried out in an electronic device, the device having processing circuitry, memory and a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining first image data, the first image data defining at least one two-dimensional graphical component;

performing a transformation operation on the first image data to generate second image data, the second image data defining, for the or each graphical component, a modified form of the graphical component;

using said second image data, displaying the modified form whereby the or each graphical component has the appearance of having a component of dimension perpendicular the plane of the display device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transformation operation includes:

(a) initialising a region list from bounding boxes of all elements shown in the preceding video frame;

(b) adding a region to the region list for the bounding box of each element contained in the new frame;

(c) sorting the bounding boxes into order of distance from the plane of the display (z-order); and

(d) discarding regions that are hidden behind others or are outside the periphery of the display.

7. The method of claim 6, further including:

(e) using the region list, searching for any intersection between a dirty and non-dirty region; and

(f) if an intersection is found, marking the non-dirty region as dirty.

8. The method of claim 7, further including:

if an intersection is not found in (e);

(g) searching for an intersection between two dirty regions.

9. The method of claim 8, further including:

if an intersection is found in (g);

(h) determining whether merging the regions would be more efficient;

if the determination in (h) is positive;

(i) determining whether the merged region would intersect a non-dirty region;

if the determination in (i) is positive, merging the regions; and

repeating step (g).

10. The method of claim 8, further including:

if no intersection is found in (g),

painting the 2D background into each dirty region; and

painting all dirty elements in Z-order to a memory buffer.

13. A recordable, rewritable or recorded medium having recorded or stored thereon machine readable data defining or transformable into instructions for execution by processing circuitry and corresponding to at least the steps of the methods set out in claim 1.

2. A method of displaying one or more moving graphical objects, the method being carried out in an electronic device, the device including processing circuitry, memory and a display device, the method comprising:

(a) obtaining first image data, the first image data defining at least one two-dimensional graphical component;

(b) for each of one or more instants during a predetermined time period,

(b1) performing a transformation operation on the first image data to generate second image data, the second image data defining, for the or each graphical component, a modified form of the graphical component; and

(b2) using said second image data, displaying the modified form;

thereby at one more of said instants generating a rendition of the or each graphical component so as to appear to having a component of dimension perpendicular the plane of the display device, whereby the two-dimensional object appears to move within a three-dimensional space.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein steps (b1) and (b2) are carried out at a plurality of instants, thereby giving the appearance of gradual natural motion.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein predetermined period is any suitable length to give satisfying appearance, including one of the following:

k hundredths of a second (where 1<

=k<

=10), m tenths of a second (where 1<

=m<

=10), or n seconds (where 1<

=n<

=10).

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, during the predetermined period, the transformation operation and display step is carried out p tens of times (where 1<

=p<

=10), q hundreds of times (where 1<

=q<

=10), or r thousands of times (where 1<

=r<

=10), so as to give an acceptable appearance of movement.

11. A method processing user interactions with a GUI, comprising:

a hit testing procedure for deriving (i) a user'"'"'s interaction or selection related to a graphical component, and (ii) to which graphical component the interaction or selection relates; and

displaying that is carried out independent of the derived user interaction or selection and the derived graphical component.

12. (canceled)

14-16. -16. (canceled)