SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RENDERING DYNAMIC THREE-DIMENSIONAL APPEARING IMAGERY ON A TWO-DIMENSIONAL USER INTERFACE

• US 20100079449A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: McCarthy, Brendan A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,866,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• 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: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/205 Image-based rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2215/16 Using real world measurements to influence rendering

Abstract

System and method for rendering dynamic three-dimensional appearing imagery on a two-dimensional user interface screen of a portable computing device in dependence on a user'"'"'s view-point of the screen. The method includes processing, on a portable computing device, data defining a plurality of user view-points of a user interface screen of the portable computing device. The method next includes rendering a first image of a constructed scene on the user interface screen based on a first determined user'"'"'s view-point of the user interface screen of the portable computing device. The method then includes rendering a different image of the constructed scene on the user interface screen based on a subsequently determined user'"'"'s view-point of the user interface screen and thereby presenting the illusion of a three-dimensional image of the constructed scene on the user interface screen.

Claims

1. A method for rendering dynamic three-dimensional appearing imagery on a two-dimensional user interface screen of a portable computing device in dependence on a user'"'"'s view-point of the screen, said method comprising:

processing, on a portable computing device, data defining a plurality of user view-points of a user interface screen of the portable computing device;

rendering a first image of a constructed scene on the user interface screen based on a first determined user'"'"'s view-point of the user interface screen of the portable computing device; and

rendering a different image of the constructed scene on the user interface screen based on a subsequently determined user'"'"'s view-point of the user interface screen and thereby presenting the illusion of a three-dimensional image of the constructed scene on the user interface screen.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data defining the plurality of user view-points of the user interface screen of the portable computing device is at least partially acquired from signals received from a camera associated with the portable computing device.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said data processing further comprises determining a position of a user'"'"'s head relative to the user interface screen.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said data processing further comprises determining a position of a user'"'"'s pair of eyes relative to the user interface screen.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said data processing further comprises determining a position and orientation relative to, and a distance from the user interface screen of a user'"'"'s head.

6. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said data processing further comprises determining a position and orientation relative to, and a distance from the user interface screen of a user'"'"'s pair of eyes.

7. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the camera is located on the portable computing device.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the camera is positioned on the portable computing device at a fixed location relative to the user interface screen.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the camera has infrared sensitivity for sensing infrared images.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising emitting infrared light at the portable computing device away from the user interface screen.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising acquiring, from signals received from a camera associated with the portable computing device, the data defining the plurality of user view-points of the user interface screen of the portable computing device based on infrared images of a user observing the screen.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising processing the data acquired from the signals received from the camera to determine user eye position relative to the user interface screen of the portable computing device.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the infrared light emanates from an infrared light emitter located proximate the camera on the portable computing device.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, further comprising processing the data acquired from the signals received from the camera to determine user head position relative to the user interface screen of the portable computing device.

15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the portable computing device is a personal digital assistant.

16. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the portable computing device is wireless enabled and the constructed scene is wirelessly received by the portable computing device from a remote source prior to the different images displayed on the user interface screen being rendered locally on the portable computing device.

17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the data defining a plurality of user view-points of the user interface screen of the portable computing device is limited to data representative of a single user of the portable computing device.

18. A system for rendering dynamic three-dimensional appearing imagery on a two-dimensional user interface screen of a portable computing device in dependence on a user'"'"'s view-point of the screen, said method comprising:

a module to process, on a portable computing device, data defining a plurality of user view-points of a user interface screen of the portable computing device;

a module to render a first image of a constructed scene on the user interface screen based on a first determined user'"'"'s view-point of the user interface screen of the portable computing device; and

a module to render a different image of the constructed scene on the user interface screen based on a subsequently determined user'"'"'s view-point of the user interface screen and thereby presenting the illusion of a three-dimensional image of the constructed scene on the user interface screen.

19. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the data defining the plurality of user view-points of the user interface screen of the portable computing device is at least partially acquired from signals received from a camera associated with the portable computing device.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein said data processing module further comprises a module to determine a position of a user'"'"'s head relative to the user interface screen.

21. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein said data processing module further comprises a module to determine a position of a user'"'"'s pair of eyes relative to the user interface screen.

22. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein said data processing module further comprises a module to determine a position and orientation relative to, and a distance from the user interface screen of a user'"'"'s head.

23. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein said data processing module further comprises a module to determine a position and orientation relative to, and a distance from the user interface screen of a user'"'"'s pair of eyes.

24. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein the camera is located on the portable computing device.

25. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the camera is positioned on the portable computing device at a fixed location relative to the user interface screen.

26. The system as recited in claim 25, wherein the camera has infrared sensitivity for sensing infrared images.

27. The system as recited in claim 18, further comprising a module to emit infrared light at the portable computing device away from the user interface screen.

28. The system as recited in claim 27, further comprising a module to acquire, from signals received from a camera associated with the portable computing device, the data defining the plurality of user view-points of the user interface screen of the portable computing device based on infrared images of a user observing the screen.

29. The system as recited in claim 28, further comprising a module to process the data acquired from the signals received from the camera to determine user eye position relative to the user interface screen of the portable computing device.

30. The system as recited in claim 29, wherein the infrared light emanates from an infrared light emitter located proximate the camera on the portable computing device.

31. The system as recited in claim 28, further comprising a module to process the data acquired from the signals received from the camera to determine user head position relative to the user interface screen of the portable computing device.

32. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the portable computing device is a personal digital assistant.

33. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the portable computing device is wireless enabled and the constructed scene is wirelessly received by the portable computing device from a remote source prior to the different images displayed on the user interface screen being rendered locally on the portable computing device.

34. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the data defining a plurality of user view-points of the user interface screen of the portable computing device is limited to data representative of a single user of the portable computing device.

35. A tangible computer-readable medium storing instructions for categorizing digital media based on calendar events, the instructions comprising:

processing, on a portable computing device, data defining a plurality of user view-points of a user interface screen of the portable computing device;

rendering a first image of a constructed scene on the user interface screen based on a first determined user'"'"'s view-point of the user interface screen of the portable computing device; and

rendering a different image of the constructed scene on the user interface screen based on a subsequently determined user'"'"'s view-point of the user interface screen and thereby presenting the illusion of a three-dimensional image of the constructed scene on the user interface screen.