METHOD AND GRAPHICAL INTERFACE FOR EMBEDDING ANIMATED CONTENT INTO A COMPUTER APPLICATION

• US 20110119608A1
• Filed: 01/25/2011
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Smart Technologies ULC (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: van Ieperen, Taco
• Granted Patent: US 8,675,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/30 Clipping

Abstract

A method of displaying a computer application comprising a plurality of objects within an initially transparent application window comprises creating an animated content window below the application window for each animated content object of the computer application and directing the player responsible for playing the animated content object to draw the animated content directly therein. The objects of the computer application are examined and a clipping mask for each animated content object corresponding generally to the animated content window created therefor is defined. Starting from bottom to top, an object from the list is selected. If the selected object is not an animated content object, the object is drawn within the application window except in areas corresponding to the clipping masks. If the selected object is an animated content object, the clipping mask defined for animated content object is removed, thereby to allow selected objects in the list above the animated content object to be drawn thereover.

Claims

1. A computerized comprising:

defining at least one animated content window on a graphical interface into which animated content is to be drawn and drawing animated content therein;

for each object defined below the animated content, drawing the object on the graphical interface except at locations overlapping with said at least one animated content window; and

for each object defined above the animated content, drawing the object on the graphical interface including locations overlapping with said at least one animated content window.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising defining a clipping region for animated content that is active only for each object below the animated content, said clipping region inhibiting each object below the animated content from overwriting the animated content.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising drawing a transparent window over the at least one animated content window into which each object overlapping with said at least one animated content window is drawn.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said drawing is performed by a media player responsible for playing said animated content.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein each object is selected from a list of objects.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein each object is selected from a list of objects.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising drawing a transparent window over the at least one animated content window into which each object overlapping with said at least one animated content window is drawn.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said drawing is performed by a media player responsible for playing said animated content.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein each object is selected from a list of objects.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said defining comprises defining a plurality of animated content windows on said graphical interface and drawing animated content into each animated content window, objects defined below animated content that overlap with one or more animated content windows being inhibited from overwriting the one or more animated content windows and objects defined above animated content that overlap with one or more animated content windows overwriting the one or more animated content windows.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said drawing is performed by a media player responsible for playing said animated content.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein each object is selected from a list of objects.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein each object is selected from a list of objects.

14. A computerized method comprising:

defining an animated content window on a graphical interface and directing a player responsible for playing animated content object to draw animated content directly into said animated content window;

selecting an object to be drawn on the graphical interface from a list of objects;

when said selected object is defined below the animated content object, drawing said object on the graphical interface except in areas overlapping with said animated content object and when said selected object is defined above the animated content object, drawing said object on the graphical interface including areas overlapping with said animated content object; and

thereafter

examining said list to determine if any non-selected objects exist therein and when one or more non-selected objects exist, re-performing said object selecting and object drawing steps.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising defining a clipping region for animated content that is active only for each object below the animated content, said clipping region inhibiting each object below the animated content from overwriting the animated content.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising drawing a transparent window over the animated content window into which each object overlapping with said animated content window is drawn.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising drawing a transparent window over the animated content window into which each object overlapping with said animated content window is drawn.

18. A computer readable medium embodying computer program code, which when executed, causes a computing device to perform the steps of:

defining at least one animated content window on a graphical interface into which animated content is to be drawn and drawing animated content therein;

for each object defined below the animated content, drawing the object on the graphical interface except at locations overlapping with said at least one animated content window; and

for each object defined above the animated content, drawing the object on the graphical interface including locations overlapping with said at least one animated content window.

19. A computer readable medium embodying computer program code, which when executed, causes a computing device to perform the steps of:

defining an animated content window on a graphical interface and directing a player responsible for playing animated content object to draw animated content directly into said animated content window;

selecting an object to be drawn on the graphical interface from a list of objects;

when said selected object is defined below the animated content object, drawing said object on the graphical interface except in areas overlapping with said animated content object and when said selected object is defined above the animated content object, drawing said object on the graphical interface including areas overlapping with said animated content object; and

thereafter

examining said list to determine if any non-selected objects exist therein and when one or more non-selected objects exist, re-performing said object selecting and object drawing steps.

20. A computerized comprising:

defining at least one animated content window on a graphical interface into which animated content is to be drawn and drawing animated content therein;

defining a transparent window over said at least one animated content window; and

drawing objects into said transparent window, wherein each object defined below the animated content is inhibited from overwriting animated content in said at least one animated content window so as to appear below said animated content.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising defining a clipping region for animated content that is active only for each object below the animated content, said clipping region inhibiting each object below the animated content from overwriting the animated content.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said drawing is performed by a media player responsible for playing said animated content.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein each object is selected from a list of objects.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein said drawing is performed by a media player responsible for playing said animated content.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein each object is selected from a list of objects.

26. A computer readable medium embodying computer program code, which when executed, causes a computing device to perform the steps of:

defining at least one animated content window on a graphical interface into which animated content is to be drawn and drawing animated content therein;

defining a transparent window over said at least one animated content window; and

drawing objects into said transparent window, wherein each object defined below the animated content is inhibited from overwriting animated content in said at least one animated content window so as to appear below said animated content.