INTERACTIVE DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20140282073A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Micro Industries Corporation
• Original Assignee: Micro Industries Corporation
• Inventors: Curran, Michael A., CURRAN, Amanda, DeGenova, Jon
• Application Number:
  US13/842,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282073A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/750
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The present invention is an apparatus for communicating information comprised of an electronic display device, a touch sensitive input device positioned to substantially cover said display device, a computerized device in electronic communication with the display and the input device, and an algorithm executing on the computerized device. The algorithm causes a two-dimensional array of three-dimensional shapes to appear on said display and rotate about an axis and undulate in a wave-like manner without interaction from a viewer during an attract mode. After the touch sensitive input device is contacted by a user, the algorithm may display an interaction mode wherein the shapes may be caused to rotate about an axis by a user'"'"'s contacting the touch sensitive input device at a point on the display device corresponding to a three-dimensional shape and moving such a contact point in the direction of rotation to expose information displayed on the surface of the three-dimensional shape.

Claims

1. An apparatus for communicating information comprised of:

(a) an electronic display device for use by multiple members of the public, in a public or semi-public environment, as users stand in front of the electronic display;

(b) a touch sensitive input device;

(c) a computerized device in electronic communication with said display and said input device;

(d) an algorithm, installed on said computerized device, which configures said device to cause a two-dimensional array of three-dimensional shapes to appear on said display;

(e) said algorithm having at least a first mode of operation in which said array of said three-dimensional shapes is displayed in a perspective view wherein said three-dimensional shapes are adapted to rotate about an axis;

(f) said algorithm having at least a second mode of operation in which said array of three-dimensional shapes is displayed such that;

(1) a first dimension of said array forms a vertical axis;

(2) a second dimension of said array forms a horizontal axis; and

(3) said three-dimensional shapes are displayed in a perspective view relative to the viewer;

(g) said three-dimensional shapes have a plurality of faces;

(h) said faces display information from at least one data source; and

(i) when in said second mode of operation, said three-dimensional shapes may be caused to rotate about an axis by a user'"'"'s contacting the touch sensitive input device at a point on the display device corresponding to a three-dimensional shape and moving such a contact point in the direction of rotation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an algorithm configured to cause at least one of said three-dimensional shapes to expand in size in response to the user'"'"'s contacting the touch sensitive input device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an algorithm which displays an image that is different than the image displayed prior to said shapes expanding in size.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an algorithm which is configured to causes a display area to appear on said display in response to the user'"'"'s contacting the touch sensitive input device.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising an algorithm which configures said display area to display a map image which contains points of interest as desired by an operator of the apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising an algorithm which configures the display area to display at least one of a RSS feed, a twitter feed, or email messages.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising an algorithm which configures the display area with a virtual keyboard enabled to receives input from a user for the generation of at least one of email messages, user comments, or request for information.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a digital camera in electronic communication with said computer device, said computer device causing images received from said digital camera to be displayed in said display area.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising an algorithm which receives instructions from a user to save said images for transmission to at least one other computing device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an algorithm configured to display information which enables a user to claim a prize or price discount from a merchant in response to the user'"'"'s contacting the touch sensitive input device.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an algorithm, which is configured to causes at least one of said three-dimensional shape to react in a manner that is unexpected to a user in response to the user'"'"'s contacting the touch sensitive input device.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an algorithm which displays said array of three dimensional shapes to be in motion in a wave-like manner, such algorithm being caused to function after a predetermined amount of time within which there has not been a user input to said apparatus.

17. The computerized method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a electronic signal from a touch sensitive input device; and

(b) displaying an area on the electronic display of claim 1, at least one of;

(1) a map image;

(2) a RSS feed;

(3) a virtual keyboard and data entry area, configured to enable a user to enter information into said data entry area, using said keyboard;

(4) an image, received from a digital camera in electronic communication with the computerized device of claim 1.

14. A computerized method of attracting the attention of a view and communicating information to said viewer comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a plurality of data, said data comprising;

(1) images; and

(2) information;

(b) displaying on a display device a plurality of three-dimensional geometric shapes, each shape;

(1) forming a portion of a two-dimensional array on said display device;

(2) comprising a plurality of faces; and

(c) displaying at least one of said images or information on at least one of said faces;

15. The computerized method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a electronic signal from a touch sensitive input device; and

(b) rotating at least one of the plurality of three dimensional shapes about an axis as the result of the received electronic signal.

16. The computerized method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a electronic signal from a touch sensitive input device; and

(b) expanding in size, at least one of the plurality of three dimensional shapes to display at least one of;

(1) an image found on the face of the three-dimensional shape;

(2) an image found on the fact of the three-dimensional shape displaying more of the image than was displayed before said electronic signal;

(3) an image not the same as what was originally displayed on the three-dimensional shape; and

(4) at least one of an video image or an animated image.

18. The computerized method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a electronic signal from a touch sensitive input device; and

(b) responding to said received electronic signal by displaying at least one three-dimensional shape in a manner unexpected and that is indented to surprise a viewer.

19. A computerized method for attracting the attention of a viewer and communicating information to said viewer comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a plurality of data, said data comprising;

(1) images; and

(2) information;

(b) displaying on a display device a plurality of three-dimensional geometric shapes, each shape;

(1) forming a portion of a two-dimensional array on said display device; and

(2) comprising a plurality of faces;

(c) displaying at least one of said images or information on at least one of said faces;

(d) displaying said two-dimensional array in at least a first mode of operation where;

(1) said two-dimensional array is displayed in a perspective view;

(2) said two-dimensional array is further caused to undulate in a wave-like manner along at least one axis; and

(3) said three-dimensional shapes are caused to rotate about an axis without input from a user;

(e) displaying said two-dimensional array in at least a second mode of operation where;

(1) a first dimension of said array forms a vertical axis;

(2) a second-dimension of said array forms a horizontal axis;

(3) said three-dimensional shapes are displayed in a perspective view relative to the viewer;

(4) rotating such a shape about an axis upon receiving from a touch-sensitive input device a signal corresponding to a user contact at a point on the display device corresponding to a face of at least one three-dimensional shape and said point of contact moving horizontally along the touch sensitive input device;

(5) enlarging such a three-dimensional shape relative to the remaining shapes upon receiving, from a touch sensitive input device, a signal corresponding to a user contacting and releasing a point on the display device without significantly moving such a contact point.