Interactive overlay driven computer display system

• US 5,010,323 A
• Filed: 05/09/1988
• Issued: 04/23/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Conference Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Conference Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Hoffman, Clifford J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberley, Alvin E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Application Number:
  US07/191,379
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 340/706, 340/711, 340/712, 178/18, 178/19, 341/22
• US Class Current: 345/178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041

Abstract

An overlay driven display system incorporating a digitizer tablet and a stylus for providing coordinate signals to a computer which signals are representative of the coordinates of any point on the tablet selected by the position of the stylus on the tablet. The computer is coupled to a display device, such as a CRT, for displaying addressed data, such as graphic information. An overlay, randomly positionable on the digitizer tablet, contains areas relating to the position of tablet coordinate signals that correspond to the addresses of the data stored in the computer. Three triangularly positioned points on the overlay identify a unique triangle which relates the overlay to the unique angular relationship of the computer file. Software is provided for translating the overlay points to the coordinate system of the digitizer tablet and for scaling the points to match the coordinate system of the digitizer tablet such that the file corresponding to the overlay is accessed and areas on the overlay, when selected by the angular relationship of the points on the stylus, are displayed on the CRT. Overlapping of overlays is permitted to allow the simultaneous display of a plurality of files. The system also permits other than three points to be used.

Claims

1. An overlay driven stored file display system comprising:

(a) a tablet and stylus means for providing a coordinate signal representative of the coordinates of any of a plurality of points on the tablet selected by the position of said stylus on said tablet;

(b) storing means for addressably storing a plurality of files each at a unique file address;

(c) an overlay for random placement on said tablet, said overlay having positioned thereon at least three points having a unique angular relationship defining a file address;

(d) means responsive to the coordinate signals generated when said stylus is sequentially positioned at each of said three points on said overlay for translating and normalizing the coordinates of the file address of the overlay to an overlay management space such that the file address of said overlay, corresponding to a unique file address of said storing means, causes an access of said storing means to retrieve a stored file; and

(e) means for displaying the retrieved file.

2. The stored file display system of claim 1 and further comprising:

at least one additional overlay positionable on said tablet for retrieving additional files for simultaneous display.

3. The stored file display system of claim 1 and further comprising:

means for translating and normalizing any points on said overlay that are selected by the positioning of the stylus on the overlay to generate coordinate signals corresponding to the address of information associated with the retrieved file.

4. The stored file display system of claim 1 wherein a point on said overlay corresponds to a unit cell.

5. A display system comprising:

a tablet and probe of the type that provides a coordinate signal representative of the coordinates of points on the tablet in response to the position of said probe with respect to said tablet;

a storage means for addressably storing a plurality of files each at a unique address corresponding to the coordinates of uniquely angularly related apex points of a randomly positionable triangle shape on said tablet;

an overlay for random placement on said tablet said overlay having positioned thereon a plurality of uniquely angularly related points corresponding to the address of a stored file;

means coupled to said tablet and said storage means and responsive to at least three sequential coordinate signals representing the apex points of a triangle for providing a unique address signal to said storage means so as to access an associated stored file; and

display means coupled to said storage means for displaying the accessed file.

6. A display system comprising:

an X, Y position sensing tablet including a tablet stylus for providing position signals indicative of the position of the tablet stylus on the surface of the sensing tablet;

a storage means for addressably storing a plurality of files each at a file address corresponding t a particular position signal;

an overlay for random placement on said tablet, said overlay having at least three points thereon having a unique angular relationship corresponding to a stored file address, and whereon the distance between two of the points corresponds to a scale factor and whereon the position of two of the points defines a reference axis;

means responsive to the position signals, generated when the stylus is sequentially positioned at each of the three points for transforming and normalizing each point by the scale factor such that a stored file is accessed from storage means; and

display means coupled to said storage means for displaying the accessed file.

7. A stored file display system comprising:

a digitizer tablet means including a stylus for providing a coordinate signal representative of the position of the stylus on a surface of the tablet;

a computer means including means for storing addressable files by the angular relationship of sets of coordinate signals from said digitizer tablet;

an overlay for random placement on said tablet said overlay having positioned thereon a plurality of uniquely angularly related points corresponding to the address of a stored file; and

display means coupled to said computer means for visually displaying stored files selected by the sets of coordinate signals from said digitizer tablet.

8. A stored file display system according to claim 7 wherein the angular relationship of said sets of coordinate signals determines a unique file address having a first point which is a base point, a second point which is a scale point and a third point which is a file point.

9. The stored file display system according to claim 8 wherein said computer means addresses a file by coordinate transformation of the first, second and third points to a file related coordinate system;

and

by scaling the transformed position of the third point to derive a file point having coordinates corresponding to the address of the selected file.

10. The stored file display system according to claim 9 and further comprising:

at least one control overlay randomly positionable on the surface of the digitizer tablet means, said control overlay containing labeled control functions and indicia of the angular relationship of said first, second and third points such that positioning the stylus at the first, second and third points on the overlay accesses a menu directing file and further positioning of the stylus at any of the labeled control functions activates a stored control function.

11. The stored file display system according to claim 10 and further comprising:

a control overlay affixed to the surface of said digitizer tablet means for providing coordinate signals when activated by said stylus for providing the functions of ADD, DELETE and RESET when multiple overlays are used with said tablet.

12. A method for accessing stored files from a addressable store coupled to a tablet of the type that provides a coordinate signal representative of the position of a stylus on a surface of the tablet with respect to tablet coordinate axes comprising the steps of:

(a) randomly placing an overlay on a surface of the tablet, said overlay having three triangularly positioned points with a unique angular relationship corresponding to address scale factor and base points of a desired stored file;

(b) positioning the stylus on said overlay at each of said three triangularly positioned points to generate three coordinate signals;

(c) transforming the three coordinate signals such that the overlay base point is aligned with respect to an ODF artwork axis;

(d) scaling the transformed three coordinate signals such that the address point coordinate signal of the overlay corresponds to the address of a stored file independent of the positioning and size of the overlay on the surface of the tablet; and

(e) accessing the stored file with the address point coordinate signal.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein steps (a) through (e) are repeated for each additional overlay placed on the surface of the tablet for the purpose of addressing a plurality of stored files.

14. The method according to claim 12 and further comprising the step of:

(f) displaying the file accessed in step (e) to permit operator interaction.

15. The method according to claim 12 and further comprising the steps of:

(f) placing a control overlay, having a plurality of control functions displayed thereon and a plurality of points having a unique angular relationship corresponding to a stored file, on a surface of said tablet; and

(g) positioning the stylus on the control overlay at the plurality of points and the desired control function when needed.

16. The method according to claim 12 and further comprising the step of:

incremently increasing a limited number of times the number of points around a transformed and scaled overlay address point if an address of a stored file is not found so as to provide for inaccuracy of positioning the stylus on the overlay.

17. A method for accessing a stored file and associated stored data from a addressable store coupled to a tablet of the type that provides a coordinate signal representative of the position of a stylus on a surface of the tablet with respect to tablet coordinate axes comprising the steps of:

(a) randomly placing an overlay on a surface of the tablet, said overlay having three triangularly positioned points having a unique angular relationship corresponding to stored file address, scale factor and base points;

(b) positioning the stylus on said overlay at each of said three triangularly positioned points to generate three coordinate signals;

(c) transforming the three coordinate signals such that the overlay base point is aligned with respect to an ODP artword axis;

(d) scaling the transformed three coordinate signals such that the address point'"'"'s associated coordinate signal corresponds to the address of a stored file independent of the positioning and size of the overlay on the surface of the tablet;

(e) accessing the stored file with the address point'"'"'s coordinate signal;

(f) positioning the stylus on said overlay at a point corresponding to the stored file data desired to be displayed to generate a data coordinate signal;

(g) transforming and scaling the data coordinate signal such that the data coordinate signal corresponds to the address of the stored file data independent of the positioning and size of the overlay on the surface of the tablet;

(h) accessing the stored file data with the transformed and scaled data coordinate signal;

(i) displaying the accessed stored file data accessed in step h); and

(j) repeating steps (b) through (i) to form a display of accessed stored file data.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein step (a) places a plurality of overlays on the surface of the tablet, and further comprising the step of;

(k) repeating steps (b) through (j) to form a composite display of accessed stored file data.

19. The method of claim 18 and further comprising the steps of:

(1) placing a control overlay, having a plurality of control functions and a plurality of unique angularly positioned points corresponding to a stored control file displayed thereon, on a surface of said tablet; and

(m) positioning the stylus on the control overlay at the plurality of points and the desired control functions when needed.

20. An overlay driven stored file display comprising:

(a) a tablet and stylus means for providing coordinate signals representative of the coordinates of any of a plurality of points on the tablet selected by the position of said stylus on said tablet;

(b) storing means for addressably storing a plurality of files each at a unique file address related tot he coordinates of a corresponding one of the plurality of points on said tablet;

(c) an overlay for random placement on said tablet, said overlay having at lease four points thereon with a unique angular relationship corresponding to a unique file address, three of said points positioned to define a standard figure and whereon the position of one point corresponds to a file point address and where the distance between two of the points corresponds to a scale factor and whereon the positions of two of the points define a base line;

(d) computer means responsive to the coordinate signals generated when said stylus is positioned at each of the four points of said overlay for correcting the position of the three of said four points to the defined standard figure utilizing the unique angular relationship of a fourth point with respect to the three points defining the standard figure if the standard figure of said overlay is distorted, said computer means also translating and scaling the coordinates of the file point address of the overlay to an overlay management space such that the file point address of said overlay, corresponding to the unique file address causes an access of said storing means to retrieve a stored file; and

(e) display means coupled to said storing means for displaying the retrieved file.

21. A method for accessing stored files from an addressable store coupled to a tablet of the type that provides a coordinate signal representative of the position of a stylus on a surface of the tablet comprising the steps of:

(a) randomly placing an overlay on a surface of the tablet, said overlay having three or more points with a unique angular relationship corresponding to the address of a stored file;

(b) positioning the stylus on said overlay at each of the three or more points to generate coordinate signals; and

(c) accessing the stored file with the generated coordinate signals.