Three dimensional document representation using strands
First Claim
1. An apparatus for displaying documents, comprising:
- a computer controlled display device;
means for displaying a strand of documents on said display device, said strand having a parent document and one or more child documents, said parent document represented on said display device by a screen object, each one of said child documents represented on said display device by a screen object displayed on a strand path, said strand path consisting of a two dimensional line through a three dimensional virtual display space in which said parent document and said child documents are arranged; and
a set of one or more constraints associated with said parent document, said set of constraints including a strand function, said strand function defining said strand path when said strand function is evaluated.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for displaying documents on a computer controlled display device is disclosed. The system displays documents either in a completely free-form, user controlled configuration or as strands, such that documents in a strand follow a strand path. The strand path is a two dimensional line through a three dimensional display space. The documents displayed on the strand are known as child documents, and each strand also has a parent document. Various constraints defining the strand are associated with the parent document, including a strand function defining the strand path, minimum and maximum separation constraints defining the distance between the child documents on the strand, and an origin constraint defining the positional relationship of the strand path to the screen object of the parent document.
165 Citations
8 Claims
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1. An apparatus for displaying documents, comprising:
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a computer controlled display device; means for displaying a strand of documents on said display device, said strand having a parent document and one or more child documents, said parent document represented on said display device by a screen object, each one of said child documents represented on said display device by a screen object displayed on a strand path, said strand path consisting of a two dimensional line through a three dimensional virtual display space in which said parent document and said child documents are arranged; and a set of one or more constraints associated with said parent document, said set of constraints including a strand function, said strand function defining said strand path when said strand function is evaluated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Specification