Modulating the dimensions of environmentally related and proportionally sized displayed objects to conform selected object dimensions to limitations of a defined display space

• US 6,295,056 B1
• Filed: 12/03/1998
• Issued: 09/25/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines SA (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Morgan, Scott Anthony, Swearingen, Craig Ardner, Tannenbaum, Alan Richard, Mullaly, John Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/204,915
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 345/332, 345/333, 345/338, 345/339, 345/342, 345/349, 345/350, 345/420, 345/440, 345/441, 345/472, 345/121, 345/334
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting

Abstract

A computer controlled user interactive display system with an implementation for displaying within a defined display space a plurality of objects having dimensions proportionally representative of physical parameters of elements respectively represented by said objects, but this system is provided with a further implementation for nonlinearly modulating at least one dimension of at least one of said displayed objects so as to conform the object dimension to the dimensional limitations of the defined display space without affecting the dimensional status of the object with said modulated dimension relative to the other objects.

Claims

1. A computer controlled user interactive display system comprising:

means for displaying within a defined display space, a plurality of environmentally associated image objects having dimensions proportionally representative of the actual dimensions of real world elements respectively represented by said objects, and

means for nonlinearly modulating at least one dimension of at least one of said displayed objects so as to conform the object dimension to the dimensional limitations of the defined display space without affecting the dimensional status of the object with said modulated dimension relative to the other objects.

2. The display system of claim 1 wherein said objects are book structures.

3. The display system of claim 2 wherein said book structures are book edges.

4. The display system of claim 2 wherein said book structures are book spines.

5. The display system of claim 1 wherein a plurality of the dimensions of said object are modulated.

6. A computer controlled user interactive display system comprising:

means for displaying within a defined display space, a plurality of environmentally associated image objects having dimensions proportionally representative of the actual dimensions of real world elements respectively represented by said objects, and

means for nonlinearly modulating by an arc-tan function at least one dimension of at least one of said displayed objects so as to conform the object dimension to the dimensional limitations of the defined display space without affecting the dimensional status of the object with said modulated dimension relative to the other objects.

7. A computer implemented user interactive display method comprising:

displaying within a defined display space, a plurality of environmentally associated image objects having dimensions proportionally representative of the actual dimensions of real world elements respectively represented by said objects, and

nonlinearly modulating at least one dimension of at least one of said displayed objects so as to conform the object dimension to the dimensional limitations of the defined display space without affecting the dimensional status of the object with said modulated dimension relative to the other objects.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said objects are book structures.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said book structures are book edges.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said book structures are book spines.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein a plurality of the dimensions of said object are modulated.

12. A computer implemented user interactive display method comprising:

displaying within a defined display space, a plurality of environmentally associated image objects having dimensions proportionally representative of the actual dimensions of real world elements respectively represented by said objects, and

nonlinearly modulating by an arc-tan function at least one dimension of at least one of said displayed objects so as to conform the object dimension to the dimensional limitations of the defined display space without affecting the dimensional status of the object with said modulated dimension relative to the other objects.

13. A computer controlled display program having program code included on a computer readable medium comprising:

means for displaying within a defined display space, a plurality of environmentally associated image objects having dimensions proportionally representative of the actual dimensions of real world elements respectively represented by said objects, and

means for nonlinearly modulating at least one dimension of at least one of said displayed objects so as to conform the object dimension to the dimensional limitations of the defined display space without affecting the dimensional status of the object with said modulated dimension relative to the other objects.

14. The computer program of claim 13 wherein said objects are book structures.

15. The computer program of claim 14 wherein said book structures are book edges.

16. The computer program of claim 14 wherein said book structures are book spines.

17. The program of claim 13 wherein a plurality of the dimensions of said object are modulated.

18. A computer controlled display program having program code included on a computer readable medium comprising:

means for displaying within a defined display space, a plurality of environmentally associated image objects having dimensions proportionally representative of the actual dimensions of real world elements respectively represented by said objects, and

means for nonlinearly modulating by an arc-tan function at least one dimension of at least one of said displayed objects so as to conform the object dimension to the dimensional limitations of the defined display space without affecting the dimensional status of the object with said modulated dimension relative to the other objects.