Navigation of rendered virtual environments using physical tags

• US 6,573,916 B1
• Filed: 09/07/1999
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chartoleaux KG LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Gujar, Anuj Uday, Grossweiler, Richard C. III, Want, Roy, Fishkin, Kenneth P., Harrison, Beverly L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US09/391,898
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 345/762, 345/765, 345/744, 345/848, 345/853, 345/854, 345/850, 345/851
• US Class Current: 715/850
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images

Abstract

A method of operating a computing system that includes a display for rendered graphical images and an electronic tag reader configured to read an identifier of the electronic tag providing signals indicating target regions within images presented by the display. The method includes presenting a start image on the display, wherein the start image includes a first surface perceptible as viewed from a start viewpoint within a three-dimensional data space, receiving an identifier from an electronic tag indicating a target image, and presenting the target image on the display.

Claims

1. A method of operating a computing system that includes a display for rendered graphical images and an electronic tag reader configured to read an identifier of an electronic tag providing signals indicating target regions within images presented by the display;

the method comprising steps of;

presenting a start image on the display,

the start image including a first surface perceptible as viewed from a start viewpoint within a three-dimensional data space,

receiving an identifier from an electronic tag indicating a target image, and

presenting the target image on the display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing navigational context by presenting a series of intermediate images between the step of presenting the start image and the step of presenting the target image.

3. A system for navigation of digital data sets displayed as rendered images, the system comprising

an electronic tag having a digitally readable identifier,

an electronic tag reader configured to read the identifier of the electronic tag,

a computing system connected to the electronic tag reader to provide digital navigation services of image data sets in response to reading the identifier of each electronic tag.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the electronic tag is premarked.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the electronic tag presents a surface for user defined annotation.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the electronic tag is read by the electronic tag reader through a wireless connection.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the wireless connection operates at radiofrequencies.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the wireless connection is infrared.

9. A method of operating a computing system comprising

presenting a three-dimensional data space,

presenting a start viewpoint of an image on the display within the three-dimensional data space,

receiving an identifier from an electronic tag indicating a target viewpoint of the image, and

presenting the target viewpoint on the display.