Image displaying processing method, medium including an image displaying processing program stored thereon, and image displaying processing apparatus

• US 6,587,118 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2000
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yoneda, Michiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Razavi, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): YANG, RYAN R
• Application Number:
  US09/534,941
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 345/629, 345/634, 345/636, 345/637, 345/764
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

An image displaying processing method, a medium including an image displaying processing program stored thereon, and an image displaying processing apparatus are disclosed which allow a menu bar or the like to be displayed in a semi-transparent fashion such that an image and/or a character in an underlying layer can be seen through the menu. A client computer acquires first visual information and second visual information with a particular degree of transparency from a desired server via a network. The picture elements of the acquired first and second visual information are displayed in the first and second layers, respectively, in such a manner that an image is synthesized by superimposing the picture elements of the first and second visual information at overlapping locations in the first and second layers according to a predetermined superimposing method and the resultant image is displayed thereby allowing a user to click a particular part of the visual information in the second layer while viewing the visual information in the first layer under the second layer.

Claims

1. An image displaying processing method comprising:

an information acquiring step for acquiring first visual information and second visual information having predetermined transparency from a predetermined server via a network;

a first-layer displaying step for displaying a picture element of the first visual information acquired in said information acquiring step, in a first layer on a display screen, said first visual information displayed being a document described in the HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language);

a second-layer displaying step for placing a picture element of the second visual information acquired in said information acquiring step, in a second layer above said first layer on the display screen, said second visual information being an image having a chessboard-like shape according to the transparent GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) format; and

an image superimposing step for superimposing the picture elements of said first and second visual information to be displayed at an overlapping location in said first and second layers, respectively, in accordance with a predetermined superimposing method and displaying the resultant superimposed image on the display screen, said superimposing method alternately placing, on the display screen, the picture elements of said first and second visual information to be displayed at an overlapping location in said first and second layers, respectively, thereby virtually superimposing said first and second visual information and displaying the virtually superimposed image on the display screen and said superimposing method placing the image according to the transparent GIF format as the second visual information in the second layer above the first layer in which the document is placed as the first visual information so that said first and second visual information are virtually superimposed and the resultant superimposed information is displayed on said display screen, wherein said image superimposing step displays a menu bar as said second visual information in such a manner that when said menu is expanded from an end of the display screen in response to a selection of a menu, the expanded menu bar is displayed according to the transparent GIF format.

2. An image displaying processing method comprising:

an information acquiring step for acquiring first visual information and second visual information having predetermined transparency from a predetermined server via a network;

a first-layer displaying step for displaying a picture element of the first visual information acquired in said information acquiring step, in a first layer on a display screen, said first visual information displayed being a document described in the HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language);

a second-layer displaying step for placing a picture element of the second visual information acquired in said information acquiring step, in a second layer above said first layer on the display screen, said second visual information being an image having a chessboard-like shape according to the transparent GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) format; and

an image superimposing step for superimposing the picture elements of said first and second visual information to be displayed at an overlapping location in said first and second layers, respectively, in accordance with a predetermined superimposing method and displaying the resultant superimposed image on the display screen, said superimposing method alternately placing, on the display screen, the picture elements of said first and second visual information to be displayed at an overlapping location in said first and second layers, respectively, thereby virtually superimposing said first and second visual information and displaying the virtually superimposed image on the display screen and said superimposing method placing the image according to the transparent GIF format as the second visual information in the second layer above the first layer in which the document is placed as the first visual information so that said first and second visual information are virtually superimposed and the resultant superimposed information is displayed on said display screen, wherein said image superimposing step displays a menu bar as said second visual information in such a manner that when said menu is expanded from an end of the display screen in response to a selection of a menu, the expanded menu bar is displayed according to the transparent GIF format, and link information indicating a particular linked page is described in the image of the menu bar according to the transparent GIF format, and said image superimposing step displays said menu bar in the form expanded from the end of the display screen such that a part of said first visual information is seen through said menu bar and such that said linked page can be selected.

3. An image displaying processing method comprising:

an information acquiring step for acquiring first visual information and second visual information having predetermined transparency from a predetermined server via a network;

a first-layer displaying step for displaying a picture element of the first visual information acquired in said information acquiring step, in a first layer on a display screen;

a second-layer displaying step for placing a picture element of the second visual information acquired in said information acquiring step, in a second layer above said first layer on the display screen; and

an image superimposing step for superimposing the picture elements of said first and second visual information to be displayed at an overlapping location in said first and second layers, respectively, in accordance with a predetermined superimposing method and displaying the resultant superimposed image on the display screen wherein said image superimposing step superimposes said first and second visual information in a ratio corresponding to the degree of transparency of the second visual information, in accordance with the picture element values of picture elements of said first and second visual information to be displayed at a superimposed location in said first and second layers, respectively, and displays the resultant superimposed visual information on the display screen and a degree of transparency of said second visual information is described in a tag of an HTML file, and said image superimposing step superimposes said first and second visual information in accordance with the degree of transparency of said second visual information described in said tag and displays the resultant superimposed information on the display screen.

4. A medium including an image displaying processing program stored thereon, said program including:

an information acquiring step for acquiring first visual information and second visual information having predetermined transparency from a predetermined server via a network;

a first-layer displaying step for displaying a picture element of the first visual information acquired in said information acquiring step, in a first layer said first visual information displayed in said first-layer displaying step is a document described in the HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language);

a second-layer displaying step for displaying a picture element of the second visual information acquired in said information acquiring step, in a second layer above said first layer said second visual information processed in said second-layer displaying step is an image according to the transparent GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) format; and

an image superimposing step for superimposing the picture elements of said first and second visual information to be displayed at an overlapping location in said first and second layers, respectively, in accordance with a predetermined superimposing method and displaying the resultant superimposed image, said image superimposing step places the image according to the transparent GIF format as the second visual information in the second layer above the first layer in which the document is placed as the first visual information so that said first and second visual information are virtually superimposed and the resultant superimposed information is displayed.

5. An image displaying processing apparatus comprising:

information acquiring means for acquiring first visual information and second visual information having predetermined transparency from a predetermined server via a network;

first-layer displaying means for placing a picture element of the first visual information acquired by said information acquiring means, in a first layer, said first visual information displayed by said first-layer displaying means is a document described in the HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language);

a second-layer displaying means for displaying a picture element of the second visual information acquired by said information acquiring means, in a second layer above said first layer said second visual information processed by said second-layer displaying processing means is an image according to the transparent GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) format; and

image superimposing means for superimposing the picture elements of said first and second visual information to be displayed at an overlapping location in said first and second layers, respectively, in accordance with a predetermined superimposing method and displaying the resultant superimposed image, said image superimposing means places the image according to the transparent GIF format as the second visual information in the second layer above the first layer in which the document is placed as the first visual information so that said first and second visual information are virtually superimposed and the resultant superimposed information is displayed.