Method, apparatus and computer program product for three dimensional text creation

• US 6,657,617 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2001
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Activision Publishing Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Paolini, Michael A., Ullmann, Lorin Evan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Osorio, Ricardo
• Application Number:
  US09/888,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20020196257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173-179, 434/113-115, 340/407.1, 421/27, 178/18-1-
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

Information for receiving by a computer system has attributes which the computer system is capable of interpreting for displaying on a two-dimensional display device. The information includes background and character attributes, according to which the characters are displayable in a color or shade that contrasts to the background. At least one of the characters has a certain character attribute for two dimensionally displaying, such bold, italic, underlining, font type or color. The information is rendered in a delineation that is tactile-detectable on a control surface of a three-dimensional display device. As thus rendered, a representation of the background is rendered in a first plane, while a representation one of the characters has a top surface of the character rendered in a second plane, and a representation of the one of the characters having the certain character attribute has a top surface of the character rendered in a third plane.

Claims

1. A method for a user interface, the method comprising the steps of:

a) receiving information including a background and characters, wherein at least one of the characters has a certain character attribute, the information being displayable in a single plane on a two-dimensional display device, wherein the characters are displayable in a color or shade that contrasts to the background; and

b) rendering the information for a user on a control surface of a three-dimensional display device, wherein the control surface has a flexible material, a number of mechanisms dispersed about the flexible material, and a number of actuators for controlling a position of the mechanisms to adjust height of the flexible material so that the control surface provides a three dimensional space, wherein a representation of the background is rendered in a first plane of the space, a representation of one of the characters has a top surface of the character rendered in a second plane of the space, the second plane having a first height above the first plane, and a representation of the one of the characters having the certain character attribute has a top surface of the character rendered in a third plane of the space, the third plane having a second height above the first plane.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of:

translating the characters to Braille characters, wherein the step of rendering the information comprises rendering representations of the characters as Braille representations of the characters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the certain character attribute is bold, italic, underlining, font or color.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional display device actuators are capable of providing a variable resistance to a force on the mechanisms so that the control surface can be rendered harder or softer by varying the resistance, and wherein the representation of the background on the control surface is rendered harder or softer responsive to whether the background has the background attribute.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional display device actuators are capable of providing a variable resistance to a force on the mechanisms so that the control surface can be rendered harder or softer by varying the resistance, and wherein the representation of one of the characters on the control surface is rendered harder or softer responsive to whether the character has the character attribute.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional display device comprises elements for heating the mechanisms so that the control surface can be rendered hotter or cooler, and wherein the representation of the background on the control surface is rendered hotter or cooler responsive to whether the background has a certain background attribute.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional display device comprises elements for heating the mechanisms so that the control surface can be rendered hotter or cooler, and wherein the representation of one of the characters on the control surface is rendered hotter or cooler responsive to whether the character has the character attribute.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step b) renders the representation of the background on the control surface in:

i) solely a third plane of the space, or ii) third and fourth planes of the space, the third plane having a third height and the fourth plane having a fourth height, wherein the rendering of the background in solely the third plane or third and fourth planes is responsive to whether the background has a certain background attribute.

9. A computer system comprising:

a tatctile-detectable display device having a control surface, wherein the control surface has a flexible material, a number of mechanisms dispersed about the flexible material, and a number of actuators for controlling a position of the mechanisms to adjust height of the flexible material so that the control surface provides a three dimensional space having length, width and height dimensions;

a processor; and

a memory for storing a program, wherein the processor is operable with the program for receiving information including characters, wherein at least one of the characters has a certain character attribute, the information being displayable in a single plane on a two-dimensional display device, wherein the characters are displayable in a color or shade that contrasts to the background, and the processor is operable with the program for rendering the information for a user on a control surface of a three-dimensional display device, wherein the control surface has a flexible material, a number of mechanisms dispersed about the flexible material, and a number of actuators for controlling a position of the mechanisms to adjust height of the flexible material so that the control surface provides a three dimensional space having length, width and height dimensions, wherein a representation of one of the characters is displayed in a first plane of the space, the first plane having a first height, and a representation of one of the characters having the character attribute is displayed in a second plane of the space, the second plane having a second height.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the processor is operable with the program for translating the characters to Braille characters, and wherein the rendering the information comprises rendering representations of the characters as Braille representations characters.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the character attribute is bold, italic, underlining, font or color.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the information includes a background, wherein the three-dimensional display device actuators are capable of providing a variable resistance to a force on the mechanisms so that the control surface can be rendered harder or softer by varying the resistance, and wherein the step of rendering the information on the control surface of the three-dimensional display device comprises the step of:

rendering on the control surface a representation of the background, wherein the representation is rendered harder or softer responsive to whether the background has the background attribute.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the three-dimensional display device actuators are capable of providing a variable resistance to a force on the mechanisms so that the control surface can be rendered harder or softer by varying the resistance, and wherein the rendering of the information on the control surface of the tactile-detectable display device comprises rendering on the control surface a representation of one of the characters, wherein the representation is rendered harder or softer responsive to whether the character has the character attribute.

14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the information includes a background, wherein the tactile-detectable display device comprises elements for heating the mechanisms so that the control surface can be rendered hotter or cooler, and wherein the rendering of the information on the control surface of the tactile-detectable display device comprises rendering on the control surface a representation the background, wherein the representation is rendered hotter or cooler responsive to whether the background has a certain background attribute.

15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the tactile-detectable display device comprises elements for heating the mechanisms so that the control surface can be rendered hotter or cooler, and wherein the rendering of the information on the control surface of the tactile-detectable display device comprises rendering on the control surface a representation of one of the characters, wherein the representation is rendered hotter or cooler responsive to whether the character has the character attribute.

16. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the information includes a background, and wherein the rendering includes rendering of a representation of the background in:

i) solely a third plane of the space, or ii) third and fourth planes of the space, the third plane having a third height and the fourth plane having a fourth height, wherein the rendering of the background in solely the third plane or third and fourth planes is responsive to whether the background has a certain background attribute.

17. A computer program product for a user interface, the product comprising:

instructions for receiving information including characters, wherein at least one of the characters has a certain character attribute, the information being displayable in a single plane on a two-dimensional display device, wherein the characters are displayable in a color or shade that contrasts to the background; and

instructions for rendering the information for a user on a control surface of a three-dimensional display device, wherein the control surface has a flexible material, a number of mechanisms dispersed about the flexible material, and a number of actuators for controlling a position of the mechanisms to adjust height of the flexible material so that the control surface provides a three dimensional space having length, width and height dimensions, wherein a representation of one of the characters is displayed in a first plane of the space, the first plane having a first height, and a representation of one of the characters having the character attribute is displayed in a second plane of the space, the second plane having a second height.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, comprising:

instructions for translating the characters to Braille characters, wherein the step of rendering the information comprises rendering representations of the characters as Braille representations characters.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the character attribute is bold, italic, underlining, font or color.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the information includes a background, wherein the three-dimensional display device actuators are capable of providing a variable resistance to a force on the mechanisms so that the control surface can be rendered harder or softer by varying the resistance, and wherein the instructions for rendering the information on the control surface of the three-dimensional display device comprise:

instructions for rendering on the control surface a representation of the background, wherein the representation is rendered harder or softer responsive to whether the background has the background attribute.

21. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the three-dimensional display device actuators are capable of providing a variable resistance to a force on the mechanisms so that the control surface can be rendered harder or softer by varying the resistance, and wherein the instructions for rendering the information on the control surface of the tactile-detectable display device comprise:

instructions for rendering on the control surface a representation of one of the characters, wherein the representation is rendered harder or softer responsive to whether the character has the character attribute.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the information includes a background, wherein the tactile-detectable display device comprises elements for heating the mechanisms so that the control surface can be rendered hotter or cooler, and wherein the instructions for rendering the information on the control surface of the tactile-detectable display device comprise:

instructions for rendering on the control surface a representation the background, wherein the representation is rendered hotter or cooler responsive to whether the background has a certain background attribute.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the tactile-detectable display device comprises elements for heating the mechanisms so that the control surface can be rendered hotter or cooler, and wherein the instructions for rendering the information on the control surface of the tactile-detectable display device comprise:

instructions for rendering on the control surface a representation of one of the characters, wherein the representation is rendered hotter or cooler responsive to whether the character has the character attribute.

24. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the information includes a background, and wherein the instructions for rendering include instructions for rendering a representation of the background in:

i) solely a third plane of the space, or ii) third and fourth planes of the space, the third plane having a third height and the fourth plane having a fourth height, wherein the rendering of the background in solely the third plane or third and fourth planes is responsive to whether the background has a certain background attribute.