System and method for editing electronic images
First Claim
1. A graphical input and display system for creating and manipulating an electronic image, comprising:
- user input means for manipulating elements of the electronic image;
image input means for entering the electronic image onto a display means;
a processor, connected for receiving requests for image editing operations and for accessing a memory structure;
program memory means comprising;
user interaction module for entering new, unrestricted image material or selecting and modifying existing image material to form primary image objects;
grouping module for creating visible image elements and maintaining an unrestricted, arbitrary grouping structure, and setting a priority and ordering for composite objects, wherein said priority ordering includes at least one member selected from the group consisting of rearrangement based on algorithms that determine smallest-to-largest spatial extent, measures of perceptual salience, and the context of selection criteria recently exercised by the user;
data output module for presenting a view of the graphical image; and
data memory means comprising;
data input data structure; and
data output data structure.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A graphical input and display system for creating and manipulating electronic images includes input devices permitting a user to manipulate elements of electronic images received from various image input sources. A processor, connected to the system, receives requests for various image editing operations and also accesses a memory structure. The system memory structure includes a user interaction module, which allows a user to enter new image material or select and modify existing image material to form primary image objects, as well as a grouping module, which maintains an unrestricted grouping structure, an output module, and data memory.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A graphical input and display system for creating and manipulating an electronic image, comprising:
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user input means for manipulating elements of the electronic image;
image input means for entering the electronic image onto a display means;
a processor, connected for receiving requests for image editing operations and for accessing a memory structure;
program memory means comprising;
user interaction module for entering new, unrestricted image material or selecting and modifying existing image material to form primary image objects;
grouping module for creating visible image elements and maintaining an unrestricted, arbitrary grouping structure, and setting a priority and ordering for composite objects, wherein said priority ordering includes at least one member selected from the group consisting of rearrangement based on algorithms that determine smallest-to-largest spatial extent, measures of perceptual salience, and the context of selection criteria recently exercised by the user;
data output module for presenting a view of the graphical image; and
data memory means comprising;
data input data structure; and
data output data structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for organizing a source electronic image entered on a display device into image objects comprising:
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selecting arbitrary existing image material;
establishing primary image objects;
modifying the image material; and
reconstituting an unrestricted grouping structure, including setting a priority and ordering for composite objects, wherein said priority ordering includes at least one member selected from the group consisting of rearrangement based on algorithms that determine smallest-to-largest spatial extent, measures of perceptual salience, and the context of selection criteria recently exercised by the user, wherein reconstituting said unrestricted grouping structure comprises;
identifying composite objects supported by a plurality of primary image objects;
moving not less than one primary image object;
determining whether the new location of the moved primary image objects destroys group structure;
forming a new composite object with those primary image objects not moved;
creating a new composite object for primary image objects that were moved; and
creating a new grouping structure. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied in said medium which, when said program code is executed by said computer causes said computer to perform method steps for editing and manipulating an electronic image entered onto a display, said method steps comprising:
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decomposing the electronic image into primary image objects;
organizing said primary image objects into unrestricted, arbitrary groups of primary image objects, such that each said primary image object belongs to one or more groups and each group contains not less than one primary image object;
creating new primary image objects; and
reorganizing all or part of said groups of primary image objects into one or more new groups of primary image objects in response to user manipulation of not less than one primary image object, including setting a priority and ordering for said new groups of primary image objects, wherein said priority ordering includes at least one member selected from the group consisting of rearrangement based on algorithms that determine smallest-to-largest spatial extent, measures of perceptual salience, and the context of selection criteria recently exercised by the user.
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36. A memory for storing data for access by a program being executed on a computer for creating and manipulating data representing an electronic image, said memory comprising:
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a lattice data structure stored in said memory for providing an unrestricted, arbitrary grouping structure defining the relationships between primary image objects and composite objects, including;
a plurality of primary objects stored in said memory, said primary objects being bitmap objects or curvilinear objects, said primary objects arranged in at least one primary object list;
a plurality of composite objects, each composite object including at least one primary object, said composite objects arranged in at least one composite object list, wherein said composite objects are given a priority and ordering, wherein said priority ordering includes at least one member selected from the group consisting of rearrangement based on algorithms that determine smallest-to-largest spatial extent, measures of perceptual salience, and the context of selection criteria recently exercised by the user; and
a plurality of hyperlinks linking said primary objects with either or both destination and source objects. - View Dependent Claims (37)
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Specification