Navigation methods, systems, and computer program products for virtual three-dimensional books

• US 7,493,572 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2004
• Issued: 02/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Gossweiler, III, Richard Carl, MacKinlay, Jock Douglas, Woodruff, Allison Gyle, Card, Stuart Kent
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chuong, Truc T
• Application Number:
  US10/896,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20050005246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 715/757, 715/786, 715/850, 715/852, 715/853
• US Class Current: 715/850
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

A system is described for displaying images of a virtual three-dimensional book having one or more virtual pages. The system comprises a display system capable of executing a display program wherein images of the virtual three-dimensional book are produced on the display system. A degree of interest (DOI) function is provided for allocating available space on the display system. A page selection function may provide a user-selectable scale along a long axis of the virtual book for selecting virtual pages. Virtual chapter tabs may also be provided for navigating within the virtual book. The display system may also include a page flipping function with several different page flipping speeds and several different page flipping animations for moving between virtual pages in the virtual book. Moreover, a scroll bar function provided to facilitate page navigation wherein space on the scroll bar is allocated using a DOI function. Finally, a computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for producing images of a virtual three-dimensional book is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for displaying images of a virtual three-dimensional book having one or more virtual pages, the system comprising:

a display system capable of executing a display program,

wherein images of the virtual three-dimensional book are produced on the display system,

a page selection function is provided, the page selection function comprising a user-selectable scale along an axis of the virtual three-dimensional book for selecting virtual pages, the user selectable scale being non-linear and a function of a degree of interest value, and

the degree of interest (DOI) value comprises a page distance from a currently displayed page, falls off exponentially from the currently displayed page, and is determined for each page number p using the function

$\mathrm{DOI}<br><br>\left(p\right)=\frac{1}{A<br><br><br><br>{\mathrm{e<br><br>}}^{k<br><br><br><br>c-p<br><br>}}$

wherein A and k are constants, e is the base of natural logarithms, and |c-p| is the absolute value of the difference between a current page number c and each page number p.

2. A method for displaying a virtual book comprising:

producing images of a virtual three-dimensional book having one or more virtual pages on a display device; and

displaying a user-selectable scale along an axis of the virtual three-dimensional book for selecting virtual pages, the user selectable scale being non-linear and a function of a degree of interest value,

the degree of interest (DOI) value comprises a page distance from a currently displayed value, falls off exponentially from the currently displayed page, and is determined for each page number p using the function

$\mathrm{DOI}<br><br>\left(p\right)=\frac{1}{A<br><br><br><br>{\mathrm{e<br><br>}}^{k<br><br><br><br>c-p<br><br>}}$

wherein A and k are constants, e is the base of natural logarithms, and |c-p|is the absolute value of the difference between a current page number c and each page number p.