Large display attention focus system

• US 7,656,413 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Fitzmaurice, George William, Kurtenbauch, Gordon Paul, Matejka, Justin Frank, Khan, Azam
• Primary Examiner(s): Sajous; Wesner
• Application Number:
  US11/391,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20070234220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 715/745, 715/764, 715/700, 715/742, 715/767, 715/772, 715855-861, 345/589, 345/594, 345/619, 345/688, 345156-160, 345/581, 345/592, 382282-283, 382/276, 382/306, 382/254, 382/274
• US Class Current: 345/589
• 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: G09G 2320/0686 with two or more screen areas displaying information with different brightness or colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

A system that allows a user to spotlight a region of particular interest in a large-scale display, such as a wall panel display. The spotlight can be a circular or other shape area around which the display is de-emphasized, such as by being darkened or blurred outside the circle. The spotlight can be moved by the user moving a cursor positioned in the circle. When the cursor encounters an edge of the circle the spotlight is moved in the direction of cursor movement. As the cursor is moved the outside region has less de-emphasis. When the movement is stopped the outside region is darkened to the maximum. A spotlight beam or other attention directing area of emphasis can be used to help focus a viewer'"'"'s attention on the spotlight. The spotlight can follow objects in a scene as they move.

Claims

1. A process, comprising:

generating a display by a processing device;

darkening a portion of the display having a lesser degree of interest having a spatial correspondence with a cursor position thereby correlating a darkened portion of the display directly with a movement of the cursor; and

un-correlating the darkened portion of the display with the cursor position when the cursor position is moved within a boundary of the darkened portion of the display.

2. A process as recited in claim 1, wherein the darkening comprises confining the darkening in display to outside of a circular region.

3. A process as recited in claim 1, wherein a circle designates the portion.

7. A process as recited in claim 1, further comprising providing an attention direction region for directing a viewer'"'"'s attention to an area of a higher degree of interest.

8. A process as recited in claim 7, wherein the region comprises one of a beam, a curtain, a cone, an object shape, and an ellipse.

9. A process as recited claim 1, wherein the darkening comprises applying a mask having a transparent region for a portion of the display having a higher degree of interest.

10. A process as recited in claim 9, wherein the mask has surrounding regions of graduating density.

11. A process as recited in claim 1, further comprising allowing a size and shape of the portion to be user controlled or system controlled.

22. A process as recited in claim 1, wherein the darkening comprises one of darkening, blurring, de-saturating, de-tinting, de-coloring, de-activating and temporally adjusting the portion.

4. A process comprising:

generating a display by a processing device;

darkening a portion of the display having a lesser degree of interest having a spatial correspondence with a cursor position, wherein a circle designates the portion;

allowing the user to move the cursor position; and

moving the circle when the cursor encounters an edge of the circle, and un-correlating the darkened portion of the display with the cursor position when the cursor position is moved beyond the edge of the circle.

5. A process as recited in claim 4, further comprising changing darkening during the moving.

6. A process as recited in claim 5, wherein the darkening is lessened during the moving.

12. A process, comprising:

generating a display by a processing device; and

spotlighting a portion of the display by darkening the portion of the display outside a circular region designated by a user with a cursor by applying a mask having a transparent center region at a cursor location and having surrounding regions of graduating increase in density;

allowing the user to move the cursor in the circular region;

moving the circular region in a direction of cursor movement when the cursor encounters an edge of the circular region; and

reducing the darkening during the moving.

13. A process, comprising:

allowing a user to designate a portion of a display using a cursor having a spatial correspondence with the portion;

darkening the display outside the portion by a processing device, thereby correlating a darkened portion of the display directly with a movement of the cursor; and

un-correlating the darkened portion of the display with the cursor when the cursor is moved within a boundary of the darkened portion of the display.

14. A process, comprising:

generating a display by a processing device; and

allowing a user to designate a portion of the display with a spotlight having a spatial correspondence with the designation thereby correlating a darkened portion of the display directly with a movement of the designation; and

un-correlating the darkened portion of the display with the designation when the designation is moved within a boundary of the darkened portion of the display.

15. A process as recited in claim 14, wherein the spotlight comprises a circular region outside of which the display is darkened.

16. A display generated by a computer, comprising:

a scene generated by the computer;

a darkened portion of the scene having a lesser degree of interest spatially correspondent to a position designated by the user and correlating the darkened portion of the scene directly with a movement of the designation by the user; and

un-correlating the darkened portion of the scene with the position designated by the user when the position is moved within a boundary of the darkened portion of the scene.

17. A system, comprising:

a display;

a computer producing a scene displayed on the display and having a darkened portion of the scene having a lesser degree of interest as designated by a cursor having a spatial correspondence with the portion and which correlates directly with a movement of the cursor; and

un-correlating the darkened portion of the scene with the cursor when the cursor is moved within a boundary of the darkened portion of the scene.

18. A system as recited in claim 17, wherein scene content is 3D.

19. A system, comprising:

a display;

a computer producing a scene displayed on the display and having a de-emphasized portion of the scene having a lesser degree of interest as designated by a cursor having a spatial correspondence with the portion and which correlates directly with a movement of the cursor; and

remote display and remote computer interactively connected to present the scene and the portion for collaboration.

20. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer and storing a process performed by the computer, comprising:

generating a display and darkening a portion of the display having a lesser degree of interest as designated by a cursor having a spatial correspondence with the portion and which correlates directly with a movement of the cursor; and

un-correlating the darkened portion of the display with the cursor when the cursor is moved within a boundary of the darkened portion of the display.

21. A display generated by a computer, comprising:

a scene generated by the computer;

a spotlighted portion of the scene spatially correspondent to a position of a cursor controlled by a user thereby correlating a darkened portion of the scene directly with a movement of the cursor; and

un-correlating the darkened portion of the scene with the cursor when the cursor is moved within a boundary of the darkened portion of the scene.

23. A process, comprising:

generating a display by a processing device;

de-emphasizing a portion of the display having a lesser degree of interest having a spatial correspondence with a cursor position; and

un-correlating an un-emphasized portion of the display with a cursor position when a cursor is moved within a boundary of the un-emphasized portion of the display.

24. A process, comprising:

generating a display by a processing device;

darkening a portion of the display having a lesser degree of interest, the degree of interest having an adjustable spatial correspondence with a cursor position thereby correlating a darkened portion of the display directly with a movement of the cursor, wherein the darkening is temporarily lessened during the movement of the cursor; and

un-correlating the darkened portion of the display with the cursor position when the cursor position is moved within a boundary of the darkened portion of the display.

25. A system, comprising:

a display;

a computer producing a scene displayed on the display and having a darkened portion of the scene having a lesser degree of interest as designated by a cursor having a spatial correspondence with the portion and which correlates directly with a movement of the cursor, wherein the darkened portion of the screen is temporarily less darkened during the movement of the cursor; and

un-correlating the darkened portion of the scene with the cursor when the cursor is moved within a boundary of the darkened portion of the scene.

26. A method, comprising:

designating a portion of a display generated by a processing device and within a boundary associated with a movable cursor;

darkening another portion of the display exterior to the boundary; and

un-correlating the darkened portion of the display with the movable cursor when the movable cursor is moved within a boundary of the darkened portion of the display.