Occlusion reduction and magnification for multidimensional data presentations

• US 9,299,186 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2014
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accessify, LLC (Ascend Innovation Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Shoemaker, Garth B. D., Baar, David J. P., Solehdin, Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Richer, Joni
• Application Number:
  US14/563,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20150084960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 345/418, 345/419, 345/421, 345/427, 345/661
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/40 Hidden part removal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/205 Re-meshing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling

Abstract

A method in a computer system for generating a presentation of a region-of-interest in an original image for display on a display screen, the original image being a collection of polygons having polygons defined by three or more shared edges joined at vertex points, the method comprising: establishing a lens for the region-of-interest, the lens having a magnified focal region for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region across which the magnification decreases, the focal and shoulder regions having respective perimeters; subdividing polygons in the collection of polygons proximate to at least one of the perimeters, as projected with the polygons onto a base plane, by inserting one or more additional vertex points and additional edges into the polygons to be subdivided; and, applying the lens to the original image to produce the presentation by displacing the vertex points onto the lens and perspectively projecting the displacing onto a view plane in a direction aligned with a viewpoint for the region-of-interest.

Claims

1. A method for generating a presentation of a region-of-interest in an original image for display on a display screen, wherein the original image comprises a plurality of polygons and each of the plurality of polygons is defined by three or more shared edges joined at vertex points, the method comprising:

establishing, with a computer system, a lens for the region-of-interest, wherein the lens comprises a magnified focal region for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region, wherein the shoulder region provides context for the focal region with respect to portions of the image outside of the lens by preserving visibility of information surrounding the focal region; and

when at least one of the plurality of polygons intersects at least one of a perimeter of the focal region or a perimeter of the shoulder region thereby forming at least one intersecting polygon, subdividing the at least one intersecting polygon by inserting at least one additional vertex point and at least one additional edge into the at least one intersecting polygon.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one intersecting polygon is proximate to at least one of the perimeter of the focal region or the perimeter of the shoulder region as projected with the at least one intersecting polygon onto a base plane.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one intersecting polygon is orthonormally projected onto the base plane.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one intersecting polygon is perspectively projected onto the base plane.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying the lens to the original image to produce the presentation by displacing the vertex points onto the lens and perspectively projecting the displacing onto a view plane in a direction aligned with a viewpoint for the region-of-interest.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising positioning the at least one additional vertex point and the at least one additional edge to align with the at least one of the perimeter of the focal region or the perimeter of the shoulder region.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising positioning the at least one additional vertex point and the at least one additional edge to align with radii of the lens.

8. A data processing system configured for generating a presentation of a region-of-interest in an original image for display on a display screen, wherein the original image comprises a plurality of polygons, wherein each of the plurality of polygons is defined by three or more shared edges joined at vertex points, and wherein the data processing system comprises a processor and memory having instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising:

establishing a lens for the region-of-interest, wherein the lens comprises a magnified focal region for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region, wherein the shoulder region provides context for the focal region with respect to portions of the image outside of the lens by preserving visibility of information surrounding the focal region; and

when at least one of the plurality of polygons intersects at least one of a perimeter of the focal region or a perimeter of the shoulder region thereby forming at least one intersecting polygon, subdividing the at least one intersecting polygon by inserting at least one additional vertex point and at least one additional edge into the at least one intersecting polygon.

9. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the at least one intersecting polygon is proximate to at least one of the perimeter of the focal region or the perimeter of the shoulder region as projected with the at least one intersecting polygon onto a base plane.

10. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the at least one intersecting polygon is orthonormally projected onto the base plane.

11. The data processing system of claim 9, wherein the at least one intersecting polygon is perspectively projected onto the base plane.

12. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to cause the data processing system to perform further operations comprising:

applying the lens to the original image to produce the presentation by displacing the vertex points onto the lens and perspectively projecting the displacing onto a view plane in a direction aligned with a viewpoint for the region-of-interest.

13. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to cause the data processing system to perform further operations comprising:

positioning the at least one additional vertex point and the at least one additional edge to align with the at least one of the perimeter of the focal region or the perimeter of the shoulder region.

14. The data processing system of claim 8, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to cause the data processing system to perform further operations comprising:

positioning the at least one additional vertex point and the at least one additional edge to align with radii of the lens.

15. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium for use with a presentation of a region-of-interest in an original image for display on a display screen, wherein the original image comprises a plurality of polygons, wherein each of the plurality of polygons is defined by three or more shared edges joined at vertex points, and wherein the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions executable to cause a data processing system to:

establish a lens for the region-of-interest, wherein the lens comprises a magnified focal region for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region, wherein the shoulder region provides context for the focal region with respect to portions of the image outside of the lens by preserving visibility of information surrounding the focal region; and

when at least one of the plurality of polygons intersects at least one of a perimeter of the focal region or a perimeter of the shoulder region thereby forming at least one intersecting polygon, subdivide the at least one intersecting polygon plurality of by inserting at least one additional vertex point and at least one additional edge into the at least one intersecting polygon.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the at least one intersecting polygon is proximate to at least one of the perimeter of the focal region or the perimeter of the shoulder region as projected with the at least one intersecting polygon onto a base plane.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the at least one intersecting polygon is orthonormally projected onto the base plane.

18. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the at least one intersecting polygon is perspectively projected onto the base plane.

19. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, including instructions executable to further cause the data processing system to:

apply the lens to the original image to produce the presentation by displacing the vertex points onto the lens and perspectively projecting the displacing onto a view plane in a direction aligned with a viewpoint for the region-of-interest.

20. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, including instructions executable to further cause the data processing system to:

position the at least one additional vertex point and the at least one additional edge to align with the at least one of the perimeter of the focal region or the perimeter of the shoulder region.

21. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, including instructions executable to further cause the data processing system to:

position the at least one additional vertex point and the at least one additional edge to align with radii of the lens.