Operating a processor to display stretched continuation of a workspace

• US 5,339,390 A
• Filed: 02/25/1993
• Issued: 08/16/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SAP America Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Robertson, George G., Card, Stuart K., Mackinlay, Jock
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Application Number:
  US08/023,466
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 395/118-126, 395/127, 395/139, 395/155-161, 395/133, 340/721, 345/122-123, 345/119, 345/127, 345/131
• US Class Current: 715/782
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/047 Fisheye or wide-angle transformations
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/403 Edge-driven scaling; Edge-based scaling

Abstract

A processor presents a sequence of images of a workspace that is stretched to enable the user to view a part of the workspace in greater detail. The workspace includes a middle section and two peripheral sections that meet the middle section on opposite edges. Each of the sections appears to be a rectangular two-dimensional surface and they are perceptible in three dimensions. When the user is viewing the middle section as if it were parallel to the display screen surface, each peripheral section appears to extend away from the user at an angle from the edge of the middle section so that the peripheral sections occupy relatively little of the screen. When the user requests stretching, the middle section is stretched and the peripheral sections are compressed to accommodate the stretching. When the user requests destretching, the middle section is destretched and the peripheral sections are decompressed accordingly. The workspace includes display objects that may cross the edges from the middle section to the peripheral sections during stretching. Stretching and destretching are performed in small steps to preserve object constancy for display objects that cross the edges. The display objects can have fixed sizes, in which case each display object is perceived as being tacked to the workspace at a point. Or the display objects can stretch and destretch with the workspace, in which case additional internal detail may become visible as a result of stretching and each display object is perceived as being glued to the workspace over its entire extent. Additional display objects can become visible as a result of stretching.

Claims

1. A method of operating a processor connected for providing image data to an image output device that includes a display, the image output device presenting images on the display in response to the image data, the method comprising acts of:

providing first image data so that the image output device presents a first image, the first image including a first set of two or more display features that are perceptible as positioned relative to each other in a first workspace; and

providing second image data so that the image output device presents a second image following the first image in sequence, the second image including a second set of two or more display features that are perceptible as continuations of the first set of display features, the second set of display features being perceptible as positioned relative to each other in a second workspace;

the first and second workspaces being perceptible as surfaces;

each surface having first and second sections that meet at an angle along a first edge so that first and second sections are perceptible in three dimensions;

the angle not being equal to 180 degrees;

the first and second sections of the second workspace being perceptible as continuations respectively of the first and second sections of the first workspace;

the second workspace being perceptible as a stretched continuation of the first workspace;

the second workspace including a stretched part in its first section that is perceptible as a stretched continuation of a part of the first workspace;

the second workspace also including a part in its second section that accommodates stretching.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the first set of display features includes a first display object that is perceptible as positioned in the part of the first workspace and the second set of display features includes a second display object that is perceptible as a continuation of the first display object and as positioned in the stretched part of the second workspace, the second display object being the same size as the first display object.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the first set of display features includes a first display object that is perceptible as positioned in the part of the first workspace and the second set of display features includes a second display object that is perceptible as a stretched continuation of the first display object and as positioned in the stretched part of the second workspace.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the second display object includes internal detail not included in the first display object.

5. The method of claim 3 in which the second set of display features includes a new display object that is not perceptible as a continuation of any of the first set of display features, the new display object being perceptible as positioned in the stretched part of the second workspace.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the first set of display features includes a first display feature that is perceptible as positioned in the first section of the first workspace and the second set of display features includes a second display feature that is perceptible as positioned in the second section of the second workspace, the second display feature being perceptible as a continuation of the first display feature through movement of the first display feature from the first section across the first edge to the second section.

7. The method of claim 6 in which the first and second display features are display objects.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the first and second workspaces each further include respective third sections that meet the respective first sections along a respective second edge, the third section and second edge of the second workspace being perceptible as continuations respectively of the third section and second edge of the first workspace;

the third section of the second workspace being perceptible as modified from the third section of the first workspace to accommodate stretching of the streched part.

9. The method of claim 1 in which the display has a screen surface viewed by a user, the first and second sections in each of the first and second workspaces being perceptible as two-dimensional surfaces with the first section of each of the first and second workspaces being in a plane substantially parallel to the screen surface and the second section of each of the first and second workspaces extending from the first edge in a direction away from the user.

10. The method of claim 9 in which the angle is approximately 135 degrees so that the second section of each of the first and second workspaces occupies relatively little of the screen surface.

11. The method of claim 1 in which the first set of display features includes a first display object and the second set of display features includes a second display object, the second display object being perceptible as a continuation of the first display object through movement of the first display object.

12. A method of operating a processor connected for providing image data to an image output device that includes a display, the image output device presenting images on the display in response to the image data, the method comprising two or more acts performed in sequence, each act comprising:

providing image data so that the image output device presents an image, each image including a set of two or more display features that are perceptible as positioned relative to each other in a workspace;

the sequence of acts including a preceding act and a following act that follows the preceding act in the sequence;

the set of display features of the following act being perceptible as continuations of the set of display features of the preceding act;

the respective workspaces of the preceding and following acts being perceptible as surfaces;

each surface having first and second sections that meet at an angle along a first edge so that first and second sections are perceptible in three dimensions;

the angle not being equal to 180 degrees;

the first and second sections of the following act being perceptible as continuations respectively of the first and second sections of the preceding act;

the first section of the following act including a stretched part that is perceptible as a stretched continuation of a part of the first section of the preceding act;

the second section of the following act also including a part that accommodates stretching.

13. The method of claim 12 in which the processor is further connected for receiving signals from a user input device, the sequence of acts including a first act;

the method further comprising receiving signals from the user input device requesting presentation of an increasingly stretched version of the workspace of the first act;

the respective workspaces of the preceding and following acts being perceptible as increasingly stretched continuations of the workspace of the first act in a sequence of stretched continuations leading from the workspace of the first act to the workspace of the preceding act and thence to the workspace of the following act.

14. The method of claim 12 in which the set of display features of the preceding act includes a first display feature that is perceptible as positioned in the first section of the workspace of the preceding act and the set of display features of the following act includes a second display feature that is perceptible as positioned in the second section of the workspace of the following act, the second display feature being perceptible as a continuation of the first display feature through movement of the first display feature from the first section across the first edge to the second section.

15. A system comprising:

an image output device that includes a display; and

a processor connected for providing image data to the image output device;

the image output device presenting images on the display in response to the image data;

the processor operating to provide the image data so that the image output device presents a sequence of images, each image including a set of two or more display features that are perceptible as positioned relative to each other in a workspace;

the sequence of images including a preceding image and a following image that follows the preceding image in the sequence;

the set of display features of the following image being perceptible as continuations of the set of display features of the preceding image;

the workspaces of the preceding and following images being perceptible as surfaces;

each surface having first and second sections that meet at an angle along a first edge so that first and second sections are perceptible in three dimensions;

the angle not being equal to 180 degrees;

the first and second sections of the following image being perceptible as continuations respectively of the first and second of the preceding image;

the first section of the following image including a stretched part that is perceptible as a stretched continuation of a part of the first section of the preceding image;

the second section of the following image also including a part that accommodates stretching.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a user input device, the processor further being connected for receiving signals from the user input device;

the sequence of images including a first image;

the processor further operating to receive signals from the user input device requesting presentation of increasingly stretched versions of the workspace of the first image;

the respective workspaces of the preceding and following images being perceptible as increasingly stretched continuations of the workspace of the first image in a sequence of stretched continuations leading from the workspace of the first image to the workspace of the preceding image and thence to the workspace of the following image.

17. The system of claim 15 in which the set of display features of each of the images includes a set of display objects, the system further comprising a data structure that includes a set of two or more items, each item including data for a respective one of the set of display objects in each of the images;

the processor further being connected for accessing the data structure in providing the image data.

18. A method of operating a processor connected for providing image data to an image output device that includes a display, the image output device presenting images on the display in response to the image data, the method comprising:

providing first image data so that the image output device presents a first image, the first image including a first set of two or more display objects that are perceptible as positioned relative to each other in a first workspace;

each of the first set of display objects having extent and being bounded; and

providing second image data so that the image output device presents a second image following the first image in sequence, the second image including a second set of display objects that are perceptible as continuations of the first set of display objects, the second set of display objects being perceptible as positioned relative to each other in a second workspace;

each of the second set of display objects having extent and being bounded;

the first and second workspaces being perceptible as surfaces, each surface having first and second sections that meet at an angle along a respective first edge so that the first and second sections are perceptible in three dimensions;

the angle not being equal to 180 degrees;

the first section, second section, and first edge of the second workspace being perceptible as continuations respectively of the first section, second section, and first edge of the first workspace;

the second workspace being perceptible as a stretched continuation of the first workspace;

the second workspace including a stretched part in its first section that is perceptible as a stretched continuation of a part of the first workspace;

the second workspace also including a part in its second section that accommodates stretching of the stretching part in its first section.

19. The method of claim 18 in which each display object in the first and second set of display objects is card-like.

20. The method of claim 19 in which each display object has four sides.

21. The method of claim 18 in which each display object in the first and second set of display objects is bar-like.

22. The method of claim 18 in which the angle is approximately 135 degrees.