Image rendering with image artifact along a multidimensional path

• US 7,743,338 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Madden, Thomas Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Basehoar; Adam L
• Assistant Examiner(s): TILLERY, RASHAWN N
• Application Number:
  US11/530,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20100111434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 715/802, 715/781, 715/838, 715/861, 715/763, 715/767, 715/768, 715/810, 715/841, 715/859, 715/860, 715/864
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

Display positions are arranged along a multidimensional path. Images and blurred versions of the images are displayed in one or more of the of the display positions. An opacity value of one or more of the blurred versions of the images is adjusted based the display positions in which the one or more blurred versions of the images are displayed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

arranging a plurality of display positions along a multidimensional path;

displaying images in the plurality of display positions;

concurrently displaying blurred versions of the images in the plurality of display positions so that each blurred version of an image and the image to which the blurred version of the image corresponds overlay each other;

adjusting an opacity value for each of the blurred versions of the images based on the display positions in which each of the blurred versions of the images is displayed; and

adjusting an opacity value of each of the images based on the display positions in which each of the images is displayed;

wherein the adjustment of the opacity value of each of the blurred versions of the images is in inverse proportion to the adjustment of the opacity value of the image to which the blurred version of the image corresponds.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying a foreground position in the display positions; and

adjusting an opacity value of a blurred version of an image displayed in the foreground position to a first predetermined value; and

adjusting an opacity value of an image displayed in the foreground position and corresponding to the blurred version of the image to a second predetermined value that is inversely proportional to the predetermined value.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the first predetermined value for the blurred version of the image is a minimum value so that the blurred version of the image is fully transparent; and

the second predetermined value for the image is a maximum value so that the image is fully opaque.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising:

identifying a terminus position in the display positions; and

adjusting an opacity value of a blurred version of an image displayed in the terminus position to a third predetermined value; and

adjusting an opacity value of an image displayed in the terminus position and corresponding to the blurred version of the image to a fourth predetermined value that is inversely proportional to the third predetermined value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the third predetermined value for the blurred version of the image is a maximum value so that the blurred version of the image is fully opaque; and

the fourth predetermined value for the image is a minimum value so that the image is fully transparent.

6. The method of claim 4, comprising:

identifying one or more background positions in the display positions; and

adjusting the opacity values of the blurred versions of images displayed in the background positions to values ranging from the first predetermined value to the third predetermined value.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein:

identifying a foreground position in the display positions;

identifying one or more background positions in the display positions;

adjusting the opacity values of the blurred versions of images displayed in the background positions to values ranging from a substantially minimum value to a substantially maximum value; and

wherein;

the background positions are positioned along a path between the foreground position and the terminus position;

the opacity values of the blurred versions of the images displayed in the background positions are adjusted in proportion to a proximity of the background positions to the foreground position; and

wherein a blurred version of an image in the foreground position has the substantially minimum opacity value and a blurred version of an image in the terminus position has the substantially maximum opacity value so that the blurred version of the image displayed in the foreground position is substantially fully transparent and the blurred version of the image displayed in the terminus position is substantially fully opaque.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying a foreground position in the display positions; and

adjusting an opacity value of an image displayed in the foreground position to a maximum value so that the image is fully opaque.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising:

identifying a terminus position in the display positions; and

adjusting an opacity value of an image displayed in the terminus position to a minimum value so that the image is fully transparent.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising:

identifying one or more background positions in the display positions; and

adjusting the opacity values of the images displayed in the background positions to values ranging from substantially the maximum value to substantially the minimum value so that the images displayed in the background positions range from substantially fully opaque to substantially fully transparent, respectively.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjustment of the opacity value of each blurred version of an image is in substantially linearly inverse proportion to the adjustment of the opacity value of the image to which the blurred version of the image corresponds.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising:

identifying a foreground position in the display positions; and

adjusting an opacity value of the blurred versions of the images displayed in the display positions in proportion to a proximity of the display positions to the foreground position.

13. The method of claim 1, comprising:

defining one or more dimensions of the multidimensional path according to one or more spatial functions.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the spatial function comprises an arcuate function.

15. The method of claim 1, comprising:

defining one or more dimensions of the multidimensional path according to one or more parabolic functions.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising:

translating the one or more of the parabolic functions away from one or more dimensional origins.

17. The method of claim 1, comprising:

scaling the size of the image and the blurred versions of the images displayed in the display positions based on the display positions in which the images and blurred versions of the images are displayed.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of display positions along the multidimensional path include a foreground position and a plurality of background positions, each of which are located on a corresponding coordinate along a z-axis, the foreground position being at a first coordinate on the z-axis, and plurality of background positions being at respectively increasing coordinates along the z-axis, and the background position at a last coordinate along the z-axis is a terminus position, and wherein the z-coordinate difference between the last coordinate and first coordinate is greater than a distance D; and

further comprising;

adjusting an opacity value of a blurred version of an image displayed in a background position at a z-coordinate position greater than the distance D from the first coordinate on the z-axis to a maximum value, and adjusting an opacity value of image displayed in the background position at the z-coordinate position greater than the distance D from the first coordinate on the z-axis to a minimum value;

adjusting an opacity value of a blurred version of an image displayed in a background position at a z-coordinate position less than the distance D from the first coordinate on the z-axis and an opacity value of image displayed in the background position at the z-coordinate position less than the distance D from the first coordinate on the z-axis according to a ratio of the z-coordinate position to the distance D; and

adjusting an opacity value of a blurred version of an image displayed in the foreground position to a minimum value, and adjusting the opacity value of an image displayed in the foreground position to maximum value.

18. A computer readable memory device storing instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

generating an interface environment;

generating images and corresponding blurred versions of the images;

displaying one of the images in a foreground position in the interface environment;

concurrently displaying one or more of the images and corresponding blurred versions of the images in background positions in the interface environment so that each displayed image and the corresponding blurred version of that displayed image overlay each other in the background positions;

transitioning the images and the corresponding blurred versions of the images between the foreground position and the background positions; and

adjusting opacity values for the corresponding blurred versions of the images based on the positions at which the corresponding blurred versions of the images are displayed;

adjusting an opacity value of each of the images based on the display positions at which the corresponding images are displayed;

wherein the adjustment of the opacity value of each of the blurred versions of the images is in inverse proportion to the adjustment of the opacity value of the image to which the blurred version of the image corresponds.

19. The computer memory device medium of claim 18, storing further instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

identifying a terminus position in the background positions; and

adjusting an opacity value of a corresponding blurred version of an image displayed in the terminus position to a maximum value so that the corresponding blurred version of the image is fully opaque; and

adjusting an opacity value of an image displayed in the terminus position to a minimum value so that the image is fully transparent.

20. The computer readable memory device of claim 18, storing further instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

displaying a blurred version of the one of the images in the foreground position; and

adjusting the opacity value of the corresponding blurred version of the one of the images displayed in the foreground position to a minimum value so that the corresponding blurred version of the one of the images is fully transparent; and

adjusting an opacity value of an image displayed in the foreground position to a maximum value so that the image is fully opaque.

21. The computer readable memory device of claim 20, storing further instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

adjusting the opacity values of the corresponding blurred versions of the images displayed in the background positions to values ranging from substantially the maximum value to substantially the minimum value so that the corresponding blurred versions of the images displayed in the background positions range from substantially fully opaque to substantially fully transparent, respectively.

22. The computer readable memory device of claim 18, storing further instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

identifying a terminus position in the background positions; and

displaying only a corresponding blurred version of an image at the terminus position.

23. The computer readable memory device of claim 18, storing further instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

adjusting the opacity values of the corresponding blurred versions of the images displayed in the background positions to values ranging from substantially a minimum value to substantially a maximum value so that the corresponding blurred versions of the images displayed in the background positions range from substantially fully transparent to substantially fully opaque, respectively.

24. The computer readable memory device of claim 18, wherein the adjustment of the opacity value of each blurred version of an image is in substantially linearly inverse proportion to the adjustment of the opacity value of the image to which the blurred version of the image corresponds.

25. The computer readable memory device of claim 18, storing further instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

adjusting the opacity value of the corresponding blurred versions of images displayed in the background positions in proportion to a proximity of a respective background position to the foreground position.

26. The computer readable memory device of claim 18, storing further instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

defining one or more dimensions of a multidimensional path according to one or more functions; and

arranging the foreground and background positions along a multidimensional path.

27. The computer readable memory device of claim 26, wherein the one or more functions comprise an arcuate function.

28. The computer readable memory device of claim 18, storing further instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

defining one or more dimensions of a multidimensional path according to one or more parabolic functions; and

arranging the foreground position and the background positions along the multidimensional path.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein:

the plurality of display positions along the multidimensional path include a foreground position and a plurality of background positions, each of which are located on a corresponding coordinate along a z-axis, the foreground position being at a first coordinate on the z-axis, and plurality of background positions being at respectively increasing coordinates along the z-axis, and the background position at a last coordinate along the z-axis is a terminus position, and wherein the z-coordinate difference between the last coordinate and first coordinate is greater than a distance D; and

further comprising instructions that are executable by the processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising;

adjusting an opacity value of a blurred version of an image displayed in a background position at a z-coordinate position greater than the distance D from the first coordinate on the z-axis to a maximum value, and adjusting an opacity value of image displayed in the background position at the z-coordinate position greater than the distance D from the first coordinate on the z-axis to a minimum value;

adjusting an opacity value of a blurred version of an image displayed in a background position at a z-coordinate position less than the distance D from the first coordinate on the z-axis and an opacity value of image displayed in the background position at the z-coordinate position less than the distance D from the first coordinate on the z-axis according to a ratio of the z-coordinate position to the distance D; and

adjusting an opacity value of a blurred version of an image displayed in the foreground position to a minimum value, and adjusting the opacity value of an image displayed in the foreground position to maximum value.

29. A system, comprising:

means for arranging a plurality of display positions along a multidimensional path displayed in a display device;

means for displaying images in the plurality of display positions and for concurrently displaying blurred versions of the images in the plurality of display positions so that each blurred version of an image and the image to which the blurred version of the image corresponds overlay each other; and

means for adjusting an opacity value for each of the blurred versions of the images based on the display positions in which each of the blurred versions of the images is displayed and for adjusting an opacity value for each of the images based on the display positions in which each of the blurred versions of the images is displayed and in substantially linearly inverse proportion to the adjustment of the opacity value of the blurred version of the images that correspond to the images.