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Description  |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to improved data processing
systems and in particular, to improvements in manipulating data through a
graphic user interface within a data processing system. Still more
particularly, the present invention relates to improvements in a graphic
user interface for manipulating the display of wide-angle images displayed
in a data processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The manipulation of data in a data processing system is well known in the
prior art. Data may be manipulated in many ways in a modern
state-of-the-art data processing system including: data accessing, data
encoding, data communications, data compression, data conversion, data
entry, data exchange, data filing, data linking, data locking, data
manipulation, data mapping, data modeling, data processing, data
recording, data sorting, and data transferring. The large amounts of data
that are available to the user of a modern state-of-the-art data
processing system often become overwhelming in magnitude and complexity.
These situations may often arise in the creation and execution of
multimedia presentations.
Data processing systems are capable of communicating information to users
in many formats, including: text, graphics, sounds, animated graphics,
synthesized speech, and video. Multimedia presentations employ a data
processing system to combine such information formats into a coherent and
comprehensive presentation to the user.
As a result of the increasing complexity of data processing systems and
with the introduction of multimedia presentations, attempts have been made
to simplify the interface between a user and the large amounts of data
present within a modern data processing system. One example of an attempt
to simplify the interface between a user and a data processing system is
the utilization of a so-called graphic user interface (GUI) to provide an
intuitive and graphical interface between the user and the data processing
system. A GUI is an interface system, including devices, by which a user
interacts with a system, system components, and/or system applications via
windows or view ports, icons, menus, pointing devices, etc.
The term "mouse", when utilized in this document, refers to any type of
operating system supported graphical pointing device including, but not
limited to: a mouse; track ball; light pen; touch screen; and, the like. A
pointing device is typically employed by a user of a data processing
system to interact with the data processing system's GUI. A "pointer" is
an iconic image controlled by a mouse or other such devices, and is
displayed on the video display device of a data processing system to
visually indicate to the user icons, menus, or the like that may be
selected or manipulated.
A "scroll bar" is a known user interface component that is associated with
a scrollable area of a display, indicating to a user that more information
is available and may be added in a particular direction with respect to
the display. A scroll bar may be utilized to scroll additional data into
view and a scroll bar typically includes a slider and scroll buttons.
Graphic images may consist of "wide-angle" or panoramic images generated by
wide-angle or panoramic cameras. These wide-angle images may be digitized
photographs or videos. Other graphic images may include, for example,
computer generated images. One example of a computer generated image may
include images for use in a planetarium type presentation. Hereinafter
these type of images will be collectively referred to as "wide-angle
images". Wide-angle images may be presented to a user in a multimedia
presentation. When viewing this material on a multimedia data processing
system, the screen or viewing window on the display device or video
display terminal may not be capable of displaying the entire image at one
time without distorting the image or reducing the clarity of the image.
Presently available GUIs do not provide quick and easy manipulation of
such wide-angle images.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have method and system for displaying
portions of a wide-angle image and graphically and intuitively indicating
which portion of the image is being displayed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved
data processing system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved method
and system for manipulating data through a graphic user interface within a
data processing system.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improvement
method and system in a graphic user interface for manipulating the display
of wide-angle images displayed in a data processing system.
The foregoing objects are achieved as is now described. The method and
system of the present invention permit the efficient management of the
display of a panoramic or wide-angle image on a display device in a data
processing system. The panoramic image typically includes a number of
segments wherein only a portion of those segments may be displayed on the
display device at selected resolutions. The method and system of the
present invention includes displaying a substantially circular icon,
having a defined periphery. Each portion of the defined periphery
corresponds to one or more of the segments making up the panoramic image.
A moveable control element is displayed along a selected arc about the
periphery. One or more of the segments of the panoramic image
corresponding to each portion of the defined periphery within the selected
arc may then be selected and is displayed on the display device by
manipulating the position of the moveable control element.
The present invention also provides for altering the length of the moveable
control element in response to a user input. A new arc is then selected in
response to altering the length of the moveable control element. The
segments corresponding to the portions of the defined periphery within the
new selected arc are then selected and displayed on the display device.
The moveable control element may be manipulated by a graphical pointing
device, such as a mouse or a light pen. As a result, the display of a
wide-angle or panoramic image may be efficiently managed.
The above as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth
in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as well as a
preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will best
be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an
illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a personal computer system that may
be utilized to implement the method and system of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of selected components in the personal computer
system illustrated in FIG. 1 which may be utilized implementing the method
and system of the present invention;
FIG. 3 depicts a pictorial representation of a wide-angle image that may be
manipulated utilizing the method and system of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a graphic illustration of a graphic interface which may be
altered to implement a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 depicts a graphic illustration of an altered graphic interface which
may be utilized to implement a preferred embodiment of the present
invention; and
FIG. 6 is a high level logic flowchart illustrating a method and system for
manipulating a wide-angle image in accordance with a preferred embodiment
of the present invention; and
FIG. 7 depicts a high level logic flowchart illustrating a method and
system for manipulating a wide-angle image in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference now to the figures and in particular with reference to FIG.
1, there is depicted a pictorial representation of a computer system in
which the present invention may be implemented in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the present invention. A personal computer 50 is
depicted which includes a system unit 52, a video display terminal 54, a
keyboard 56, and a mouse 58. Personal computer 50 may be implemented
utilizing any suitable computer such as an IBM PS/2 computer, a product of
International Business Machines Corporation, located in Armonk, N.Y.
"PS/2" is a registered trademark of International Business Machines
Corporation, located in Armonk. N.Y. Although the depicted embodiment
involves a personal computer, a preferred embodiment of the present
invention may be implemented in other types of data processing systems,
such as, for example, intelligent work stations or minicomputers.
Referring now to FIG. 2, there is depicted a block diagram of selected
components in personal computer 50 in which a preferred embodiment of the
present invention may be implemented. System unit 52 preferably includes a
system bus 60 for interconnecting and establishing communication between
various components in system unit 52. Microprocessor 62 is connected to
system bus 60 and also may have numeric coprocessor 64 connected to it.
System bus 60 may be a Micro Channel system bus from International
Business Machines Corporation. Micro Channel is a registered trademark of
International Business Machines Corporation. Direct memory access (DMA)
controller 66 is also connected to system bus 60 and allows various
devices to appropriate cycles from microprocessor 62 during large I/O
transfers.
Read Only Memory (ROM) 68 and Random Access Memory (RAM) 70 are also
connected to system bus 60. ROM 68 contains the power-on self test (POST)
and the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) which control hardware
operations, such as those involving disk drives and the keyboard. Read
only memory (ROM) 68 is mapped into the microprocessor 62 address space in
the range from 640K to 1 megabyte. CMOS RAM 72 is attached to system bus
60 and contains system configuration information.
Also connected to system bus 60 are memory controller 74, bus controller
76, and interrupt controller 78 which serve to aid in the control of data
flow through system bus 60 between various peripherals, adapters, and
devices. System unit 52 also contains various input/output (I/O)
controllers such as: keyboard and mouse controller 80, video controller
82, parallel controller 84, serial controller 86, and diskette controller
88. Keyboard and mouse controller 80 provide a hardware interface for
keyboard 90 and mouse 92. Video controller 82 provides a hardware
interface for video display terminal 94. Parallel controller 84 provides a
hardware interface for devices such as printer 96. Serial controller 86
provides a hardware interface for devices such as a modem 98. Diskette
controller 88 provides a hardware interface for floppy disk unit 100.
Expansion cards also may be added to system bus 60, such as disk
controller 102, which provides a hardware interface for hard disk unit
104. Empty slots 106 are provided so that other peripherals, adapters, and
devices may be added to system unit 52.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the hardware depicted in FIG.
2 may vary for specific applications. For example, other peripheral
devices such as: optical disk media, audio adapters, or chip programming
devices such as a PAL or EPROM programming device, and the like also may
be utilized in addition to or in place of the hardware already depicted.
For example, various adapters designed for use with multimedia
presentations, such as a high resolution graphics adapter, may be added to
empty slots 106.
A graphical interface referred to as a "scrollcurve" is utilized, in 6
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, to
control the portion of the image displayed on the screen of a multimedia
data processing system, such as the IBM PS/2 computer depicted in FIG. 1.
A "scrollcurve" is a graphic interface utilized to manipulate the viewing
of images on a video display device or in a window within a video display
device. The display of a single large image or many related images may be
efficiently manipulated utilizing a scrollcurve graphic interface in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a pictorial representation of a wide-angle or
panoramic image that may be manipulated utilizing a scrollcurve graphic
interface in accordance with a method and system of the present invention.
Image 300 is preferably a 360 degree panoramic image. At a given
resolution, only a portion of image 300 may be viewed on a video display
device in a data processing system. Those portions of image 300 that are
displayable on a video display device will depend upon the size of the
display or the size of the window in which image 300 is being displayed
for a given resolution. Image 300 may be subdivided into twelve equal
segments or sections A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, and L. These
subdivisions or segments are arbitrary and are depicted and described only
for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present
invention. In fact, in many situations no actual subdivisions are present.
In these situations, the "segments" are arbitrary divisions utilized only
for purposes of placing reference points within an image and are not
necessarily actual boundaries within an image. Although section A is not
depicted adjacent to section L, these two sections are adjacent in image
300. Section A begins at 0 degrees and section L ends at 360 degrees. Each
section represents a 30 degree portion or section of an entire 360 degree
image.
With reference now to FIG. 4, an illustration of a scrollcurve graphic
interface in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention is depicted. Scrollcurve graphic interface 400 is an iconic
controller formed in a circular shape and includes peripheral section 402
upon which curved slider 404 may be manipulated or moved by a mouse.
Although peripheral section 402 is a circle in the depicted embodiment, it
is contemplated that any substantially circular shape may be employed
within a preferred embodiment of the present invention. "Substantially
circular shape" as utilized herein shall mean any regular polygonal shape
such as, for example, a hexagon or an octagon. A "substantially circular
shape" also includes any substantial portions of a regular polygonal shape
such as, for example, three-quarters of a circle.
Curved slider 404 selects the display of portions of image 300 from FIG. 3
in 60 degree portions or sections. For example, the entirety of two
sections, i.e., D and E, may be displayed on the video display device or
portions of three adjacent sections, i.e., J, K, and L adding up to 60
degrees may be displayed. Thus, 60 degrees of image 300 from FIG. 3 may be
displayed on a display device or video display terminal at any one time at
a given resolution. In its present position, curved slider 404 causes
sections A and L from image 300 to be displayed. Furthermore, as will be
explained in greater detail herein, the length of curved slider 404 may be
altered utilizing button 406 and button 408.
The size or length of curved slider 404 in scrollcurve graphic interface
400 may be altered to increase or decrease the image viewed by a user
utilizing button 406 or button 408. In response to such manipulation, the
data processing system will redraw curved slider 404 having less or
greater length, to the extent the resolution of the display system will
permit a larger percentage of the image to be displayed. Of course, the
viewable portion of an image may be limited by the display device or the
window in the display device. Pointer 410 may be utilized to manipulate
curved slider 404. Curved slider 404 may be moved by placing pointer 410
over curved slider 404 and selecting curved slider 404, by depressing a
mouse button, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention.
Referring now to FIG. 5, an altered scrollcurve graphic interface is
depicted in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention. Scrollcurve graphic interface 500 is similar to scrollcurve
graphic interface 400, except curved slider 502 encompasses a 90 degree
portion of the periphery of scrollcurve graphic interface 500, instead of
60 degrees. As mentioned above, the length of curved slider 502 along
peripheral section 503 may be altered utilizing button 504 and button 506.
Alternatively, the length of curved slider 502 may be altered by placing
the mouse pointer over curved slider 502 and thereafter depressing one or
more mouse buttons while moving the mouse pointer to select the length of
curved slider 502. Again as with curved slider 404, curved slider 502 may
be manipulated by a mouse to select particular portions of an image, such
as image 300 from FIG. 3 for display on a video display device.
Another procedure that may cause an alteration in the size of a curved
slider is altering or resizing the display window in which the image is
being displayed. In the situation in which an image is being displayed
within a window, the depicted length of the curved slider may change
length in response to a change in the size of the windows in accordance
with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The length of the
curved slider may increase or decrease, depending upon whether the display
window increases or decreases in size, as those skilled in the art will
appreciate upon reference to the present disclosure. For example, if a
display window is increased in length, the portions of the image that may
be displayed at one time may increase for a given resolution. As a result,
the curved slider will be increased in length to visually depict the
increased display capability of the display window. Conversely, if the
size of the window is decreased in length, such that fewer portions of the
image may be displayed on the display device, the curved slider will
shorten to indicate the decreased portion of the image that is viewable at
any one time for a given resolution, in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the present invention.
Although the depicted examples illustrate the display of a wide-angle
image, other large images may also be manipulated utilizing a preferred
embodiment of the present invention. Instead of marking the scrollcurve
graphic interface from 0 degrees to 360 degrees, as depicted in FIGS. 4
and 5, the scrollcurve graphic interface may be marked in some other
fashion to indicate what portion of an image may be selected, such as in
centimeters. For example, if an image has a 100 centimeter span, the
scrollcurve graphic interface may be marked from 0 to 100 centimeters with
the slider indicating the portion of the image that is being displayed,
i.e., 10 centimeters. Alternatively, arbitrary markings such as 0 to 1 or
A to Q may be utilized, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the
present invention.
Although the depicted examples illustrate a scroll curve graphic interface
as a complete circle, portions of a circle may be utilized in accordance
with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. For example, if a
wide-angle image is only 270 degrees instead of 360 degrees, the
scrollcurve graphic interface would have an arc of 270 degrees. The slider
could be moved within that arc and would stop at the edges of the arch.
With reference now to FIG. 6, a high level logic flowchart illustrating a
method and system for manipulating a wide-angle image in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. As depicted,
the process begins in block 600 and thereafter passes to block 602. Block
602 illustrates a determination of whether or not a mouse button
depression has been detected. After detecting the depression of a mouse
button in block 602, the process proceeds to block 604, which depicts a
determination of whether or not the mouse pointer is within a curved
slider. If the mouse pointer is not within a curved slider, the process
advances to block 606, which depicts the resuming of routine processing.
Thereafter, the process terminates as illustrated in block 608.
Referring again to block 604, If the mouse pointer is within a curved
slider, the process advances to block 610. Block 610 depicts a
determination of which mouse button has been depressed. Those skilled in
the art will appreciate that a typical mouse pointing device includes a
left mouse button and a right mouse button. For a mouse having only a
single mouse button, a single depression, or an alternate action such as,
for example, a double depression of the mouse button may be utilized to
select the curved slider. In the event that the left mouse button has been
depressed, the process passes to block 612 and thereafter performs a
standard "drag and drop" operation.
The "drag and drop" operation begins as illustrated in block 612 by moving
the curved slider along the peripheral section of the scrollcurve graphic
interface in accordance with the movements of the mouse. Next, the process
advances to block 614, which depicts the redrawing of the display on the
display device to display the new portions of the image selected by the
curved slider. The different portions of the image being displayed may map
directly to the periphery of the scrollcurve graphic interface, along
which the curved slider is displayed.
Next, the process passes to block 616. Block 616 illustrates a
determination of whether or not the mouse button has been released and if
not, the process returns iteratively to block 612. In the event the mouse
button has been released, the process passes to block 606, which depicts
the resuming of routine processing. Thereafter, the process terminates as
illustrated in block 608.
Referring again to block 61 0, in the event that the right mouse button has
been depressed, the process then passes to block 618, which depicts the
altering of the scroll bar appearance along the peripheral section of the
scroll curve in accordance with the mouse movements. As described above,
depending upon the movements of the mouse, the curved slider may increase
or decrease in length. After altering the curved slider's appearance, in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
process passes to block 620. Block 620 illustrates the redrawing of the
display to depict those areas of the wide-angle image that are now
selected by the altered curved slider.
Next, the process passes to block 622. Block 622 illustrates a
determination of whether or not the mouse button has been released and if
not, the process returns iteratively to block 618. In the event the mouse
button has been released, the process passes to block 606, which depicts
the resuming of routine processing. Thereafter, the process terminates as
illustrated in block 608.
Referring now to FIG. 7, a high level logical flowchart illustrating a
method and system for manipulating a wide-angle image in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. As depicted,
the process begins in block 700 and thereafter passes to block 702. Block
702 depicts the resizing of a window containing a wide-angle image that is
managed by a scrollcurve graphic interface in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the present invention. The process passes to block 704,
which illustrates a determination of whether or not the display area has
increased in the window. If the window can display more portions of the
wide-angle image, the process advances to block 706, which illustrates
displaying additional portions of the image within the resized window. The
process then passes to block 708. Block 708 illustrates the increasing
length of the curved slider in the scrollcurve graphic interface
associated with this window. The curved slider is lengthened to
graphically indicate the increased portions of the wide-angle image that
are displayed within the window. Thereafter, the process terminates as
illustrated in block 710.
Referring again to block 704, if the display area for the wide-angle image
has not increased, the process proceeds to block 712, which depicts a
determination of whether or not the display area has decreased. If less
portions of the wide-angle image may be displayed within the resized
window, the process advances to block 714. Block 714 illustrates the
reduction of the number portions of the wide-angle image displayed in the
window in response to the decreased display area.
The process then proceeds to block 716, which depicts the decreasing of the
length of the curved slider in the scrollcurve graphic interface
associated with this window. The curved slider is shortened to graphically
indicate the decreased portions of the wide-angle image that are now
displayed within the window. Thereafter, the process terminates as
illustrated in block 710.
The scrollcurve graphic interface may be employed in uses other than
manipulating wide-angle images. For example, a number of images may be
aligned adjacent to each other, in a single graphics file. In such a
situation, all of the images in the file may not be displayable on the
screen of the video display device. A scrollcurve graphic interface may be
employed to control the display the images.
In another example, a user may have multiple windows open in a GUI at any
one time. If many windows are arranged side by side, it may be impossible
to display all of the windows on a video display device to the user at one
time in a manner that is usable by the user. The scrollcurve graphic
interface of the present invention may be utilized to manipulate which
windows are displayed to a user at any given time. In other words, a
scrollcurve graphic interface may be employed to display or view areas
that were previously "off" the screen.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with
reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made
therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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