Data processing: presentation processing of document – operator i – Presentation processing of document – Layout
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-09
2003-09-30
Feild, Joseph H. (Department: 2176)
Data processing: presentation processing of document, operator i
Presentation processing of document
Layout
C715S252000, C345S473000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06626954
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method and a presentation medium. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method and a presentation medium which allow generation of a sound and a movement of a picture to be synchronized with each other in a 3-dimensional virtual reality space expressed in a VRML.
In the Internet serving as a computer network constructed at a world-wide scale, there is known a VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) as a descriptive language capable of treating 3-dimensional information uniformly by making use of the construction of a WWW (World Wide Web) which provides various kinds of information.
As a system usable in the Internet for providing information, there is known the WWW which was developed by CERN (European Center for Nuclear Research) of Switzerland. The WWW allows information such as texts, pictures and sounds to be viewed or listened to in a hypertext format. To put it in detail, the information stored in a WWW server is transmitted to a terminal such as a personal computer asynchronously by using a protocol referred to as an HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol).
The WWW server comprises the HTTP, server software known as “daemon” and an HTML file for storing hyper-text information. It should be noted that the daemon software is a program for executing control and processing in a background when doing jobs under UNIX. Hypertext information is expressed by using a descriptive language called an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language). In a description of a hypertext written in the HTML, the logical structure of a statement is expressed in terms of format specifications which are each called a tag expressed by sandwiching a statement with the symbols “<” and “>”. A link with other information is described by using link information referred to as an “anchor”. When a location of information is specified by making use of an anchor, a string of characters known as a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is utilized.
The HTTP is a protocol for transferring a file described in the HTML through the network. There are provided functions whereby a request for information is transmitted from a client to the WWW server and hypertext information of an HTML file is transferred to the client by the WWW server in response to the request.
Widely used as an environment utilizing the WWW is a WWW browser where the verb “to browse” of the word “browser” means “to view here and there”. To be more specific, the WWW browser is a client software represented mainly by Netscape Navigator, a trademark of a US company named Netscape Communication Corporation. By using the WWW browser, it is possible to browse the so-called home pages, that is, files represented by a URL on the WWW server of the Internet which is spread at a world-wide scale. To put it concretely, it is possible to make an access to a great variety of information sources on the WWW by tracing link-connected home pages from a page to a next one in an operation called net surfing.
In recent years, specifications of a 3-dimensional-graphic describing language referred to as a VRML have been developed to further expand the WWW. The 3-dimensional-graphic describing language allows a hypertext link to be set for a description of a 3-dimensional virtual reality space or an object rendered as a 3-dimensional graphic and allows accesses to be made sequentially to such descriptions and such objects through the WWW server by tracing their links. In addition, there has also been developed a VRML browser for displaying a 3-dimensional virtual space, which is described in accordance with the specifications of this VRML.
References describing details of the VRML include “VRML: Browsing & Building Cyberspace” authored by Mark Pesce, 1995 New Readers Publication ISBN 1-56205-498-8 and “Most Recent Trend of VRML and CyberPassage” authored by Kohichi Matsuda and Yasuaki Honda, compiling an articles in a Bit magazine of Vol. 28, No. 7 pp29 to pp36, No. 8 pp57 to pp65, No. 9 pp29 to pp36 and No. 10 pp49 to pp58 published by Kyoritsu in 1996. It should be noted that the former reference is translated by Kohichi Matsuda, Terutaka Uraji, Shohichi Takeuchi, Yasuaki Honda, Junichi Toshimoto, Masayuki Ishikawa, Ken Miyashita and Kazuhiro Hara into Japanese and published by Prentice Hall Publication ISBN4-931356-37-0 with a first edition published on Mar. 25, 1996.
In addition, a formal and complete specification sheet of “The Virtual Reality Modeling Language Version 2.0, ISO/IEC CD 14772”, is disclosed at “www.vrml.org/Specifications/VRML2.0/FINAL/spec/in dex.html”. A version written in Japanese is disclosed at “www.webcity.co.jp/info/andoh/VRML/vrm 12.0/spec-jp/index.html”.
As a browser for VRML2.0 and software for a shared server, Sony Corporation which is the applicant of this patent has developed “Community Place (Trademark) Browser/Bureau” as a commercial product. &bgr;-version (a prototype) of this product can be downloaded from a home page on the Internet at “vs.sony.co.jp”.
With such VRML2.0, it is possible to describe and express an independent behavior of an object in a 3-dimensional virtual reality space. In order to create VRML contents, in which an object actively moves around in the 3-dimensional virtual reality space using VRML2.0, it is necessary to proceed a series of work like the one described below. VRML contents are a collection of information such as VRML files and script files used for implementing a series of object's behaviors in one virtual reality space.
The following is a description of a series of work to create VRML contents.
Work to create a model is a job to describe attributes of an object or a model such as the shape and the position thereof located in a virtual reality space in VRML2.0 and to make a basic VRML file.
Description of a sensor node is a work to add a description of the sensor node to a VRML file. An example of the sensor node is TouchSensor which is used for generating an event when a click operation or a pointing operation is carried out by means of a mouse. Another example of the sensor node is TimeSensor for generating an event at a point of time set in advance.
Work to edit a routing is a job to add a description of a routing to a VRML file. A routing is used for propagating an event generated by a pointing operation or the like carried out on a sensor node associated with an object.
Description of a script node is a work to add a description of the script node to a VRML file. A script node is used for passing an event propagated through a routing to an external script.
Creation of a script file is a work to describe or to program a script in a language such as the Java for expressing behaviors of objects in a virtual reality space set in advance on the basis of an event passed by way of a script node. It should be noted that Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems Corporation, a US company.
Desired VRML contents are created by doing the various kinds of work described above.
In order to create VRML contents accompanying an independent behavior of an object in a virtual reality space, it is necessary to form the shape of the object and to create animation by using existing authoring software called a modeler and to output the work as a file of the VRML2.0 format. An example of the authoring software is 3D Studio Max, a trademark. If the modeler does not support the VRML2.0 format, it is then necessary to convert the format of the output file into the VRML2.0 format by using a tool such as a converter.
Subsequently, descriptions of a variety of sensor nodes as well as other descriptions expressed in VRML2.0 format are added to a VRML file by using a text editor, and pieces of work such as creation of a script in the Java by using the text editor, addition of a script node associated with the Java script and addition of a route statement are done repeatedly. Finally, in verification of an actual behavior of an
Aga Hiroyuki
Arakawa Emi
Kamachi Teruhisa
Karasawa Hidenori
Nagahara Junichi
Bell Boyd & Lloyd LLC
Feild Joseph H.
Sony Corporation
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