Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-04
2002-12-10
dela Torre, Crescelle N. (Department: 2174)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06493001
ABSTRACT:
CLAIM TO FOREIGN PRIORITY UNDER 35 USC §
119
The present application claims priority to Japanese application No P10-249353 filed on Sep. 3, 1998 in Japan.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally 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 for describing a virtual shared space using Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML).
2. Description of the Related Art
A Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) is a descriptive language which can be used for uniformly handling 3-dimensional information by utilizing a construction of a World Wide Web (“WWW” or “the web”) for providing various kinds of information over the internet at a worldwide scale. The web has been developed by the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) of Switzerland, and enables information including text, picture, sound and the like to be transmitted asynchronously to an information processing terminal such as a personal computer in accordance with a protocol called a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) so that the information can be viewed and heard in HTTP format. HTTP is a protocol for transmitting files described in the HTML format over the internet and operates to transmit hypertext information of an HTML file to a client terminal in response to a request issued to the web server from client terminal.
A web server includes a server software called HTTP daemon and HTML files each used for storing hypertext information. The daemon software is a computer program executed for carrying out control and processing in the background in a UNIX environment. The hypertext information is expressed by using a descriptive language called an Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). In an hypertext description using HTML, a logical structure of a statement is expressed by a format specification called a tag sandwiched between the symbols “<” and “>”. A link to other information is described by using a link information called an anchor. When a location of information is specified by using the anchor, a string of characters called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is utilized.
A popular environment for utilizing the web is a client software called a web browser such as Netscape Navigator® available from Netscape Communications, Inc., of Internet Explorer® available from Microsoft Corporation. By using such web browsers, it is possible to view a home page which is a file specified by a URL in the web server on the internet built at a worldwide scale through internet surfing in which home pages connected to each other by links are traced sequentially one after another in order to allow user accesses to a variety of information sources on the web.
In recent years, the web is further expanded, making it possible to describe a 3-dimensional virtual space and to set hypertext links to objects rendered by 3-dimensional graphics. Specifications of a 3-dimensional graphics descriptive language called the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) have been proposed such that, by tracing such links, web servers can be accessed sequentially one after another.
A VRML browser has also been developed for displaying a 3-dimensional space described in accordance with the specifications of the VRML. Details of the VRML are described in, for example,
Knowing VRML: Browsing and Building Cyberspace
by Mark Pesce, and translated by Kohichi Matsuda, Terunao Kamachi, Shoichi Takeuchi, Yasuaki Honda, Junichi Koyomoto, Sadayuki Ishikawa, Ken Miyashita and Kazuhiro Hara, first edition of Mar. 25, 1996, Prentice Hall publication ISBN4-931356-37-0 (which is a Japanese translation of
VRML: Browsing & Building Cyberspace
by Mark Pesce, 1995 New Readers Publishing ISBN 1-56205-498-8), and
Recent Trends in VRML and CyberPassage
by Kohichi Matsuda and Yasuaki Honda, bit (Kyoritsu publication)/1996, Vol. 28, No. 7, pages 29 to 36, No. 8, pages 57 to 65, No. 9, pages 29 to 36 and No. 10, pages 49 to 58.
In addition, the specifications of Version 2.0 of the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (ISO/IEC CD 14772) is available at the following URL: http://www.vrml.org/Specifications/VRML2.0/FINAL/spec/index.html. A Japanese version of the specifications is also available at the following URL: http://www.webcity.co.jp/info/andoh/VRML/vrml2.0/spec-jp/index.html.
A Community Place® Browser/Bureau is a typical browser for VRML2.0 and software for a shared server are developed as a product by Sony Corporation, the assignee of the present invention. Its prototype &bgr; version can be accessed at the following URL: http://vs.sony.co.jp.
VRML2.0 can be used to describe and express an autonomous behavior of an object in a 3-dimensional virtual space. VRML contents expressing an object dynamically moving around in a 3-dimensional virtual space are created using VRML2.0 through a process described below. It should be noted that in the following description, VRML contents are a set of script files and VRML files for expressing a sequence of behaviors of an object in a virtual space.
A sequence of processes to create VRML contents is described below.
Model creation is a process to describe attributes of an object (or a model) located in a virtual space such as the shape and the position of the object using VRML2.0 to create a basic VRML file. Sensor-node description is a process to add a description of a sensor node to a VRML file. An example of the sensor node is a TouchSensor which generates an event when a click operation or a pointing operation is carried out by using a mouse for an object in a virtual space. Another example of the sensor node is a TimeSensor which generates an event when a time set in advance is reached.
Additionally, routing edit is a process to add a description of a routing to a VRML file. The routing is used for propagating an event generated by an operation such as a pointing operation for an object for which a sensor node is added. Moreover, script-node description is a process to add a description of a script node for passing an event propagated by a routing to an external script and to add the description to a VRML file. Finally, script-file creation is a process to describe (to program) a script in a language such as Java® language developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc., for expressing a behavior set in advance for each object in a virtual space on the basis of an event propagated through a script node. Accordingly, the desired VRML contents are created through a sequence of processes work described above.
When creating VRML contents expressing an autonomous behavior of an object in a 3-dimensional virtual space on the basis of VRML2.0, existing authoring software known as a modeler is used to create the shape of an object or animation, and to output the created object or the created animation as a file in VRML2.0 format. An example of the authoring software is Studio Max®. If the modeler does not support the VRML2.0 format, it is then necessary to convert the format of the created file into the VRML2.0 format by using a converter or other equivalent means.
Then, the descriptions of a variety of sensor nodes using VRML2.0 are added to a VRML file using a text editor. The process to create a script written in the Java® language, to add a script node for the script, to add a route statement, and so on, is carried out repeatedly. In the actual operation verification, the VRML browser for VRML2.0 is activated to verify the behavior of the object by carrying out operations such as a click operation by using a mouse.
With the VRML2.0, the user is capable of defining a new node type and extending an existing node type. In addition, a defined node can be used as if the node were an existing built-in node. A technique used by the user to define a node as described above is called prototyping and the defined node is called a prototype. A keyword PROTO is used to define such prototype.
An example of an e
Ishikawa Masayuki
Matsuda Koichi
Takagi Tatsuya
Bell Boyd & Lloyd LLC
dela Torre Crescelle N.
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