Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Attributes
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-17
2003-06-10
Bella, Matthew C. (Department: 2676)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Attributes
C345S606000, C345S619000, C345S643000, C345S650000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06577319
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to control of a display attribute when data having an attribute-attribute value pair is displayed on a display apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, a number of systems have been proposed and made commercially available, which reflect data processed by an application program operating on a computer onto a display apparatus, and represents the data to a user.
In the above-mentioned systems, an attribute of data is converted into a display attribute such as a coordinate value on a display and color, and thus displayed. According to most of the conversions, one display attribute is linearly mapped with respect to one attribute.
On the other hand, the following technique has been proposed: an arbitrary region is enlarged and the other region is reduced by modifying a coordinate system among display attributes.
According to “Graphical Fisheye Views of Graphs: M. Sarkar and M. H. Brown, In Proc. ACM SIGCHI '92, 1992” (Prior Art 1), a two-dimensional polar coordinate system is modified by a radius component r, as represented by Formula 9 in FIG.
36
. In Formula 9, d denotes a distortion factor.
Furthermore, Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 7-320079 (Prior Art 2) describes the following: in the case of using a plurality of modification formulae in Prior Art 1 (i.e., in the case of providing a plurality of enlargement centers), according to a method for calculating a coordinate value by each modification formula, and averaging the obtained calculated coordinate values, modification which a user desires cannot be obtained, and setting parameters by trial and error is required.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, Prior Art 2 proposes a technique of determining a region to be modified so as not to cause interference with respect to each modification formula, and modifying each region, without averaging a plurality of modification formulae.
Furthermore, according to “3-Dimensional Pliable Surfaces: For the Effective Presentation of Visual Information: M. S. T. Carpendale, D. J. Cowperthwaite and F. D. Francchia, In Proc. UIST '95, 1995” (Prior Art 3), utilizing a perspective in a three-dimensional display, a display of a plane parallel to a user's line of sight is modified by being attached to a curved plane generated by a two-variable Gaussian function.
However, according to Formula 9 of Prior Art 1, as a parameter for controlling modification, only the distortion factor d is included. Thus, only a one-dimensional circle is modified. More specifically, Prior Art 1 is not ready for the case where only a region represented by a rectangle or an oval is desired to be enlarged.
According to Prior Art 2, when an average is obtained from a plurality of modification formulae, setting parameters by trial and error is required. However, it is unlikely to consider that a user becomes confused when taking an average. It is rather considered that the problem of Prior Art 2 is caused because the formulae lack flexibility and a user cannot intuitively and freely set parameters.
Prior Art 3 uses Gaussian function, so that free modification is possible by utilizing parameters of Gaussian function. However, Prior Art 3 uses a three-dimensional space for modifying a two-dimensional plane; therefore, Prior Art 3 is not ready for a three-dimensional data display.
Furthermore, the above-mentioned three prior art references disclose at least one parameter for modification. However, they fail to disclose a method for a user to intuitively and freely alter the parameter.
Furthermore, the above-mentioned three prior art references particularly pay attention to mapping onto a display coordinate system among display attributes. Regarding mapping onto the other display attributes, there are not techniques of altering parameters of a function used for mapping. As a similar technique, there is a technique of generating “gradation of an arbitrary rectangular region”, such as a paint tool and a draw tool. In most cases, patterns of gradation are previously given, and a user only controls a direction and colors at a starting point/an ending point of gradation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A method for controlling a data display is provided. The data includes at least one attribute, and the method includes: an attribute conversion step of converting at least one attribute of the data into a display attribute by using at least one mapping function; a display step of displaying the data based on the display attribute; and a parameter changing step of changing a parameter of the mapping function.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the parameter changing step includes a step of changing the parameter based on a desired timing in accordance with a user's instruction.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the parameter changing step includes a step of changing a parameter by using a GUI-widget.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the at least one mapping function includes a shape function, and the shape function represents an arbitrary shape with at least one attribute to be converted being a variable.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the shape function includes a center parameter representing a center of the shape function and a velocity parameter representing a velocity to the center, the parameter changing step includes a step of selecting at least one of the center parameter, the velocity parameter, and a local maximum value parameter controlling a value of the at least one mapping function when the at least one mapping function is an angular type function which becomes a local maximum at the center of the shape function, and using the selected parameter as a parameter set of the at least one mapping function.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the shape function includes a center parameter representing a center of the shape function and a velocity parameter representing a velocity to the center, and the parameter changing step includes a step of selecting at least one of the center parameter, the velocity parameter, and a local maximum value parameter controlling a value of the at least one mapping function when the at least one mapping function is an increase type function in which a derivative of the mapping function becomes a local maximum at the center of the shape function, and using the selected parameter as a parameter set of the at least one mapping function.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the shape function includes a multi-dimensional function using a plurality of the attributes to be converted as variables, the shape function includes a center parameter representing a center of the shape function, corresponding to each of the variables, a velocity parameter representing a velocity to the center, corresponding to each of the variables, a correlation parameter representing a correlation between the variables, and a rotation parameter representing rotation of a parameter space, and the parameter changing step is a function for calculating one arbitrary value of the display attributes, and includes a step of selecting at least one of the center parameter, the velocity parameter, the correlation parameter, the rotation parameter, and a local maximum value parameter controlling a value of the at least one mapping function when the at least one mapping function is an angular type function in which the at least one mapping function becomes a local maximum at the center of the shape function, and using the selected parameter as a parameter set of the at least one mapping function.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the shape function includes a multi-dimensional function using a plurality of the attributes to be converted as variables, the shape function includes a center parameter representing a center of the shape function, corresponding to each of the variables, a velocity parameter representing a velocity to the center, corresponding to each of the variables, a correlation parameter representing a c
Kashiwagi Koichi
Urano Naoki
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