Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-02
2001-09-18
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2773)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S215000, C345S950000, C345S440000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06292184
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for displaying graphic information, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a computer controlled display system for editing a multi-media production.
2. Art Background
Over the past decade, a variety of graphic user interfaces have been developed to ease human interaction with computer systems. Many display systems utilize metaphors in the design of the interface as a way of maximizing human familiarity, and conveying information between the user and the computer. It is common for computer systems incorporating so-called “object oriented” display systems to utilize multiple “windows” on a display in which combinations of text and graphics are disposed. The display systems utilize familiar metaphors, such as desktops, control panels, notebooks and the like, such that the interface takes advantage of existing human mental structures to permit a user to draw upon the metaphor analogy to understand the requirements of the particular computer system.
It is well known that designing around a familiar metaphor helps reduce human learning time. (See for example, Patrick Chan, “Learning Considerations in User Interface Design: The Room Model”, Report CS-84-16, University of Waterloo Computer Science Department, Ontario, Canada, July, 1984, and the references cited therein.) The ability to operate on images or objects which relate the user to actual objects on, for example, a desktop, results in a stronger man-machine interface. (See for example, D. Robson, “Object Oriented Software Systems”, BYTE, August 1991, page 74, Vol. 6, No. 8; L. Tesler, “The Smalltalk Environment”, BYTE, August 1981, page 90, Vol. 6, No. 8; and Smith, et al., “Star User Interface: An Overview”, National Computer Conference, 1982. A number of these interfaces have received patent protection over the past ten years (See for example, J. Blatt, “A Primer on User Interface Software Patents”; The Computer Lawyer, April 1992, Page 1, Vol. 9, No. 4).
Research in interface design using metaphors in man-machine interfaces may be applied to computer controlled editing systems to incorporate and integrate various production media resources, such as special effects, music, graphics and the like. In the case of an editing system, a variety of resources must be integrated, scheduled and coordinated with one another to obtain a complete multi-media product. Users of computer controlled editing systems are generally familiar with the individual resources and the coordination of those resources to develop a finished product. Accordingly, the “windows” utilized in a video editing system may be designed such that the metaphor of the interface takes advantage of the knowledge of the user in operating discrete devices (for example, a video tape recorder or music synthesizer). The window may, therefore, take the form of a control panel for the video tape recorder, which includes the controls of play, reverse, record and the like. Similarly, the window may provide an area on the display screen in which movies, takes, or particular scenes are displayed for the user to edit.
A computer controlled editing system may allow a user of the system to integrate source material from a variety of multi-media resources to generate an output sequence. One problem associated with computer editing systems is that the editing systems often fail to provide the user an organized and visual display of the source material available to create the output sequence. The source material is associated with a variety of variables, including time, speed and type of source. The user may find it very difficult to assimilate all of these different variables without an interface that provides an effective mechanism for conveying the values of these variables. As will be described, the present invention provides a user interface that effectively displays these variables so that a user may more easily manipulate the source material.
The problem of conveying the values of variables to a user is not unique to multi-media editors. Computer games, databases, communications and control programs and any number of other programs convey the values of a wide variety of variables.
As will be described, the present invention provides an interface that allows the users of these programs to quickly and easily determine the approximate or exact value of these variables.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides apparatus and methods for use in computer display systems, and in particular, a graphical user interface for use in computer controlled multi-media editing systems. A display system including at least one central processing unit (CPU) is coupled through appropriate input/output (I/O) circuitry to input devices, such as a cursor control device. The CPU is further coupled to a storage device for the storage of data and programs including a database. The CPU is also coupled to a display device on which the present invention's user interface is displayed.
The computer controlled editing system of the present invention utilizes the three components of color, hue, luminance and saturation, to convey information to a user. In a preferred embodiment, each of the three components are mapped to variables that are displayed on the interface. The value of a particular variable may be represented by a gradient of one of the color components or a discrete value of one of the color components.
The user interface of the present invention may be used in conjunction with a multi-media editing system. A source log containing video or audio information is represented on the interface by a timeline. In a preferred embodiment, the timelines vary according to lightness such that the relative lightness of a particular point on the timeline indicates the relative time of the underlying source material at that point. Different hues represent different source materials and saturation is used to represent whether a particular block of a timeline has been selected by the user for editing.
More generally, the present invention may be used in conjunction with any program that displays variables. As an example, a multi-media game configured according to the user interface of the present invention is described.
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Bayerl Raymond J.
Blakely , Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman LLP
Nguyen Thomas T.
Sony Corporation
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