Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-07
2002-04-16
Huynh, Ba (Department: 2773)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S698000, C345S699000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06373506
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for optimizing an alignment of objects to be displayed on a display device when utilizing computer software.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, software, especially “multimedia content”, has been used widely in various terminals, whose display resolutions or display shapes are distinct from one another, since such typical distribution media as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) and the Internet has become popular. A lot of multimedia content are in a style wherein a given area size, that is, a screen resolution and a display form, is fixed for displaying the content. Thus, a problematic matter arises in that the convenient use of such software is remarkably spoiled, owing to an insufficient resolution of a display device in the terminal or to a ratio difference in the lengths of the vertical and-the horizontal lines of the display screen.
For example, there are what is called “Wide Televisions” which can display WWW (World Wide Web) homepages on their screens. Since most homepages are designed to be in a lengthwise form, the area on the screen of the wide televisions significantly needs more space to display the page in the longitudinal direction, on the other hand, the sidewise area thereon is left. Thus, the homepages are inefficiently displayed on the wide televisions.
In order to overcome such a problem, conventionally, there are proposed techniques for simply reducing the content's size of the homepages and for deleting some parts of the pages which may not be displayed on the screen, by using an object alignment controller shown in FIG.
9
.
In the device shown in
FIG. 9
, an established alignment reading section
11
reads out information regarding an established alignment of one or more than one object contained in multimedia content, whereas a required area calculating section
12
calculates a size of an area required for displaying a homepage based on the read alignment information. An area comparing section
13
compares the calculated size of the required area with a size of a displayable area which is stored in a displayable area storage section
14
. Now, a change process determining section
15
determines whether to perform a change process for appropriately displaying the objects contained in the content, on the basis of the comparison result. Then, a size changing section
16
enlarges or reduces the size of one or more than one object contained in the content, in accordance with the determination made by the change process determining section
15
. The resultant size changed by the size changing section
16
is supplied to a display section
17
, so that the content which has been changed in its size is displayed on the display device.
For example, Power Zaurus (trade mark: manufactured by Sharp Corporation) is equipped with a flame split feature to permit users to select a desired area referring from a plurality of areas contained in a homepage so as to display one area at a time on its screen, so that it displays the homepage in a very small scale and on the screen having a low resolution.
In Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. H6-332656, a method for aligning a plurality of graphic objects on a single screen is disclosed. However, the technique shown in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. H6-332656 has been proposed on the assumption that the plurality of objects are distinct from one another, and is not to provide means for revising an alignment of the objects which is previously determined by a certain producer, etc.
In Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. S63-118830, a method for revising an alignment of objects, which is preset on a screen, according to a screen data form of each terminal device is disclosed. However, in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. S63-118830, there is not at all mentioned specific means how to change an established alignment of the objects in a manner corresponding to a screen data form of each terminal device.
In International Publication No.WO94/27278, there is disclosed a window system for changing a size of an area having objects according as a position of a window is changed. According to the technique disclosed in International Publication NO. WO94/27278, the objects can be transferred without depending on a resolution of the Window and re-displaying them. However, in International Publication No. WO94/27278, means for optimizing an alignment of the plurality of objects and the size thereof is not disclosed.
In International Publication No. WO95/25299, a technique for performing a display in a manner corresponding to a change in a display environment is disclosed. In the technique disclosed in International Publication No. WO95/25299, a software program, such as an operating system, and an application program, etc., is informed of the change in the display environment, so that display content of software may be conformed with the change in the display environment. In such a case, the software itself makes the display content of the software conform with the change in the display environment. In other words, the technique disclosed in International Publication No. WO95/25299 is not to provide means for specifically optimizing the alignment of the plurality of objects or the size thereof.
In Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. H10-133973, a technique for displaying information in the form of HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) on various terminals each having a distinct resolution and a screen size is disclosed. According to the technique disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. H10-133973, each terminal sends information regarding an operable screen size in response to a request command from a center computer which provides information, and the center computer sets the screen size of each terminal for providing the information data corresponding to the set screen size to the terminal. In this case as well, the alignment of a plurality of objects and the size thereof are set in accordance with the prepared information data, thus the above-described technique does not intend to provide means for optimizing the alignment of the objects.
As described above, there has not conventionally been proposed any technique for providing specific means for changing the alignment of the objects in order to conform the form of the screen. Thus, according to the conventional techniques, various display devices can not efficiently be utilized, because such devices display on the screen computer software including a plurality of objects whose alignment is previously established or which are simply enlarged/reduced in their size.
In addition, the conventional techniques have not been developed under the consideration that the relationship between the objects is to preferably be maintained and that the software is to apparently be displayed. On the other hand, in multimedia content which is produced as a piece of work rather than simple information content, a plurality of objects are generally aligned on the basis of correlation between the objects contained therein and of functions of the objects. Accordingly, there is a fearful possibility that the objects may not remarkably be in a desired mutual relationship, if the alignment of the objects contained in the computer software is simply changed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an object alignment controller, an object alignment controlling method, a recording medium, and a program data signal, all being capable of efficiently using a display area, when computer software, such as multimedia content, etc., having a plurality of objects is displayed in the display area on a display device.
In order to achieve the above-described object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an object alignment controller for controlling an alignment of a
Huynh Ba
NEC Corporation
Ostrolenk Faber Gerb & Soffen, LLP
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