Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graphic manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-18
2003-12-09
Bella, Matthew C. (Department: 2676)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graphic manipulation
C345S624000, C345S626000, C345S204000, C345S001100, C345S001200, C345S004000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06661425
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an information input/output vice. More particularly, it relates to an information put/output device for superpositionally displaying an formation displayed on an image plane on another image plane which any other information is being displayed. As will be clarified subsequently, the present invention relates more specifically to an information input/output device in which any other information of plural image planes are presented to a user simultaneously in physically discrete relationship in the vertical direction to contribute to improving the efficiency in the information processing operation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There has so far been known a method for arraying the information in the same plane as an environment in which the information processing operation is performed as variable different information is displayed on an image plane of a display apparatus. This is generally called graphical user interface (GUI). In GUI, there is usually demonstrated on the display image plane (screen) of a display device one or more windows in which to demonstration the information. In this case, the window may be deemed to be a unit of representation for presenting and supervising the information.
Of the plural windows demonstrated on a screen of a display device, in a routine window displaying system, only the window on the foremost foreground has its entire area displayed, whilst the windows hidden behind this window is partially displayed or hidden completely.
Thus, for accessing the hidden window, the window to be demonstrated is activated and moved to the foremost foreground on the screen.
As a result, the window, so far activated, is rendered inactive, by way of interchanging the foreground/background relationship as far as display is concerned.
For demonstrating plural windows on one screen, a user interface is required for quickly specifying or interchanging the respective windows. For example, in Windows (registered trademark of an OS developed by MICROSOFT INC.), switching to the windows to be activated is performed quickly by arranging a window-switching shortcut icon on a task bar or on a desktop or by allocating a window-switching shortcut key to the keyboard.
As another method for presenting plural information on an screen, there is known a method for switchingly demonstrating images. There is also known a method of increasing the volume of the information that can be demonstrated by increasing the image size of the display device and enhancing the resolution or by providing plural display devices to increase the display images.
Also, in a number of application softwares, employing a touch panel display, including, in the first place, an application software employing a touch panel display, a flat GUI is mainly used. As a pointing operation, a button image demonstrated on an image is pressed with a finger on a touch panel, or a mouse button is clicked. Responsive to this actuation, the button image is high-lighted, changed in color, caused to blink or changed to an yielded bit map image.
Meanwhile, among conventional display devices for superposed display of plural images, there are known such a display device employing e.g., a half mirror, and such a display device including an optical device having a similar function, called a flat reflection spectroscope, a combiner or a beam splitter. These optical devices are herein collectively termed a half mirror.
In this type of the conventional devices, there is disclosed in JP Patent Kokai JP-10-123974 a switching display device having a half mirror and configured for displaying two or more image information. The half mirror is adapted for transmitting or reflecting the light radiated from two planar light sources and which has passed through respective transparent tablet plates. There is also disclosed in JP Patent Kokai JP-7-287186 a goggle type display device having two liquid crystal display devices and a half mirror. There is disclosed in JP Patent Kokai JP-10-79906 an arrangement of a liquid crystal television monitor having two liquid crystal display panels, a half mirror for synthesizing two images, a circuit for sampling an image demonstrated on the two liquid crystal display panels and a signal switching switch for supplying sampled image signals to a liquid crystal display panel driver. Moreover, there is disclosed in JP Patent Kokai JP-9-507311 an arrangement of an image synthesizing device for generating a synthesis of plural images/visible phenomena, in which there is provided, from the viewpoint of a viewer, at least one projected real image demonstrated in a neighboring style in a fore-and-aft relation, adjacent to one another, in superposition or in a intersecting relation.
In addition, there is proposed, in JP Patent Kokai JP-04-077087, a stereoscopic image display device in which plural images associated with respective distances form an imaging point to different objects are demonstrated in apparent superposition at plural display positions having respective different optical viewing distances relative to the viewer so that the magnitudes of said optical viewing distances will appear to be the magnitudes of the aforementioned distances, in which the necessity of using special goggles, display units or movable parts of the optical system will be eliminated by arranging plural transparent display units demonstrating plural images at plural display positions.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
The display routinely used for information display is a flat type display, such as CRT or liquid crystal display panel, adapted for displaying plural sorts of the information on a sole plane (image plane, e.g., display screen plane).
In the conventional GUI employing this sort of the display, a window, which may be said to be a virtual paper sheet, as an information management unit, and the text, a bit map image, an operating icon or a menu is arranged on the window.
As an area in which to demonstrate plural windows, there is provided an area termed a “desk top area” which may be said to be a virtual desk surface. On this desk top area the respective windows are arrayed in superposition or arranged as icons to permit a user to prosecute his or her operations.
However, the conventional information display device and the information input/output devices suffer from the following problems.
The first problem is that, if many sorts of the information are displayed on a conventional GUI image plane, it is not easy for the operator to grasp immediately to which point his or her attention should be directed.
The reason is that, in the conventional display device, there is no alternative but to arrange the information on the sole screen plane (image plane) and, if desired to increase the number of the information items to be demonstrated simultaneously, there is no alternative but to reduce the display size of the individual information or to display the information in superposition, as a result of which the information becomes difficult to view for the operator.
If the information to which the attention of the user is to be directed is highlighted, or surrounded by a frame to emphasize the information, the emphasized information is insufficient in definiteness in representation, since the emphasized information is still arrayed on the same plane as the other information.
The second problem is that searching a window hidden behind a foreground window and switching a background window to the foreground represents a cumbersome operation.
In a routine window displaying system, there are occasions where the window on the foreground is displayed in its entirety, whilst the remaining windows are hidden partially or in their entirety by other windows. If the windows are hidden in this manner, a targeted window is difficult to search and, in addition, the information on the other windows are difficult to refer to while the windows or the information represented on the windows cannot be viewed at a glance.
For reliably demonstrating the hidden windows, the window(s) in question need to be acti
Bella Matthew C.
NEC Corporation
Sajous Wesner
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