Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-01
2001-07-10
Luu, Matthew (Department: 2672)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Reexamination Certificate
active
06259428
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to software for adjusting colors for 2D and 3D graphic images, and more particularly to a software system which automatically and/or dynamically substitutes colors within a portion or all of a graphic image.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
In many instances it is desirable to selectively alter or substitute colors in a graphic image. For example, modern computer systems include graphical user interfaces which enable the user to easily and simply interface with a program or application. Graphical user interfaces are also used to allow users to model processes, including the simulation and/or control of real world or physical components. One example of where the computer system graphical user interface (GUI) is used to model a physical real world process is in the field of industrial automation. In the field of industrial automation, a user typically will create a graphical user interface or graphical model including graphic images or icons which represent real world components comprised in the process being modeled or controlled. For example, the user may create a user interface comprising one or more valves, pumps, transducers, etc. which represent real world valves, pumps and transducers being controlled by the program. The user can thus more easily monitor the status and operation of these real world elements utilizing the graphical user interface presented on the screen of the computer system.
Various application programs have been developed which allow users to easily create graphical user interfaces and graphical programs for controlling or modeling processes. Examples of development environments which are used to develop graphical user interfaces and/or programs for modeling or controlling real world devices are the LabVIEW and BridgeVIEW graphical development systems from National Instruments Corporation, as well as the Visual Basic and Visual C++ programming development environments from Microsoft Corporation, including tools such as the ComponentWorks program from National Instruments Corporation. These programs typically provide a palette of graphic images or icons which may be used to create a graphical user interface for controlling or modeling the real world system. Also, where the program is a “container”, various types of graphic image components may be included in the container.
In many instances, the user desires to alter the colors of one or more graphic images or icons displayed on the graphical user interface for aesthetic reasons or for functionality reasons. Also, the user may create a program which models or controls a process, wherein the program is designed to programmatically change the colors of one or more of the graphics images to indicate conditions occurring within the system. For example, if a tank overflows in the system, the program may programmatically change the color of the tank in the graphical user interface from green to red to visually indicate to the user that a problem has occurred. In a similar manner, in various instances it is desirable to programmatically change the colors of various graphic images or icons to provide visual indications to the user as to the status of operations or to indicate certain events which have occurred in the system.
In some cases where the graphic or bitmap image includes a plurality of different colors, it is often times desirable for the user to be able to manually or programmatically change the color of only a certain color of a graphic image, without affecting the other colors comprised in the graphic. It is also desirable to be able to change one or more colors, while maintaining the proper shading and lighting characteristics of the respective color. Therefore, an improved system and method is desired for automatically and/or dynamically substituting colors within graphic or bitmapped images.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a system and method for dynamically substituting colors in graphic images. The present invention preferably operates in a computer system, wherein the computer system includes a CPU, a memory, and a display screen. The computer memory includes one or more graphic images, and also includes a software method for substituting colors according to the present invention. In the preferred embodiment, each graphic image comprises a re-usable software component, wherein the component includes the graphic image, the color substitution method and a property page or other means for configuring properties or attributes of the component. The property page is preferably used to configure the color substitution method to substitute one or more colors in the graphic image.
The color substitution method operates by first receiving user input specifying the color to be replaced within the graphic image (Cr) and a new color (Cn). The method also receives a hue variance % value, which indicates the degree of hue variance for which a color substitution is performed. The method then converts the color to be replaced (Cr) to hue, luminance and saturation components (Hr, Lr, Sr), and converts the new color (Cn) to hue, luminance and saturation components (Hn, Ln, Sn). The method also computes a luminance difference Ld=Ln−Lr.
Then, for each color element, e.g., each pixel or color command, the method performs a color substitution operation to replace one or more current colors in the graphic image with the new color. The color substitution operation for each color element comprises first obtaining a current color (Cc) of a current color element in the graphic image and converting the current color (Cc) to hue, luminance and saturation components (Hc, Lc, Sc). The method then determines if Hc matches Hr within the specified hue variance, i.e., if the hue value of the current color element matches the hue component of the color which is to be replaced within the specified hue variance. The method maintains the current color of the current color element unchanged if Hc does not match Hr within the specified hue variance, since the color of the current color element is not sufficiently close to the color desired to be changed.
If Hc matches Hr within the specified hue variance, i.e., the color of the current color element is sufficiently close to the color desired to be changed, thus warranting a color substitution, then the following steps are performed. First, the method sets the value of Hc to the value of Hn and sets the value of Lc to Lc+Ld in response to determining that Hc matches Hr. After the values of Hc and Lc have been changed appropriately, the method converts the new Hc and Lc values and the Sc value, back to an rgb format to produce a new color for the current color element. This new color is then stored for the respective color element, thereby effecting a color substitution for the respective color element.
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Microsoft Press, Computer Dictionary, Third Edition, 1997, Microsoft Corporation pp. 386-387.
Ramchandani Mahesh A.
Washington Jeffrey D.
Conley Rose & Tayon PC
Cunningham G. F.
Hood Jeffrey C.
Luu Matthew
National Instruments Corporation
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