Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-12
2004-02-17
Nguyen, Cao (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06693649
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to systems and methods of operation for delivery of multi-media content including hotspots to end users. More particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for unifying hotspots subject to non-linear transformation and interpolation between heterogeneous media representations.
2. Background Discussion
In recent years, there has been a sizable growth in the use of Rich Media over the Worldwide Web as more and more individuals and institutions begin to realize the Web's potential and broad range of applications, including electronic commerce, education, training, news, etc. Examples of Rich Media include, inter alia, animation, audio, 3-D, panoramas and videos. There are two apparent clusters of media in Rich Media technology. One at the low end and the other at the high end which hamper effective deployment of some Rich Media in Internet based applications. A “low end” cluster comprises static images and simple non-interactive animation (typically animated—Graphic Interface Formats (GIFs) which are easy to deploy and therefore have widespread usage. The high end cluster comprises richer and more natural experiences with larger interactivity, such as panoramas, 3-D, streaming audio/video and composite media (e.g., MPEG-4). The difficulty of deployment has limited widespread usage of Rich Media. A novel scalable architecture called HotMedia bridges the gap between the two clusters thereby achieving widespread WEB penetration. Hot Media is described in IBM Research Report RC21519 entitled “The Hot Media Architecture:Progressive & Interactive Rich Media For The Internet” by K. G. Kumar et al. published July, 1999 A key feature of HotMedia is a suitable delivery file format that contains heterogeneous compositions of media bit streams as well as meta data that define behavior, composition and interaction semantics. The delivery file format enables creation of light weight single file representation of interactive, multi-stage presentations resulting in multiple media type content. At the core of a HotMedia client is a smart content algorithm that infers media type from the incoming data stream and fetches the media renderer components, user-interface components and hyper-linked action components, all just in time, resulting in progressive and context driven enrichment of the user experience. Details related to HotMedia architecture are described in Ser. No. 09/268,537 entitled “Framework for Progressive Hierarchical and Adaptive Delivery Rich and Media Presentation and Associated Data”, supra.
Often, instances of Rich Media incorporate “hotspots” to other presentations to expand a user's experience. The process of clicking on a hotspot in a media for transfer to the another presentation is also referred to as “hotlinking” or “hyperlinking” which is further described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,78 entitled “Networking Using Stegnographically Embedded Data Object” issued Nov. 24, 1198 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,012 entitled “Hyperlinking Time Based Data” issued Jan. 29, 1999.
Prior art related to mechanisms for accessing hotspot include the IBM PanoramIX system, which displays a hotspot by coloring a low resolution version of a panorama with pixels of a special color. During display of the projected image at the client station, those image pixels that happen to hover over the specially colored pixels in the secondary panoramic image are modified to show that they represent a hotspot. As a result, hotspot areas may be an arbitrary shape at the expense of a size and logistical problems of maintaining the second image. Another mechanism for accessing hotspot includes Interaction Pictures Incorporated (IPIX) in which a “click here” icon on view window over the hotspot masks the exact shape of the pick or click area.
One problem in “hotlinking” between heterogeneous media involves unifying hotspots in different forms of Rich Media. Depending upon the media, some hotspots transform linearly from one media to another media. In other cases, hotspots transform non-linearly from one media to another media.
Ordinarily, media project onto a display screen with scaling, translation, shear and rectilinear projection, which causes straight lines in the media to map to straight lines in the display. Linear translation allows hotspots (where “clicking” or “picking” on a hotspot using a mouse to cause action) to be defined by an outline of the two points connected by a straight line.
However, for some media, e.g., panoramas, the mapping from the media to the display is non-linear and the straight lines become curved after transformation. In such media, reverse transformation from the display to the media also creates curved lines. For these media, hotspot outlines cannot be defined by widely separated points, because interpolating straight lines between the points and the media space will cover a slightly different area than interpolating straight lines between points in the display space.
The variety of transformations for media to be displayed and re-stored are a problem for an action handler associated with a display for responding to a “picked” hotspot. Action handlers in the client station perform the transformations between arbitrary spaces. However, non-linear media can be arbitrary curved surfaces (e.g., cylinders or spheres). It is unreasonable for a general-purpose action handler to account for all possible media non-linearities and display options. An action handler must have the following characteristic to overcome problems in unifying hotspot locations between heterogeneous media representation:
(1) Store hotspot (where clicking or picking takes place) separate from the media.
(2) Store hotspot in a way independent of non-linearities of a media.
(3) Detect if picks occur on the hotspot even though the media may have non-linear distortion; and
(4) Provide means for non-linear media to communicate a uniform storage method in the action handler.
Providing a systems and methods to unify hotspots subject to non-linear transformation and interpolation in heterogeneous media representations will advance the growth and the utility of Rich Media for a wide variety of applications in the World Wide Web.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is a system and method for translating hotspots from one media to another media without significant alteration of hotspot locations in both media.
Another object is a system and method for unifying hotspots subject to linear and non-linear transformation in heterogeneous media representations.
Another object is a network and method of operation for transforming coordinates for hotspots in mixed media to corresponding coordinates for hotspots in another media.
Another object is an action handler and a network implementing HotMedia Architecture to store hotspots separate from the media and independent of non-linearity of the media.
Another object is an action handler and a network implementing HotMedia Architecture a which detects that a hotspot is clicked or picked even though the media may have non-linear distortions.
Another object is an action handler and a network implementing HotMedia Architecture which enables non-linear media to communicate coordinates in a uniform storage method.
Another object is an action handler and a network implementing HotMedia Architecture in which hotspot are stored in a Hotspot coordinate system for media programs.
Another object is an action handler and a network implementing HotMedia Architecture in which display and picking in an image is converted to a hotspot coordinate system for media programs before sending queries to the action handler.
These and other object features and advantages are achieved in a system including a content creator and delivery station coupled to a network for delivery of Rich Media presentations to at least one client station, including presentation and user interaction logic in a client terminal. The presentation and user interaction logic includes a client master control module coupled to at least one
Chang Sih-Pin Subrina
Chen Shu-Chun Jeane
Kumar Keeranoor G.
Lipscomb James S.
Menon Jai
International Business Machines - Corporation
Nguyen Cao
Shofi David M.
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