Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graphic manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-06
2003-01-14
Kincaid, Kristine (Department: 2174)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graphic manipulation
C345S440100, C345S215000, C345S215000, C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06507349
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The following disclosure relates generally to user interfaces, and more particularly to manipulating various types of displayed multimedia content without using separate content manipulation controls.
BACKGROUND
As computers become increasingly pervasive, the need increases for simple and effective ways to display and manipulate information. This need is exacerbated by the ever-increasing variety of types of information that are presented via computer. Such information types include still images, video information consisting of a series of frames of still images (e.g., a stored video clip, or each channel of a cable television stream of multiple channels), audio information consisting of a series of one or more distinct sounds (e.g., a song or a telephone conversation), textual information (e.g., text documents, World Wide Web pages, and email), and mixed-media information types (e.g., movies with both video and audio information).
Information is generally presented to a user as one or more groups of logically distinct related information, such as a still image, a frame of video information, a single sound or note of audio information, or a single multi-page text document. While logically distinct, such groups of related information may or may not be stored separately from other related groups of the information (e.g., a series of multiple frames of video information or of multiple sounds may be stored together).
Examples of various information types are shown in
FIGS. 1A-1F
. In particular,
FIG. 1A
is an example of a still image with content
110
displayed in window
100
(e.g., one of multiple windows in a graphical user interface (GUI) environment, or a single window covering the entire available display area). In addition, the content
110
displayed in
FIG. 1A
can be the first of three frames of an example animated video clip, shown in
FIGS. 1A-1C
with displayed content
110
,
120
and
130
respectively. Visual representations of two distinct parts of an example stored audio clip are shown in
FIGS. 1D and 1E
, with the visual representations having displayed content
140
and
150
respectively that each correspond to a different set of groups of audio information. When the audio information is presented audibly via speakers of a computer, the visual representation may be displayed simultaneously, or the visual representation may instead be used in other situations such as when editing the audio information. The displayed content of the window in
FIGS. 1D and 1E
also includes a timeline
145
that has been dynamically added to the stored audio information.
FIG. 1F
is an example of textual information with displayed content
160
shown in window
100
.
When information is displayed on a computer, one or more of a variety of types of displayed content manipulation controls are typically used to control what content is to be displayed and how that content is shown.
FIGS. 2A-2C
illustrate examples of various common content manipulation controls. In
FIG. 2A
, content group
110
is shown in window
100
, along with various displayed content manipulation controls
205
-
245
. Additional displayed content manipulation controls
250
are also shown in a separate window. Common content manipulation controls that can be used to affect the display of content group
110
include pull-down menus
210
(with various possible manipulation options), a pop-up menu
215
(with various possible manipulation options), and a text input-based zoom control
220
.
In some situations, all of the content group is displayed at the same time. However, when only a portion of the currently displayed content group
110
is visible (e.g., a single page of a multi-page document), some environments provide controls to allow the user to select non-displayed portions of the content group for display. Such controls include slider control scroll bars
205
and page up and down buttons
207
. Other environments may allow a user to anchor a displayed cursor
252
to the displayed content at a selected point, and to then drag the content group around the window so as to display non-visible portions of the current content group.
Drag control
225
and button control
230
can be used to manipulate the size of window
100
. For example, selection of button control
230
may cause window
100
to be expanded to fill the entire visible area. In some situations, changing the size of the window may alter the portion of the content group
110
that is displayed (e.g., when shrinking the window, only part of the previously-visible content may remain visible), or may alter how the same portion of the content group is displayed (e.g., when shrinking the window, all of the previously visible content may be displayed at a reduced zoom level). In addition, some windows may include an additional button control (not shown) that, when selected, will close the window, while other windows may be closed in other ways such as selection of a menu option or toolbar button.
Content manipulation controls
235
-
250
may also be useful depending on the type of content displayed. For example, if content group
110
is multimedia information that includes accompanying audio information, button controls
235
can be used to control the volume at which the audio information is presented. For time-based information (e.g., video or audio information), button controls
240
can be used to control the particular portion of content to be displayed (e.g., a single video frame, or a collection of groups of audio information). Similarly, VCR-style button controls
250
may be used to control the particular portion of content displayed, as well as the rate at which time-based information is presented. Finally, if information content
110
is one of alternate groups of information available to be displayed (e.g., multiple channels of a cable television feed), controls
245
can be used to select a different group of content for display.
In
FIG. 2B
, textual information content
160
is shown in window
100
as part of a Web page document content group, along with various displayed content manipulation controls
255
-
275
. In the illustrated embodiment, the Web page is part of a series of Web pages that have been previously viewed by the user, and button controls
255
can be used to move through this series of Web pages. Alternately, a button control such as
260
can be used to display a specific Web page, such as a user's Home page, while a text input control such as
265
allows the user to specify any particular Web page or other document for display. Button control
262
allows the user to specify a particular location in which to save a copy of the displayed page. Also available are four content-specific controls included with the content group. Controls
270
indicate two Web pages such that a user can choose one of the Web pages as a next document to display, while controls
275
allow a user to display previous or next portions of the current Web page document that are not currently displayed.
In
FIG. 2C
, textual information content
160
is shown in window
100
as part of an email message document content group, along with various displayed content manipulation controls
280
-
290
. Email-specific portions of content are also displayed, including message header information
292
and included message information
294
. The controls include button controls
280
to view related email documents, such as previous or next messages in a list of pending messages. Such a list can be organized in a variety of ways, such as by time received, by sender, or hierarchically as part of a message thread of related messages. Button controls
285
allow a user to create a new message that is part of the same message thread as the displayed message, while controls
290
modify how the email is stored by allowing the user to specify a new location in which the displayed message will be stored (e.g., a mail folder other than the Inbox) or to delete the message.
In addition to having a variety of displayed content man
BeComm Corporation
Joseph Thomas J
Kincaid Kristine
Perkins Coie LLP
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