Claims
- I/we claim:
- 1. A system for displaying a region of interest within visual information on a display screen, said system having memory and an input device, comprising:
a processor coupled to said memory, display screen, and input device and adapted for: applying a transformation to said visual information to improve visual detail in said region of interest by: creating a lens surface having a predetermined lens surface shape for said region of interest; and, creating a presentation by overlaying said visual information on said lens surface and projecting said lens surface with said visual information onto a plane; said lens surface shape providing overwriting of at least a portion of said visual information adjacent to said region of interest and blending of at least a portion of said lens surface into at least one undistorted area of said visual information; and, displaying said presentation on said display screen.
- 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said lens surface shape preserves spatial orientation of said portion of said visual information adjacent to said region of interest.
- 3. The system of claim 1 wherein said lens surface shape provides sufficient space for said lens surface in said presentation.
- 4. The system of claim 1 wherein said processor is further adapted for scaling said visual information to fit on said display screen.
- 5. The system of claim 1 wherein said lens surface is comprised of a plurality of polygonal surfaces constructed from a plurality of points sampled from said lens surface shape
- 6. The system of claim 5 wherein said applying a transformation includes selecting parameters for said polygonal surfaces including size, shape, number, density, and pattern.
- 7. The system of claim 6 wherein said parameters for said polygonal surfaces are selected to optimize computation time for said presentation.
- 8. The system of claim 6 wherein said density of said polygonal surfaces is increased in regions surrounding said region of interest.
- 9. The system of claim 6 wherein said density of said polygonal surfaces is increased in regions where said lens surface shape has a slope that exceeds a predetermined value.
- 10. The system of claim 6 wherein said lens surface shape has a slope and said density of said polygonal surfaces is proportional to said slope.
- 11. The system of claim 6 wherein said polygonal surfaces are triangles.
- 12. The system of claim 6 wherein said polygonal surfaces each have a height above a basal plane, said height selected to provide a proportional magnification for at least a portion of said region of interest.
- 13. The system of claim 6 wherein said polygonal surfaces are selected to provide a uniformly magnified area for at least a portion of said region of interest.
- 14. The system of claim 6 wherein said region of interest, said lens surface, and said lens surface shape include a plurality of regions of interest, a plurality of lens surfaces, and a plurality of lens surface shapes, respectively.
- 15. The system of claim 1 wherein said region of interest has a shape and at least a portion of said lens surface shape corresponds to said shape.
- 16. The system of claim 1 wherein said lens surface shape distorts at least a portion of said region of interest.
- 17. The system of claim 16 wherein said portion of said region of interest is magnified.
- 18. The system of claim 16 wherein said portion of said region of interest includes magnified text and increased font size text.
- 19. The system of claim 16 wherein said lens surface shape has at least one continuous tapered transition from said portion of said region of interest to at least one undistorted area of said visual information.
- 20. The system of claim 1 wherein said visual information is a page, said page including a newspaper page, a magazine page, a telephone directory page, a map page, and a web page.
- 21. The system of claim 20 wherein said region of interest includes a headline, a column, an article, a graphic, and an advertisement appearing on said page.
- 22. The system of claim 1 wherein said display screen is contained in a handheld device.
- 23. The system of claim 1 wherein said processor is further adapted for moving said lens surface about said visual information over time to provide a dynamic presentation.
- 24. The system of claim 1 wherein said region of interest is selected based on data provided by an external data source.
- 25. The system of claim 24 where said external source includes a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular telephone network.
- 26. A computer program product having a computer readable medium tangibly embodying computer executable code for displaying a region of interest within visual information on a display screen of a computer, comprising:
code for applying a transformation to said visual information to improve visual detail in said region of interest by: creating a lens surface having a predetermined lens surface shape for said region of interest; and, creating a presentation by overlaying said visual information on said lens surface and projecting said lens surface with said visual information onto a plane; said lens surface shape providing overwriting of at least a portion of said visual information adjacent to said region of interest and blending of at least a portion of said lens surface into at least one undistorted area of said visual information; and, code for displaying said presentation on said display screen.
- 27. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein said lens surface shape preserves spatial orientation of said portion of said visual information adjacent to said region of interest.
- 28. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein said lens surface shape provides sufficient space for said lens surface in said presentation.
- 29. The computer program product of claim 26 and further comprising code for scaling said visual information to fit on said display screen.
- 30. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein said lens surface is comprised of a plurality of polygonal surfaces constructed from a plurality of points sampled from said lens surface shape
- 31. The computer program product of claim 30 wherein said applying a transformation includes selecting parameters for said polygonal surfaces including size, shape, number, density, and pattern.
- 32. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein said parameters for said polygonal surfaces are selected to optimize computation time for said presentation.
- 33. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein said density of said polygonal surfaces is increased in regions surrounding said region of interest.
- 34. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein said density of said polygonal surfaces is increased in regions where said lens surface shape has a slope that exceeds a predetermined value.
- 35. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein said lens surface shape has a slope and said density of said polygonal surfaces is proportional to said slope.
- 36. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein said polygonal surfaces are triangles.
- 37. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein said polygonal surfaces each have a height above a basal plane, said height selected to provide a proportional magnification for at least a portion of said region of interest.
- 38. The computer program product of claim 31 wherein said polygonal surfaces are selected to provide a uniformly magnified area for at least a portion of said region of interest.
- 39. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein said region of interest, said lens surface, and said lens surface shape include a plurality of regions of interest, a plurality of lens surfaces, and a plurality of lens surface shapes, respectively.
- 40. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein said region of interest has a shape and at least a portion of said lens surface shape corresponds to said shape.
- 41. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein said lens surface shape distorts at least a portion of said region of interest.
- 42. The computer program product of claim 41 wherein said portion of said region of interest is magnified.
- 43. The computer program product of claim 41 wherein said portion of said region of interest includes magnified text and increased font size text.
- 44. The computer program product of claim 41 wherein said lens surface shape has at least one continuous tapered transition from said portion of said region of interest to at least one undistorted area of said visual information.
- 45. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein said visual information is a page, said page including a newspaper page, a magazine page, a telephone directory page, a map page, and a web page.
- 46. The computer program product of claim 45 wherein said region of interest includes a headline, a column, an article, a graphic, and an advertisement appearing on said page.
- 47. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein said display screen is contained in a handheld device.
- 48. The computer program product of claim 26 and further comprising code for moving said lens surface about said visual information over time to provide a dynamic presentation.
- 49. The computer program product of claim 26 wherein said region of interest is selected based on data provided by an external data source.
- 50. The computer program product of claim 49 where said external source includes a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular telephone network.
- 51. An article having a computer readable modulated carrier signal being usable over a network, and having means embedded in the computer readable modulated carrier signal for directing a data processing system to display a region of interest within visual information on a display screen, comprising:
means in the medium for applying a transformation to said visual information to improve visual detail in said region of interest by: creating a lens surface having a predetermined lens surface shape for said region of interest; and, creating a presentation by overlaying said visual information on said lens surface and projecting said lens surface with said visual information onto a plane; said lens surface shape providing overwriting of at least a portion of said visual information adjacent to said region of interest and blending of at least a portion of said lens surface into at least one undistorted area of said visual information; and, means in the medium for displaying said presentation on said display screen.
- 52. The article of claim 51 wherein said lens surface shape preserves spatial orientation of said portion of said visual information adjacent to said region of interest.
- 53. The article of claim 51 wherein said lens surface shape provides sufficient space for said lens surface in said presentation.
- 54. The article of claim 51 and further comprising means in the medium for scaling said visual information to fit on said display screen.
- 55. The article of claim 51 wherein said lens surface is comprised of a plurality of polygonal surfaces constructed from a plurality of points sampled from said lens surface shape
- 56. The article of claim 55 wherein said applying a transformation includes selecting parameters for said polygonal surfaces including size, shape, number, density, and pattern.
- 57. The article of claim 56 wherein said parameters for said polygonal surfaces are selected to optimize computation time for said presentation.
- 58. The article of claim 56 wherein said density of said polygonal surfaces is increased in regions surrounding said region of interest.
- 59. The article of claim 56 wherein said density of said polygonal surfaces is increased in regions where said lens surface shape has a slope that exceeds a predetermined value.
- 60. The article of claim 56 wherein said lens surface shape has a slope and said density of said polygonal surfaces is proportional to said slope.
- 61. The article of claim 56 wherein said polygonal surfaces are triangles.
- 62. The article of claim 56 wherein said polygonal surfaces each have a height above a basal plane, said height selected to provide a proportional magnification for at least a portion of said region of interest.
- 63. The article of claim 56 wherein said polygonal surfaces are selected to provide a uniformly magnified area for at least a portion of said region of interest.
- 64. The article of claim 51 wherein said region of interest, said lens surface, and said lens surface shape include a plurality of regions of interest, a plurality of lens surfaces, and a plurality of lens surface shapes, respectively.
- 65. The article of claim 51 wherein said region of interest has a shape and at least a portion of said lens surface shape corresponds to said shape.
- 66. The article of claim 51 wherein said lens surface shape distorts at least a portion of said region of interest.
- 67. The article of claim 66 wherein said portion of said region of interest is magnified.
- 68. The article of claim 66 wherein said portion of said region of interest includes magnified text and increased font size text.
- 69. The article of claim 66 wherein said lens surface shape has at least one continuous tapered transition from said portion of said region of interest to at least one undistorted area of said visual information.
- 70. The article of claim 51 wherein said visual information is a page, said page including a newspaper page, a magazine page, a telephone directory page, a map page, and a web page.
- 71. The article of claim 70 wherein said region of interest includes a headline, a column, an article, a graphic, and an advertisement appearing on said page.
- 72. The article of claim 51 wherein said display screen is contained in a handheld device.
- 73. The article of claim 51 and further comprising means in the medium for moving said lens surface about said visual information over time to provide a dynamic presentation.
- 74. The article of claim 51 wherein said region of interest is selected based on data provided by an external data source.
- 75. The article of claim 74 where said external source includes a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular telephone network.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2,323,569 |
Oct 2000 |
CA |
|
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/978,773, filed Oct. 18, 2001, and incorporated herein by reference, which claims priority from Canadian Patent Application No. 2,323,569, filed Oct. 18, 2000, and incorporated herein by reference.
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09978773 |
Oct 2001 |
US |
Child |
10856807 |
Jun 2004 |
US |