US 5,148,154 A · Multi-dimensional user interface

Abstract

The present invention provides apparatus and methods for a multi-dimensional user interface for use in audio visual production. A display system including a central processing unit (CPU) is coupled through appropriate input/output (I/O) circuitry to input devices, such as a keyboard, digital pad and/or track ball as well as a display device. The CPU is further coupled to a hard disk drive for the storage of programs and data, and is also coupled to a network through which the CPU may communicate with a variety of system resource devices such as editors, music synthesizers, graphics generators, scheduling resources, audio enhancement resources, etc. A user viewing the interface on the display may utilize one of the input devices, such as by way of example, the keyboard, to select, incorporate or otherwise integrate the various system resources to develop a unified multi-media production. The user interface of the present invention includes a control frame which in practice substantially fills all of the display screen of the display and is consistent for all user applications. The control frame is comprised of control panels which surround a variety of subwindows and acts as a consistent control area for all users of the interface. Once defined, elements may be selectively placed on an event horizon bar in the control frame. The placement of an element on the event horizon results in the display of timing data for the element, relative to other elements on the event horizon.

Claims56

Dependent claims

A computer controlled display system including at least one Central Processing Unit (CPU), said CPU coupled to a display for displaying data, and user input means, said display system further coupled to a plurality of system resources having defined attributes, said display system comprising:

a user interface for display by said display means, said user interface for displaying representations of resources coupled to said display system with which a user interacts through said user input means;
said representations of said resources comprising at least three dimensions and being arranged in a venue of at least three dimensions, each of said dimensions corresponding to an attribute of said resources, said venue may be viewed using said interface from a plurality of view ports, such that viewing said representations of said resources from different view ports results in the display of different attributes of said resources;
said representations of said resources being arranged in said venue such that each of said representations is disposed relative to one another in time and space within said venue;
manipulation means coupled to said user input means for selectively positioning said representations of said resources within said venue.

1 more element

A computer controlled display system including at least one Central Processing Unit (CPU), said CPU coupled to display means for displaying data on a screen of a display, and user input means, said display system further coupled to a plurality of system resources having defined attributes, said display system comprising:

a user interface on said screen of said display for displaying representations of resources coupled to said display system with which a user interacts through said user input means;
said user interface including interface generation means coupled to said CPU for generating and displaying a control frame on said display, said control frame including a plurality of command options which may be selected by said user using said user input means, and further including a event horizon bar, such that the placement of a representation of a resource on said bar using said user input means results in predetermined data being displayed in said control frame and said representations of said resources being disposed relative to one another in time;
said representations of said resources comprising at least three dimensions and being arranged in a venue of at least three dimensions which may be viewed using said user interface from a plurality of view ports, such that viewing said representations of said resources from different view ports results in the display on said screen of different attributes of said resources.

In a computer controlled display system including at least one Central Processing Unit (CPU), said CPU coupled to a display for displaying data on a screen of said display, and user input means, said display system further coupled to a plurality of system resources having defined attributes, a method for manipulating and displaying representations of said resources on said display, comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface on said screen of said display for displaying representations of resources coupled to said display system with which a user interacts through said user input means;
generating and displaying a control frame on said display using interface generation means coupled to said CPU, said control frame including a plurality of command options which may be selected by said user using said user input means, and further including a event horizon bar, such that the placement of a representation of a resource on said bar using said user input means results in predetermined data being displayed in said control frame, and said representations of said resources being disposed relative to one another in time;
said representations of said resources comprising at least three dimensions and being arranged in a venue comprising at least three dimensions which may be viewed using said user interface from a plurality of view ports, such that viewing said representations of said resources from different view ports results in the display on said screen of different attributes of said resources.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Multi-dimensional user interface

Life of this patent

Multi-dimensional user interface

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims56