US 5,491,778 A · System and method for providing visual display transition effects

Abstract

A system is provided for generating transition effects for use on a visual display. The system includes a binary table for describing a transition effect and a method for ordering the rows in the table to produce the transition. The table includes an arbitrary number of rows, each row representing a cell (group of picture elements) on the display. A numerical value, based on any function of cell location, is associated with each cell. The table is then sorted according to the numerical values. Each row in the sorted table drives a step in the transition effect. The cells described by the various rows are changed in sorted order to display the material from the image being transitioned-to. The sequence of processing of the rows causes the desired transition effect. By varying the function used to order the rows, an infinite variety of transition effects can be created.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A computer-based system for generating transition effects of source images into target image locations within a displayed image, comprising:

means for dividing a display of said displayed image into cells;
memory means for storing displayed data;
means for generating a cell table in said memory means, said cell table including a plurality of rows, each row corresponding to one of said cells, each row including:
a first location field corresponding to a source cell location;
a cell size identifier;
and, a target location field corresponding to a target cell location;
means for selecting one of a plurality of transition effect functions;
means for solving said selected transition effect function for each row;
means for ordering said rows in accordance with said selected transition effect function solutions;
and
means for placing cells of a source image into a target image location within said displayed image sequentially in accordance with said ordered rows of said cell table.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

System and method for providing visual display transition effects

Life of this patent

System and method for providing visual display transition effects

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22