US 6,650,343 B1Granted

Electronic information displaying method, electronic information browsing apparatus and electronic information browsing program storing medium

AssigneeFujitsu Limited

InventorsTakushi Fujita, Toru Kamiwada

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Abstract

An electrgonic information displaying method and apparatus are used to comfortably browse electronic information which includes embedded link information such as hypertext by way of a display device. The electronic information is arranged in a single virtual space based on a predetermined link format. A display image which is used to read the electronic information is generated and is then displayed on the display device on the basis of the visual field defined in virtual space. Moreover, the visual field is continuously changed depending upon an instruction from a user. Furthermore, a display image based on the visual field is continuously generated in realtime basis. By way of the updating of the information in real time, the user can read the electronic information by following the link of electronic information while continuously changing the visual field within the virtual space, to thereby simulate the reading of printed matter.

Claims58

Dependent claims

An electronic information browsing apparatus for browsing electronic information having embedded link information which describes a relationship with other electronic information, comprising:

a document layout and updating unit to determine a geometrical layout to virtual space of a group of items of electronic information, by determining geometrical relationships between a source item of electronic information and destination items of electronic information to which the source item of electronic information is linked, based on link information defined in an electronic information definition data;
a visual field updating unit to define and update a visual field for observing the inside of said virtual space and to generate an image in virtual space including electronic information having a determined geometrical layout based on the visual field definition, and then to output the image to a display device, wherein one of a plurality of linked items of electronic information is defined as a representative item of electronic information, and the visual field updating unit defines and updates a geometrical relationship between the visual field and the representative item of electronic information, with the geometrical relationships between the visual field and all items of electronic information in the virtual space being determined and updated based on the geometrical relationship between the visual field and the representative item of electronic information and on the geometrical relationships between the source item of electronic information and the destination items of electronic information as determined by the document layout and updating unit;
and
a display image generating unit to continuously change the geometrical positional relationship between the electronic information and the visual field in said virtual space according to an instruction input of a user and to continuously generate then output the image based on the visual field to the display device on a realtime basis.

1 more element

A computer readable memory medium on winch a program is recorded for browsing the electronic in which the link information to describe the relationship with the other electronic information is embedded, comprising:

code determining geometrical layout to the virtual space of a group of items of electronic information, by determining geometrical relationships between a source item of electronic information and destination items of electronic information to winch the source of electronic information is linked, based on the link information defined in electronic information definition data;
code defining and updating a visual field to observe said virtual space to generate, based on a visual field definition, the virtual space image including electronic having determined geometrical layout and then output the image to the display device, wherein one of a plurality of linked items of electronic is defined as a representative item of electronic information, and the code defining and updating the visual field defines a geometrical relationship between the visual field and the representative item of electronic information, with the geometrical relationships between the visual field and all items of electronic information in the virtual space being determined and updated based the geometrical relationship between the visual field and the representative item of electronic and on the geometrical relationships between the source item of electronic information and the destination items of electronic information as determined by the code determining layout;
and
code continuously changing the geometrical positional relationship between the electronic information and the visual field in said virtual space on the user instruction input and then continuously generating, on a realtime basis, the image based on the visual field and outputting the image to the display devise.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.