Platinum Technology Ip, Inc.

Platinum Technology, Inc.

Edward R LaHood

An apparatus and related method permit viewer navigation and object manipulation within a three-dimensional graphical experience or 'virtual world' displayed by a programmable digital computer. The apparatus and method include the display of a series of six buttons. Twenty-four operations are divided among the six buttons, with each button having two pairs of cooperating or complementary operations. Three of the buttons are used to accomplish movement of the viewer in relation to the three-dimensional virtual world, and the other three buttons are used to manipulate selected objects within the virtual world. A mouse cursor is used to select one of the buttons and to activate one of four quadrants associated with the selected button to accomplish the operation associated with the activated quadrant. When a button is selected, it expands from its inactivated or 'at rest' state to a larger, activated state. Two adjacent quadrants may be activated to perform two operations concurrently. The speed of the movement is directly proportional to the distance of the mouse cursor from a dead zone in the selected button, thereby allowing the user to regulate the movement speed by appropriately positioning the mouse cursor. A software program displays the buttons, determines which of the buttons is activated, and calculates the amount, speed and direction of viewer movement or object manipulation as a function of the position of the mouse cursor.

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Chicago, IL, United States of America

Edward R LaHood