Autodesk, Inc.

Silicon Graphics, Incorporated

Xerox Corporation

Alias Systems Corp.

Gordon P Kurtenbach

George William Fitzmaurice

Ravin Balakrishnan

Thomas P Moran

Azam Khan

William J Van Melle

Tovi Samuel Grossman

Patrick Chiu

Francois Guimbretiere

William Buxton

Donald G Kimber

Hyunyoung Song

Robert J Pieke

Lynn D Wilcox

Polle Trescott Zellweger

Ramtin Attar

Scott L Minneman

William A Buxton

Thomas P Baudel

Nicolas Alexandre Burtnyk

Justin Frank Matejka

Ryan Michael Schmidt

William A S Buxton

James Sherwood Page

Igor Mordatch

Karan Singh

William Arthur Stewart Buxton

William C Janssen

Sara A Bly

Anthony Christopher Kipkirui Yegon Ruto

Hans David Kellner

Steve R Harrison

L Charles Hebel

Beverly L Harrison

James La Fleur

Peter E Liepe

Mary Hope McQuiston

Charles T Tappen

Thomas P H Baudel

Russell N Owen

Lynn Miller

Joe Di Vittorio

Anirban Ghosh

Willaim Arthur Stewart Buxton

Methods, systems, and apparatus include computer programs encoded on a computer-readable storage medium, including a method for suggesting products from available parts. A plurality of available parts in an inventory is identified, including identifying at least one assembly of plural individual parts or sub-assemblies. For each assembly, plural sub-assemblies or individual parts included in a respective assembly are determined. An inventory list is created that includes the plurality of available parts, the at least one assembly, and the determined sub-assemblies or individual parts of an assembly. An inventory of products is identified that constitute assemblies. Each product in the inventory of products has a respective parts list identifying parts required to build the product. The inventory list is evaluated including comparing the inventory list to the inventory of products to locate candidate products constructible using the elements included in the inventory list. Product suggestions are output.

Product inventory system

The disclosed pen-mouse is a tracking menu that tracks the position of the pen. A pen cursor that corresponds to the pen is moved about within the pen-mouse graphic by the pen and the pen-mouse remains stationary. The pen-mouse is moved when the location of the pen encounters a tracking boundary of the pen-mouse. The tracking boundary coincides with the graphic representing the mouse. While moving within the pen-mouse, the pen can select objects within the pen-mouse body, such as buttons, wheels, etc. The selection of a button or other virtual control causes a corresponding computer mouse button function to be executed. The execution is directed at any object designated by a pen-mouse tracking symbol, such as an arrow, that is part of the pen mouse graphic. The pen-mouse emulates functions or operations of a mouse including single button clicks, double button clicks, finger wheels, track balls, etc.

Pen-mouse system

One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for providing an end user with a digital pen embedded with a spatially-aware miniature projector for use in a design environment. Paper documents are augmented to allow a user to access additional information and computational tools through projected interfaces. Virtual ink may be managed in single and multi-user environments to enhance collaboration and data management. The spatially-aware projector pen provides end-users with dynamic visual feedback and improved interaction capabilities.

Spatially-aware projection pen

Spatially-aware projection pen display

The present invention is a system that allows a number of 3D volumetric display or output configurations, such as dome, cubical and cylindrical volumetric displays, to interact with a number of different input configurations, such as a three-dimensional position sensing system having a volume sensing field, a planar position sensing system having a digitizing tablet, and a non-planar position sensing system having a sensing grid formed on a dome. The user interacts via the input configurations, such as by moving a digitizing stylus on the sensing grid formed on the dome enclosure surface. This interaction affects the content of the volumetric display by mapping positions and corresponding vectors of the stylus to a moving cursor within the 3D display space of the volumetric display that is offset from a tip of the stylus along the vector.

Three dimensional volumetric display input and output configurations

A system and method for visualizing a 3D scene using a flexible display are disclosed. The 3D scene reflects a model of graphics objects, where each graphics object is represented by 3D primitives such as vertices, lines, or surfaces. A display processor generates a 2D image of the 3D scene using various graphics rendering techniques such as non-linear ray-tracing algorithms. A sensor associated with the flexible display detects that a surface profile of the display has been altered, which causes the display processor to generate a new 2D image of the 3D scene. The effect is that flexing the display allows the user to view the 3D scene from a different perspective. In one embodiment, the different perspective is viewing the object from a different camera position. In another embodiment, the different perspective is provided by generating an exploded view of an assembly of graphics objects.

Systems and methods for visualizing a 3D scene using a flexible display

An interactive 3D presentation system that utilizes a collection of shots or motion views where each shot can include a combination of a camera view and camera action. A visual transition, such as a fade, can be presented at the end and beginning of sequential shots. Between the end point of a first shot and the beginning of a sequential shot, the scene is not shown. The system allows interactive authoring and/or viewing a 3D visual experience composed by defining a collection of shots where each shot is a combination of a camera view point of interest (POI) plus a camera motion path. The POI is placed on the path in a variety of ways where it can be at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the path. A collection of predefined, cinematically styled camera motion paths, such as a crane and track shots, can be made available to the author. The pacing and duration of each shot can be adjusted. A graphical user interface showing the scene is provided and includes thumbnails of the POI or sets of POIs where the user can select a thumbnail to play an associated shot or set. The interface allows for the arrangement and ordering of shots to be used in a presentation. The system allows a shot to be retrieved from a collection of shots by indexing the 3D locations of each shot's camera path and using this index to find the nearest neighbors to a user specified mouse cursor position. Variations in the scene can also be selected using the interface.

3D model presentation system with motion and transitions at each camera view point of interest (POI) with imageless jumps to each POI

The present invention is a system that provides a pen based computer user with a graphical user interface tool, a pen-mouse, that looks like and functions like a mouse but that is controlled by a limited input device such as a pen or stylus of the pen based computer. The pen-mouse is a tracking menu that tracks the position of the pen. A pen cursor that corresponds to the pen is allowed to be moved about within the pen-mouse graphic by the pen and the pen-mouse remains stationary. The pen-mouse is moved when the location of the pen encounters a tracking boundary of the pen-mouse. The tracking boundary typically coincides with the graphic representing the mouse. While moving within the pen-mouse, the pen can select objects within the pen-mouse body, such as buttons, wheels, etc. The selection of a button or other virtual control causes a corresponding computer mouse button function to be executed. The execution focus is directed at any object designated by a pen-mouse tracking symbol, such as an arrow, that is part of the pen mouse graphic. The pen-mouse can emulate functions or operations of a mouse including single button clicks, double button clicks, finger wheels, track balls, etc.

Spatially-aware projection pen interface

A system that combines a radial marking menu portion with a linear menu portion in a single menu display. Item selection in the linear portion is performed by location selection using a pointing device. Item selection in the marker portion is determined by the pattern of a stroke made by the pointing device with the system ignoring linear menu items across which the stroke completely passes.

Method and apparatus for producing, controlling and displaying menus

A system that includes a pop-up graphical user interface that includes menu bars overlapping marking menu zones. The interface pops up at the current position of the cursor when the space bar is held down. The menu bars are positioned around a central marking zone with the common menu bars located above the central zone and task specific menu bars located below the central zone. The common application menu bar is positioned outer most and the common window menu bar is located inner most. The menu bars are sized in a 'stair-step' pattern and the commands therein are left and right justified to fill the menu bar evenly. The menu bar menu items are accessed just like menu bar items typically found at the top of windows. The menu bars mimic the menu bars that a user may need to use during tasks that users typically perform using the menu bars found in application windows. The zones are divided into a central zone and four outer zones where user customizable marking menus are activated when a mouse button is held down while the cursor is in one of the zones.

System for accessing a large number of menu items using a zoned menu bar

The present invention is a system that manages a volumetric display using volume windows. The volume windows have the typical functions, such as minimize, resize, etc., which operate in a volume. When initiated by an application a volume window is assigned to the application in a volume window data structure. Application data produced by the application is assigned to the windows responsive to which applications are assigned to which windows in the volume window data structure. Input events are assigned to the windows responsive to whether they are spatial or non-spatial. Spatial events are assigned to the window surrounding the event or cursor where a policy resolves situations where more than one window surrounds the cursor. Non-spatial events are assigned to the active or working window.

Volume management system for volumetric displays

The present invention is a system that positions an interface for a pen-based computer at an end of a natural user motion arc, such as an arc a hand travels when an elbow is pivoted. Positioning of the interface in a lower corner of a display or window (left corner for a right-handed person and right corner for a left-handed person) allows easy approach when the user is working in the center of the display, such as when drawing on the pen-based computer display. An arc or curved interface improves approach zones and reduces unintended selections of controls or buttons within the interface. The arc allows the natural motion to be extended by wrist or finger motions to access all the controls in the corner command interface. Controls on the arc are placed to allow any underlying pop-up menus to be completely accessible when an activated. Overflow menu items of activated controls of the interface are located in conformity to the natural arc.

User interface having a placement and layout suitable for pen-based computers

The present invention is a system that provides a layer editor representing layers using box like controls. The layer controls are arranged in vertical stack representing the ordering of the layers in the paint application and provided with a highlight frame that indicates an active layer. The name or graphic of each layer depicted in the corresponding box for that layer can be created using drawing strokes of a stylus or pen of a pen-based computer. The pen is also used to select the controls, pop-up menus and perform selections or operations with underlying menus and/or functions. Making a mark with the pen can be used to select layer editing functions. A drawing dialog is used to write or draw the names applied to the layers.

Layer editor system for a pen-based computer

Growing community of inventors

Toronto, Canada

Gordon P Kurtenbach