The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 23, 1999
Filed:
Nov. 12, 1997
Eric T Brewer, Saratoga, CA (US);
Baldo A Faieta, San Francisco, CA (US);
Clifford A Grabhorn, Atlanta, GA (US);
FutureTel, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
The use of blocks in a workspace window that depict various video elements on the user interface of a video editor for use on a digital computer having a CPU, memory and a video display. The blocks have the attributes that they attract or repel other blocks as a function of proximity to each other in order to reduce user errors and to improve user efficiency. The method of manipulating the blocks on the video display consists of the following steps: First, specify coordinates of interaction regions around a block to be dragged. Next, test the coordinates of the interaction regions against the coordinates of all other blocks on the video display. Next, repel the block to be dragged from specified surfaces of the other blocks in accordance with predetermined rules that specify which surfaces of the block to be dragged and which surfaces of the other blocks repel each other. Finally, attach the block to be dragged to the surface of blocks whose coordinates are within the interaction region in accordance with predetermined rules that specify which surfaces of the block to be dragged and which surfaces of the other blocks attract each other.