US5299307A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Controls for drawing images on computer displays
Assignee: BUECHNER ROBERT W TRUSTEE OF CRAIG S YOUNG CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUST
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Filing: 1990-08-17
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Granted: 1994-03-29
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Expires: 2010-08-17
Abstract
Abstract A computer system provides a method and an apparatus for generating and manipulating graphic objects on a computer display screen. The computer aided design and drawing system includes a graphic guide used for associating edges and points of one graphic image with one or more other images. The graphic guide operates in relation to the position of a cursor on the computer display screen. After a first image has been drawn on the screen, the graphic guide automatically is initiated to assist the user in positioning and sizing a second and subsequent images that are drawn on the display screen. The computer system also includes a wall tool used for efficiently generating wall objects displayed on the display screen. Wall objects are generated and manipulated by specifying the width of the wall, displaying joints between walls, capping the ends of walls, and efficiently measuring the interior, exterior or center dimension of a wall. The present invention also includes a clean up tool used for manipulating and modifying the intersection, the joining, and the extension of graphic images displayed on the display screen. The clean up tool can be used to automatically remove interior line segments of objects, to remove desired portions of objects, or to automatically extend and join two objects.
Inventors
- 👤 Craig S. Young
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 05:04
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/01; G06F3/048; G06F3/0484; G06F3/04845; G06T; G06T11/00; G06T2200/00; G06T2200/24; G06T2210/00; G06T2210/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
137 words
In an interactive computer-controlled display system having a processor, a memory means, a display screen coupled to said processor, and a cursor control device coupled to said processor for interactively positioning a cursor on said display screen, wherein a graphic object is displayed on said display screen, a process for generating and manipulating a graphic guide on said display screen comprising the steps of: maintaining a guide point database comprising information related to a plurality of guide points for said graphic object, said information including the location of each said guide point on said display screen; comparing the position of said cursor with said location of each said guide point; displaying a guide line on said display screen if a guide point of said plurality of guide points is located within a predetermined distance of said cursor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
137 words
In an interactive computer-controlled display system having a processor, a memory means, a display screen coupled to said processor, and a cursor control device coupled to said processor for interactively positioning a cursor on said display screen, wherein a graphic object is displayed on said display screen, a process for generating and manipulating a graphic guide on said display screen comprising the steps of: maintaining a guide point database comprising information related to a plurality of guide points for said graphic object, said information including the location of each said guide point on said display screen; comparing the position of said cursor with said location of each said guide point; displaying a guide line on said display screen if a guide point of said plurality of guide points is located within a predetermined distance of said cursor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The process in claim 1 including a step of highlighting said guide point with which a guide line is displayed.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
The process in claim 1 wherein said guide line is displayed in said displaying step while said cursor is located within a proximity region associated with said guide point, said proximity region being defined by a predetermined distance from said guide point.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process in claim 1 wherein said guide line is displayed as a horizontal dashed line extending the entire horizontal dimension of a window in which said guide line is displayed.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The process in claim 1 wherein said guide line is displayed as a vertical dashed line extending the entire vertical dimension of a window in which said guide line is displayed.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
The process in claim 1 including a step of configuring said graphic guide using a configuration menu comprising a plurality of configuration parameters.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process in claim 1 wherein said guide line is displayed only if a previously set configuration parameter is set to enable the display of said guide line.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The process in claim 1 wherein said guide line is displayed only if the speed of movement of said cursor is less than a previously set configuration parameter.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
58 words
The process in claim 1 wherein said guide line is displayed only if said cursor is located within a proximity region associated with a number of guide points, said number being less than a maximum number of guide points previously set in a configuration parameter, said proximity region being defined by a predetermined distance from said guide point.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process in claim 1 wherein said guide line is displayed only if said cursor is located within a distance from said guide point, said distance previously set in a configuration parameter.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
13 words
The process in claim 1 wherein said guide line intersects said guide point.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
173 words
In an interactive computer-controlled display system having a processor, a memory means, a display screen coupled to said processor, a cursor control device coupled to said processor for interactively positioning a cursor on said display screen, and a signal generation device, a process for generating and manipulating a wall object on said display screen comprising the steps of: configuring the generation of said wall object by selecting and setting a plurality of configuration parameters; receiving a wall point; drawing a portion of said wall object on said display screen, said portion of said wall object comprising a first line and a second line each drawn between said wall point and the position of said cursor, said first line and said second line being parallel to each other and separated by a previously configured distance; repeating said receiving step and said drawing step until a termination signal is received from said signal generation device after said signal generation device is activated by a user; modifying said wall object as specified by said configuration parameters.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
173 words
In an interactive computer-controlled display system having a processor, a memory means, a display screen coupled to said processor, a cursor control device coupled to said processor for interactively positioning a cursor on said display screen, and a signal generation device, a process for generating and manipulating a wall object on said display screen comprising the steps of: configuring the generation of said wall object by selecting and setting a plurality of configuration parameters; receiving a wall point; drawing a portion of said wall object on said display screen, said portion of said wall object comprising a first line and a second line each drawn between said wall point and the position of said cursor, said first line and said second line being parallel to each other and separated by a previously configured distance; repeating said receiving step and said drawing step until a termination signal is received from said signal generation device after said signal generation device is activated by a user; modifying said wall object as specified by said configuration parameters.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process in claim 12 wherein said portion of said wall object is drawn in said drawing step as a pair of parallel dashed lines.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
The process in claim 12 including a step of displaying a wall configuration window, said configuration parameters displayed and manipulated within said wall configuration window.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
34 words
The process in claim 12 wherein the width of said portion of said wall object is set in said configuring step, said width being the distance separating said first line and said second line.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process in claim 12 wherein the length of said portion of said wall object is referenced from the center of said portion of said wall object.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
27 words
The process in claim 12 wherein the length of said portion of said wall object is referenced from an edge of said portion of said wall object.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
41 words
The process in claim 12 wherein said wall object is modified in said modifying step by drawing an end cap at each end of said wall object if the drawing of said end cap has been selected in said configuring step.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
32 words
The process in claim 12 wherein said modifying step includes modifying each joint between two said portions of said wall object as specified by a configuration parameter set in said configuring step.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
47 words
The process in claim 19 wherein each said joint is modified by connecting the first lines of two said portions of said wall object to a common first point and connecting the second lines of two said portions of said wall object to a common second point.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
24 words
The process in claim 20 wherein a diagonal line is drawn between said first point and said second point associated with each said joint.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
140 words
In an interactive computer-controlled display system having a processor, a memory means, a display screen coupled to said processor, and a cursor control device coupled to said processor for interactively positioning a cursor on said display screen, wherein a graphic object is displayed on said display screen, an apparatus for generating and manipulating a graphic guide on said display screen comprising: means for maintaining a guide point database comprising information related to a plurality of guide points for said graphic object, said information including the location of each said guide point on said display screen; means for comparing the position of said cursor with said location of each said guide point; means for displaying a guide line on said display screen if a guide point of said plurality of guide points is located within a predetermined distance of said cursor.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
140 words
In an interactive computer-controlled display system having a processor, a memory means, a display screen coupled to said processor, and a cursor control device coupled to said processor for interactively positioning a cursor on said display screen, wherein a graphic object is displayed on said display screen, an apparatus for generating and manipulating a graphic guide on said display screen comprising: means for maintaining a guide point database comprising information related to a plurality of guide points for said graphic object, said information including the location of each said guide point on said display screen; means for comparing the position of said cursor with said location of each said guide point; means for displaying a guide line on said display screen if a guide point of said plurality of guide points is located within a predetermined distance of said cursor.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
180 words
In an interactive computer-controlled display system having a processor, a memory means, a display screen coupled to said processor, a cursor control device coupled to said processor for interactively positioning a cursor on said display screen, and a signal generation device, an apparatus for generating and manipulating a wall object on said display screen comprising: means for configuring the generation of said wall object by selecting and setting a plurality of configuration parameters; means for receiving a wall point; means for drawing a portion of said wall object on said display screen, said portion of said wall object comprising a first line and a second line each drawn between said wall point and the position of said cursor, said first line and said second line being parallel to each other and separated by a previously configured distance; means for repeating said receiving step and said drawing step until a termination signal is received from said signal generation device after said signal generation device is activated by a user; means for modifying said wall object as specified by said configuration parameters.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
180 words
In an interactive computer-controlled display system having a processor, a memory means, a display screen coupled to said processor, a cursor control device coupled to said processor for interactively positioning a cursor on said display screen, and a signal generation device, an apparatus for generating and manipulating a wall object on said display screen comprising: means for configuring the generation of said wall object by selecting and setting a plurality of configuration parameters; means for receiving a wall point; means for drawing a portion of said wall object on said display screen, said portion of said wall object comprising a first line and a second line each drawn between said wall point and the position of said cursor, said first line and said second line being parallel to each other and separated by a previously configured distance; means for repeating said receiving step and said drawing step until a termination signal is received from said signal generation device after said signal generation device is activated by a user; means for modifying said wall object as specified by said configuration parameters.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
92 words
A process for generating and manipulating a graphic guide on a display screen, said process comprising the steps of: maintaining a guide point database comprising information related to a plurality of guide points for a graphic object, said information including the location of each said guide point on said display screen; comparing the position of a cursor with said location of each said guide point; displaying a guide line on said display screen if a guide point of said plurality of guide points is located within a predetermined distance of said cursor.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
92 words
A process for generating and manipulating a graphic guide on a display screen, said process comprising the steps of: maintaining a guide point database comprising information related to a plurality of guide points for a graphic object, said information including the location of each said guide point on said display screen; comparing the position of a cursor with said location of each said guide point; displaying a guide line on said display screen if a guide point of said plurality of guide points is located within a predetermined distance of said cursor.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
134 words
A process for generating and manipulating a wall object on a display screen, said process comprising the steps of: configuring the generation of said wall object by selecting and setting a plurality of configuration parameters; receiving a wall point; drawing a portion of said wall object on said display screen, said portion of said wall object comprising a first line and a second line each drawn between said wall point and the position of a cursor, said first line and said second line being parallel to each other and separated by a previously configured distance; repeating said receiving step and said drawing step until a termination signal is received from a signal generation device after said signal generation device is activated by a user; modifying said wall object as specified by said configuration parameters.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
134 words
A process for generating and manipulating a wall object on a display screen, said process comprising the steps of: configuring the generation of said wall object by selecting and setting a plurality of configuration parameters; receiving a wall point; drawing a portion of said wall object on said display screen, said portion of said wall object comprising a first line and a second line each drawn between said wall point and the position of a cursor, said first line and said second line being parallel to each other and separated by a previously configured distance; repeating said receiving step and said drawing step until a termination signal is received from a signal generation device after said signal generation device is activated by a user; modifying said wall object as specified by said configuration parameters.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-03-28 | 1997-09-27 | 1998-03-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-03-28 | 2001-09-27 | 2002-03-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-03-28 | 2005-09-27 | 2006-03-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |