Apparatus and method for implementing visual animation illustrating results of interactive editing operations

Claim 1

A display-oriented graphical editing system comprising: a display device for displaying data; a gesture-based graphical editing system wherein the displayed data on the display device is entered as strokes which are amenable to stroke operations, wherein there are no pre-defined structural groupings of the strokes upon entry, and wherein the gesture-based editing system can, on demand, interpret a set of the strokes as anyone of several different kinds of structures; means for selecting at least a portion of the displayed data to be a particular kind of structure; means for selecting at least a portion of displayed data for an editing operation; and means for performing said editing operation on said selected display data, including means for animating a prime change to said selected displayed data and means for animating contextual changes to said displayed data not selected by said selecting means, said contextual changes resulting from said prime changes, said prime and contextual changes resulting from said editing operation occurring at a visually apparent rate, and said animation being performed automatically subsequent to said selection of said editing operation to be performed on said selected display data.

Claim 12

A method for illustrating editing changes to data on a display device of a computer system operating under a gesture-based graphical editing environment, wherein the data entered into the computer system consists of strokes which are amenable to stroke operations, wherein there are no pre-defined structural grouping of the strokes by the gesture-based graphical editing system, and wherein the gesture-based editing system can, on demand, interpret a set of strokes as any one of several different kinds of structures, the method comprising: inputting a gesture command in association with a selected portion of the displayed data so as to temporarily regard the selected portion of the displayed data as a particular kind of structure; selecting an editing operation to be performed on said selected displayed data; and performing said editing operation on said selected displayed data in accordance with the kind of structure the selected data is defined, including, animating a prime change to said selected displayed data and any contextual changes to said displayed data not selected but which result from said prime change, said prime and contextual changes resulting from said editing operation occurring at a visually apparent rate, and said animation being performed automatically subsequent to said selection of said editing operation to be performed on said selected displayed data.

Claim 13

A method for illustrating editing changes to data on a display device of a computer system operating under a gesture-based graphical editing environment, wherein the data entered into the computer system consists of strokes which are amenable to stroke operations, wherein there are no pre-defined structural grouping of the strokes by the gesture-based graphical editing system, and wherein the gesture-based editing system can, on demand, interpret a set of strokes as any one of several different kinds of structures, the method comprising: inputting a gesture command in association with a selected portion of the displayed data so as to temporarily regard the selected portion of the displayed data as a particular kind of structure; selecting an editing operation to be performed on said selected displayed data; and performing said editing operation on said selected displayed data in accordance with the kind of structure the selected data is defined, including, animating a prime change to said selected displayed data and any contextual changes to said displayed data not selected but which result from said prime change, said prime and contextual changes resulting from said editing operation occurring at a visually apparent rate, and said animation being performed automatically subsequent to said selection of said editing operation to be performed on said selected displayed data.

Claim 29

A method for animating editing changes to a plurality of objects displayed on a display device of a computer comprising the steps of: operating the computer under a gesture-based graphical editing environment, wherein the objects entered into the computer consist of strokes which are amenable to stroke operations, wherein there are no pre-defined structural groupings of the strokes by the gesture-based graphical editing system, and wherein the gesture-based editing system can, on demand, interpret a set of the strokes as any one of several different kinds of structures; inputting a gesture command in association with a selected portion of the objects on the display device, the gesture causing the selected objects to temporarily be regarded as any one of a handwritten list, handwritten outline, handwritten text, handwritten tables, border lines, handwritten diagrams, mixed structure and free-form commands and table alignment; selecting which of said plurality of objects are to be edited on said display device in response to entry of an editing command by a user of said computer, said editing being appropriate for the structure of the selected objects, and said editing including a prime change to said selected objects and any contextual changes to said objects not selected but which occurs due to said prime change; determining one or more parameters for each of said changes to be animated; determining in how many iterations N an animation should occur; and performing said animation for said prime change and any of said contextual changes, in iterations including at least, for each of said iterations, erasing each of said objects which are to be manipulated and displaying each of said objects which are to be manipulated an additional 1/N of a total change set by said one or more parameters over a preceding of said iterations, said animation being performed automatically at a visually apparent rate.

Claim 30

A method for animating editing changes to a plurality of objects displayed on a display device of a computer comprising the steps of: operating the computer under a gesture-based graphical editing environment, wherein the objects entered into the computer consist of strokes which are amenable to stroke operations, wherein there are no pre-defined structural groupings of the strokes by the gesture-based graphical editing system, and wherein the gesture-based editing system can, on demand, interpret a set of the strokes as any one of several different kinds of structures; inputting a gesture command in association with a selected portion of the objects on the display device, the gesture causing the selected objects to temporarily be regarded as any one of a handwritten list, handwritten outline, handwritten text, handwritten tables, border lines, handwritten diagrams, mixed structure and free-form commands and table alignment; selecting which of said plurality of objects are to be edited on said display device in response to entry of an editing command by a user of said computer, said editing being appropriate for the structure of the selected objects, and said editing including a prime change to said selected objects and any contextual changes to said objects not selected but which occurs due to said prime change; determining one or more parameters for each of said changes to be animated; determining in how many iterations N an animation should occur; and performing said animation for said prime change and any of said contextual changes, in iterations including at least, for each of said iterations, erasing each of said objects which are to be manipulated and displaying each of said objects which are to be manipulated an additional 1/N of a total change set by said one or more parameters over a preceding of said iterations, said animation being performed automatically at a visually apparent rate.

Claim 34

A method for animating editing changes to a plurality of objects on a display device of a computer comprising the steps of: operating the computer under a gesture-based graphical editing environment, wherein the objects entered into the computer consist of strokes which are amenable to stroke operations, wherein there are no pre-defined structural groupings of the strokes by the gesture-based graphical editing system, and wherein the gesture-based editing system can, on demand, interpret a set of the strokes as any one of several different kinds of structures; inputting a gesture command in association with a selected portion of the objects on the display device, the gesture causing the selected objects to temporarily be regarded as a particular kind of structure; selecting which of said plurality of objects are to be edited on said display device in response to entry of an editing command by a user of said computer, said editing being appropriate for the structure of the selected objects, and said editing including a prime change to said selected objects and any contextual changes to said objects not selected by said editing command but which occur due to said prime change; determining one or more parameters for each of said changes to be animated; determining in how many iterations N an animation should occur; and performing said animation for said prime change and any of said contextual changes, in iterations including at least, for each of said iterations, erasing each of said plurality of objects which are to be manipulated and displaying each of said plurality of objects which are to be manipulated a distance further along said total change, said distance varying for a first of said iterations from said distance for a second of said iterations, said animation being performed automatically at a visually apparent rate.

Claim 35

A method for animating editing changes to a plurality of objects on a display device of a computer comprising the steps of: operating the computer under a gesture-based graphical editing environment, wherein the objects entered into the computer consist of strokes which are amenable to stroke operations, wherein there are no pre-defined structural groupings of the strokes by the gesture-based graphical editing system, and wherein the gesture-based editing system can, on demand, interpret a set of the strokes as any one of several different kinds of structures; inputting a gesture command in association with a selected portion of the objects on the display device, the gesture causing the selected objects to temporarily be regarded as a particular kind of structure; selecting which of said plurality of objects are to be edited on said display device in response to entry of an editing command by a user of said computer, said editing being appropriate for the structure of the selected objects, and said editing including a prime change to said selected objects and any contextual changes to said objects not selected by said editing command but which occur due to said prime change; determining one or more parameters for each of said changes to be animated; determining in how many iterations N an animation should occur; and performing said animation for said prime change and any of said contextual changes, in iterations including at least, for each of said iterations, erasing each of said plurality of objects which are to be manipulated and displaying each of said plurality of objects which are to be manipulated a distance further along said total change, said distance varying for a first of said iterations from said distance for a second of said iterations, said animation being performed automatically at a visually apparent rate.