Abstract: A method in a server coupled to a device through a network for delivering message content to the device, the method comprising: maintaining at the server a message content store, the message content store including message content sorted by geographic position, class, and subclass; receiving at the server from the device a request message for message content, the request message including a geographic position of the device, an extent of a geographic region surrounding the geographic position of the device, a class, and a subclass; determining at the server the message content using the geographic position, the extent, the class, and the subclass; and, sending a response message including the message content from the server to the device, wherein the message content is displayed on a display screen of the device.

Abstract: A method for presenting applications on a display screen, comprising: displaying a first presentation on the display screen, the first presentation including two or more icons; receiving a signal indicative of an icon, the icon being one of the two or more icons, the icon having an application associated therewith; initiating the application, the application having information associated therewith; generating a second presentation, the second presentation having a first area for presenting the information at least partially surrounded by a second area for presenting reduced-size versions of the two or more icons other than the icon; and, displaying the second presentation on the display screen to replace display of the first presentation.

Abstract: A method for presenting advertisement images on a display screen, comprising: subdividing a map image into a plurality of geographic regions; associating first and second advertisement images with a region within the plurality of geographic regions, the first advertisement image being associated with a first advertiser and the second advertisement image being associated with a second advertiser; receiving a signal indicative of a region-of-interest, the region-of-interest corresponding to the region; selecting an advertisement image for the region from among the first and second advertisement images; generating a presentation of the region-of-interest, the presentation including a view of the advertisement image; and, displaying the presentation on the display screen.

Abstract: A method for presenting advertisement images on a display screen, comprising: subdividing a map image into a plurality of geographic regions; associating a first advertisement image with a first region and a second advertisement image with a second region, the first and second regions being ones of the plurality of geographic regions; receiving a signal indicative of a region-of-interest, the region-of-interest being another of the plurality of geographic regions; selecting an advertisement image for the region-of-interest from among the first and second advertisement images; generating a presentation of the region-of-interest, the presentation including a view of the advertisement image; and, displaying the presentation on the display screen.

Abstract: A method for generating a presentation of a region-of-interest in an image of a scene. The method includes the steps of capturing the image of the scene with a first camera and displaying the image of the scene on a display screen; selecting the region-of-interest within the image of the scene with a cursor and a pointing device; controlling a second camera to capture an image of a region of the scene corresponding to the region-of-interest; inserting the image of the region into the region-of-interest in the image of the scene to generate the presentation; and, displaying the presentation on the display screen.

Abstract: A method for reducing occlusion in a presentation of a region-of-interest of an original image, the presentation generated by distorting the original image to produce a lens having a focal region for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region defined by a shoulder drop-of function, comprising: scaling the focal region; and, for an input point in the shoulder region, determining a width for the shoulder region from a distance between a projection point for the input point to the focal region and an intersection point on a perimeter of the lens of a line constructed through the input point, the projection point, and the intersection point, to thereby reduce occlusion of the shoulder region by the focal region.

Abstract: Methods for initiating an electronic shopping transaction, for initiating a control operation for a user-selectable video game character, for emphasizing an advertisement in a computer generated display, and for presenting multiple GUIs in desktop user interfaces using detail-in-context graphical distortions. The method for initiating an electronic shopping transaction, for a user-selectable item presented in a computer generated original image on a display, comprising: receiving a selection signal for the item from a user; distorting the original image to produce a distorted region for the item to provide the user with detailed information for the item; and, receiving a purchase signal for the item from the user.

Abstract: An improved method for display of a transitional region of interest while transitioning between a first region of interest and a second region of interest within visual information on a display screen of a computer. The method comprising the steps of applying a transitional transformation to the visual information and displaying the transitional transformed visual information on the display screen. The transitional transformation requiring a reduced calculation for transforming the visual information in the transitional region.

Abstract: A method for generating a presentation of a region-of-interest within an original image for display on a display screen, the region-of-interest being at a depth within the original image and being occluded by a portion of the original image at a lesser depth, the method comprising: applying graduated transparency to the original image to generate the presentation, the graduated transparency reducing occlusion of the region-of-interest by making transparent at least some of the portion of the original image occluding the region-of-interest, the graduated transparency when applied renders within the presentation a focal region having a maximum level of transparency at the depth of and for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region where transparency decreases with lessening depth from the maximum level to that of the original image surrounding the shoulder region to provide context for the focal region with respect to the original image; and, displaying the presentation on the dis

Abstract: In a data processing system that executes a program of instructions, a method for generating a detail-in-context presentation of a three-dimensional information representation comprising the steps of selecting a object-of-interest in the information representation; selecting a viewpoint; selecting a path from the viewpoint to the object-of-interest; and, displacing objects in the information representation away from the path to locations within the information representation where the objects remain visible when viewed from the viewpoint yet do not occlude the object-of-interest when viewed from the viewpoint to thereby generate the detail in context view.

Abstract: A method for generating a presentation of region-of-interest in an information representation including the steps of: selecting a viewpoint for the region-of-interest; selecting a location for the region-of-interest; creating a lens surface having a predetermined location for the region-of-interest; creating a transformed presentation by: determining a mapping for pixel coordinates from the representation to the lens surface by applying a distortion function defining said lens surface to said pixel coordinates; calculating a vector from the predetermined location to the location; and, copying pixel information from the representation to the lens surface according to the mapping as displaced by the vector; and, displaying the transformed presentation on a display screen to generate the presentation of the region-of-interest.

Abstract: A method for displaying visual information on a display screen of a computer, comprising the steps of scaling the visual information to produce a scaled representation to fit on the display screen the scaled representation containing the entire content of the visual information; selecting a region of interest within the scaled representation; applying a transformation to the scaled representation to improve the visual detail in the region of interest; and, displaying the transformed presentation on the display screen.

Abstract: A method for generating a presentation of an advertisement image for display on a display screen, comprising: subdividing a map image into a plurality of geographic regions; associating the advertisement image with a region-of-interest, the region-of-interest being one of the plurality of geographic regions; receiving a signal selecting the region-of-interest; and, applying a lens to the map image to produce the presentation, the lens having a focal region with a magnification for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region where the magnification diminishes to that of the map image, the presentation including a view of the advertisement image.

Abstract: A method for generating a presentation of a region-of-interest in an original image for display on a display screen of a client coupled over a network to a server, comprising: establishing a lens having a focal region for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region; if the lens is in transit between first and second locations for the region-of-interest in the original image, applying the lens to the original image by a first method to generate the presentation at the client; and, if the lens is stationary in the original image, receiving the presentation from the server, the server applying the lens to the original image by a second method to generate the presentation.

Abstract: A graphical user interface (GUI) is provided for manipulating a presentation of a region of interest within visual information displayed on a display screen of a computer display system. The GUI includes: a first bounding shape surrounding the focal region; a second bounding shape surrounding the shoulder region; a base outline; a pickup point; a slide bar; a move area within the region of interest; at least one zoom area; and, a zoom button.

Abstract: A method for generating a presentation of a region-of-interest in an original image for display on a display screen, comprising: establishing a focal region for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region; creating a focal region image for the focal region by scaling the original image within the focal region by a focal region magnification; creating a shoulder region image for the shoulder region by scaling the original image within the shoulder region by a shoulder region magnification, the shoulder region magnification being less than the focal region magnification; and, overlaying the focal region image and the shoulder region image on the original image to thereby generate the presentation.

Abstract: A method for displaying a region of interest within visual information on a display screen of a computer, the region of interest including a focal region and a base region. The method includes the steps of: providing means for selecting at least one parameter for transforming at least one of the region of interest, the focal region, and the base region; selecting the parameter using the means for selecting; transforming the visual information in accordance with a predetermined distortion function and the parameter to produce transformed visual information; and, displaying the transformed visual information on the display screen.

Abstract: A method for providing a presentation of a region-of-interest within an original image to a client, the original image being stored in a content server coupled to a proxy server and the client over a network, the method comprising: in response to a request from the client for the presentation, receiving at the proxy server the original image from the content server; applying a lens to the original image to produce the presentation at the proxy server, the lens having a focal region with a magnification for the region-of-interest at least partially surrounded by a shoulder region where the magnification diminishes; and, sending the presentation to the client.

Abstract: In a data processing system that executes a program of instructions, a method of inverting a distorted surface in a detail-in-context presentation is provided comprising the steps of locating a first approximation point in an undistorted surface for the inversion of a point in a distorted surface, determining if the approximation point is acceptable as an inversion of the point in the distorted surface, locating a next approximation point in the undistorted surface if the first approximation point is not acceptable, and repeating this process until an acceptable approximation point is located for the inversion of the point in the distorted surface. The use of this method to obtain the distance between points on an undistorted surface from the relative distances between corresponding points on a plurality of distorted surfaces in a detail-in-context presentation is provided.

Abstract: A method for generating a presentation of a region-of-interest in an elevation data representation for display on a display screen, comprising: calculating a displacement height for at least one point in the representation falling within a lens by inversely scaling a vertical height of the point from a viewpoint for the presentation by a magnification for the lens; if the point is within a shoulder region of the lens, scaling the displacement height by a value of the shoulder function evaluated at a value given by a distance between a projection point in the basal plane and a closest point on a perimeter of a focal region as projected onto the basal plane, the distance being scaled by a distance between the closest point and an intersection point on a perimeter of the shoulder region; and, displacing the point by the displacement height to generate the presentation.