Overlapping Visual Slices for Flexible Image Composition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image slicing techniques are limited by the requirement that new slices must abut or overlap previous slices, restricting flexibility in placement and size, which hinders efficient creation of visual compositions for graphical runtime environments like webpages.
Innovation Solution
The ability to define slice regions arbitrarily, allowing for overlapping and independent configuration of slice regions, enabling the creation of slice representations that can overlap or be separate from other slices, and allowing objects within these regions to be manipulated without affecting the original visual composition or other slices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional image slicing techniques are used, then slices can be created, but the requirement that new slices must abut or overlap previous slices restricts flexibility in placement and size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the visual composition into independent slice regions, each capable of being defined arbitrarily without being constrained by the positions of other slices. This segmentation allows each slice to be independently configured, enabling overlapping and flexible placement while maintaining the ability to process each slice separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic slice region definition where slice boundaries can be arbitrarily positioned and sized without fixed constraints. The slice regions can overlap, abut, or be completely separate, providing dynamic adaptability in their configuration rather than being locked into a rigid tiling pattern.
2Adaptability or versatility
If slices are defined arbitrarily allowing overlapping, then flexibility is improved, but the complexity of managing slice region relationships increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates independent copies of objects within each slice region. When an object appears in multiple overlapping slice regions, each slice receives its own copy of the object data. This copying mechanism simplifies management by isolating slice relationships from the original visual composition, allowing arbitrary overlapping without complex dependency tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces slice representations as intermediary structures that bridge the original visual composition and the final output. Each slice region is processed independently through these representations, which mediate the relationship between overlapping slices and the source material, simplifying the management of complex spatial relationships.
3Ease of operation
If objects within slice regions are manipulated independently, then ease of operation is improved, but the original visual composition must be preserved without affecting other slices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the manipulation process by creating independent slice representations for each region. Objects within each slice can be manipulated independently in these representations without directly affecting the original visual composition or other slices. The segmentation isolates changes to local regions while preserving the global integrity of the source material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying to create independent working copies of objects within each slice region. Manipulations are applied to these copies rather than the original objects in the visual composition. This ensures that changes to objects in one slice do not propagate to other slices or the source material, maintaining stability of the original composition while enabling independent operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Image editing tools are commonly used to assist with manipulating and saving visual compositions. Many image editing tools provide slicing functionality to create images slices (sub-images) of the visual composition. As provided herein, a slice representation of a visual composition is defined by an arbitrarily chosen set of coordinates within the visual composition. This slice region may be defined independent of other slice regions (e.g. the slice region may or may not overlap, abut, etc. other slice regions). The slice representation comprises the slice region and one or more objects or portions thereof within the slice region. Slice representations may also comprise overlapping objects and/or slice region coordinates. Objects may be manipulated within a slice representation without affecting that object within other slice representations.