Patent ID: 7266783
Filing Date: 2007-09-04
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. An information processing apparatus for displaying an information object in a virtual space according to visual field data, where the information object represents one or more respective linked content items of different content types, and where said visual field data defines a visual field in said virtual space, said apparatus comprising: holding means for holding, in an executable manner, a plurality of intermediate data generating means specific to said respective linked content items of different content types of the information object for generating respective pieces of intermediate data specific to a content type of a particular linked content item of the information object, said generated piece of intermediate data comprising at least either of texture data or display form defining data, and for holding, in an executable manner, a plurality of different display image generating means specific to said respective linked content items of different content types of the information object for generating respective display images from said respective generated pieces of intermediate data; means for assigning a display priority to each linked content item of the information object and changing the display priority of the particular linked content item of an information object based upon a geometric relation of the particular linked content item to said visual field in the virtual space, wherein the geometric relation of the particular linked content item to the visual field in the virtual space is a relative relation comprising one or more of position, orientation, or scale ratio of the particular linked content item to the visual field in the virtual space; first means for causing said plurality of intermediate data generating means to generate the respective pieces of intermediate data for displaying the particular linked content item of the information object displayed in the virtual space, according to the geometric relation of the particular linked content item to said visual field in the virtual space by comparing said changing display priority of the particular linked content item of the information object with a predetermined threshold for determining whether to generate a piece of intermediate data of the particular linked content item of the information object; a memory for storing the generated pieces of intermediate data for rendering a display image; and second means for causing said plurality of different display image generating means to generate display images of said particular linked content item of the information object from said respective generated pieces of intermediate data, to render the display image on a display memory region, according to the geometric relation between said visual field and said particular linked content item of the information object by comparing said changing display priority of said particular linked content item of the information object with a predetermined threshold for determining whether to generate the display image of said particular linked content item of the information object.