Abstract:
A method and a system for teaching drawing skills to an individual is disclosed. The system provides sequential instructions to an individual on how to draw various figures on a touch-sensitive screen. A processor executes instructions to display a portion or an outline of a guide figure, and the individual completes the portion of the figure on the touch-sensitive screen. The system continues prompting the individual until a complete figure is entered on the touch-sensitive screen.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of United States Provisional Application No 60/180,418 filed Feb. 4, 2000. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a method apparatus for drawing electronic images.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Art instruction typically involves students drawing or painting figures on sheets, and an art instructor evaluates the figures produced by the students on the sheets. Typically, such instruction is performed with a group of students and a single instructor in a classroom. Under such classroom conditions, the instructor normally does not have sufficient time to evaluate the work of each student individually.  
           [0004]    Another method of art instruction is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,073. According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,073, images are provided on a television screen, and a student duplicates the images by placing a sheet of clear or translucent material and tracing or painting the image beneath the sheet. This patent also discloses that instructional information can be provided in a section of the television screen.  
           [0005]    While the methods described above have certain advantages, they also possess several shortcomings. First, the cost of paying an art instructor for lessons may be prohibitive for some prospective students. In addition, the time and inconvenience associated with scheduling a lesson and traveling to and from the lesson site are disadvantageous. Furthermore, the cost of sheets of material and art supplies such as pencils, paints, brushes and the like tend to make art instruction a somewhat expensive activity. Another limitation of current techniques is that it is difficult to save sheets of the student&#39;s work and to easily retrieve the student&#39;s past work for evaluation of the student&#39;s progress.  
           [0006]    In view of the disadvantages in providing art instruction according to the methods discussed above, it would be desirable to provide a portable, hand-held system and method for drawing electronic images. It would be useful if the system and method also provided a more convenient and flexible way of providing art instruction. It would be advantageous if the art instruction could be provided in a format that allowed the student to learn in a variety of locations and without the need for traditional drawing sheets, pencils, paints, paintbrushes, etc. Furthermore, it would be useful if completed art projects by the student could be saved and easily retrieved for evaluation of a student&#39;s progress. A system and a method that enabled a user of the system to create animations from images drawn by the user would also be desirable.  
         SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
         [0007]    Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention generally relates to a convenient and flexible way of entering electronic images into a device including a processor, a memory and a display screen. Another aspect of the invention relates to linking the images entered by the individual to an animation module and creating animations from the figures entered by the individual. Still another aspect of the invention relates to a system and a method for providing artwork instruction to an individual. The method includes displaying at least a portion of a guide figure on a touch-sensitive screen and prompting the individual to enter a figure on said screen corresponding to said portion of said guide figure. After the individual has entered the figure on the screen, the figure is displayed on the screen. According to one aspect of the invention, the portion of the guide figure includes an outline of the portion of the figure to be drawn by the individual. According to this aspect, the outline may comprise, for example, a series of dots or points on the screen, and the student can enter a figure by connecting the dots. According to another aspect of the invention, the portion of the guide figure appears on the screen in a window separate from the figure drawn on the screen. According to this aspect, the student would reproduce the figure in the separate window by drawing the figure on the touch-sensitive screen using a stylus or other suitable drawing implement.  
           [0008]    According to another aspect of the invention, the processor is operated to compare the guide figure with the figure drawn by the individual. In another aspect of the invention, the processor is operated to save the portion of the figure entered by the individual. The student can save a portion of an uncompleted figure and retrieve the figure for later completion. Alternatively, the student can continue entering the figure until the student draws a complete figure.  
           [0009]    Another aspect of the invention relates to a system for teaching drawing skills to an individual. Preferably, the system utilizes a portable, hand-held device, such as a portable, hand-held computer enclosed in a casing. The device includes a processor, memory, and a touch-sensitive screen. The system further includes a program executable by the processor, and the program is operable to provide sequential instructions to the individual to enter a figure in accordance with the previously described method.  
           [0010]    According to one aspect of the invention, the program is operable to display a variety of figures to be entered by the individual. Preferably, the figures are grouped into a plurality of subgroups or themes to facilitate selection of a figure of interest to the student.  
           [0011]    The invention provides a method and system for entering electronic images, creating animations, and teaching individuals how to draw figures and artwork. The system is portable, thus providing the flexibility of allowing the student to use the system in a variety of locations. The system can be used for individualized and group instruction. Also, the student is capable of saving finished and unfinished lessons, facilitating evaluation of the student&#39;s progress. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. In the drawings, it is to be understood that various elements of the drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale, but instead are sometimes purposely distorted for the purposes of illustrating the invention. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system used for teaching drawing skills according to the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a device for providing artwork instruction according to one aspect of the invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 illustrates a view of an illustrative menu displayed on a display screen;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of operation according to an aspect of the invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 8 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 9 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 10 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 11 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 12 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 13 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen; and  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 14 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 15 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 16 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 17 illustrates a view of an illustrative display screen.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 18 illustrates a view of an illustrative animation scene on a display screen. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0030]    [0030]FIG. 1 shows the functional components of a system for teaching drawing skills to an individual. The system includes a processor  11 , a memory  12 , and a touch-sensitive display screen  13 , which are in electrical communication with each other and connected in a conventional manner. The processor  11  processes the data inputted into the device and may also output data to external devices, as will be explained below. The memory  12  stores pre-selected data and files that are entered by a user of the system. The touch-sensitive screen  13  is in electrical communication with the processor  11  and the memory  12 . The touch-sensitive display screen  13  preferably includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen  14  capable of displaying graphical information and artwork. The touch sensitive-display screen  13  also includes a touch panel  15  in electrical communication with the LCD screen  14  for accepting input from a user of the system. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the liquid crystal display  14  and touch panel  15  will be in communication with a driver  16  according to known methods.  
         [0031]    The system may further include at least one input button  17  in electrical communication with the processor  11  for entering commands by the user that will be executed by the processor  11 . The system may also further include a universal serial bus controller  18  in electrical communication with the processor  11 . The universal serial bus (USB) controller  18  may be used for establishing serial communication with a computing device or a peripheral device such as a printer, auxiliary display, scanner, etc. Accordingly, the device would include a USB connector port (not shown). Another optional feature of the system includes an external cartridge connector  19  in electrical communication with the processor  11 . The external cartridge connector  18  may be utilized for connecting a flash memory card or plug and play type of cartridge. A flash memory card may be used for increasing the memory storage capacity of the system and saving data inputted by the user of the device. Plug and play cartridges enable the user of the system to input additional and updated art lessons and a variety of other media content as will be described further below.  
         [0032]    According to one aspect of the invention, the system is implemented as a software program on a hand-held computing device or handheld computer such as a Palm®, Handspring®, or Newton® hand-held computer. However, according to a preferred aspect of the invention, the system need not be part of a hand-held computing device. Instead, to provide an inexpensive, yet functional artwork instruction device, the system minimally includes the processor  11 , the memory  12 , the touch-sensitive display screen  13 , the touch panel  14  and the driver  15 . The memory  12  and the processor  11  should be sufficient to execute sequential instructions to a user of the system to enter portions of a figure until a complete figure is drawn by the individual.  
         [0033]    Preferably, the system is associated with a dedicated, portable, hand-held device  20 , as shown in FIG. 2. The device  20  includes a casing  22  and a display  24 . At least a portion of the display is a touch-sensitive display, such as the type used in personal and handheld computers. FIG. 3 shows a stylus  25  which can be used to enter a FIG. 26 on the surface of the display screen  13  or select various menu options  27  as will be described further below.  
         [0034]    The device  20  may further include other features such as various function buttons  28 ,  30 ,  32 ,  34  and  36  in electrical communication with the processor  11 . These buttons may include, for example, an on/off button  28 , control buttons  30  and  32  for confirming the selection of icons or menu items on the display screen, a reset button  34  for resetting the memory of the device, and a navigation button  34  which allows the individual using the device to scroll through menu options, as will be described in more detail below. The device  28  may also have indicator lights  38  and  40  in electrical communication with the processor  11 , which may be used, for example, to indicate whether power to the device is on or off. Other optional features of the device  20  may include a sound system, which may include speakers  42  or a headphone input (not shown) and the aforementioned universal serial bus (USB) port. The USB port may be useful for connecting the device to a computer, which in turn can be connected to the Internet for downloading updated software programs for teaching artwork and additional figures and art lessons. The device may also include a port for receiving flash memory cards, which may also be used for providing updated software programs and media and for storing artwork. The device can be powered by either batteries or alternating current through the use of an AC adapter.  
         [0035]    In use, an individual operates the portable, hand-held drawing instruction device as shown in FIG. 3, by entering data via the touch-sensitive screen  13  or the input buttons on the device. Various commands may be activated by touching icons  27  displayed on and around the screen  13  with the stylus  25  or other suitable implement for interacting with the touch-sensitive screen. Each icon selected opens a window, which preferably remains open until a further selection is made, or until the touch-sensitive screen is touched again, providing further options available within the selected category. Confirmation of an operation may be achieved by pressing the external command button on the unit or selecting an appropriate option from the touch-sensitive screen. A FIG. 26 may be entered by selecting from a variety of simulated drawing tools selected from a menu and using the stylus to enter the figure on the touch sensitive screen. Such simulated drawing tools can include, but are not limited to, a pencil, a paintbrush, a spray paint can, an eraser, or other suitable tool for creating artwork.  
         [0036]    Referring now to FIG. 4, which is a flow chart illustrating the general operation of the system, upon turning on the device shown in FIG. 2, a welcome screen  50  appears in which a number of options are presented to the individual operating the device. For example, the user may be prompted to select from a variety of options, including but not limited to, opening a sketch  51  for freehand drawing, opening a previously saved file  52 , creating a new freehand sketch  53 , selecting an animation gallery  54 , selecting a picture gallery  55 , or selecting art lessons  56 .  
         [0037]    According to one aspect of the invention, the individual using the device selects one of the options as shown in block  60 . If the user does not select the art lesson option  56  and selects another option as shown in block  64 , the processor will execute instructions to go to another option or module. If the user does select the art lesson option the program will execute instructions to display the art lesson menu as shown in block  62 .  
         [0038]    After the individual has selected the art lesson option, the individual will be prompted to select from a variety of options shown in block  66 . These options include, but are not limited to, selecting a saved lesson, starting a new lesson, playing an art lesson animation or exiting the art lesson. Selection can be made through a graphical user interface menu or other menu selection interface known in the art.  
         [0039]    The individual using the device can start a new art lesson by selecting the appropriate menu item from the art lesson welcome screen. After the individual has selected the start new lesson menu item, the processor will execute instructions to begin an art lesson. By way of example, the processor may execute instructions to display on the screen of the device that the device is entering the art lesson mode, as shown in FIG. 5.  
         [0040]    After entering the art lesson mode, the device may automatically begin an art lesson in which the individual using the device will be stepwise instructed to draw a figure automatically selected by the computer. By way of example and referring to FIG. 6, the processor  11  executes instructions to display a rocket  70  in a window  72  of the display screen  13 . Alternatively, the processor  11  may execute instructions to display a gallery of figures for the individual to select from which may be displayed as thumbnail icons on the display screen  13 . The gallery of figures may be arranged thematically, for example, a gallery including houses, birds, animals, fish, action figures, etc. The individual may then select a type of figure to be drawn and the processor  11  may execute further instructions to display a subset of figures within a particular gallery. The individual operating the device would then select a particular figure, which would then be the subject of the art lesson.  
         [0041]    After the individual has selected a figure to draw or the computer has automatically selected and displayed a figure, the processor will execute stepwise instructions for the individual to complete the figure. According to one aspect of the invention, a first portion  74  of a figure will be displayed in window  72 , as shown in FIG. 7. The individual using the device will then duplicate the first portion of the FIG. 74′ on the touch-sensitive screen  13 , preferably by using the stylus  25 . After the student has completed entering the first portion of the figure, the processor  11  of the system will execute instructions to display a second portion of the FIG. 76 in window  72 . The individual will then enter the second portion of the FIG. 76′ on the main portion of the touch sensitive screen.  
         [0042]    The art lesson will continue as shown in FIGS.  11 - 14  until the individual has drawn a complete figure. As shown in FIG. 11, portion  78  of the figure is displayed in window  72 . In FIG. 12, the individual enters portion  78 ′ on the touch sensitive screen corresponding to the portion  78  shown in window  72 . In FIG. 13, portions  80 ,  82  and  84  are displayed in window  72 , and the individual then enters the corresponding portions  80 ′,  82 ′ and  84 ′ as shown in FIG. 14. After the individual has completed entry of the entire figure, the processor  11  will execute instructions to display a save function so that the student can save the artwork for future reference. The artwork can be saved to the memory  12  that is part of the device or to a memory card that can be inserted into the device (not shown). Thereafter, the student can begin a new lesson, or exit the art lesson module of the device. According to another aspect of the invention, the user of the system can save a partially drawn figure, and be provided with the option of returning to that figure to complete the lesson at another time.  
         [0043]    According to another aspect of the invention, the processor  11  of the system may also execute instructions to display an outline of a portion of the figure on the touch-sensitive screen. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, a series of dots or points  90  may appear on the touch-sensitive portion of the screen representing a portion of a figure to be drawn by the individual. Referring to FIG. 16, the processor  11  would execute instruction to prompt the individual to connect the dots or points  90  until the portion  92  of the figure is drawn. The processor would continue to execute stepwise instructions until a complete FIG. 94 is drawn by the individual, as shown in FIG. 17, which depicts a house.  
         [0044]    According to another aspect of the invention, after the individual completes a sketch in the art lesson, the user may be prompted to save the sketch as a new sketch, or alternatively, the user may be able to create an animation from the completed sketch. For example, after the individual completes the sketch shown in FIG. 13, which is a rocket, the user of the system may be prompted to save the rocket as an animation, which may be selected from a menu of options. If the user selects the option to save the drawing as an animation, an animation sequence will be started by the processor and displayed on the display screen. For example, referring to FIG. 18, if the user completes a drawing of a rocket as shown in FIG. 13 and selects the option to save the rocket as an animation, the system would display a rocket  100  in animation scene with stars  102  and a planet  104  displayed together with the rocket  100 .  
         [0045]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.