Patent ID: 7038682

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for constructing and tangibly expressing a conic peak-point curve comprising: (i) selecting a start point, a 0 on a computer image display of an implementing computer with a computer input device of the implementing computer; (ii) selecting an end point, a 1 on the computer image display system with the computer input device; (iii) selecting a start tangent direction, e 0 on the computer image display system with the computer input device; (iv) selecting an end tangent direction, e 1 on the computer image display system with the computer input device, whereupon the computer image display system, responsive to the implementing computer, displays a centerline bisecting a chord between the start and end points a 0 , a 1 , extending through an intersection point r of rays extending in the start and end tangent directions c 0 , c 1 respectively from the start and end points a 0 , a 1 ; (v) selecting a peak point, p, on the centerline where the peak point is a point on the curve that is farthest away from the chord between the start and end points a 0 , a 1 , whereupon the implementing computer, using any suitable mathematical formulae, constructs a conic peak-point curve passing through the start point a 0 , the peak point p, and the end point a 1 , with the start tangent direction c 0 and the end tangent direction e 1 ; and (vi) expressing tangibly the conic peak-point curve using any image display system controlled by the implementing computer.