1460717767-5c350d27-a83c-4d8c-848f-803798f6155b

1. A method of fabricating an array of microstructures comprising:
scanning a radiation beam at varying amplitude through a substrate that is transparent thereto into a negative photoresist layer on the substrate to image the array of microstructures in the negative photoresist layer.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the negative photoresist layer is thicker than the array of microstructures and wherein the scanning comprises scanning the radiation beam at varying amplitude through the substrate that is transparent thereto into the negative photoresist layer on the substrate to image a buried array of the microstructures in the negative photoresist layer, adjacent the substrate.
3. A method according to claim 1 wherein at least some of the microstructures include a base and a top that is narrower than the base and wherein the scanning comprises scanning the radiation beam at varying amplitude through the substrate that is transparent thereto into the negative photoresist layer on the substrate to image the array of microstructures in the negative photoresist layer with the bases adjacent the substrate and the tops remote from the substrate.
4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the negative photoresist layer is of variable thickness thereacross, wherein a minimum thickness of the negative photoresist layer is thicker than the microstructures and wherein the scanning comprises scanning the radiation beam at varying amplitude through the substrate that is transparent thereto into the negative photoresist layer on the substrate to image buried microstructures beneath the negative photoresist layer, adjacent the substrate, that are independent of the variable thickness of the negative photoresist layer.
5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the negative photoresist layer includes impurities thereon, remote from the substrate, wherein the negative photoresist layer is thicker than the microstructures and wherein scanning comprises the scanning the radiation beam at varying amplitude through the substrate that is transparent thereto into the negative photoresist layer on the substrate to image buried microstructures in the negative photoresist layer, adjacent the substrate, that are not distorted by the impurities.
6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the substrate is a flexible substrate.
7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the negative photoresist layer is on a cylindrical platform such that the substrate is on the negative photoresist layer remote from the cylindrical platform, and wherein the scanning comprises:
rotating the cylindrical platform about an axis thereof while simultaneously axially rastering the radiation beam at varying amplitude through the substrate that is on the cylindrical platform across at least a portion of the negative photoresist layer to image the array of microstructures in the negative photoresist layer.
8. A method according to claim 7 further comprising simultaneously translating the cylindrical platform andor the radiation beam axially relative to one another.
9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising simultaneously continuously varying the amplitude of the radiation beam.
10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the substrate is at least about one square foot in area.
11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the scanning is performed continuously on the substrate for at least about 1 hour.
12. A method according to claim 1 wherein the scanning is performed continuously on the substrate for at least about 1 hour to fabricate at least about one million microstructures.
13. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:
developing the microstructures that are imaged in the negative photoresist layer to provide a microstructure array master.
14. A method according to claim 13 further comprising:
forming a plurality of second generation stampers directly from the master; and
forming a plurality of third generation microstructure array end products directly from a stamper.
15. A method according to claim 1 wherein the substrate is cylindrical, ellipsoidal or polygonal in shape.
16. A method according to claim 1 further comprising translating the substrate andor the radiation beam relative to one another while performing the scanning the radiation beam.
17. A method according to claim 1 wherein the microstructures comprise optical microstructures.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A game system which executes a computer program to generate an electronic image to provide more realistic view on a display screen, comprising:
means which transforms a depth value, comprising a plurality bits, of each pixel of an original image into a second depth value or an alternative second depth value, both being formed of the lower bits I to J of the depth value which are positioned lower than a most significant bit of the depth value;
means which sets an alpha value of each pixel to a value corresponding to the second depth value or the alternative second depth value;
means which generates the electronic image based on the set alpha value, wherein the bits I to J are an intermediate set of bits, and are below the uppermost bit and above the lowermost bit of the depth value,
wherein, when the depth value is within a predetermined range, the depth value is transformed into the second depth value, and, when the depth value is outside of the predetermined range, the depth value is transformed into the alternative second depth value,
the predetermined range includes a depth value of a focus position of a virtual camera, and
a number of threshold steps of the second depth value is greater than a number of threshold steps of the alternative second depth value.
2. The game system as defined in claim 1,
wherein the original image is blended with a defocused image of the original image based on the alpha value set for each pixel.
3. The game system as defined in claim 2,
wherein the defocused image of the original image is generated by setting the original image as a texture and shifting texture coordinates of a virtual object when the texture is mapped onto the virtual object by texel interpolation method.
4. The game system as defined in claim 1,
wherein the alternative second depth value is clamped into a given value depending on a bit value other than the bits I to J in the depth value.
5. The game system as defined in claim 1,
wherein the depth value is set as an index number in a lookup table for index color texture-mapping; and
wherein the depth value is transformed into the second depth value or the alternative second depth value by performing index color texture-mapping on a virtual object by using the lookup table.
6. The game system as defined in claim 1, wherein:
bits M to N in the depth value are set as an index number in a first lookup table for index color texture-mapping;
the depth value is transformed into a third depth value by performing index color texture-mapping on a virtual object by using the first lookup table;
bits K to L (where K\u2267I\u2267L>M\u2267J\u2267N) in the depth value are set as an index number in a second lookup table for index color texture-mapping;
the depth value is transformed into a fourth depth value by performing index color texture-mapping on a virtual object by using the second lookup table; and
the third and fourth depth values are used to determine the second depth value or the alternative second depth value.
7. A game system which executes a computer program to generate an electronic image to provide more realistic view on a display screen, comprising:
means which sets bits M to N in given image information as an index number in a first lookup table for index color texture-mapping, and uses the first lookup table to perform index color texture-mapping on a virtual object to transform the image information into third image information;
means which sets bits K to L in the image information as an index number in a second lookup table for index color texture-mapping, and uses the second lookup table to perform index color texture-mapping on a virtual object to transform the image information into fourth image information; and
means which transforms the image information into second image information or alternative second image information formed of the bits I to J (where K\u2267I\u2267L>M\u2267J\u2267N) in the image information based on the third and fourth image information,
wherein, when a depth value, which is one of the image information, is within a predetermined range, the image information is transformed into the second image information and, when a depth value, which is one of the image information, is outside of the predetermined range, the image information is transformed into the alternative second image information,
the predetermined range includes a depth value of a focus position of a virtual camera, and
a number of threshold steps of the second image information is greater than a number of threshold steps of the alternative second image information.
8. The game system as defined in claim 5,
wherein the virtual object is a polygon having a size equal to a size of the display screen.
9. The game system as defined in claim 7,
wherein the virtual object is a polygon having a size equal to a size of the display screen.
10. The game system as defined in claim 5,
wherein the virtual object is a polygon having a size equal to a size of a block obtained by dividing the display screen into blocks.
11. The game system as defined in claim 7,
wherein the virtual object is a polygon having a size equal to a size of a block obtained by dividing the display screen into blocks.
12. A computer-usable program embodied on an information storage medium or in a computer-executable signal capable of being transmitted by a transmitter and received by a receiver to generate an electronic image on a display screen, comprising a processing routine for a computer to realize:
means which transforms a depth of value, comprising a plurality bits, of each pixel of an original image into a second depth value and an alternative second depth value, both formed of the lower bits I to J of the depth value which are positioned lower than a most significant bit of the depth value;
means which sets an alpha value of each pixel to a value corresponding to the second depth value or the alternative second depth value;
means which generates an image based on the set alpha value, wherein the bits I to J are an intermediate set of bits, and are below the uppermost bit and above the lowermost bit of the depth value,
wherein, when the depth value is within a predetermined range, the depth value is transformed into the second depth value, and, when the depth value is outside of the predetermined range, the depth value is transformed into the alternative second depth value,
the predetermined range includes a depth value of a focus position of a virtual camera, and
a number of threshold steps of the second depth value is greater than a number of threshold steps of the alternative second depth value.
13. The program as defined in claim 12,
wherein the original image is blended with a defocused image of the original image based on the alpha value set for each pixel.
14. The program as defined in claim 13,
wherein the defocused image of the original image is generated by setting the original image as a texture and shifting texture coordinates of a virtual object when the texture is mapped onto the virtual object by texel interpolation method.
15. The program as defined in claim 12,
wherein the alternative second depth value is clamped into a given value depending on a bit value other than the bits I to J in the depth value.
16. The program as defined in claim 12,
wherein the depth value is set as an index number in a lookup table for index color texture-mapping; and
wherein the depth value is transformed into the second depth value or the alternative second depth value by performing index color texture-mapping on a virtual object by using the lookup table.
17. The program as defined in claim 12, wherein:
bits M to N in the depth value are set as an index number in a first lookup table for index color texture-mapping;
the depth value is transformed into a third depth value by performing index color texture-mapping on a virtual object by using the first lookup table;

bits K to L (where K\u2267I\u2267L>M\u2267J\u2267N) in the depth value are set as an index number in a second lookup table for index color texture-mapping;
the depth value is transformed into a fourth depth value by performing index color texture-mapping on a virtual object by using the second lookup table; and
the third and fourth depth values are used to determine the second depth value or the alternative second depth value.
18. A computer-usable program embodied on an information storage medium or in a computer-executable signal capable of being transmitted by a transmitter and received by a receiver to generate an electronic image on a display screen, comprising a processing routine for a computer to realize:
means which sets bits M to N in given image information as an index number in a first lookup table for index color texture-mapping, and uses the first lookup table to perform index color texture-mapping on a virtual object to transform the image information into third image information;
means which sets bits K to L in the image information as an index number in a second lookup table for index color texture-mapping, and uses the second lookup table to perform index color texture-mapping on a virtual object to transform the image information into fourth image information; and
means which transforms the image information into second image information or alternative second image information formed of the bits I to J (where K\u2267I\u2267L>M\u2267J\u2267N) in the image information based on the third and fourth image information,
wherein, when a depth value, which is one of the image information, is within a predetermined range, the image information is transformed into the second image information and, when a depth value, which is one of the image information, is outside of the predetermined range, the image information is transformed into the alternative second image information,
the predetermined range includes a depth value of a focus position of a virtual camera, and
a number of threshold steps of the second image information is greater than a number of threshold steps of the alternative second image information.
19. The program as defined in claim 16,
wherein the virtual object is a polygon having a size equal to a size of a display screen.
20. The program as defined in claim 18,
wherein the virtual object is a polygon having a size equal to a size of a display screen.
21. The game system as defined in claim 16,
wherein the virtual object is a polygon having a size equal to a size of a block obtained by dividing a display screen into blocks.
22. The program as defined in claim 18,
wherein the virtual object is a polygon having a size equal to a size of a block obtained by dividing a display screen into blocks.
23. A method of generating an electronic image to provide more realistic view on a display screen, comprising a step of:
transforming a depth value, comprising a plurality bits, of each pixel of an original image into a second depth value, or an alternative second depth value, both being formed of the lower bits I to J of the depth value which are positioned lower than a most significant bit of the depth value;
setting an alpha value of each pixel to a value corresponding to the second depth value or the alternative second depth value;
generating the electronic image based on the set alpha value, wherein the bits I to J are an intermediate set of bits, and are below the uppermost bit and above the lowermost bit of the depth value,
wherein, when the depth value is within a predetermined range, the depth value is transformed into the second depth value, and, when the depth value is outside of the predetermined range, the depth value is transformed into the alternative second depth value,
the predetermined range includes a depth value of a focus position of a virtual camera, and
a number of threshold steps of the second depth value is greater than a number of threshold steps of the alternative second depth value.
24. The method as defined in claim 23,
wherein the original image is blended with a defocused image of the original image based on the alpha value set for each pixel.
25. The method as defined in claim 24,
wherein the defocused image of the original image is generated by setting the original image as a texture and shifting texture coordinates of a virtual object when the texture is mapped onto the virtual object by texel interpolation method.
26. The method as defined in claim 23,
wherein the alternative second depth value is clamped into a given value depending on a bit value other than the bits I to J in the depth value.
27. The method as defined in claim 23,
wherein the depth value is set as an index number in a lookup table for index color texture-mapping; and
wherein the depth value is transformed into the second depth value or the alternative second depth value by performing index color texture-mapping on a virtual object by using the lookup table.
28. The method as defined in claim 23, wherein:
bits M to N in the depth value are set as an index number in a first lookup table for index color texture-mapping;
the depth value is transformed into a third depth value by performing index color texture-mapping on a virtual object by using the first lookup table;