Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-23
2001-04-10
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2773)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S440000, C345S426000, C358S462000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06215492
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an article retrieval support apparatus such as a personal computer for supporting retrieval of articles when making reference to articles which have been posted to a network such as the Internet, and the present invention also relates to a recording medium which can be read by the article retrieval support apparatus.
Communication systems have become popular to exchange opinions with numerous people in which they make reference to or post an article from a personal computer which is connected to a network such as the Internet or personal computer network. When the number of associated people and thus the number of articles increase in such a communication system, it becomes difficult to retrieve an article which the user would like to make reference to.
With this point in mind, it has been proposed for an apparatus which comprises a function of supporting retrieval of articles by displaying on the screen a list of identification data of articles which may be miniature image of contents of an article or of images attached to an article.
However, although the conventional apparatus comprising such a function as to display the list of identification data provides the user a retrieval supporting function to make him or her intuitively understand the content of the article by the identification data which may be a figure or a miniature image, the number of articles that the user is able to retrieve through confirming each of the figures or miniature images with his or her own eyes is limited. Therefore, the retrieval supporting function does not work effectively when the number of articles is enormous.
Further, when generating miniature images as identification data of articles, there are different methods for obtaining clear miniature images, depending on whether the original image is a binary image such as a text, or a color image such as a bit map, and in case of a color image, it depends on whether a large number of colors are used or only a small number (e.g. an image written with a pencil). However, since the miniaturizing method of an image is selected by the user in such a conventional apparatus, it presents a drawback in that beginners or children having no knowledge of image processing may not be able to select a most suitable miniaturizing method.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of these drawbacks, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an article retrieval support apparatus such as a personal computer which is capable of limiting the number of identification data of articles among which retrieval is to be executed through displaying images of the identification data of the articles at varied transparency rates or miniaturizing rates corresponding to the novelty of the article or attribute data of the article such as repute of the article, and it is also an object of the present invention to provide a recording medium which can be read by the article retrieval supporting apparatus.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide an article retrieval support apparatus such as a personal computer which can be easily used also by beginners or children having no knowledge of image processing wherein a most suitable miniaturizing method is automatically selected according to the original image when generating a miniature image of identification data of the article, and it is also an object of the present invention to provide a recording medium which can be read by the article retrieval supporting apparatus.
According to the present invention, it is automatically determined how a miniature image is to be generated, depending on the type of an image of an article (e.g. text, bitmap, number of colors, etc.), by either of the following methods. In the first method, an average value of pixel values of each divided image portion of an image of an article, divided according to a miniaturizing rate, is calculated in accordance with reducing rates, and a miniature image which is composed of a gathering of these averaged pixels is generated. An edge of the obtained miniature image is then detected where a gray level greatly changes, and by emphasizing and sharpening the edge, a miniature image is generated. For generating a miniature image according to the second method, it is performed, in addition to the above steps, a step of transforming a gray level of each pixel of the miniature image into a gray level by which the contrast of the miniature image is emphasized. A miniature image is generated in the third method by performing OR operation of pixel values of neighboring pixels of an image showing the content of an article.
Therefore, the apparatus according to the present invention can be easily used also by beginners or children having no knowledge of image processing.
Further, according to the present invention, a transparency rate of an image of identification data of an article is varied relative to a background thereof proportional to the length of an elapsed time from the time at which the article is posted, so that, for instance, an image of identification data of an article is displayed at a higher transparency rate for which the elapsed time from the time of the posting is longer.
Further, according to the present invention, the miniaturizing rate of an image of identification data of an article is varied proportional to the length of an elapsed time from the time at which the article is posted, so that, for instance, an image of identification data of an article is displayed smaller for which the elapsed time from the time of the posting is longer.
Further, according to the present invention, repute data indicating a height of a repute of an article is obtained from an article server, and though no images of identification data of articles are displayed for which a specified time has elapsed since they are posted, an image of identification data of an article with high repute is made to be displayed for a longer time than images of identification data of other articles by shortening the elapsed time of the articles of the high repute.
Further, according to the present invention, repute data, which may be the number of readers or the number of votes, indicating a height of a repute of the article is obtained from an article server, and identification data of articles of high repute (i.e., which the number of readers or votes exceed a specified number) are displayed in different display styles from the style of identification data of other articles by, for instance, changing the color, magnifying the image or applying a repute mark thereto.
Further, according to the present invention, when a specified figure such as a cursor figure which moves over a screen has passed over an image of identification data, an image of addition data indicating an attribution of the article (e.g. writer of the article, date of posting, etc.) is displayed in the proximity of the image of the identification data.
Further, according to the present invention, there are only displayed images representing identification data of articles which agree a display condition such as the displayable number on the screen or a term for display.
Consequently, the number of identification data of articles among which retrieval is to be executed may be limited.
The above and further objects and features of the invention will more fully be apparent from the following detailed description with accompanying drawings.
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Kii Takahiro
Ohishi Kazuhiro
Okuyama Kyoko
Bayerl Raymond J.
Fujitsu Limited
Nguyen Thomas T.
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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