Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Graphic manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-12
2002-05-28
Zimmerman, Mark (Department: 2671)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Graphic manipulation
C345S660000, C382S299000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06396507
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a data storage/access network system for zooming image, more specifically to a data reading method and apparatus, a network system, an image zooming method and apparatus, an image data storage method and apparatus, an image data writing/reading system, and a recording medium.
2. Background of the Invention
Conventionally, many apparatuses each capable of storing digital image data in a memory or the like, reading out the image data, and displaying the image data are used.
Image data to be stored is input using an image input device such as an image scanner or a video camera using, e.g., a CCD. Most apparatuses can store a plurality of image data.
Individual image data are basically stored as image files. To store an image file having a large quantity of data, a large-capacity magnetooptical disk (MO) or hard disk (HDD) is used as a file storage unit. When an MO is used, one image data file is normally recorded on one MO. However, when the amount of image data constituting one image file exceeds the capacity of one MO, the image data is divided and stored in a plurality of MOs.
When the size of each image file is very large, as described above, or when a lot of image files are to be stored, a client/server system is implemented with a plurality of devices to store/read/display the image files via a network. More specifically, a plurality of image files are stored in a server. An image file designated from a client is read out and displayed on the display screen of the client.
When a large-scale image file unit is to be constituted using MOs on the server side, a disk library unit such as a jukebox capable of exchanging the plurality of MOs by an auto-change mechanism is used. In this disk library unit, disks are exchanged in accordance with an instruction from the client, so that a required image file is read out.
In the system of this type, since the size of each image file stored in the server is very large, the entire image data cannot be displayed in one screen because of the limited size of the display screen on the client side. Conventionally, image data stored in the server is reduced to a size which can be displayed in one screen, and displayed. For this reason, on the display screen of the client, the image cannot be displayed at the original precision.
When a detail of a photographic image is to be checked, or a specific component portion of a drawing is to be referred to in detail, the reduced entire image cannot cope with such a request. Therefore, part of the image must be enlarged to the full size of the screen and displayed at the original precision. According to this technique, when the entire image is to be observed, the image can be reduced and displayed, and when a detail is to be observed, the corresponding portion can be enlarged and displayed.
However, as described above, one image data is stored as one or a plurality of image files, and the image data is read out in units of files. For this reason, when a portion of the image is to be enlarged, the entire image file corresponding to the image data including the portion is transferred from the server to the client.
As described above, since each image file has a very large data amount, a long time is required for data transfer. Consequently, a long time is required after an enlargement/reduction instruction is issued from the client until the image is actually displayed. Especially when the network connecting the server to the client has a low transfer rate (when a personal computer is used as a client machine, the network inherently supported by a personal computer often has a low transfer rate), a very long time is required.
Even after file transfer, to display a detailed part of the entire image data which has been transferred in units of files, the entire image data must be temporarily developed on a memory, and only necessary image data must be extracted therefrom. This requires a large capacity of a work memory, and also a long time for extraction processing.
In addition, in the apparatus of this type using a disk library unit for storing image files, disk exchange for file read access takes a long processing time regardless of whether a detail is to be enlarged. For this reason, the time required after an image read instruction is issued until the image is actually displayed is prolonged. Particularly, when disk exchange is frequently performed in response to random access requests, the processing time until image display is greatly prolonged.
In this case, the display screen does not change during processing after an image zooming instruction is issued from the client. When the zoomed image is generated as instructed, the displayed image is switched to the zoomed image. For this reason, the user sometimes forgets the zooming target portion during the long-time zooming processing after the zooming instruction is issued. In addition, since no change is observed on the screen during the zooming processing, the user waiting for the processing may become irritated.
These problems are not limited to the above-described client/server system. An apparatus which performs digital signal processing for image data stored in one unit to zoom in or out the image is also proposed. However, in the apparatus of this type, digital processing for zooming takes a long time. For this reason, during processing after the zooming instruction is issued, the user may sometimes forget the zooming target portion or become irritated.
To perform the above processing of enlarging a detail of the image at a high speed, an image file storing detailed image data may be prepared in advance. However, portions that the user requests to enlarge are finite, and it is not practical to predict all such portions and store image files thereof. Because of the limited storage capacity, portions which can be enlarged are undesirably typified.
In the system or apparatus of this type, one image data is required to be displayed at various resolutions. For example, in addition to reduction of the entire image, a plurality of low-resolution reduced image information corresponding to original image data are simultaneously displayed on the screen as list icons such that a desired one of a plurality of stored image files can be easily found. There is also a requirement for displaying a coarse image for layout to cope with works in design industries or the like.
To deal with the requirement for displaying one image data at various resolutions, image data having various resolutions may be prepared in advance and stored independently of the original image file. With this method, since image data having various resolutions are prepared in advance, display processing can be performed at a relatively high speed. However, the amount of image data to be stored becomes enormous, resulting in an overall increase in storage capacity of the apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the first object of the present invention to perform processing of zooming an arbitrary portion in an entire image and displaying the image at an original precision at a high speed without increasing the storage capacity.
It is the second object of the present invention to clarify the zooming target portion of an image and reduce the stress of the user during zooming processing.
It is the third object of the present invention to allow processing of displaying one image data at various resolutions without increasing the entire storage capacity.
It is the fourth object of the present invention to allow processing of displaying one image data at various resolutions at a high speed without increasing the entire storage capacity.
It is the fifth object of the present invention to increase the rate for reading out data from a low-speed secondary storage unit such as a disk library unit which requires disk exchange.
It is the sixth object of the present invention to apply a means for speeding up the data read from the low-speed secondary storage unit independently of an application program.
Accor
Aoyagi Katsuhiro
Kaizuka Hiroshi
Connolly Bove & Lodge & Hutz LLP
Padmanabhan Mano
Zimmerman Mark
LandOfFree
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