Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
1996-04-29
2001-08-21
Sax, Steven (Department: 2773)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
active
06278451
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns image processors which display and/or edit graphics or letter strings and, more particularly, to a technique for displaying a balloon in accordance with a letter string inputted by a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional personal computer or game machine, the images of sprites (objects) and backgrounds can be edited and the images designated by a user can be displayed on a television screen. Such an apparatus can create a desired image by an optional combination of the images of objects, data on which is previously stored. For example, the user can create a face image of a desired person by optionally selecting part images of a face such as eyes and mouths as objects, from among many images of parts of the face, data on which is stored is a memory, and combining them.
In recent years, image processors can display not only the created face image but also provide images of higher quality by displaying various images in combination.
As an image to be displayed in combination with the face image, its background is first mentioned, and a balloon is second mentioned as the form of expression used frequently in cartoons or animations. The balloon comprises a letter string (speech) and a balloon frame surrounding the letter string, which is used generally to visually emphasize matters to be conveyed such as conversation or what is thought mentally to distinguish them from other matters displayed.
When the balloon image is displayed together with the face image, it looks as if a message were uttered from the face image to further enhance the force of expression of the face image.
However, various problems would arise when the balloon image is displayed together with face image.
At first, it has been known that the impression to be given differs greatly depending on the shape of the balloon frame even when the speech is fixed. In view of the above, it has been proposed to previously store a data on a plurality of different balloon images such that a user can select and display a desired balloon frame image among them so as to satisfy users various demands.
However, this arrangement requires troublesome operations in the creation of the entire balloon, such as selection of a balloon frame image, inputting of a letter string that constitutes the speech and, further, designation of the size and display position of each letter of the letter string such that the letter string can be accommodated within the selected balloon frame image.
Particularly, in order to place the letter string that constitutes a speech within a selected balloon frame, the inputted letter string is parted into partial letter strings in accordance with the shape of the balloon frame and the parted partial letter strings are arranged for side by side display. However, this method results in a problem that a line is started at a position not intended by the user.
If a new line of the speech is started at an unintended position, for example, partition of a word may sometimes becomes obscure, thereby making it difficult to understand the meaning of the speech. Such a problem may be avoided by inputting the speech while taking the shape of the balloon frame into consideration, but the user is required to input the speech after recognizing the number of letters, the contents of the speech, and the shape of the balloon frame, which is extremely troublesome in the actual operation.
Further, each time it is tried to replace a balloon frame image with another after a letter string has been placed and displayed in the balloon frame image, selection of size of the letters and the positional alignment of the letters and balloon frame must be performed. Further, when the number of letters of the speech is input, the letters are required to be positioned again in accordance with the changed number of letters, which would cause a troublesome operation.
On the other hand, the letter string indicative of the speech in the balloon must be optionally inputtable by the user. However, the operation of inputting the letter string is extremely troublesome. Especially, the operability of equipment such as game machines intended for young users is very bad.
Further, in order to input a letter string, an independent letter input screen is required for selecting letters and editing a letter string. On the other hand, when the created face image is saved into and later loaded on a file, a letter input screen is also necessary for designating the file title. In this case, generally, the letter input screen for inputting the letter string used in a balloon and the letter string input screen for other uses such as designation of the file title are constituted in separate data formats.
However, when those letter input screens are constituted in separate data formats, image data corresponding to the respective formats are required, which increases the memory capacity for storing the image data to thereby increase the cost. On the other hand, if the letter input screens are constituted in the same data format, it cannot be discerned whether the letter string is being now inputted into the balloon or for another application such as designation of a file title.
Further, most of formats in the letter string input screens merely contain a letter list and the user cannot previously recognize a region where a letter string to be inputted can be displayed, from the letter input screen. For instance, a letter string of small number of constituent letters such as a file title does not greatly influence on the images in the case of synthetic display of the letter string and the images, so that it is not required to perform the input operation of the letter string while previously recognizing an input region for the letter string. In contrast, when the number of letters of a speech of a balloon as compared with that of the file title or the like, the user can not determine the length of the speech if the user can not previously recognize the display area for the inputted letter string. Accordingly, when the letter string which constitutes the speech later and the face image are synthesized and displayed, the speech-constituting letter string may be excessively longer or shorter to possibly render it difficult to display a speech of an appropriate length in accordance with the face images.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to facilitate and simplify the operation required for the user to create a desired balloon.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image control device comprising:
letter string inputting means for inputting a letter string to the image control device;
frame deciding means for deciding an attribute of a frame surrounding the letter string inputted by the letter string inputting means in accordance with the letter string; and
displaying means for displaying the image of a frame having the attribute decided by the frame deciding means and the image of the letter string inputted by the letter string inputting means.
According to the above arrangement, since the attribute of the balloon frame is determined automatically in accordance with the inputted letter string, the user is free from consideration to and operation of decision of the shape of a balloon frame which is considered optimum to the inputted letter string and the operation of creating the balloon is facilitated and simplified.
Another object of the present invention is to facilitate and simplify the operation required for the user to create a desired balloon, as well as to prevent the contents of the speech in the created balloon from becoming unclear.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processor comprising:
letter string inputting means for inputting a letter string to the image processor,
frame displaying means for displaying a frame image for surrounding the letter string inputted by the letter string inputting means;
parting information inputting means for inputting parting inf
Casio Computer Co. Ltd.
Frishuaf, Holtz, Goodman, Langer & Chick, P.C.
Sax Steven
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