EP0109038A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Communication terminal for an office information system
Assignee: Wang Laboratories Inc
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Filing: 1983-11-08
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-11-08
Abstract
Abstract @ A management communication terminal (10) is formed by integrating an electronic, raster scanning camera (21) with a personal computer. The terminal (10) has a keyboard (14), a Winchester disk drive (28), a telecommunication controller (62), a cathode ray tube monitor (11), and a, e.g. thermographic, raster image printer (13). Two such terminals (10) define an office information system for the exchange of information produced at the keyboards (14) and by the cameras (21). In each terminal (10), the coded data generated at the keyboard (14) and the raster image data generated by the camera (21) are temporarily stored in separate data buffers (53, 55; 26; 40) and from there are routed to the monitor (11), the printer (13) and disk storage (28). The monitor (11) and printer (13) are able to display and print respectively, images created from the keyboard data, the camera data or a combination of the two. The camera data are compressed prior to storage and are reduced in resolution prior to application to the monitor (11). The telecommunication controller (62) when coupled to a transmission line (63), transfers keyboard and camera data directly between the disk memories (28) associated with the two terminals.
Inventors
- 👤 An Wang
- 👤 Stanley Bruce Fry
- 👤 Shu Kuang Ho
- 👤 John Michael Smutek
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 19:00
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/10; H; H04; H04N; H04N1/00; H04N1/387; H04N1/3871
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
370 words
Communication terminal (10) for an office information system comprising: a graphic data generator, particularly a camera (21) for scanning a document (20) and generating a graphic signal representing the image on the document, a text data generator, particularly a keybord (14) operable to generate a text signal representing the text input via the text data generator (21), long term storage means, particularly a disk drive (28), for storing both text signals generated by the text generator and graphic signals generated by the graphic data generator (21), a printer (13), particularly a thermographic printer having a plurality of heating pads for marking a record medium, for providing a hard copy output of the image using the graphic singal and/or the text using the text signal, a monitor (11) for displaying the image using the graphic signal and/or the text using the text signal, text buffer (53, 55) coupled to the text data generator for short term storage of the text signal generated by the text data generator, graphic buffer (26, 40) coupled to the graphic data generator (21) for short term storage of the graphic signal generated by the graphic data generator, monitor controller (37) coupled to the monitor (11), the text buffer (53, 55) and the graphic buffer (26, 40) for applying the text signals and the graphic signals to the monitor (11) to display text data and/or the image on it, printer controller (46a) coupled to the printer (13), the text buffer (53) and the graphic buffer (40) for applying the text signals and the graphic signals to the printer (13) to print out the hard copy output of the text data and/or the image, and system controller (72) coupled to all the above named means and utilized by an operator for the communication terminal to generate the text signals and the graphic signals via the text data generator (14) and the graphic data generator (21), respectively, stored in both said buffers and in the long term storage means (28), displayed by the monitor (11) and printed out as hard copy by the printer (13) to enable the operator to create, store, and display and print out text and/or images represented by the text signal and the graphic signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
370 words
Communication terminal (10) for an office information system comprising: a graphic data generator, particularly a camera (21) for scanning a document (20) and generating a graphic signal representing the image on the document, a text data generator, particularly a keybord (14) operable to generate a text signal representing the text input via the text data generator (21), long term storage means, particularly a disk drive (28), for storing both text signals generated by the text generator and graphic signals generated by the graphic data generator (21), a printer (13), particularly a thermographic printer having a plurality of heating pads for marking a record medium, for providing a hard copy output of the image using the graphic singal and/or the text using the text signal, a monitor (11) for displaying the image using the graphic signal and/or the text using the text signal, text buffer (53, 55) coupled to the text data generator for short term storage of the text signal generated by the text data generator, graphic buffer (26, 40) coupled to the graphic data generator (21) for short term storage of the graphic signal generated by the graphic data generator, monitor controller (37) coupled to the monitor (11), the text buffer (53, 55) and the graphic buffer (26, 40) for applying the text signals and the graphic signals to the monitor (11) to display text data and/or the image on it, printer controller (46a) coupled to the printer (13), the text buffer (53) and the graphic buffer (40) for applying the text signals and the graphic signals to the printer (13) to print out the hard copy output of the text data and/or the image, and system controller (72) coupled to all the above named means and utilized by an operator for the communication terminal to generate the text signals and the graphic signals via the text data generator (14) and the graphic data generator (21), respectively, stored in both said buffers and in the long term storage means (28), displayed by the monitor (11) and printed out as hard copy by the printer (13) to enable the operator to create, store, and display and print out text and/or images represented by the text signal and the graphic signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
77 words
Terminal according to claim 1 characterized by a telecommunication controller (62) under control of said operator using the system controller (72) coupled to a transmission medium (63) for transmitting text signals and graphic signals over the transmission medium and stored in the long term storage means (28) at a remote communication terminal (10) and used thereat to display and/or print out text and/or images represented by the text and graphic signals transmitted over the transmission medium (63).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
Terminal according to claim 2 characterized in that the telecommunication controller (62) is coupled to the long term storage means (28) of a terminal (10).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
66 words
Terminal according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized by a graphic data compression means (29) coupled between the graphic buffer (26) and storage means (28) for compressing the graphic data prior to storage by the storage means (28) and decompression means coupled between the graphic date buffer (26) and storage means (28) for decompressing graphic datea retrieved from the storage means to the buffer means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
45 words
Terminal according to any of claims 1 to 4 characterized by a scaler (35) coupled between the monitor (11) and the graphic date buffer (26), which reduces the resolution of graphic data received from the graphic buffer (26) before its application to the monitor (11).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
Terminal according to claim 5 characterized in that the resolution of images displayed by the monitor (11) is less then that of images printed by the printer (13).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
Terminal according to claim 5 characterized in that the resolution of the graphic data in the graphic data buffer (26) is about 200 ppi and the resolution of the like data in the low resolution buffer (36) is about 100 ppi.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
45 words
Terminal according to any of claims 1 to 7 characterized in that the graphic data generator (21) includes a CCD array having a plurality of photosensitive elements corresponding to the number of pixels in a row of the raster image defined by the graphic data.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
56 words
Terminal according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized by a computer, particularly a personal computer, for processing text data, graphic data and a combination of the two including a processor, a memory for storing text and graphic data, multiple input and output controller means and bus means for coupling the foregoing to one another.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
42 words
Terminal according to claim 9 characterized in that the graphic data processed by the computer includes a one bit representation of the optical density of each pixel within a raster image displayed on the monitor (11) or printed by the printer (13).
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
196 words
An office information system communication method comprising at a local terminal the steps of generating graphic data representative of a raster image of a ducument and text data representative of information symbols, temporarily storing the graphic and text data in graphic and text data buffers, respectively, following the creation of the data and before routing the graphic and text data to long term storage means, routing the graphic data to a raster image monitor from the graphic data buffer and routing the text data to the monitor from the text data buffer for displaying images created from text data, graphic data and a combination of the two, routing the graphic data to a raster image printer from the graphic data buffer and routing the text data to the printer from the text data buffer for printing images created from text data, und transmitting between the local terminal and remote storage means text data, graphic data and a combination of the two for storing the text, graphic and combination data and for displaying and printing images created from text data, graphic data and the combination of the two residing at the local terminal or remote storage means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
196 words
An office information system communication method comprising at a local terminal the steps of generating graphic data representative of a raster image of a ducument and text data representative of information symbols, temporarily storing the graphic and text data in graphic and text data buffers, respectively, following the creation of the data and before routing the graphic and text data to long term storage means, routing the graphic data to a raster image monitor from the graphic data buffer and routing the text data to the monitor from the text data buffer for displaying images created from text data, graphic data and a combination of the two, routing the graphic data to a raster image printer from the graphic data buffer and routing the text data to the printer from the text data buffer for printing images created from text data, und transmitting between the local terminal and remote storage means text data, graphic data and a combination of the two for storing the text, graphic and combination data and for displaying and printing images created from text data, graphic data and the combination of the two residing at the local terminal or remote storage means.
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