Patent US3000931A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent EP0403054A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0403054A2
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EP
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An electronic graphic system
Assignee: Quantel Ltd
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Filing: 1990-04-17
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2010-04-17
Abstract
Abstract An electronic graphic system for modifying image pixels includes a framestore 21 and a pipeline brush processor 22. Image pixels are read out of the framestore 21 in batches and applied to an input of the brush processor 22. Other data representing colour shape and pressure of a line drawn by a user on a touch tablet 17 by way of a stylus 18 is also input to the processor 22. As the pixels pass through the processor 22 they are modified by the other data. Batches of modified pixels are written back to the framestore 21. The reading and writing of pixels from the framestore 21 is interleaved with the reading of pixels for display as an image on a monitor 16. The system also includes an arrangement for interpolating stylus pressure to remove visible discontinuities or other changes in the drawn image resulting from significant changes in stylus pressure. An improved zoom facility enables a substantially continuously variable zoom factor to be defined thereby to avoid large changes in scale during a zooming operation. An arrangement for adjusting numerical values associated with some functions or features of the system allows the user to control the values solely by movement of the stylus over the touch tablet.
Inventors
- 👤 Anthony David Searby
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 06:59
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/20; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/01; G06F3/048; G06F3/0484; G06F3/04845; G06T11/00; G06T11/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 42
Claim 1
Independent Claim
100 words
An electronic graphic system in which image data stored in a store in the form of pixels representing an image is read from the store in batches of pixels, each pixel in the read batch being delivered in sequence to a processor for modification with pixels also being read serially from the store for display, and modified pixels output from the processor are written back to the store in batches, the arrangement of the system being such that the reading and writing of batches of pixels from and to the store is interleaved with the reading of pixels for display.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
100 words
An electronic graphic system in which image data stored in a store in the form of pixels representing an image is read from the store in batches of pixels, each pixel in the read batch being delivered in sequence to a processor for modification with pixels also being read serially from the store for display, and modified pixels output from the processor are written back to the store in batches, the arrangement of the system being such that the reading and writing of batches of pixels from and to the store is interleaved with the reading of pixels for display.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
34 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a pipeline processor arranged such that successive steps in the modification process are performed substantially simultaneously on consecutive pixels delivered thereto.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
63 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, comprising reading means for reading the batches of pixels from locations in the store and for delivering in sequence each pixel in the batch to the processor, and writing means for receiving the pixels output from the processor and for writing in batches those pixels back to respective locations in the store.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
49 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the reading means comprises a read buffer for reading and buffering said batches from the store and a read address selector which, under the control of a read counter, delivers pixels serially from the read buffer to the processor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
50 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the writing means comprises a write buffer for writing batches of pixels to the store and a write address selector which, under the control of a write counter, delivers pixels serially from the processor to the write buffer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
64 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising manually operable input means for generating co-ordinate data representing locations in the image at which pixels are to be modified and colour selecting means for selecting a colour, the processor being arranged to produce modified pixels as a weighted combination of data representing a selected colour and pixels read from said store.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
70 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the manually operable input means comprises a touch tablet and an associated stylus arranged such that bringing the stylus into the proximity of the touch tablet causes generation of the co-ordinate data, and pressure of the stylus on the touch tablet is converted into a pressure value which is used in the combining of said colour data and said pixels.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a monitor for displaying the image represented by the pixels in the store.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the store comprises a dynamic random access memory device.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
65 words
An electronic graphic system in which image data stored in a store in the form of pixels representing an image is selectively read from the store for modification by a pipeline processor arranged such that successive steps in the modification process are performed substantially simultaneously on a plurality of consecutive pixels read from said store, the modified pixels subsequently being written back to said store.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
65 words
An electronic graphic system in which image data stored in a store in the form of pixels representing an image is selectively read from the store for modification by a pipeline processor arranged such that successive steps in the modification process are performed substantially simultaneously on a plurality of consecutive pixels read from said store, the modified pixels subsequently being written back to said store.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the pixels read from the store are modified by the processor in a weighted combination with a user selected colour.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a stylus and touch tablet by which pixels to be modified are selectable and wherein the stylus is pressure sensitive and the processor is responsive to the pressure applied to the stylus in the combining of the pixels and the user selected colour.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
88 words
An electronic graphic system for modifying image pixels, the system comprising a stylus and touch tablet combination for generating co-ordinate data and for generating pressure values representative of the pressure applied to the stylus from time to time, and a processor responsive to said co-ordinate data for selecting pixels to be modified and being arranged to interpolate between a first pressure value at a first instant and a second pressure value at a second instant and to modify the selected pixels in accordance with the interpolated pressure values.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
88 words
An electronic graphic system for modifying image pixels, the system comprising a stylus and touch tablet combination for generating co-ordinate data and for generating pressure values representative of the pressure applied to the stylus from time to time, and a processor responsive to said co-ordinate data for selecting pixels to be modified and being arranged to interpolate between a first pressure value at a first instant and a second pressure value at a second instant and to modify the selected pixels in accordance with the interpolated pressure values.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
23 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 13, in which the first pressure value and the second pressure value are consecutive values.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
38 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 13 or 14, in which image pixels are stored in a framestore and are selectively read to the processor for modification and modified pixels are written back to the framestore.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in any of claims 13 to 15 wherein the pressure values are interpolated linearly.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
39 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in any of claims 13 to 16, further comprising colour selecting means for selecting a colour and wherein the processor is arranged to modify the selected pixels in accordance with the selected colour.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
38 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in any of claims 13 to 17, wherein the processor comprises a pipeline processor arranged such that successive steps in the modification process are performed substantially simultaneously on consecutive pixels delivered thereto.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
71 words
An electronic graphic system for modifying an image stored in a store, in which system a user selectable menu is displayable on a portion of a display screen, the menu displaying representations of user alterable features associated with the modification of the image, wherein a feature is selectable by placing a cursor over the representation of that feature and is alterable by subsequent movement of the cursor on the display screen.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
71 words
An electronic graphic system for modifying an image stored in a store, in which system a user selectable menu is displayable on a portion of a display screen, the menu displaying representations of user alterable features associated with the modification of the image, wherein a feature is selectable by placing a cursor over the representation of that feature and is alterable by subsequent movement of the cursor on the display screen.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
62 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the cursor is movable over the display screen by way of a stylus and touch tablet combination, the system being arranged such that movement of the stylus on the touch tablet causes movement of the cursor on the screen and applying pressure to the stylus causes the desired feature to be selected.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
63 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 19 or 20, wherein the stylus and touch tablet combination is arranged to generate co-ordinate data representative of the pressure applied to the stylus, the system further comprising a processor arranged to receive said co-ordinate data and pressure value data and to modify the value of a selected feature in response to said received data.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
48 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in any of claim 19 to 21, wherein, once a feature has been selected, subsequent movement of the cursor in one direction causes the value of the feature to be increased and movement in another direction causes the value to be decreased.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
70 words
An electronic graphic system for producing a zoom effect on an image for display, in which system pixels representing an image are stored in a store and an addressing reduction circuit responsive to a predefined zoom factor in a range from zero to unity reduces the rate at which locations in the store are addressed in relation to the rate at which pixels are read from the store for display.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
70 words
An electronic graphic system for producing a zoom effect on an image for display, in which system pixels representing an image are stored in a store and an addressing reduction circuit responsive to a predefined zoom factor in a range from zero to unity reduces the rate at which locations in the store are addressed in relation to the rate at which pixels are read from the store for display.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
16 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the zoom factor is user definable.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
69 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claims 23 or 24, wherein the addressing reduction circuit comprises a counting circuit for counting a number of clocking periods, which number is determined by the zoom factor, the counting circuit producing an output indicative of the counting of said number of periods; and an address incrementing circuit responsive to the output from the counting circuit for incrementing the addressed store location.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
82 words
An electronic graphic system for producing a zoom effect on an image for display, the system comprising a store for storing pixels representing the image with locations in the store being read at a clock rate N, and a zoom controlling circuit responsive to a user definable zoom factor in the range N to 0 for controlling the addressing of locations in the store such that locations are addressed at a rate M determined by the zoom factor, where M ≦ N.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
82 words
An electronic graphic system for producing a zoom effect on an image for display, the system comprising a store for storing pixels representing the image with locations in the store being read at a clock rate N, and a zoom controlling circuit responsive to a user definable zoom factor in the range N to 0 for controlling the addressing of locations in the store such that locations are addressed at a rate M determined by the zoom factor, where M ≦ N.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
78 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 26, wherein the zoom controlling circuit comprises an adder connected to a register, the adder and the register being arranged such that the zoom factor is added to the contents of the register at the clock rate N and the adder generates a carry signal which is output to control incrementing of the address locations each time the contents of the register exceed the maximum contents storable in the register.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
33 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 27, wherein the carry signal enables an address counter the output of which is incremented at the clock rate N while the counter is enabled.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
26 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 28, wherein the address counter is continuously enabled when the zoom factor is defined as the value N.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
81 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in any of claims 26 to 29, in which the image for display is displayed on a monitor display screen and a user selectable menu is displayable over a portion of the display screen the menu displaying representations of user alterable features associated with functions for modification of the image and wherein a feature is selectable by placing a cursor over the representation of that feature and is alterable by subsequent movement of the cursor.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
19 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 30, wherein the menu includes a representation of the zoom factor.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
27 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 31, arranged such that as the zoom factor is altered the zoom effect is applied to the displayed image.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
111 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of locations defined by a user are connected by a smoothly changing curve calculated by the system, the data defining the locations and the curve being held in a double buffering arrangement comprising two stores, the arrangement being such that during one frame period data in one store is output for display whilst data in the other store is modified in response to user manipulation of the locations and during another frame period data in said other store is output for display whilst data in said one store is modified in response to further manipulations by the user.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
17 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 33, wherein the curve is calculated as a polynomial.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
24 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in claim 33 or 34, wherein the curve is defined as a plurality of points connecting the locations.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
88 words
An electronic graphic system as claimed in any preceding claim, comprising combining means for combining a portion of one image with a portion of another image under the control of a stencil image which is used both to combine the two images in memory and to control the combining of the images for display, wherein image data produced by combining the images in memory is written to a store containing one of the images thereby to eliminate disturbances otherwise caused in the combining of the images for display.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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