EP0460869A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Data retrieval system, display apparatus and method of recording and displaying
Assignee: On Demand Information International PLC
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Filing: 1991-05-30
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2011-05-30
Abstract
Abstract An interactive data retrieval system based on a personal computer (10) is provided which comprises a database (8) and a CD-ROM (131) which is arranged to select and display visual images (18) of product literature of interest to a user such as an architect for example. The database contains details of the illustrated products and the manufacturers of the products. A modem is provided to enable the user to communicate with the manufacturers of the displayed products and to receive updating information which is stored in the database. The display of a selected image may be aborted at any time by the user, and in order to facilitate comprehension of the image as quickly as possible whilst maximising the ultimate resolution of the image, the resolution of each displayed image is gradually increased during the display process (Fig. 5). This is achieved by initially displaying the image in the form of blocks of identical pixels. The true image pixels at each position in the blocks are then substituted so as to enhance the resolution of the image. An arrangement for displaying an image which has been scanned at a spatial resolution which is different from the nominal spatial resolution of the monitor is also described (Fig. 8).
Inventors
- 👤 Graham George Poulter
- 👤 Peter John Stapleton Ashley
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 04:35
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N5/00; H04N5/76; H04N5/91; H04N5/92; H04N5/9201; H04N5/9206; H04N5/9208; G; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/40; G06F16/50; G06F16/51; G06F16/53; G06F16/532; G06F16/58; G09; G09B; G09B5/00; G09B5/06; G09B5/065; G09B7/00; G09B7/02; G09B7/04; G11; G11B; G11B27/00; G11B27/10; G11B27/102; G11B27/105; H04N1/00; H04N1/21; H04N1/2166; G11B2220/00; G11B2220/20; G11B2220/21; G11B2220/213; G11B2220/25; G11B2220/2537; G11B2220/2545; H04N2201/00; H04N2201/32; H04N2201/3201; H04N2201/3225; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99931
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
204 words
An interactive data retrieval system for selectively retrieving and displaying stored visual images (16-21), characterised by a) a recording medium (131) having a multiplicity of visual images recorded thereon; b) playback means (13) arranged to access and read said visual images from said recording medium (131); c) memory means (9) containing a plurality of stored data fields, the data in at least one of said data fields identifying said visual images and the data in at least one other of said data fields being associated with said visual images and relating to users or suppliers of products or data shown in said recorded visual images; d) database program means (8) in association with a microprocessor (7) for enabling a user to access data in said data fields and said visual images read by said playback means (13); e) display means (11, 12) arranged to display under the control of said database program means (8), said visual images and other data accessed by a user; and f) an electronic data communications link (Fig. 2) between the user specified in subparagraph d) and a master database source, or one or more remote users or suppliers of said products or data shown in said recorded visual images.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
55 words
A data retrieval system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said memory means (19) is arranged to store updating information received via said communications link and relating to a displayed visual image (28), and said display means (11, 12) is arranged to display said updating information (19) in association with its associated visual image (18).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
A data retrieval system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said visual images (28) recorded on said recording medium are images of the pages of manufacturer's product literature.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
72 words
A data retrieval system as claimed in claim 3 further including a high resolution color monitor (12) for displaying relatively high resolution color images (28) of said pages in addition and a monochrome monitor (11) for displaying to relatively low resolution black and white images of the same pages, the resolution of said black and white images being sufficient for text in said product literature to be legible on said monochrome monitor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
101 words
A data retrieval system as claim in any precedingclaim wherein said playback means (13), memory means (9), data program means (8) are combined in a computer having a separate stored graphics program for controlling the display of said visual images and is arranged to run the data base program of the data base program means and the graphics program sequentially under the control of a user, the graphics program being arranged to display the screen last displayed by the data base program means so as to provide the impression that the data base program is running concurrently with the graphics program.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
93 words
A data retrieval system as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising a computer (10) having a graphics controller (24) for controlling the display of textual data accessed by said database program means (8) and having an additional dedicated graphics controller (22-27) for controlling the display of said visual images (28), said additional graphics controller including video RAM (22) arranged to store a visual image read by said playback means (13) and a dedicated microprocessor (24) which is arranged to control the display of such a visual image stored in said video RAM.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
59 words
A data retrieval system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said video RAM (22) is accessible directly by the main microprocessor (7) of said computer (10) as well as by said dedicated microprocessor (24), and memory access arbitration means (23) are provided which define respective timeslots in which said main and dedicated microprocessors can access said video RAM (22).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
A data retrieval system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said recording medium (13) is a digital optical or magneto-optical recording medium.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
65 words
A data retrieval system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said display means (11, 12) is arranged to display each stored visual image selected by the user with a gradually increasing resolution and means are provided for enabling the user to cancel the display of a selected visual image at a stage intermediate the initial relatively low resolution and the final relatively high resolution.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
121 words
Apparatus for dislaying a still visual image (28) in the form of a multiplicity of pixels, comprising means (2224, Fig. 3, Fig. 4) for dividing the image (28) into square groups of adjacent pixels (1, 2, 3, 4), means (22) for replicating a predetermined pixel (1) within each group by the other pixels (2, 3, 4) in that group to form a relatively low resolution image composed of groups of identical adjacent pixels, means (24) for substituting the true image pixels for said other pixels in each group to form a relatively high resolution image composed of individual pixels, and display means (12, 22-27, Fig. 5) responsive to said replicating means and substituting means to display an image of increasing resolution.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
Display apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said substituting means (24) is arranged to substitute the true image pixel for a predetermined one of said other image pixels in each group simultaneously.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
60 words
Display apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said substituting means (24) is arranged to substitute a true pixel for a replicated pixel (4) diagonally in line with said predetermined pixel (1) within each of the groups (220) before substituting a true pixel for any replicated pixel (2, 3) which is horizontally or vertically in line with said predetermined pixel.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
Display apparatus as claimed in claim 11 or claim 12 wherein each group (220) comprises a 2 x 2 array of hour pixels.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
43 words
Display apparatus as claimed in any of claims 10 to 13 wherein each said predetermined pixel (1) which is replicated within its group (220) has the same relative position with respect to the other pixels ( 2, 3, 4 ) in its group.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
83 words
Display apparatus as claimed in any of claims 10 to 14 further comprising a recording medium (131) having said image pixel positions recorded thereon and means for reading said recorded image pixels to buffer memory (A, B), said reading means being arranged to read first the predetermined pixels (1) of each group (220) which are to be replicated by the replicating means (24) and subsequently the pixels (2, 3, 4) of each group which are to be substituted by the substituting means (24).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
108 words
Display apparatus as claimed in claim 15 wherein said buffer memory comprises two memory regions (A, B) and said reading means is arranged to read said predetermined pixels (1) of each group (220) into one of said buffer memory regions (A) and to read the pixels (2, 3, 4) of each group which are to be substituted into the other of said memory regions (B) and said replicating means and substituting means (24) is arranged to operate on the pixels in said one or said other buffer memory region as the case may be whilst pixels are being read into said other or said one buffer memory region.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
35 words
A data retrieval system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9 which incorporates display apparatus (12, 22-27) for displaying said stored visual images (28) as claimed in any of claims 10 to 16.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
106 words
A data retrieval system as claimed in claim 1 or a display apparatus as claimed in claim 10 including a digital recording medium (131) having a visual image (28) recorded thereon as groups (132-135) of pixels (1-4), the pixels within each group being adjacent on the recording medium and spaced apart in the visual image such that each pixel (1) belonging to a given group on the recording medium forms part of a group (220) of adjacent pixels of the image and has a predetermined relative position with respect to the other pixels (2, 3, 4) of said group (220) of adjacent pixels of the image.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
111 words
A method of recording and displaying a still visual image (28) comprising scanning the image with a scanner (Fig. 8(d)), recording the scanned image on a recording medium (131), reading the image recorded on said recording medium and displaying the image by means of a cathode ray tube (12), wherein the image is scanned at an integer submultiple of the maximum resolution of the scanner, the scanned image being represented by a multiplicity of pixels (1-4), and the number of horizontal lines displayed by the cathode ray tube (12) is selected such that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the horizontal lines and the rows of pixels generated by the scanner.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein the picture width and/or number of horizontal pixels displayed by the cathode ray tube (12) is adjusted so that the aspect ratio (872/619) of the displayed image (28) is substantially the same as the aspect ratio (744/528) of the scanned image.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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