Image data processing apparatus

Claim 2

An apparatus according to claim 1 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said apparatus further includes conversion means (1001) located between said first outputting means and said second outputting means for converting a signal of said first type applied to said first outputting means to a signal of said second type and for supplying the thus converted signal to said second outputting means.

Claim 3

An image data processing apparatus or processing image data representative of real image or graphics image, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said apparatus comprises: randomly accessible first storing means (156) for rewritably storing image data representative of one image frame; first inputting means (188) connected to a bus (192) of a processing system for inputting a first type of image data to said first storing means, said first type of image data being formatted to be compatible with said processing system; first control means (142) for controlling write-in and read-out of image data with respect to said first storing means; second inputting means (102, 104, 106, 114, 118, 116, 126, 150) for inputting a second type of image data representative of a real image and inputting said second type of image data to said first control means; first outputting means (168, 178, 180) connected to said first control means for outputting image data of said first type; and second outputting means (130, 138, 191, 198, 158, 108, 110, 112) connected to said first control means for outputting image data of said second type; wherein said first control means includes selective storing means (711, 712) for selectively storing image data input to said apparatus by either said first or said second inputting means or image data appearing at either said first or said second into said first storing means based on commands from said processing system; and said first control means also includes selective reading means for selectively reading out image data stored in said first storing means as either image data of said first or said second type based on commands from said processing system, and feeding said first and said second type of image data to said first and said second outputting means, respectively.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the image data is stored in said first storing means in the form of digital data.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 4 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT the image data stored in said first storing means includes a first indication indicating whether the stored image data was input to said apparatus by said first or said second inputting means; and said first outputting means comprising first signal converting means (178) for converting, upon receiving image data of said first type, the received image data of said first type into an analog image signal of one of two formats depending upon said first indication.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 5 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said first inputting means comprises: second storing means (174) connected to the bus of the processing system for storing said first type of image data received over said bus; and second control means (170) for reading said first type of image data out of said second storing means to write said first type of image data to said first storing means.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 6 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said first image data input to said apparatus through said first inputting means has a data format including a second indication indicative of an address of a look-up table which designates a color for forming pixels.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 7 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said first outputting means further comprises first switch means (1004) for outputting image signals, which were input to said apparatus through said second inputting means and which are stored in said first storing means, when said second indication of image signals stored in said second storing means designates a predetermined color and for outputting image signals stored in said second storing means otherwise.

Claim 9

An apparatus according to claim 8 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said predetermined color is transparent.

Claim 10

An apparatus according to claim 9 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said second outputting means comprises: second signal converting means (191, 198) for converting, upon receiving image data of said second type, the received image data of said second type into an analog signal of one of two formats depending upon said first indication; and second switching means (130, 138) for receiving image signals which were input through said second inputting means and which were sent directly to said second switching means as a primary second switching means input signal and image signals which were input to said apparatus through said first inputting means and which were stored in said first storing means as a secondary second switching means input signal, and for outputting said primary second switching means input signal when said second indication of said secondary second switching means input signal designates a predetermined color and for outputting said secondary second switching means input signal otherwise; said first control means reading, in synchronism with said primary second switching means input signal, said secondary second switching means input signal out of said first storing means to feed said secondary second switching means input signal to said second outputting means and causing said second switching means to switch on a pixel-by-pixel basis, whereby said primary second switching means input signal is combined with said secondary second switching means input signal.

Claim 11

An apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT image data input to said apparatus through said second inputting means comprises a television signal.

Claim 12

An apparatus according to claim 2 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said conversion means comprises a line buffer.

Claim 13

An apparatus according to claim 12 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said line buffer is capable of being written to at one frequency and being read from at another frequency so as to perform scan conversion.

Claim 14

A memory system for use in an image data processing apparatus, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said memory system comprises: an image data memory (156); and programmable control means (142) for reading and writing image data to and from said image data memory using a variety of read/write timing data formats so that a variety of image data formats may be written to and read from said image data memory.

Claim 15

A memory system according to claim 14 CHARACTERRIZED IN THAT image data to be written to said image data memory is first input to said control means, and said control means receives timing data corresponding to the received image data so as to program said control means to write the received image data to said image data memory using write timing data corresponding to the received timing data.

Claim 16

A memory system according to claim 14 CHARACTERIZED IN THAT image data to be written to said memory is sent directly to said memory, and timing data corresponding to the image to be written to said memory is sent to said control means so as to program said control means to write the image data to said memory using write timing data corresponding to the received timing data.

Claim 17

A memory system for use in an image data processing apparatus, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said memory system includes: an image data memory(156); and a programmable control system for reading and writing image data to and from said image data memory using a variety of read/write timing data formats so that a variety of image data formats may be written to and read from said image data memory.