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US5263136A
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System for managing tiled images using multiple resolutions
Assignee: Optigraphics Corp
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Filing: 1991-04-30
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Granted: 1993-11-16
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Expires: 2011-04-30
Abstract
Abstract An image memory management system for tiled images. The system defines an address space for a virtual memory that includes an image data cache and a disk. An image stack for each source image is stored as a full resolution image and a set of lower-resolution subimages. Each tile of an image may exist in one or more of five different states as follows: uncompressed and resident in the image data cache, compressed and resident in the image data cache, uncompressed and resident on disk, compressed and resident on disk and not loaded but re-creatable using data from higher-resolution image tiles.
Inventors
- 👤 John R. DeAguiar
- 👤 Ross M. Larkin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 09:39
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F12/00; G06F12/02; G06F12/08; G06F12/0802; G06F12/0875; G06T; G06T1/00; G06T1/60; G06F2212/00; G06F2212/40; G06F2212/401
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
142 words
An image memory management system, comprising: a computer having a processor and an image memory, the image memory comprising a main memory and a secondary memory; an image stack, located in the image memory, comprising a plurality of similar digital images, each digital image having a plurality of pixels grouped into at least one tile, and each digital image having a resolution different from the other digital images; means for accessing a selected one of the tiles in the image stack; first means for transferring a selected one of the tiles from the secondary memory to the main memory when the tile is accessed by the accessing means and the tile is absent from the main memory; and second means for transferring a selected one of the tiles from the main memory to the secondary memory when the main memory is full.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
142 words
An image memory management system, comprising: a computer having a processor and an image memory, the image memory comprising a main memory and a secondary memory; an image stack, located in the image memory, comprising a plurality of similar digital images, each digital image having a plurality of pixels grouped into at least one tile, and each digital image having a resolution different from the other digital images; means for accessing a selected one of the tiles in the image stack; first means for transferring a selected one of the tiles from the secondary memory to the main memory when the tile is accessed by the accessing means and the tile is absent from the main memory; and second means for transferring a selected one of the tiles from the main memory to the secondary memory when the main memory is full.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system defined in claim 1, additionally comprising means for modifying a selected one of the tiles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The system defined in claim 2, wherein the second transferring means only transfer tiles that have been modified by the modifying means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system defined in claim 1, wherein the main memory is semiconductor memory.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system defined in claim 1, wherein the secondary memory is a magnetic disk.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
11 words
The system defined in claim 1, wherein each tile is square.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
15 words
The system defined in claim 1, wherein a lowest resolution digital image comprises one tile.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system defined in claim 1, wherein a preselected digital image in the image stack is resampled to obtain another digital image in the image stack.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
The system defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the digital images is compressed.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
The system defined in claim 1, wherein the accessing means is responsive to an image access operation selected by a user.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system defined in claim 10, wherein the image access operation is zooming or panning the image.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
13 words
The system defined in claim 10, wherein the image access operation is reversible.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of managing images in a computer having a processor and an image memory comprising a slower access memory and a faster access memory, comprising the steps of: creating a digital image; resampling the digital image so as to form an image stack comprising the digital image and one or more lower resolution digital images; dividing each image into equal sized, rectangular tiles; and evaluating a location in the image memory of tiles in each digital image of the image stack in a given region of interest.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of managing images in a computer having a processor and an image memory comprising a slower access memory and a faster access memory, comprising the steps of: creating a digital image; resampling the digital image so as to form an image stack comprising the digital image and one or more lower resolution digital images; dividing each image into equal sized, rectangular tiles; and evaluating a location in the image memory of tiles in each digital image of the image stack in a given region of interest.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method defined in claim 13, additionally comprising updating modified regions of all images when an edit operation is completed.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
61 words
The method defined in claim 13, wherein the evaluating step includes the following order of decreasing availability: exists in the faster access memory in uncompressed form; exists in the slower access memory in uncompressed form; exists in the faster access memory in compressed form; exists in the slower access memory in compressed form; and must be constructed from higher resolution tiles.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
52 words
The method defined in claim 13, wherein the evaluating step includes the following order of decreasing availability: exists in the faster access memory in uncompressed form; exists in the slower access memory in uncompressed form; exists in the slower access memory in compressed form; and must be constructed from higher resolution tiles.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method defined in claim 13, wherein the evaluating step includes selecting the digital image with the lowest resolution higher than a requested resolution at a given view scale.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-11-15 | 1997-05-17 | 1997-11-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-11-15 | 2001-05-17 | 2001-11-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-11-15 | 2005-05-17 | 2005-11-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |