GB2181930A

GB2181930A - C.R.T display apparatus with menu control

Info

Publication number: GB2181930A
Application number: GB08619632A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mitsunori Hirayama; Izuru Ogawa
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Priority date: 1985-08-13
Filing date: 1986-08-12
Publication date: 1987-04-29
Also published as: KR900006665B1; DE3627453A1; GB2181930B; JPS6238936A; GB8619632D0; KR870002499A

Abstract

If a picture in a memory page (eg #2) is called up from a displayed menu 1, using a fixed page code (eg 1,2,3, A,B,C on displayed menu) to page number (o to n) conversion circuit 6 between the input means 2 and the picture memory 8, then the same conversion must be used for any called up pictures comprising a menu. Each page in the memory 18 thus carries its own page code to page number conversion table 21 in the form of a picture tree text, as well as the picture. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cathode ray tube display apparatus BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cathode ray tube (hereinafter abbreviated to "CRT") display apparatus in which an optional page corresponding to a character selected by means of an input unit is displayed on a screen.

Description of the Prior Art As is generally known, a CRT display apparatus is applied, for example, to office computers, personal computers and word processors, and comprises a CRT monitor, namely, a display unit, for displaying information such as characters and patterns, a keyboard, namely, input means, for selecting an information picture to be displayed and for setting data, and a control unit for controlling operation for displaying the information picture selected by means of the keyboard on the CRT monitor.

The keyboard and the CRT monitor are piled up on the control urilt to constitute a set of CRT display apparatus.

A hardware constitution for such a CRT display apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 55-52138. In this CRT display apparatus, a control unit 3 is placed between a CRT monitor 1 and a keyboard 2 for selecting an information picture to be displayed on the CRT monitor 1 as illustrated in Fig. 1.The control unit 3 comprises a keyboard interface circuit 4 for analyzing input data given thereto by means of the keyboard 2, a page code register 5 for storing page codes given thereto by means of the keyboard 2, a page number conversion circuit 6 for converting the page code into a corresponding page number, a page number register 7 for storing the page number, a picture memory 8 for storing picture information to be displayed on the CRT monitor 1 for every page, a drawing circuit 9 for transferring a picture selected by the page number register 7 to a display area, and a display circuit 10 for feeding the picture transferred to the display area to the CRT monitor to display the picture on the same.

The manner of operation of the conventional CRT display apparatus will be described hereinafter. Referring to Fig. 1, when a menu picture is displayed on the CRT monitor 1 and character "A" is selected by means of the keyboard 2, a picture "BLOCK 1" is displayed. When character "A" is selected by the keyboard 2, data is transferred to the page code register 5 by the keyboard interface circuit 4. Then, the page code "A" is converted into page number "2" by the page number conversion circuit 6, and then the page number "2" is stored in the page number register 7. A picture corresponding to page number "2" assigned by the page number register 7 is transferred from the picture memory 8 to the display area by the drawing circuit 9. Then, the display circuit 10 feeds the picture of the display area to the CRT monitor 1, so that the picture is displayed on the CRT 1.

Since the conventional CRT display apparatus is constituted as mentioned above and the page code is converted into the page number by the page number conversion circuit, the page number conversion circuit needs to be changed in changing the combination of the page number and the page code. Furthermore, fixed conversion pattern is applied to all the pictures and the conversion pattern can not be changed for every picture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a first object of the present invention to provide a CRT display apparatus capable of easily changing the pattern of conversion of the page code into the page number by means of a picture tree text.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a CRT display apparatus capable of changing the combination of the page code and the page number for every picture.

A CRT display apparatus according to the present invention achieves the conversion of the page code into the page number by means of a picture tree text for every picture, and is capable of easily changing the conversion pattern by registering the conversion pattern in the text and changing the registered conversion pattern. The text for every picture enables free selection of the conversion pattern.

The conversion of the page code into the page number according to the present invention facilitates the change of the combination of the page code and the page number by changing a picture tree text defined for every picture stored in the picture memory. The provision of a conversion text for every picture enables the change of the page number for a page code for every picture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA WINGS Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware constitution of a conventional CRT display apparatus; Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a CRT display apparatus, in a preferred embodiment, according to the present invention; Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware constitution of a CRT display apparatus, in a preferred embodiment, according to the present invention; and Figure 4 is a diagram showing the constitution of a picture tree text of a CRT display apparatus according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A CRT display apparatus embodying the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to Figs. 2 to 4.

As shown in Fig. 2, a CRT display apparatus comprises a CRT monitor 11 for displaying a selected page, a keyboard 12 for selecting a picture to be displayed on the CRT monitor 11 and for setting data, and a control unit 13 for controlling operation to display the selected picture on the CRT monitor 11. The CRT monitor 11, the keyboard 12 and the control unit 13 are stacked up one over another.

Referring to Fig. 3, the control unit 13 comprises an interface circuit 14 for analyzing the input data given thereto by means of the keyboard 12, a page code register 15 for storing input page codes, a page number register 17 for storing page numbers produced by converting the page codes on the basis of a picture tree text, which will be described later, a picture memory 18 storing picture information to be displayed on the CRT monitor 11 for every page, a drawing circuit 19 for transferring a picture selected by the page number register 17 to a display area, a display circuit 20 for displaying the transferred picture on the CRT monitor 11, and a picture tree text 21 stored in the picture memory for every picture. The picture tree text 21 has characters and numerals as page codes 22 and page numbers 23, respectively, as shown in Fig. 4.

The manner of operation of the CRT display apparatus will be described hereinafter. Referring to Fig. 2, when a menu picture is displayed on the CRT monitor 11 and character ''A" is selected by the keyboard 12, a picture "BLOCK 1" is displayed on the CRT display monitor 11. In Fig. 4, the page code 22 and the page number 23 are defined with character "A" and numeral "No. 2", respectively, by the picture tree text in a menu picture No.

0.

When character "A" is selected by the keyboard 12, in Fig. 3, data is transferred to the page code register 15 by the keyboard interface circuit 14. Then, the page code "A" is converted into page number "2" by a picture tree text 21 in the menu picture No. 0 presently displayed on the CRT monitor 11, and then the page number "2" is stored in the page number register 17. Furthermore, a picture corresponding to page number "2" assigned by the page number register 17 is transferred from the picture memory 18 to a display area by the drawing circuit 19, and then the picture transferred to the display area is displayed on the CRT monitor 11 by the display circuit 20.

In this embodiment, the picture memory is included in the CRT display apparatus. However, the same effect is provided when the CRT display apparatus is connected to a host computer having a picture memory.

The CRT display apparatus according to the present invention are capable of the following effects.

First, since the page number conversion circuit is stored as a picture tree text in each picture information stored in the picture memory, the CRT display apparatus is capable of easily achieving the conversion of the page code into the page number by means of the picture tree text.

Secondly, since the combination of the page code and the page number can be changed by optionally changing either the page code or the page number by means of the page number conversion circuit, namely, by means of the picture tree text, the CRT display apparatus has a picture selection function capable of easy change of the combination.

Claims

1. A cathode ray tube display apparatus comprising: an input unit for selecting a picture and for setting data; a cathode ray tube monitor for displaying a page selected by the operation of the input unit; and a picture memory storing a picture tree text for converting a character selected by the operation of the input unit into an optional page number.

2. A cathode ray tube display apparatus as recited in Claim 1, wherein said input unit is a keyboard.

3. A cathode ray tube display apparatus as recited in Claim 1, wherein said input unit is a tablet.

4. A cathode ray tube display apparatus as recited in Claim 1, wherein said picture memory is incorporated into a control unit provided between the input unit and the cathode ray tube monitor.

5. A cathode ray tube display apparatus as recited in Claim 4, wherein said control unit comprises: an interface circuit for transferring data provided by the operation of the input unit; a page code register which receives the data transferred thereto from the interface circuit; said picture tree text which converts the page code included in an optional menu picture presently displayed on the cathode ray tube monitor into an optional page number in accordance with a command given by the page code register; a page number register which stores a plurality of page numbers and assigns the page number corresponding to the page code converted by the picture tree text; and a drawing circuit and a display circuit which reproduce a picture corresponding to the page number assigned by the page number register in a display area on the cathode ray tube monitor.

6. A cathode ray tube display apparatus as recited in Claim 1, wherein said picture memory is included in an external host computer to which said input unit and said cathode ray tube monitor are connected.