JPH06251078A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To quickly and easily make access media by making generated data for browsing relate to the media data, and retrieving the data for browsing from the identifier of the media data. CONSTITUTION:It is judged whether or not the data for browsing in accordance with the media data of a parameter exists by retrieving a data managing table for browsing, and when it exists, existing data for browsing is deleted, and when no data for browsing exists, one record of the data managing table 21 for browsing is added, and the identifier 211 of the media data is registered. Thence, the data 22 for browsing is generated, and the identifier 212 of the data is registered by conforming to the identifier 211 of the media data, and the number of pages designated to the item 221 of page number of the data 22 for browsing, and reduction algorithm are registered. The data for browsing is retrieved from the identifier of the media data designated by the parameter.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention relates to the creation of various media data such as texts, graphics, images and moving images,
The present invention relates to an information processing device such as a workstation or a personal computer that performs search and save.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in information processing apparatuses such as workstations and personal computers, created documents, tables, graphs and other data, image data input from an image scanner, etc., are stored in a storage device such as a disk in the form of a file. It is stored in. The operator displays a list of file names and icons on the screen, and by specifying the file name and icon of the information that he wants to access,
Access the desired file.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-276347 "Information Processing Device", predetermined page data of each file is extracted, and the extracted page data is reduced,
The reduced page data for multiple files is displayed on the screen at the same time. The user can easily search for desired data by looking at the reduced data of the page.

Kii et al .: "Correspondence to large-scale document data in hypermedia authoring tool" Proceedings of 44th National Convention of Information Processing Society of Japan p3-345-p
In 3-348, the reduced image of each page of the document is displayed on the screen, or the contents of each page are displayed in the same area one after another.

[0005]

However, in the method of displaying a list of file names and icons on the screen and allowing the user to select, the file name, creator, creation date, and the symbol representing the program used for creation are displayed. In order to know the content of the data, the application that created the data or the application that displays the content of the data must be started.

Further, in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-276347 and "Hypermedia Authoring Tool", the quality of the reduced image is not mentioned. That is, since it is a reduced image, the lines become thin or broken, text information, graphics information, etc. are almost lost, and the creator of the data can associate the contents of the page, but the user who only refers to it Can get little information about the page. Further, since the image information is handled, the amount of data is large and it takes time to read the data from the file and display it.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned prior art, and a document created by an application program,
Use for media data such as graphs, tables, animation data, image data input from image scanners, moving image data input from cameras, etc., and composite data created by combining these data. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus that enables a person to access quickly and easily without newly starting an application for displaying the contents of data. It is also intended to improve the quality of the reduced image used during access.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the information processing apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, means for reducing the media data as it is without converting the media data into image data, means for generating image data (hereinafter referred to as browsing data) configured so that the content of the media data can be grasped, Means for associating the browsing data with the media data, means for searching the browsing data from the media data identifier, means for reducing / enlarging the retrieved browsing data, and displaying the reduced / enlarged browsing data It consists of means. Here, there are a plurality of means for reducing / enlarging the browsing data, and the means can be changed depending on the property of the browsing data.

[0009]

[Operation] When the application for creating the media data and the application for searching the media data are different, the search application may display the browsing data in order to refer to the contents, and the media data is created only for referring to the contents. You no longer need to launch the application.

Instead of requiring the user to input a file name or displaying a list of file names and icons to allow the user to select a file in which media data is stored when the application is executed , Display a list of the browsing data on the screen,
By making the selection, the user can select the file after knowing the contents of the file, and can easily obtain the target media data. When the media data is large and covers multiple pages, it can be used by displaying pages one after another (hereinafter, this operation is called page turning) or by displaying all pages simultaneously in the form of a list on the screen. The person can understand all the contents of the media data and can judge whether or not the file is intended.

Further, by generating browsing data,
In addition to the method of reducing the browsing data, a reduced image can be generated by the method described below. That is,
The media data format is reduced as it is, and browsing data is generated from the reduced media data. In the method of reducing the browsing data to obtain a reduced image, if the original browsing data is text or graphics, lines may disappear and the content of the data may not be grasped. In the method of generating browsing data from media data, the amount of information does not decrease at the time of reduction, so that a high-quality reduced image can be obtained.

Further, the appropriate reduction means is different between a binary image (black and white image) such as text and graphics and a full color image such as a natural image. According to the present invention, a plurality of reducing means are provided, and an appropriate means can be selected from among them, so that a high quality reduced image can be obtained.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an example of a block diagram of an information processing apparatus of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is text, graphics,
A media data editing unit for inputting / editing media data such as images and videos, 2 is a browsing unit for displaying a list of browsing data and turning pages, 3
Is a browsing data management unit that manages browsing data. Reference numeral 4 is a disk for storing the data file 25 input / edited by the media data editing unit 1, and reference numeral 5 is a disk for storing the browsing data 22 and the management data 21 thereof. In the media data editing section of 1, in addition to inputting / editing media data,
Reduces media data and generates browsing data. The browsing data management unit 3 performs reduction / enlargement, compression / decompression, and storage / readout of the browsing data on the disk.

FIG. 2 shows the structure of the browsing data and its management table 5 shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 is a browsing data management table, and 22 is browsing data. The browsing data management table 21 is a list of records having two items, an identifier 211 of media data and an identifier 212 of the browsing data 22. Also, browsing data 2
2 includes a page number 221, a reduction algorithm 222, a characteristic page 223, and a page information 224 list. The page information 224 includes an identifier 2241 of the standard large bitmap file 23, a pointer 2242 to an area when the file is read into a memory (hereinafter, bitmap id
Called)), a range 2243 indicating which range (column, line, width, height) is read into the memory, a status flag 2244 indicating whether or not bitmap data is read into the memory, a reduced bitmap file The identifier 2245 of the file 24 storing 24, the bitmap id 2246 of the reduced bitmap data, the reduction ratio 2247, the state flag 2248 of the reduced bitmap data, the numerical value 2249 indicating the characteristic part of the page (the number of digits from the origin, the number of lines,
Width, height).

In the following description, when the bitmap data is loaded in the memory, it is said that the bitmap data is in the active state, and when not, it is in the inactive state.

FIGS. 3 to 7 show an example of the processing flow of the browsing data management section in FIG. 1, and FIG. 9 shows an example of the processing flow of the media data editing section in FIG. The browsing data management unit 3 receives a request from the media editing unit 1 and the browsing unit 2 and performs a process corresponding to the request. There are 12 requests as shown in FIG.
Each has its own parameters and return value. In FIG. 8, the media data identifier in the parameter section is for designating the four media data in FIG.
For example, these requests, which are the file names of the media data files 25, are transmitted in Super ASCII Vol.3 # 10 pp, for example.
Remote procedure call function like 133-140,
It is sent from the media editing unit and the browsing unit to the browsing data management unit by using the request transmission function.

Next, the processing flow of the browsing data management unit 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 shows the overall flow of the processing, and FIGS. 4, 5, 6, and 7 respectively show the browsing data new creation processing, page data registration processing, page data extraction processing, and page data activation processing in FIG. Represents the details of.

In the browsing data management unit, first,
The request from the media editing unit and the browsing unit is awaited (step 301), and when the request is sent, the type of the request is determined (step 302). If the request is a new browsing data creation request, a new browsing data creation process is performed (step 303). If the request is a browsing data deletion request, the browsing data management table 21 is searched for browsing data corresponding to the media data of the parameter, the browsing data is deleted, and the record in the management table is also deleted (step 304). . In the processing of the following steps 305 to 313, in order to search the browsing data, the identifier of the media data designated by the browsing data management table 21 and the parameters is used as in step 302. If the request is a page deletion request, the page data specified by the browsing data parameter is deleted, and the number of pages is reduced by 1 (step 305).
If the request is a page addition request, page data 224 is generated and added to the end of the page data list, and the number of pages is incremented by 1 (step 306). If the request is a feature page registration request, the page designated by the parameter is registered in the item 223 of the feature page of the browsing data (step 307). If the request is a feature page retrieval process, the item 2 of the feature page of the browsing data 22
The page in 23 is returned (step 308). If the request is a page number retrieval request, browsing data 2
The number in the page number term 221 of 2 is returned (step 30).
9). If the request is a feature part extraction processing request, the item 2 of the feature part of the specified page of the browsing data 22 is displayed.
The numerical value of 249 is returned (step 310). If the request is a page data registration request, page data registration processing is performed (step 311). If the request is page data extraction request, page data extraction processing is performed (step 31).
2) If it is a page data activation request, page data activation processing is performed (step 313). If the request is an end request, the end process, that is, the browsing data management table 21 and the browsing data 22 are stored in the disk (step 314), and the process ends.

In the process of newly creating browsing data,
As shown in FIG. 4, first, the browsing data management table is searched to determine whether or not there is browsing data corresponding to the parameter media data (step 321). Is deleted (step 322), and if not, one record of the browsing data management table 21 is added and the media data identifier 211 is registered (step 32).
3). Next, the browsing data 22 is generated, the identifier 212 is registered in association with the identifier 211 of the media data (step 324), and the number of pages specified by the parameter in the page number section 221 of the browsing data 22, And register the reduction algorithm (step 3
25), the process ends.

In the page data registration process, as shown in FIG. 5, browsing data is retrieved from the media data identifier designated by the parameter (step 33).
1), the specified page of the browsing data,
Also, it is determined whether or not the bitmap data corresponding to the reduction ratio is in the active state (step 332). If it is not in the active state, the bitmap data is compressed and stored in the disk (step 333). , Bitmap id 2242 or 224 in the browsing data 22
Change 6 to the one specified by the parameter.

In the page data fetching process, as shown in FIG. 6, browsing data is retrieved from the media data identifier designated by the parameter (step 3).
41), it is determined whether or not the bitmap data corresponding to the page designated by the parameter and the reduction ratio is in the active state (step 342). If it is not in the active state, the activation process is performed (step 343). Next, the bitmap id22
42 or 2246 is returned (step 334), and the process ends.

In the page data activation process, as shown in FIG. 7, the browsing data is retrieved from the media data identifier designated by the parameter (step 35).
1) It is judged whether or not there is bitmap data of the requested reduction ratio (step 352), and if there is, the bitmap data of the specified range is read from the bitmap file of the reduction ratio and expanded. Processing is performed and the range is registered in 2243 (step 353). If not,
A bitmap file in a specified range having a reduction ratio smaller than the specified one is read, decompression processing is performed, the range is registered in 2243 (step 354), and reduction is performed by the registered algorithm (step 355). Next, the id of the read bitmap is registered in the browsing data (step 356), the fact that the bitmap data is in the active state is registered (step 357), and the process is terminated.

Next, the processing of the media editing section 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The media editing unit first performs a media editing process (step 511) and stores the edited media data in the disc (step 51).
2) Then, a new browsing data creation request is sent to the browsing data management unit (step 513), and the processing for the number of pages required for browsing is repeated (step 514). That is, standard size bitmap data is generated (step 515), the user specifies the characteristic part (step 516), a page data registration request is issued (step 517), and reduced bitmap data is generated ( (Step 518), issue a page data registration request for registering the data (step 519)
To do. Next, the user inputs the characteristic page (step 520) and issues a characteristic page registration request (step 52).
1), the process ends.

Next, an example in which browsing data is used on the desktop screen of a workstation or personal computer will be described. In this example, the desktop corresponds to the browsing unit 2 in FIG. FIG. 10 is an example of a desktop screen. In FIG. 10, reference numeral 61 represents reduced bitmap data displayed as icons, 62 is an operation menu, 63 is a scroll bar accompanying the icon 61, 64 is a window for displaying a reduced list of page data, and 65 is browsing data. It is a page number display unit that indicates the number of pages by the thickness. It is assumed that there is a command shown in the menu 62 as a command for operating an icon. That is, an enlargement command for enlarging and displaying browsing data, a reduction command for reducing and displaying, a page turning command for automatically displaying the contents of all pages one after another, and a new window 64 to generate all pages. It is assumed that there is a list display command for displaying a list of the contents of the above in the window 64 and an edit command for editing the corresponding media data. It is also assumed that each icon is associated with media data.

In order to display the browsing data as an icon on the screen, the media data identifier, page, reduction ratio, and retrieval range are specified, and a page data retrieval request is issued to the browsing data management section. ,
The bitmap data is obtained, displayed on the screen, a page number fetch request is issued to obtain the page number, and the page number display section is displayed in correspondence with the number. This is repeated for the number of pieces of media data to be displayed.

To enlarge or reduce the bitmap data displayed as an icon, an identifier of the media data corresponding to the icon 61 is obtained, and the identifier and an appropriate reduction ratio for enlargement or reduction are set as parameters. ,
A page data fetch request is issued, and the obtained bitmap data is displayed instead of the bitmap data that has been displayed so far. At the time of enlargement, the user is prompted to specify a position in the icon, and a part of the bitmap data centering on the position is displayed.

To turn pages, the following processing is repeated for the number of pages. That is, the media data being displayed,
Bitmap data of the reduction ratio is obtained by issuing a page data fetch request, which is displayed, and after waiting for a fixed time, the same process is performed for the next page. At this time, the bitmap data is displayed at the same position on the screen for all pages.

To display the contents of all pages in a list, a window 64 is generated, page data fetch requests are issued for the number of pages, reduced bitmap data of all pages are obtained, and these are displayed in the generated window 64. . The icon 61 has scrolling and resizing functions that windows such as workstations have conventionally. That is,
When the size of the bitmap data is larger than that of the icon by comparing the sizes of the icon and the bitmap data, the scroll bar 63 is automatically attached to the icon, and the reference range can be changed by operating the scroll bar 63. Also,
The size of the reference range can be changed by changing the size. Further, by designating the page number display portion with a mouse or the like, the bitmap data of the page corresponding to the designated position is displayed.

According to the present embodiment, the browsing data management section is separated from the other sections and is kept in the active state at all times, so that when the browsing section needs the browsing data, the media data is newly added. The contents can be referenced without starting the editing program or the display program. Further, even if there is no program for editing the medium, only the browsing data can be displayed as long as the browsing data is available.

Further, by issuing an activation request in advance for page data that is likely to be displayed by the browsing unit, it is possible to immediately display the page data on the screen without having to access the disk when displaying. In this embodiment, the bitmap data is used as the browsing data, but the data is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a printer control command sequence or vector data. Further, the browsing data does not have to be one type, and may be a plurality of types.

Although the desktop has been described as an example of the browsing part, the media data search part in a tool such as an authoring tool or a desktop publishing tool that creates a new document or presentation title by combining various media. Also available as Further, one browsing data may be used from a plurality of tools (browsing unit) such as a desktop, an authoring tool, and desktop publishing. Further, the media editing unit 1, the browsing unit 2, and the browsing data management unit 3 in FIG. 1 may be placed in different computers in the network environment.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention, a document created by an application program, a graph,
For media data such as tables, animation data, image data input from image scanners, moving image data input from cameras, etc., and composite data created by combining these data, the user It is possible to access quickly and easily without newly launching an application that displays the contents of data, and it is possible to improve the quality of the reduced image used during access.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an example of a block diagram of an information processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a structure of browsing data and its management table 5 in FIG.

3 is a processing flow of a browsing data management unit 3 in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a detail of the browsing data new creation processing in FIG.

FIG. 5 shows details of page data registration processing in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows details of page data extraction processing in FIG.

FIG. 7 shows details of page data activation processing in FIG.

8 is a list of requests accepted by the browsing data management unit 3 in FIG. 1, their parameters, and return values.

9 is a processing flow of the media data editing unit 1 in FIG.

10 is a screen example of a desktop which is an example of the browsing unit 2 in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Media data editing section, 2: Browsing section, 3:
Browsing data management unit, 4: Media data,
5: Browsing data and its management table, 2
1: browsing data management table, 22: browsing data, 23: standard large bitmap data file, 24: reduced bitmap data file, 25: media data file, 61: icon displaying browsing data, 62: menu , 63: scroll bar, 64: window for displaying page list, 65: page number display section.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A means for inputting or editing data, a means for storing the data, a means for generating search data from the data, a means for storing the search data, and the input or edited data. An information processing apparatus comprising: means for associating search data with search data; and means for displaying search data. 2. The search data is a reduced bitmap image of the input or edited data, has a plurality of reduction means, and comprises means for selecting the reduction means. The information processing device according to claim 1. 3. A means for inputting or editing the data,
3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for displaying the search data is independently activated and deactivated. 4. The means for displaying or accumulating the search data has a high-speed accessible buffer, and means for transferring the search data from the means for accumulating the search data to the buffer. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for designating search data to be transferred. 5. The means for displaying the search data displays the search data as an icon, and determines the size of the icon display frame or the display content of the search data in this frame to the user's operation. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus changes in response.