JPH08138033A - Method and device for picture editing, picture display control device and its method, and system consisting of picture editing device and picture display controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enable a server to execute the picture plotting processing for a client. CONSTITUTION: The plotting function call issued from an application 101 to an operating system 102 is acquired to issue a script corresponding to the plotting function call to a server 105, and the script is interpreted to plot a picture on a remote actual memory 108 reserved on the server 105, and plotted picture data is taken into the operating system from the remote actual memory 108 through a network and is displayed on a picture memory 109.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention comprises an image display control device such as a host computer connected to a network and a method thereof, an image editing device such as a server and a method thereof, the image display control device and the image editing device. Related to the system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as various terminals come to have a communication function with the progress of networking, interoperability becomes very important. For example, in the case of Fax, there is a facsimile communication procedure defined by CCITT for the method of accessing the public network, but the procedure for networking as a Fax server is not standardized.

A relational database (RD)
Regarding B), the SQL language of ANSI has established itself as a standard for the time being, but the access protocol to the RDB and the front end interface (API) are different for each company. Regarding printing, there is an industry standard for each OS, but the architecture of a network printer in a multi-vendor environment is not standardized.

With respect to OCR, there has been no concept of networking in the past, so the access method of network OCR will be decided from now on. The concept of an image processing accelerator on a network has never existed before. Thus, although efforts are being made to standardize individual application fields such as databases for databases and network printers for network printers, there is no standardization across fields. For example, to perform a series of operations such as converting an image received by the Fax server into a code by the OCR server and storing it in a database,
Since there is no cooperation between each server, Fa on the client side
x, OCR, and three client side programs of the database are started and work is sequentially carried out. Even so, if the three programs make full use of the functions provided by the latest OS and perform inter-application communication, the above-mentioned work may be automated. But,
The latest OS provides a mechanism for communication between applications, but the method is left to the vendor, and nothing has been decided.

[0005]

However, in the conventional server system, for example, in order to perform a series of operations such as converting an image received by the Fax server into a code by the OCR server and storing the code in the database. Since there is no cooperation between each server, three front end programs of Fax front end, OCR front end, and database front end are started on the client side, and the work is carried out sequentially. However, that work is painful because it requires repeated access to many "cut and paste" and "temporary files".

Further, the access methods to individual servers are inevitably different depending on the history of the invention of the server, and it is almost impossible to access the service areas. The present invention virtually integrates independent servers distributed on the network and logically builds a huge virtual server, thereby eliminating the incompatibility of each server and enabling many applications to be easily executed from one application. The purpose is to use the server function if available.

Further, conventionally, a small personal computer cannot edit a large screen and high definition image due to lack of memory. For example, a 400 dpi (dots / inch) A4 size full color image requires as much as 47 megabytes of memory. It is costly to enable such a large image to be handled by a personal computer.
It was also unrealistic in terms of speed and was a problem in terms of reliability. Because of the limitation of the single chip architecture, the CPU power of the personal computer is not so large and the speed becomes slow. In addition, if the hard disk is incorporated in a part of the RAM, a desperate delay occurs every time a swap occurs. Moreover, in the case of the OS of today's personal computer, when handling such a large memory, it often crashes.

In order to solve such a problem, an object of the present invention is to output a drawing command to a server, interpret the output drawing command, and draw image data on an image drawing memory secured on the server. And an image display control device and method for displaying the acquired image data on a screen memory.

In order to solve such a problem, an object of the present invention is to input a drawing command from a host computer, interpret the input drawing command, draw image data on a secured image drawing memory, and draw the image data. An image editing apparatus and method for outputting the image data to the host computer in order to display the image data on the screen memory of the host computer.

In order to solve such a problem, an object of the present invention is to output a drawing command to a server, interpret the output drawing command, and draw an image drawn on an image drawing memory secured on the server. An image drawing memory secured by a host computer having display control means for acquiring data and displaying the acquired image data on a screen memory, and inputting a drawing command from the host computer, interpreting the input drawing command It is an object of the present invention to provide a system including a server that transfers image data to the host computer so that the image data is drawn on the screen and the drawn image data is displayed on the screen memory of the host computer.

[0011]

In order to solve the above problems, an image display control apparatus of the present invention is an image display control apparatus connected to a server that executes image processing, and a drawing command is issued to the server. Output means for outputting, acquisition means for interpreting the drawing command output by the output means, and acquiring image data drawn on an image drawing memory secured on the server, and acquired by the acquiring means Display control means for displaying the image data in a screen memory.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an image editing apparatus of the present invention is an image editing apparatus connected to a host computer, wherein input means for inputting a drawing command from the host computer and input by the input means. Drawing means for interpreting the drawn command and drawing the image data on the secured image drawing memory; and the image data for displaying the image data drawn by the drawing means on the screen memory of the host computer. Is output to the host computer.

In order to solve the above problems, a system of the present invention is a system in which a server for executing image processing and a host computer are connected to a network,
The host computer obtains image data drawn on an image drawing memory secured on the server by interpreting the drawing command output by the output unit and an output unit outputting the drawing command to the server. Acquisition means to
A display control unit for displaying the image data acquired by the acquisition unit on a screen memory, and the server inputs the drawing command from the host computer and the drawing command input by the input unit. Interpret,
Drawing means for drawing image data on the secured image drawing memory, and transfer means for transferring the image data to the host computer in order to display the image data drawn by the drawing means on the screen memory of the host computer. Have and.

In order to solve the above problems, an image display control method of the present invention is an image display control method in an image display control device connected to a server for executing image processing, wherein a drawing command is output to the server. Output step, an acquisition step of interpreting the drawing command output in the output step to acquire image data drawn on an image drawing memory secured on the server, and the acquisition step acquired in the acquisition step. A display control step of displaying image data in a screen memory.

In order to solve the above problems, an image editing method of the present invention is an image editing method in an image editing apparatus connected to a host computer, which comprises an input step of inputting a drawing command from the host computer, A drawing step of interpreting the drawing command input in the input step to draw image data on the secured image drawing memory, and displaying the image data drawn in the drawing step on the screen memory of the host computer. And an output step of outputting the image data to the host computer.

[0016]

According to the above construction, the drawing command is output to the server, the output drawing command is interpreted to acquire the image data drawn in the image drawing memory secured on the server, and the acquired image is acquired. By displaying the data in the screen memory, the image drawing process in the client can be delegated to the server.

According to the above construction, the drawing command is inputted from the host computer, the inputted drawing command is interpreted, and the image data is drawn on the secured image drawing memory.
In order to display the drawn image data on the screen memory of the host computer, by outputting the image data to the host computer, the image drawing process at the client can be performed on behalf of the image editing process.

[0018]

1 is a block diagram for explaining the system configuration of a multimedia server showing an embodiment of the present invention. In particular, the existing server 1 via the center server 11
It corresponds to the case of accessing 0.

In the multimedia server shown in this embodiment, suitable servers for handling multimedia information are "integrated server" and "digital exchange".
It is composed of and and builds one virtual integrated server on the network to provide various services.

In the present embodiment, the "integrated server" is a logically integrated group of servers distributed on the network, and it has a plurality of function servers that provide various conventional services and controls them. It consists of a single center server. The center server may be a dedicated server or a client may also serve as the center server.

When the center server is viewed from the client (host computer), a plurality of functional server groups distributed on the network look like one integrated giant server. Of course, you can access each server individually as before, but if you pass the "process script" to the center server and let the center server handle the subsequent processing, the client can move to the next action quickly. It is efficient.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is an application as a "front end" for accessing a server.
Here, the "front end" will be briefly described.

If the server resides on the same computer as the client, the application can directly call and use the server functionality. But it's not easy when the server is on another computer over the network. Because the application is
This is because the server must be accessed via the communication program.

With this, the application programmer cannot easily write a program for accessing the server. Therefore, even if the server vendor is on the network, the server vendor usually provides a mechanism for accessing the server by the same name as when the server is local.

The mechanism is like a part of the server, has a communication function, and is installed in the client. This small program is called the front end to the server, and programmers can write applications that access the server on the network without having to worry about communication.

The user inputs and outputs data through the application 1. 2 and 4 are client / server type communication programs, and 3 is a local area network (LAN). Reference numeral 5 denotes a center server that provides an integrated standard access environment for the application 1. From the application 1, the center server 5 functions so as to provide all services. Since the center server 5 has a basic function of logically integrating various existing servers, it usually does not have the original service function of the server. Then, the existing server 10 is accessed through the server manager 6 to respond to the request from the application 1. Reference numeral 7 is a client communication program, and 8 is a local area network (LAN). Although 9 is a server communication program, the data to be handled and the interface are not the same as those of the communication programs 2 and 4.

The language (command) for accessing the existing server 10 has a unique language for each server in relation to the configuration of each server. Therefore, the client / server communication programs 7, 9 for accessing
In many cases, it is also a unique client / client that connects with the center server 5 to integrate multiple servers.
The server communication programs 2 and 4 may be different from the client / server communication programs 7 and 9.

The LAN 8 does not have to be the same as the LAN 3 for the same reason. For example, LAN3 is AppleTalk (trade name) and LAN8 is Ether
It may be net (trade name). The server manager 6 that controls the existing server 10 operates as a front end of the existing server 10. However, the interface with the client communication program 7 is also the existing API (Application Program).
ramming Interface).

On the other hand, the center server 5 provides a common access method to all servers, and the API provided via the server / client communication programs 2 and 4 is also common.

Therefore, protocol conversion and data conversion for absorbing the architectural difference between the center server 5 and the server manager 6 are performed.

Therefore, the center server 5 and the server manager 6 are in the same computer and operate in close relation. The function as the center server is a means that integrates the functions of the center server 5 and the server manager 6. Therefore, the center server 5 is called server-server when it is necessary to clearly distinguish the functions.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of accessing an existing server via the center server 5 shown in FIG.

In the figure, the clients 20 to 25 are
When the center server 26 is accessed by the common access method, the center server accesses the required function servers 27 to 30 through the individual access methods based on the request from the client. Therefore, each of the clients 20 to 25 need not be aware of their existence, let alone how to access the individual function servers A to D.

In the multimedia server configured as described above, the center server, which is transferred via the network, receives a message which is a pair of a predetermined process script and data issued from each client, and receives the message. Interpret the message, perform communication protocol conversion and data conversion for each function server, and transfer each process script and data through the network while performing continuous processing for each function server. Even if the center server executes multiple functions, simply transfer the process script and data corresponding to the combined function processing to the center server,
It is possible to obtain desired result data.

The "process script" will be described below. A process script is a basic unit for data communication according to a communication protocol, and commands are described in text. You can also send commands and data together. It is usually used to communicate between machines, so commands can be text or binary. However, since the text is human-readable, a unique application is possible in which the machine sends it to humans via email and has the results emailed to them.

The greatest feature of the process script is that the communication protocol itself can also be sent as a script, so that it is possible to establish communication while dynamically changing the communication procedure. For example, let's recall the G4 Fax communication procedure. Since the service is built on a very strict protocol, the trick of delivering the same document to several places when receiving a fax is not possible in standard protocols.

Since the process script describes a service procedure rather than a communication procedure, any communication method or communication medium may be used, and a compound operation can be easily specified if the terminal understands the basic service. As an example, consider printing a DTP document from Japan to a printer in an American office. Normally, there is no network connection, so you cannot do this. With the new method, the print command issued by the DTP application is wrapped in a process script and sent to the other party by e-mail. If the other party is a mail server automatically, otherwise if you manually send the received script to the script manager, the content is parsed and a printed output appears on the other party's printer.

Further, a message in which a predetermined process script and data issued from each client are paired is received, the received message is interpreted, and communication protocol conversion is performed for each function server to convert each function server. Since the center server that transfers the process script to the center server is connected to the network, even if each program of the client causes the center server to execute a plurality of functions, the center server performs the combined function. The desired result data can be obtained simply by transferring the process script corresponding to the processing.

Further, since each function server which receives the process script from the center server receives the data from the client via the network based on the ID information in the process script, the script and the data are sent between the clients and each function server. Can be transferred independently.

Further, the center server connected to the network receives a message consisting of a predetermined process script and data issued from each client, interprets the received message, and communicates with each functional server. Protocol conversion and data conversion are performed to transfer the process script and data for each function server via the network, and the exchange exchanges the telephone line between each client and the center server. It is possible to transfer real-time information in parallel while performing multi-session between clients.

As a result, it is possible to standardize the processing procedure for all server services with one type of unified and easy access, and provide a seamless and wasteless server environment. For example, an image received by the FAX server can be transmitted by the OCR server. It is possible to continuously process a series of complex operations such as conversion into a code and storage in a database at a file server with a single script. Therefore, the FAX front end and OC on the client side, which are required for processing on the client side as in the past, are used.
R front end and database front end 3 in total
The front-end program of the book can be started, and work can be sequentially performed. Iterative processing of cut and paste and access to temporary files can be greatly reduced.

Further, since independent servers distributed on the network can be virtually integrated, a single application can be used easily and with a large number of server functions or composite functions without the client being aware of the compatibility of each server. It becomes possible to use the general server function.

Furthermore, in the past, individual companies / industries have integrated the access methods to the server devices that have been separately developed, and one integrated access method can be used for the servers having existing disparate interfaces on the network. It becomes possible to provide a means of access. The respective embodiments will be described in detail below.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the structure of a message in the multimedia server according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the message in this embodiment is composed of a process script fork (process script) and a data fork (data). Further, the process script and the data have tag elements (tags) having common contents.

In this tag, "time" when the message was created, "lifetime" when the message should be deleted, a series of "ID numbers", "type" of data, and "signature" of the application that created the data Etc. are described.

Of these, the "ID number" is indispensable, but the others are optional.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the sending procedure of the first process script in the multimedia server according to the present invention.

Normally, the client 41, the center server 43, and the function server 44 are often all on the same LAN. If the function server 44 is a server that can understand the process script according to the present invention, the center server 43 instructs the client 41, and the client 41 sends a message 42 to the process script 45 and the data fork (data). 46 and can be separately sent to the center server 43 and the function server 44, respectively. The center server 43 sends the new process script 47 to the function server 44 after performing the necessary editing on the received process script 45. For the function server 44, since both the client 41 and the center server 43 are clients, the process script 47 and the data 46, which have arrived separately, are combined, necessary processing is performed on the data, and the resulting message 48 is transmitted via the LAN. It returns to the client 41.

In the present embodiment, the process script is a program list which describes a procedure for the center server 43 to perform a series of jobs by using the function servers 44, and the center server 43 performs a series of operations based on the procedure. Is executed and only the final result message 48 is returned to the client 41, the load of the client 41 becomes extremely smaller than that of individually repeating access to the conventional functional server group.

The process script is executed by the client 41.
The device script is automatically generated, and the process script is only a set of a series of function calls of the communication protocol for the client 41, and a script generated from the series of communication protocols for the center server 43. Language and function server 4
For group 4, it is the communication protocol itself.

The characteristics of the process script can be roughly divided into two types, that is, real-time processing and batch processing.

Batch processing is a method often used when processing on a large computer (mainframe). When a large number of users (clients) concentrate the processing, jobs are stored in a queue in order and processed in order. And return it to the user. It had the drawback of not knowing when the results would come out, and if you really wanted to see the progress, you had to peek at the queue.

As for the real-time processing, a mechanism for checking the progress at any time by the exchange of protocols is prepared, and necessary processing is executed in the process.

This is real-time processing that seems convenient at first glance, but this is subject to the condition that the network must also be a real-time system. For example, if the network is of the "stored forward" type, such as the Internet, a relay of several hubs causes a delay of several minutes each time. Real-time processing cannot be used in such networks.

The process script is an optimum communication method for such a "stored forward" type network, and has an intermediate property between real-time processing and batch processing. Script means "to write", and commands are written in text, which simplifies the protocol.

An example of real-time processing is shown in FIG. In this figure, the user issues a command "send data", and when the server receives a reply "OK", sends "data" and reply "completion"
We have sent a confirmation of delivery called "OK". Such a protocol can be used because the end-to-end communication between the user and the server does not go through a hub in between.

If this happens in the case of communication involving the hubs 1, 2 and 3 as shown in FIG. 6, delays are accumulated in order from "send data" to "good" as shown in FIG. It's hard to get to the "data" transmission, and some of the communication connections (due to timeout, etc.)
It will be cut. Not practical at all.

FIG. 7 shows an example of batch processing in consideration of the stored forward type network. "I'm going to send you data" is answered "I'm good" from a hub in close proximity. By doing this, "data" can be obtained relatively quickly.
Can be sent. However, even with this method, the recovery routine when some kind of communication error occurs on the way is intricately complicated. If "I'm sending data" is lost on the way, I'll be able to manage it, but if "Iyo" is lost, recovery is probably impossible.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a communication method using a process script. The command "process and reply" and "data" are sent as a set. As for the processing result, the command "it is the processing result" and the processed "data" are sent as a set, so there is no faster communication method in this network. Even if the process script is lost due to a communication error, it is easy to recover because the command and data are in a set.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram for explaining the sending procedure of the second process script in the multimedia server according to the present invention, and particularly shows the access method when the function server is an existing server. ,
The same parts as those in FIG. 4 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In this figure, the process script and data of the message 42 are not separated and the center server 43
Sent as a request to. When the requested function does not exist in the center server 43, the function server 44 that substitutes the function is searched for, and the request of the client 41 is transmitted to the function server 44 by the existing access method and the result is received. The result is returned to the client 41 as a message 48. <Communication Protocol> One of the roles of the center server in the multimedia server is to standardize different access methods of various servers. If an application accesses a center server with a standardized interface, the center server will act as an access to each server from there. The items to be standardized are roughly classified into two, namely, data standardization and access method standardization.

The standardization of data is not unified but pluralized. Standardize in industry-standard formats that are independent of specific applications, and also allow non-standardized data exchange.

The currently used main formats are QuickDraw, GDI, RTF and TI.
FF, PICT, Bitmap, PostScript
t, EPS, G3 / G4, PCL, HP-GL, ANS
ISQL, ASCIIText, UNICODEtex
t, Binary Data, etc. (including registered trademarks and trade names).

On the other hand, standardization of the access method is close to standardization. A unified access method makes it easy to use various services uniformly.

However, the industry standard access method cannot be supported. On the other hand, as described with reference to FIG. 3, the content to be transmitted is a message, that is, a set of “process script” and “data”.
"Data" is the information itself to be processed,
A "process script" is a command sequence that describes how to handle that information. A set of "process script" and "data" is transmitted between the servers and the required processing is performed. By standardizing the delivery method of "process script", various servers can be accessed with the same access method.

The center server 43 functions as a gateway for servers having different protocols. For example, a function call for accessing the Fax server from the client 41 is issued as shown in (a) of FIG. 10, and as a result, a script as shown in (b) of FIG. 6 is passed to the center server 43.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the process script used in FIG. (A) is a function for generating a process script. (B) is a script portion actually transmitted on the network. In this case, since G3 facsimile is taken as an example, MMR data flows as data, but it is omitted.

MM Open the server address (s
server) and service type (fax) service
e) is specified.

MM fax with send service
Specifies that the format is G3. The destination fax number (destination) is also set.

MM In data, the size (length) and content (content) of the transmission data buffer buf
send).

MM Close this service with close. Since the process script is flexible, at this time I am using it in a manner similar to a real-time system.

In FIG. 11, the sequence written in a simplified manner in FIG. 10 is described in detail.

The communication protocol between the application, client and center server follows the procedure shown in FIG.

There are the following two types of access sequences.

The first is the stored forward method,
This is storage exchange, and once the process script / data pair has been transmitted, the communication is temporarily terminated regardless of the success / failure of the processing result, and the final result of the processing is restarted and checked. When you have outsourced the work to the server,
Since the client can move to the next work, the resource utilization efficiency is improved.

The second is a real-time method, which is a method of continuously maintaining the communication connection until the final processing result is decided. Although there is a drawback that the work of the client is restricted, the reliability of the processing is high. .

The functional processing of the digital exchange in this embodiment will be described below.

The digital exchange of this embodiment is a switch for controlling connection between a public line exchange network and a private line exchange network.
Call control can be performed based on a connection instruction from the center server 43. By making a delay-free second connection via a private line switching network between a plurality of clients that are connected via a LAN with a delay, information (voice) that requires real-time processing can be transmitted. Can communicate.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram for explaining the system configuration of the center server according to the present invention and the multimedia server in which the exchange is connected, which is an application example of FIG.

In FIG. 12, 61-65 are various function servers, 66-70 are clients, 71 is a center server integrating the function servers 61-65, 73 is a local area network (LAN), and 72 is an extension / external line. It is an exchange (PBX) for exchanging the telephone line. LA
The data transfer via N73 is not suitable for real-time transmission of voice, video, etc. because it is packetized and transmitted, but it takes advantage of the feature that all clients are always connected to control connection. Unnecessary data transfer,
Suitable for broadcast communication.

On the other hand, the PBX 72 is suitable for real-time transmission of voice, moving images and the like. A personal computer conference system (PC conference) can be constructed by taking advantage of the characteristics of LAN and PBX. Now, consider a case where the clients 66 to 67 are accessed to hold a PC conference. Client 66
Issues a start command script for starting a PC conference with the client 67 to the center server 71 via the node 75. The center server 71 is a multimedia client daemon (MC
Issue a script that connects to D) and instructs the start of the PC conference. Here, a daemon is a program that is always running in the background. Since the ID number of the PC conference is written in the script, the I
By transmitting scripts from clients to the D number, data communication can be performed between the clients.

On the other hand, at the same time, the center server 71 accesses the PBX 72 via the control line 74, connects the telephones near (or built in) the clients 66 and 67, and enables voice transmission. In this way, the operators of the clients 66 and 67 can talk by voice and hold a PC conference while looking at the common screen on the computer screen. The PC conference does not have to be a one-to-one connection, and a plurality of clients can be connected at the same time.

As a result, although it is good at exchanging voice / moving images with LAN, which is mainly for packet transmission and is not good at real-time data transmission, it is organic at a switch which is not good at broadcast communication and intelligent control. It is also possible to build a personal computer conference system without connecting any special optional parts to a commercially available personal computer.

The service function using the high speed data highway will be described below.

In the present embodiment, the system construction was considered by assuming components that are relatively easily available today.
FDDI (Fiber Distributed Da)
taInterface: American ANSI standard) 1
If a network having a transmission rate of 00 Mbps or higher is available, the data packet and the voice line may be multiplexed.

Similarly, in the present embodiment, ISDN is assumed as the public network connected to the exchange PBX, but BI is used.
It may be SDN. Further, when the US SMDS class public network is available, the LAN side connection may be connected to the outside.

If the speed may be sacrificed, UNIX SLIP (SerialLineI)
As in P), the LAN-to-LAN connection may be connected via the ISDN network. Even with the current technology, LAN can be connected via an ISDN network by using an ISDN router.

Examples of services to which the present invention can be applied are shown below.

(Field)-(Service) Printing-Color printing Scan-Color scanner OCR-OCR, file keeper, slip processing translation-Japanese-English file system-NFS database-text, still image, video, audio conference system-shared window + Real-time voice mail-Text, still image, video, voice posting system-Text, still image, video, voice Image processing-CMM, filtering, image processing accelerator Fax-Fax transmission / reception / distribution MHS-text, Fax, CATS reservation System-meeting room reservation, etc.

The service function processing will be described below by taking the OCR service as an example in comparison with the conventional method and the present embodiment.

Now, consider the operation of scanning 10 originals, converting them into OCR to convert them into character codes, and saving them as a text file in the disk of the data server.

Conventionally, (a document is scanned by a scanner and transmitted to a client) (image data is retransmitted to an OCR server and subjected to OCR to be converted into text data)
Repeat (transmit text data to client) (transfer text data to disk of data server) 10 times.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the process script is transmitted from the client to the center server (scanning of the document by the scanner → transmitted to the OCR server) (converted into text data by OCR) (text data → to disk of data server) Transfer) Center server → Notify the client of the result.

In the conventional example, data transfer involving a client is required four times, and an ordinary personal computer does not scan 10 originals at a time due to the limitation of hard disk capacity. become. On the other hand, the data transfer mediated by the client needs to be performed only twice, and the rest is communication between the servers. Overall data transfer is also decreasing. Data communications / processes not related to the client are shown in parentheses. A reduction in the number of data transfers means a reduction in the number of times the computer is operated, so that a great automation of the work is realized.

Hereinafter, the service function processing will be described by taking the scan service as an example by comparing the conventional method with the present embodiment.

Consider an operation in which an A3 size original is scanned with a network scanner in full color at 400 dpi, color processed, and printed on a printer server.

In the conventional example, document scanning → image data transmitted to client → image data after color processing →
On the other hand, in the present embodiment, in the present embodiment, the process script is transmitted from the client to the center server (document scanning) (image data → color processing) (image data after color processing → transmission to the printer server) (printing) center Server → Inform the client of the result.

Since an ordinary personal computer has a limited memory capacity, the conventional example is actually only a calculated value on a desk, and in reality, there is virtually no OS capable of managing a huge main memory of 96 MBytes. .

The service function processing will be described below by comparing the conventional and the present embodiment, taking the mail service as an example.

When a movie file is sent to the server to perform a movie presentation.

In the conventional example, a huge moving image file is transmitted to the server. On the other hand, in this embodiment, a moving image script is transmitted from the client to the center server (communication between the center server and the functional server).

A moving image file is generally extremely large in size. A movie of tens of minutes may exceed 1 gigabyte.

To handle data of such a size,
It was necessary to increase the memory and hard disk of the conventional client and, in some cases, replace the CPU main body with a high-speed one.

However, in this embodiment, since the server stores the moving image data, it is not necessary to add the memory or hard disk of the client, and the CPU may be slow. If you issue a process script to the multimedia server (center server) via the network, the server will play the video on your behalf.

The conference system function processing will be described below by comparing the conventional system with the present embodiment, taking the mail service as an example.

A plurality of clients are connected at the same time, an electronic blackboard which opens the same file and can be written from anywhere is prepared, and at the same time, the extension telephones are connected to each other by accessing the exchange to hold a personal computer conference.

In the conventional example, it is about a text-based conference system without voice input. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the conference process script is transmitted from the client to the center server (communication between the center server and the functional server) (between the client and the client PC conference) (Transmit the end process script from the client to the center server) Send the result to the transmission center server → client.

Hereinafter, a case where the multimedia server according to the present invention functions as an image drawing accelerator will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram for explaining the concept when the multimedia server according to the present invention functions as an image drawing accelerator. Particularly, in this embodiment, the multimedia server is a computer (registered trademark: Macintosh) of Apple Computer Co., Ltd.
This is an example when the image drawing accelerator of h) is used.

For example, in order to edit a bitmap image of 400 dpi full color or more in B5, a main memory requires several tens of megabytes, which is impossible with a conventional personal computer. Even if the virtual memory function provided by the latest OS is used, A4 is 400 dp in terms of processing speed.
i The limit is about full color.

On the other hand, by using the multimedia server of this embodiment as a virtual memory on the network, it is possible to edit full color high resolution images of A3 size or more. Here, the virtual memory will be described.

A method of using an extremely large memory. The real memory usually refers to a semiconductor memory (or main memory), and only a very small part of the required huge memory size exists. On the other hand, the virtual memory refers to a memory (or auxiliary storage) of a server on a hard disk or a network, which has a slow access speed but an extremely huge storage space.

A good combination of main memory and auxiliary memory
From the perspective of the application, virtual memory is a method that makes the entire memory space look like a uniform and seamless space.

When the application goes to access a part that is not in the main memory, the memory controller detects an error.
Save the information in the main memory up to that point to the auxiliary memory, and conversely call the necessary information from the auxiliary memory to the main memory, and
By swapping the address of the main memory to the requested memory space, it looks as if a huge memory actually exists from the perspective of the application.

Specifically, the application 101 is
When displaying something on the monitor, the drawing management program (product name QuickDraw) that is a part of the OS must be used 1
A drawing command is sent to 02 to request rasterization to the screen memory 109. The application never directly accesses the image memory.

On the other hand, when displaying a bitmap image on the monitor, the drawing buffer memory is normally secured by the application, and after drawing in the background, a request for memory transfer is issued to the QuickDraw 102.

Therefore, the drawing buffer memory is under the control of the application, and it has been conventionally practiced to use it as the virtual memory and set the real memory on the hard disk.

In this embodiment, the real memory is provided on the multimedia server on the network, and when the screen is updated, the partial copy is performed to the local memory.

Reference numeral 103 denotes an AP for delivering the function of the multimedia server to the application on the client side.
I (Application Programming)
Interface) is a drawing command handler. Application 101 responds to this API by Q
Pass the same parameters as the call to uickDraw and draw in the memory secured in the server on the network.

Since the application is not necessarily designed with the multimedia server in mind,
Drawing command handler 103 by hooking a function call to the application 101 or the QuickDraw 102
You may forcibly pass control to. QuickDra
All the function calls of w are performed by exception processing, and it is easy to branch the processing. In this case, the draw drawing command for the image memory is passed through to QuickDraw. It goes without saying that applications designed with the multimedia server in mind have higher drawing efficiency.

On the other hand, the bitmap drawing command for the memory is sent to the PDL rasterizer 106 via the client 104 and the server 105. The bitmap drawing command is rasterized into bitmap data here and drawn in the remote real memory 108 in the multimedia server. The remote real memory 108 has a capacity capable of storing all bitmap data for one page. On the other hand, the capacity of the local virtual memory 107 is limited.

The local virtual memory 107 virtually overlaps with the remote real memory 108, but the portion to which the memory is actually allocated is only the limited area currently being edited. If the area being edited changes,
The image data of the new area is copied from the remote real memory 108.

As a result, normally, due to the limitation of the memory capacity and the like, it is possible to process an image editing process which has been impossible in the past, such as A3, 400 dpi full-color image editing, from an inexpensive terminal by using resources on the network. it can.

FIG. 14 shows a block diagram of an image drawing accelerator according to the present invention. The right side of the dotted line is the server side, and the left side of the dotted line is the client side. The same functional elements as in FIG. 13 are assigned the same numbers.

For example, if the client is Macintosh
Taking the case of h (product name) as an example, when the application 101 draws on the screen in a normal usage, the screen memory management system 109 called “grafport” is called to secure the drawing port. graf
The screen buffer memory secured by port is a bit map system, and its resolution is 72 dpi (dots / inch).
Is.

Application 101 is QuickDr
It is possible to call a series of screen drawing functions called aw (product name), which is usually a ToolBox call (OS
The OS 102U control is passed in the form of a system call). The OS rasterizes the received screen drawing function call into a bitmap and draws it in the graph port.

In the present invention, QuickDraw Too
The lBox call is hooked (stealed) and the network drawing accelerator 110 (net grafpor
Control is passed to t), which again makes a ToolBox call. Network drawing accelerator 1
Reference numeral 10 describes a portion including the drawing command handler 103 and the client communication program 104.

Here, the client communication program 104
Is a communication program that simply provides communication means,
Speaking of the client side, the left side of the dotted line in the figure is called. The server side and the server are also called in the same manner. There are cases where only the communication program part is referred to and cases where the server side refers to the entire right side from the dotted line.

Now, the network drawing accelerator 1
10 is QuickDr from the application 101
The ToolBox call of aw is converted into a process script and also transmitted to the network drawing accelerator server (server side) via the LAN. The image processing server 111 that received the high-definition drawing system 10 has a high-definition resolution of 400 dpi (dots / inch), for example.
8 (server Graffport) draws the same image as the client. At the same time as drawing on the local screen memory (buffer memory managed by the screen memory management system 109) is completed, high-definition image drawing is completed on the server side, and if necessary, it can be printed out as it is or burned to film You can also do things.

FIG. 15 shows a block diagram of the network drawing accelerator 110. The client side can be implemented entirely in software, but it can also be implemented in hardware using an accelerator board to speed up processing.This accelerator is a board of the client computer's bus (ν bus ) 2
Insert at 09. The bus I / O 206 is a bus I / O for connecting and arbitrating the internal bus 205 and the external bus 209 inside the board. CP on the internal bus
U201, ROM202, RAM203, LAN I / F
204, which forms a microcomputer.

The interrupt handler 207 connects the interrupt signal line 210 of the client computer main body to the CP on the board.
It is for introduction into U201. The BUS INT signal 211 is a control line that is output to the motherboard via the I / O 208 and requests the CPU of the client computer main body to use the bus. The BUS ACK signal 212 is a control line indicating whether the bus has been released.

When an application issues a drawing command, some QuickDraw routine is called and an interrupt (INT) occurs, so that the signal can be detected through the interrupt signal line 210. Based on the interrupt signal, the CPU 201 enables the I / O 208, grants the BUSINT signal 211, and issues a bus release request to the CPU on the motherboard. BU is released when the bus is actually released
When the SACK signal is returned, the CPU 201 knows that the bus 209 is ready for use. BUSI / O206
To access the internal bus 205 and the external bus 209 to fetch a pointer of an interrupt jump table written in a predetermined external memory (not shown). The type of interrupt can be determined by reading the content of the memory pointed to by the pointer. Therefore, if the interrupt is related to the QuickDraw routine, the RAM 203
The QuickDraw command is converted into a process script and transmitted from the LAN I / F 204 to the server.

On the server side, the mirror image of the contents drawn in the remote real memory of the full screen is reflected in the local virtual memory 107. Actually, the screen memory 109
Only a portion of the local real memory 112 of the same size as is copied. The address converter 113 is a circuit that performs address conversion to make the real memory 112 viewed from the external bus 209 look as if it is a part of the virtual memory 107. Origin of virtual memory 107 (upper left)
Is X and Y, and the coordinates of the rectangular area of the real memory 112 are x and y, the address converter 11
3 executes X-x, Y-y operations on the address accessed from the external bus 209.

The CPU (not shown) of the mother board is CR
When the calculation is performed only in the portion displayed in T, that is, inside the real memory 112, the positional relationship of the real memory on the virtual memory does not change. However, if an attempt is made to access the outside of the real memory by scrolling etc., the interrupt signal 11
4 is generated and an interrupt signal is given to the CPU 201.
The CPU 201 checks the cause of the interrupt, requests the server to send a bitmap image of a new coordinate position via the LAN 204, resets the address converter, and changes the relative position of the real memory. The interrupt signal 114 is actually generated by the address converter 113.

An outline of the local virtual memory processing operation in the multimedia server according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 16 is a chart showing an outline of local virtual memory processing in the multimedia server according to the present invention. For example, QuickDraw by MacOS
The accelerator processing of will be described.

Note that the local memory of this embodiment is a virtual remote memory of the real memory reserved on the server connected by the network, instead of the application originally requesting the OS to secure the real memory. Treat as if. Therefore, the local virtual memory is virtually present on the local client machine and the real memory is actually present on the remote server.

Specifically, when the application starts drawing, for example, NewPtr (New Pointer, which is a command for allocating a memory area) is issued to MacOS as a memory allocating command. The drawing command handler stalls (steals) the command
Then, it is converted into a process script (P script), and the process script (P script) is sent to the PDL stabilizer / server (hereinafter, remote drawing engine) via the communication path of the client / server.

The remote drawing engine is a remote OS.
(Not shown) malloc command (memory
It is an abbreviation for "allocate" and has the same function as New Ptr) to secure a real memory and return the process script to the client. The process script is returned from the drawing command handler to the application as a memory pointer, so that the application looks as if the actual memory is local.

Next, the application issues a "drawing command" to MacOS in an attempt to draw something in the local virtual memory. The "drawing command" is similarly stalled by the drawing command handler, converted into a process script, sent to the "remote drawing engine", and actually drawn on the remote real memory. This is 40
It is performed with a high resolution of 0 dpi. Since the drawing command handler needs to draw on the monitor of the client, it also emulates and sends the drawing command to the MacOS of the client. In this case, 72 dpi
Is drawn in low resolution.

On the other hand, the drawing result is converted into a process script and similarly returned to the client. This process is repeatedly executed as many times as necessary (corresponding to the flow of the bold line in the figure).

When printing is completed and printing is performed, 400d is executed on the local client unless the present embodiment is used.
Rasterize at a high resolution of pi and transmit the enormous amount of data to the printer. According to this embodiment,
High-resolution rasterization is completed on the "remote engine" when drawing is completed, so printing can be started immediately without sending huge amounts of data. Therefore, only the "print command" is transmitted.

Even when the high resolution image data of the completed bitmap is saved in the secondary storage device (not shown), the "save command" is issued, but it is sent from the "remote drawing engine". If the obtained "Data" is directly saved in the secondary storage device or the like, it is not necessary to provide a real memory locally.

The operation of the image drawing accelerator will be described in detail below with reference to both the system principle diagram of FIG. 13 and the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 17 is an operation flowchart of the image drawing accelerator 110. The left half from the center shows the operation on the client side, and the right half shows the operation on the server side. In the figure, general connection operation between client / server (eg Ap
It is described that the connection such as pleTalk or TCP / IP) is completed. The program shown in the flowchart on the left half of FIG. 16 is the RO of the network drawing accelerator 110 on the client side.
CPU stored in M202 or RAM203
It is executed by 201. The program shown in the flowchart on the right half of FIG. 16 is stored in a ROM or RAM (not shown) on the server side, and a CPU (not shown)
Is executed by

Before the client application executes the drawing work, it reserves a memory for storing the result. The operation is a request operation for the OS and is generally called a system call. Macintosh
In the case of h, it is called a tool box call. The CPU 201 hooks the function call via the drawing command handler 103 and requests the server side to reserve the real memory. This is shown in the exchange of steps S12 and S23.

At the same time, the CPU 201 secures the minimum buffer memory for the screen memory on the local machine as shown in step S13 via the drawing command handler 103. The screen of this local machine is 72 dpi
Since it is (dots / inch), the size of the buffer memory is extremely small.

Next, only the pointer of the local virtual memory 107 having the same size as the remote real memory 108 is secured and overwritten with the pointer to the real memory returned in step S23. Further, the pointer of the screen memory secured in step S13 is assigned to an appropriate portion of the virtual memory 107 space. As a result, a part of the picture drawn in the huge remote real memory 108 is displayed on the screen of the client.

After that, the CPU 201 waits for an event through the drawing command handler 103 (step S15), and if any drawing event occurs (step S16), the drawing command is transmitted to the server side and the screen memory of the local machine is displayed. Also executes the same drawing (step S17) and displays it on the screen. On the server side that has received the drawing command, a CPU (not shown) draws in high definition on the real memory 108 via the PDL rasterizer 106 (step S24).

As described above, since a part of the picture drawn in the huge remote real memory 108 is displayed on the screen of the local machine, not only the drawing command but also the screen up / down / left / right as an event. The process waits for a scroll event to scroll to (step S18). In this case, the parameter representing the rectangular area of the local screen memory 109 which is allocated so as to exist in a part of the memory space represented by the local virtual memory 107 is changed by the amount of scrolling (step S19).

When the local screen memory 109 is moved within the space of the local virtual memory 107, the picture written in the local screen memory and the picture drawn in the remote real memory 108 at the same position are different from each other. Therefore, the CPU 201 requests the server via the drawing command handler 103 to send a bitmap image of a new rectangular area (step S25).

The CPU (not shown) of the server sends the bitmap image information of the designated area to the client side (step S26), and the CPU 201 of the client side copies it to the local virtual memory 107. That is,
As a result, the image information is overwritten on the local screen memory 109 and the display screen is updated.

After that, the event waiting is repeated.

When the application 101 edits the bitmap image, the image drawing function 102 of the OS is used to edit the image on the local real memory (not shown), and the result is monitored (not shown) via the screen memory 109. ) Is displayed. However, the local memory used in the present invention is the virtual memory 107 that has only part of it as an entity.
This eliminates the need for a huge memory. In this case, the place where all the drawing commands were originally passed to the rasterizer 102 of the OS as shown by the mark X in FIG. 13 is stalled and guided to the drawing command handler 103.
And indirectly controls the screen memory 109.

The stalled drawing command corresponds to the client communication program 104, the server communication program 1
It is transmitted to the rasterizer 106 on the server side via 05. Then, the bitmap image is drawn in the high-definition remote real memory 108. The image rasterized on the remote real memory 108 can be printed as it is.

The local virtual memory 107 is a memory of the same size as the screen memory 109, and the remote real memory 10
It corresponds to a part of 8. When performing network image processing, first, a common client / server between 104 and 105 is used.
After establishing the server connection, secure the image memory required by the application. The memory reservation request is fetched by the drawing command handler 103, the virtual memory 107 is actually reserved on the local machine, and the real memory entity is the remote real memory 108 on the server by the exchange of steps S12 and S23. Reserved. The virtual size of the virtual memory 107 and the virtual size of the remote real memory 108 are the same, and are different for each document size to be handled.

A buffer for screen memory is also secured on the local machine at the same time in step S13. After that, the application 101 waits for a drawing input event, that is, the drawing command handler 103 also waits for an input. This is shown in step S15. If the operator operates a mouse or the like and inputs a drawing command, if it is a drawing event, the drawing command is sent to both the rasterizer 102 of the local machine and the rasterizer 106 of the server, and the screen memory 109 is displayed. The CPU 201 and the server C (not shown) are respectively provided at three locations of the local virtual memory 107 and the remote real memory 108.
It is drawn by the PU. This step is 16, 17,
24.

If the previous drawing event is screen scrolling, the reference coordinates of the screen memory 109 in the local virtual memory 107 change, but since there is no image there, as in steps S19 and S25. The server is notified of the change of the rectangular area, and steps S20 and S26 are performed.
As described above, the bitmap information is transferred to the client from a predetermined position in the remote real memory 108. After that, both the server and the client wait for the next event.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
Captures a drawing function call issued from the application to the operating system, issues a script corresponding to the drawing function call to the server, interprets the script, and outputs an image on the image drawing memory secured on the server. Is drawn, and the drawn drawing image data is fetched from the image memory to the operating system via the network and drawn in the screen memory. Therefore, a large-capacity image drawing process exceeding the amount of data that can be processed by the client can be performed. It can be done at high speed.

Further, according to this embodiment, the drawing function call issued from the application to the operating system is captured, the script corresponding to the drawing function call is issued to the server, the script is interpreted, and the script is interpreted. An image is drawn on the image drawing memory secured on the server, the drawn image data drawn is fetched from the image memory to the operating system via the local virtual memory via the network, and drawn on the screen memory. Therefore, a large-capacity image drawing exceeding the amount of data that can be processed by the client, especially a drawing process corresponding to the editing screen can be performed at high speed.

According to this embodiment, each client issues a script for instructing the start of image drawing to the server, starts the image drawing program based on the issued script, and secures the image drawing memory. Then, the parameter corresponding to the secured image memory is returned to the client, and the desired image is drawn in the image memory based on each drawing command received from the client via the network. It is possible to perform image editing processing that exceeds the processing capacity.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the server analyzes the script for instructing the image drawing start from each client and guarantees the image drawing of a higher resolution than the resolution corresponding to the output device of the client. Since the memory is secured, high-resolution image editing processing that exceeds the image processing capability of the client can be performed at high speed.

[0164]

As described above, according to the present invention, the drawing command is output to the server, the output drawing command is interpreted, and the image data drawn on the image drawing memory secured on the server is output. By obtaining and displaying the obtained image data on the screen memory, it is possible to cause the server to perform the image drawing process at the client.

As described above, according to the present invention, the drawing command is input from the host computer, the input drawing command is interpreted, the image data is drawn on the secured image drawing memory, and the drawn image data is drawn. By displaying the image data to the host computer in order to display the image on the screen memory of the host computer, it is possible to perform the image drawing process in the client and perform the image editing process.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of a multimedia server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method of accessing an existing server via the center server shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a message structure in the multimedia server according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a transmission procedure of a first process script in the multimedia server according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating real-time processing according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another real-time processing according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating batch processing according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a communication method using a process script according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a transmission procedure of a second process script in the multimedia server according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a script transferred from the client to the center server according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a client, an application, a center server, and a communication protocol according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration including a center server and a multimedia server in which a switching system is coupled in the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration when the multimedia server according to the present invention functions as an image drawing accelerator.

FIG. 14 is a system block diagram of an image drawing accelerator according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a specific block diagram of a network drawing accelerator according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a chart showing an outline of local virtual memory processing in the multimedia server according to the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image drawing accelerator according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 201 CPU 202 ROM 203 RAM 204 LAN / IF 205 Internal Bus 206 Bus I / O 207 INT 208 I / O 209 External Bus

Claims (34)

[Claims] 1. An image display control device connected to a server for executing image processing, comprising: an output unit for outputting a drawing command to the server; and an interpreting unit for interpreting the drawing command output by the output unit. An image comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires image data drawn on an image drawing memory secured on the server; and a display control unit that displays the image data acquired by the acquisition unit on a screen memory. Display controller. 2. The image display control device according to claim 1, wherein the image drawing memory secured on the server is larger than the screen memory of the image display control device. 3. The image display control device according to claim 1, wherein a resolution of the image drawing memory secured on the server is higher than a resolution of the screen memory of the image display control device. 4. The image data displayed in the screen memory of the image display control device is a part of the image data drawn in the image drawing memory secured on the server. 1. The image display control device described in 1. 5. When the image data displayed in the screen memory of the image display control device is scrolled, a part of the image data drawn in the image drawing memory secured on the server is copied to the screen memory. The image display control device according to claim 1, wherein: 6. The image display control device according to claim 1, wherein the image display control device is a host computer. 7. The image display control device according to claim 1, wherein the server and the image display control device are connected via a network. 8. An image editing apparatus connected to a host computer, comprising: input means for inputting a drawing command from the host computer; and an image drawing memory secured by interpreting the drawing command input by the input means. And a drawing means for drawing image data on the top, and an output means for outputting the image data to the host computer in order to display the image data drawn by the drawing means on a screen memory of the host computer. Characteristic image editing device. 9. The image editing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the image drawing memory secured in the image editing apparatus is larger than the screen memory of the host computer. 10. The image editing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the resolution of the image drawing memory secured in the image editing apparatus is higher than the resolution of the screen memory of the host computer. 11. The image data displayed in the screen memory of the host computer is a part of the image data drawn in the image drawing memory secured in the image editing apparatus. The image editing apparatus described. 12. When the image data displayed on the screen memory of the host computer is scrolled, a part of the image data drawn in the image drawing memory secured in the image editing apparatus is copied to the screen memory. The image editing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that: 13. The image editing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the image editing apparatus is a server. 14. The image editing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the host computer and the image editing apparatus are connected via a network. 15. A system in which a server that executes image processing and a host computer are connected to a network, wherein the host computer outputs the drawing command to the server, and the output unit outputs the drawing command. An acquisition unit that interprets the drawing command and acquires the image data drawn on the image drawing memory secured on the server; and a display control unit that displays the image data acquired by the acquisition unit on a screen memory. The server includes an input unit for inputting a drawing command from the host computer, a drawing unit for interpreting the drawing command input by the input unit, and drawing image data on a secured image drawing memory. In order to display the image data drawn by the drawing means on the screen memory of the host computer, the image data is displayed. And having a transfer means for transferring the data to the host computer. 16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the image drawing memory secured on the server is larger than the screen memory of the host computer. 17. The resolution of the image drawing memory secured on the server is higher than the resolution of the screen memory of the host computer.
The system according to 5. 18. The image data displayed in the screen memory of the host computer is a part of the image data drawn in the image drawing memory secured on the server. System. 19. When the image data displayed on the screen memory of the host computer is scrolled, a part of the image data drawn on the image drawing memory secured on the server is copied to the screen memory. The system of claim 15, wherein the system is characterized by: 20. The system according to claim 15, wherein the server and a plurality of host computers are connected to the network. 21. An image display control method in an image display control device connected to a server that executes image processing, comprising: an output step of outputting a drawing instruction to the server; and the drawing instruction output in the output step. An interpreting step of acquiring image data drawn on an image drawing memory secured on the server, and a display control step of displaying the image data acquired in the acquiring step on a screen memory. An image display control method characterized by: 22. The image display control method according to claim 21, wherein the image drawing memory secured on the server is larger than the screen memory of the image display control device. 23. The resolution of the image drawing memory secured on the server is higher than the resolution of the screen memory of the image display control device.
The image display control method described. 24. The image data displayed in the screen memory of the image display control device is a part of the image data drawn in the image drawing memory secured on the server. 21. The image display control method described in 21. 25. When the image data displayed in the screen memory of the image display control device is scrolled, a part of the image data drawn in the image drawing memory secured on the server is copied to the screen memory. 22. The image display control method according to claim 21, wherein: 26. The image display control method according to claim 21, wherein the image display control device is a host computer. 27. The image display control method according to claim 21, wherein the server and the image display control device are connected via a network. 28. An image editing method in an image editing apparatus connected to a host computer, comprising: an input step of inputting a drawing command from the host computer; and interpreting and securing the drawing instruction input in the input step. A drawing step of drawing image data on the image drawing memory, and an output step of outputting the image data to the host computer in order to display the image data drawn in the drawing step on a screen memory of the host computer. An image editing method comprising: 29. The image editing method according to claim 28, wherein the image drawing memory secured in the image editing apparatus is larger than the screen memory of the host computer. 30. The image editing method according to claim 28, wherein the resolution of the image drawing memory secured in the image editing apparatus is higher than the resolution of the screen memory of the host computer. 31. The image data displayed in the screen memory of the host computer is a part of the image data drawn in the image drawing memory secured in the image editing apparatus. Image editing method described. 32. When the image data displayed in the screen memory of the host computer is scrolled, a part of the image data drawn in the image drawing memory secured in the image editing apparatus is copied to the screen memory. 29. The image editing method according to claim 28, wherein: 33. The image editing method according to claim 28, wherein the image editing device is a server. 34. The image editing method according to claim 28, wherein the host computer and the image editing apparatus are connected via a network.