JPS6379177A - Color selecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To quickly select a desired color through the reverse retrieval even though the retrieval is carried out excessively by mistake, by attaining the color retrieval in both forward and reverse directions to many ordered colors with a videotex. CONSTITUTION:A color pallet address memory area 48 stores one of those color pallet addresses having numbers in the prescribed order to 256 colors. When the color of a certain character supplied from a terminal equipment is selected, a color change key is pushed on a keyboard 30. Thus a key signal is supplied to a CPU36 and a selected color is displayed on a display device. In case the color change key is operated beyond the desired color, by mistake, a color retrieving direction change key 30a and then a color change key 30b to attain the color retrieval in the adverse direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a color selection device ζζ, and particularly to a color selection device capable of quickly selecting a desired color from a large number of colors.

<Conventional technology> In recent years, Videotex (N.A.
PLPS, CAPTAIN, etc.) are beginning to become popular.

This service provided by Videotex allows users to specify the color of each character entered using the keyboard or keypad on the terminal side.

Specifically, by operating the color change key, the user selects and inputs colors that change in a predetermined order starting from the current color.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, since conventional Videotex allows color selection only in one direction, this is not a big problem when the number of colors that can be specified is small, such as 16 colors. , in order to display richer colors, you can specify a large number of colors such as 256 colors, and if you want to go back to the previous color while you are selecting it, you can rotate through the 256 colors. It is necessary to go to the desired color, which is a very time-consuming task.

The present invention has been devised in view of these conventional drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to provide a color selection device that can quickly select a desired color.

<Means for Solving the Problems> FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a videotex terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 30 is a keyboard, 30a is a color search direction change key, 30b is a color change key, and 36 is a CP
A system memory U, 38 includes a control program storage area 46, a buffer memory 47, a color palette address storage area 48, and the like.

Function> The color palette address storage area 48 stores one of the color palette addresses numbered in a predetermined order for each of the 256 colors.

Now, if you want to select and input the color of the characters input from the terminal, press the color change key provided on the keyboard 30.
A key signal is input to CPU 36. The CPU 36 increments the color palette address stored in the color palette address storage area 48, and uses the new color palette address after this increment as color information.

Corresponding to this change in color palette address, the color of the characters displayed on the terminal side display device changes, but when the operator looks at this and finds that it is not the desired color, presses the color change key again, and the CPU 36 The color palette address stored in the color palette address storage area 48 is incremented, and the color of the characters displayed on the display device changes.

While breathing, operate the color change keys until the desired color appears.

If the user operates the color change key past the desired color, the user operates the color search direction change key 30a provided on the keyboard 30, and then operates the color change key 30b.

The CPU 36 first receives a key signal related to the color search direction change key 30g and switches to the search direction, and then when the color change key 30b is operated, the CPU 36 changes the color palette stored in the color palette address storage area 48. The address is decremented, and the new color palette address after this decrement is used as color information.

As a result, the order is reversed from that at the time of incrementing, and the color displayed immediately before becomes the color. Similarly, when the color change key 30b is pressed again, the color palette address is further decremented, and the previous color is selected.

Therefore, even if the color change key 30b is pressed too much and the desired color is exceeded, it is possible to easily return to the original color and select it.

(The following is a blank space) <Example> An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Second
The figure shows the overall system of NAPLPS videotex according to the present invention.

That is, the user terminal 15!10 and the host computer 14
are connected by a line network 12. The host computer 14 includes Fe2 (Frame Fried Silane System) 18, 20 . An image database 16 is connected, and the picture data created by the information provider in each FC 318 and 20 is stored in the image database 16.

When a user wants to receive an information search service, when the user specifies the type of information required on the user terminal 10 side, the host computer 14 performs an information search on the image database 16 and retrieves information such as news, shopping guides, etc. - Send it to the user terminal 10 side as graphic image data.

On the user terminal 10 side, the sent character/graphic image data (code data) is decoded and displayed on the screen.

Further, when performing messaging such as e-mail, when the user inputs an address and a message on the user terminal 10 side, the input information is sent to the host computer 14 side and stored therein. Then, when another user indicated by the addressee enters a password for receiving e-mail on a user terminal, a message code is sent from the host computer 14 to the corresponding user terminal and displayed on the screen.

In messaging such as e-mail, it is now possible to color each character and the background of the character.

Figure 1 shows the user terminal 10 as a block.
PU36. System memory 38. Frame buffer 42
．． Display (color) 44° key human control circuit 3
22 communication control circuit 34 is connected by a bus 40.

A keyboard 30 (or keypad) is connected to the key manual control circuit 32 .

The system memory 38 includes a decoding processing program for decoding code data sent from the host computer 14, a display control program for displaying the decoding results, and a display control program for displaying predetermined characters based on various key data input from the keyboard 30. Control program storage area 462 that stores command processing programs that generate codes, commands, etc. 472 character buffer memory areas that store one screen worth of codes such as characters sent from the host computer 14 via the communication control circuit 34 A pattern storage area 49, a color palette address storage area 48, a color palette storage area 50, and the like are provided.

The frame buffer memory 42 stores a screen image converted from a code such as a character, and this screen image is converted into a video signal and then displayed in color on a display 44.

The communication control circuit 34 performs modulation and demodulation for exchanging signals with the host computer 14.

Further, the keystroke control circuit 32 generates key data corresponding to the keys pressed on the keyboard 30.

The CPU 36 deciphers character/graphic codes sent from the host computer 14 and executes screen display processing according to the control program stored in the system memory 38, and executes predetermined commands based on key data input from the keyboard 30 side. It has a function of executing processing and outputting data to the host computer 14 side.

In the color palette storage area 50, in order to be able to display 256 colors on the screen of the display 44,
For example, the color palette data for each color is rooooooo
They are stored in each address from OJ to rl 1111111J in a predetermined order (see FIG. 3). Each color palette data is composed of the relative positional relationship of the three colors R2G and B on the hue wheel.

The color palette address storage area 48 is used to specify a color for each character and the background of the character when sending e-mail from the user terminal 10 side, for example. A foreground color palette address (FCC) that specifies the character background color and a background color palette address (BGC) that specifies the background color of the characters are stored (see FIG. 4).

Next, the overall operation of the above embodiment will be explained using an example of sending an e-mail.

After connecting the host computer 14 and the user terminal 10 via a line, when the user identification code is input from the keyboard 30, the CPU according to the command processing program
36, the data is sent to the host computer 14 side. The host computer 14 sends character image code data (including character data, foreground color data, and background color data) for menu display to the user terminal 10 side. CPU3
6 stores character image code data for one screen in the buffer memory area 47 of the system memory 38, decodes it according to the decoding processing program, and retrieves character patterns from the character pattern storage area 49 and color palette data from the color palette storage area 50. The read screen image is stored in the frame buffer 46 and displayed on the display 44.

In this state, if the user selects to send an e-mail, a notification to that effect is sent to the host computer 14.

When the host combinator 14 receives the e-mail transmission selection signal, it sends the character image code data of the e-mail creation guidance screen to the user terminal 10 side. CPU3 on the terminal side
6 stores the character image code data sent from the host computer 14 in the buffer memory area once, decodes it, writes the image screen to the frame buffer 42, and displays an e-mail creation guide screen on the display 44 in the same manner as described above. let The e-mail creation guide screen is
It includes an e-mail form and a one-sentence input text.

After that, the user enters the address and message text using the keyboard 30 according to the e-mail creation guidance screen.
These destination and message character codes are sequentially stored in the buffer memory 47, converted into images, stored in the frame buffer 42, and sequentially displayed on the e-mail creation guide screen on the display 44. Incidentally, on the display 44, the characters themselves are displayed in blue, which is the initial setting, for all message characters, and the background is displayed in yellow, which is also the initial setting (see FIG. 5 (1)). However, if you want to change the color, you can do so by operating a color change key, etc., which will be described later.

When the user presses the execution key provided on the keyboard 30 after inputting the message and there is no need to change it, the CPU 36 sends the destination, message text, etc. stored in the buffer memory 47 to the host computer 14. and registered.

In the above description, the foreground color and background color are set to the default colors, but if the colors are changed, the foreground color search direction change key 30a1 foreground color change key 30b1 background color search provided on the keyboard 30 is used. By operating the direction change key 31a1 and the background color change key 31b, the foreground color and background color can be changed to desired colors. Hereinafter, a case will be described in which the foreground color of an inputted character displayed on the screen of the display 44, for example, the character "A" shown in FIG. 5(1) is changed to red and the background color to yellow-green.

First, the user positions the cursor on the corresponding character "A",
After that, the foreground color change key 31b on the keyboard 30 is pressed. In addition, the foreground color search direction flag FGCH (=0) and the background color search direction flag BGCH are stored in the initial system memory 38.
(=0) is stored. Similarly, the foreground color color palette address FCC stored in the initial color palette address storage area 46 is "011" corresponding to blue.
00000J, and the background color color palette address BGC is "ro 1110111" corresponding to yellow (see FIGS. 6 (1) and (2)).

Now, according to the flow shown in FIG. 7, press the foreground color change key 30.
When the key data related to b is input, the CPU 36
Determine whether the H flag is 0, and in this case it is 0, so increment the foreground color palette address FGC of ``rA'' stored in the buffer memory 47 and select r corresponding to purple.
olloooool” (steps 100 to 10)
4).

In addition, the corresponding characters rAJ on the display screen on the display 44
The foreground color changes to purple. This allows the user to display the current character '
It can be seen that the color of "A" has been selected as purple.

Since it is not yet red, when the user presses the foreground color change key again, the CPU 36 increments FGC again and changes it to rolloooloJ, which corresponds to red (steps 100 to 104). As a result, the corresponding character r on the display screen
AJ's foreground color changes to red.

However, if the user accidentally presses the foreground color change key 30b again, the FGC is
1100011” (steps 100 to 10).
4. (See Figure 6 (1)).

As a result, the corresponding character rAJ on the display 44 becomes orange (see FIG. 5(2)).

At this time, in this embodiment, the previous red color can be easily returned to as follows. That is, the user first presses the keyboard 30.
Press the foreground color search direction change key 30a. When this key data is input, the CPtJ 36 sets FGCH to 1 (steps 106 to 110).

Next, when the user presses the foreground color change key 30b, the CPU 36 to which this key data has been input will decrement FCC since FGCH is not 0 and change it to r corresponding to red.
olloooloj (see Figure 6 (1)) (steps 100, 102, 112>. As a result,
The foreground color of the corresponding character rAJ on the screen becomes red as desired by the user (see FIG. 5 (3)).

Also, regarding the background color of the corresponding character rAJ, when the user first presses the background color change key 31b, the CPU 36 determines whether the BGCH flag is O, and since it is 0 in this case, it is stored in the buffer memory 4.
Background color color palette address BG stored in 7
rolllo which increments C and corresponds to yellow-green
oo” (steps 114 to 118). As a result, the background color of the corresponding character rAJ on the screen becomes yellow-green.

At this point, if the user accidentally presses the background color change key 31b again, the CPU 36 changes the background color palette address to "BGC Woro 1111001" (
Steps 114-118 (see FIG. 6(2)). As a result of B, the background color of the corresponding character rAJ on the screen becomes green (see FIG. 5 (4)).

When the user who notices that he has gone too far presses the background color search direction change key 31a, the CPU 36 sets BGCH to 1 (steps 120 to 124), and then presses the background color change key 31b.
When you press , the CPU 36 detects that BGCH is not O, so this time it decrements BGC and rolls it to the yellow-green color.
ooo” (steps 114, 116, 126
．． (See Figure 6 (2)). As a result, the background color of the corresponding character rAJ on both sides becomes yellow-green (see FIG. 5 (5)).

Through the above steps, the color returns to the yellow-green color desired by the user. Thereafter, by repeating the same operations as described above, the foreground color and background color of predetermined characters in the message can be changed. Finally, when the execution key is pressed, the CPtJ 36 sends the destination, message, etc. stored in the buffer memory 47 to the host 14.

As a result, the e-mail is registered on the host side, and another user indicated by the addressee can input the specified password to receive the e-mail. Since the e-mail message sent to the recipient is given a foreground and background color specified by the sender from among a wide variety of colors, it can display a wide variety of aesthetics.

In addition, in the above embodiment, FGC and BGC are rl 1
When it is further incremented from the state of 111111J, it returns to ro OOOOOOOOJ, and conversely it returns to rooooo
When the state is decremented from "ooo", it is "111".
1111".

Note that although the above is a case of changing the inputted foreground and background colors, it is also possible to change the desired foreground and background colors to subsequent input characters by performing the same operations as above before inputting characters. . It is also possible to change the color for each character.

<Effects of the Invention> As explained above, according to the present invention, a color search can be performed in either the forward or reverse direction for a large number of ordered colors, thereby preventing erroneously overreaching in the search. If this occurs, you can immediately select the desired color by searching in reverse and without having to go through the process once.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a Videotex system including the user terminal shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of color palette data stored in the system memory, Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram of the message characters displayed on the display screen in Figure 1, and Figure 5 is the screen when changing colors. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the above display state; FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing changes in color palette addresses when changing colors; FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing CPU processing when changing colors. 300. Keyboard, 30a...Foreground color search direction change key, 30b...Foreground color change key, 31a...Background color search direction change key, 31b...Background color change key, 36, CPU. 380. System memory 46', control program storage area 48, color palette address Kl area Patent Applicant
Alps Electric Co., Ltd. agent
Patent Attorney Chiki Saito Figure 1 31b... Back mud change key Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A color search direction specifying means for specifying a color search direction in forward or reverse order, a color change instruction means for instructing a color change, and a color palette number numbering a plurality of colors. a color palette number storage means for storing one as color selection information; and a color palette number storage means for incrementing the color palette number stored in the color palette number storage means when a color change instruction is received with forward order specified, and reversing order. 1. A color selection control device that decrements a color palette number when a color change instruction is received in a state where a color palette number is specified.