Apparatus for transferring block data in original form and editing the block data

• US 4,905,185 A
• Filed: 07/14/1987
• Issued: 02/27/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakai, Toshinari
• Primary Examiner(s): Zache, Raulfe B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US07/073,450
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 364/518, 364/521, 340/723-726, 340/740, 340/747, 340/749, 340/750, 340/755, 340/789, 340/807, 340/721, 340/799
• US Class Current: 715/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/131 Fragmentation of text files, e.g. creating reusable text-blocks; Linking to fragments, e.g. using XInclude; Namespaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/127 Updating a frame memory using a transfer of data from a source area to a destination area
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/39 Control of the bit-mapped memory

Abstract

In a block data editing apparatus according to the invention, block data to be stored in a block data storage area is mangaged by a block management table for storing block management data which includes reference position data representing a position on a page where the block data is to be displayed, and pointer data which represents a storage position of the block data in the block data storage area. The block data editing apparatus has a further area for temporarily storing the block data designated to be pasted, and also the reference data and the pointer data which correspond to the designated block data. All the block data can be pasted by a single processing operation, and the apparatus can maintain a specific positional relationship between a block frame and the block data. When pasting is executed, the block management data in which the reference position data and the pointer data are updated, is written in the block management table.

Claims

1. An editing apparatus comprising:

display data storage means for sequentially storing a plurality of display data blocks, each display data block being stored in a form predetermined in accordance with a type of the display data block;

display memory means for storing a display data image, the display data image including a plurality of display data block images which correspond to the plurality of display data blocks;

management data storage means for sequentially storing a plurality of management data blocks, each management data block corresponding to one display data block and including type data representing the type of the corresponding display data block and start position data representing position for the corresponding display data block to be displayed on a current page with respect to a reference position;

display means for reading out the display data image from said display memory means to display the display data block image on the current page;

developing means responsive to an input develop command, for sequentially reading out the plurality of display data blocks from said display data storage means and the plurality of management data blocks from said management data storage means and selectively developing each display data block into the corresponding data block image in accordance with the type data of the corresponding management data block and storing the corresponding display data block image in said display memory means in accordance with the start position data of the corresponding management data block;

buffer means for storing a specific display data block and a specific management data block corresponding to the specific display data block; and

editing means responsive to an input edit command for editing the plurality of display data blocks and the plurality of management data blocks in order to write as the specific display data block one of the plurality of display data blocks and as the specific management data block one of the plurality of management data blocks in said buffer means, to delete the specific display data block from the plurality of display data blocks and the specific management data block from the plurality of management data blocks, and to write the specific display data block in said display data storage means after the plurality of display data blocks and the specific management data block in said management data storage means after the plurality of management data blocks, and generating and outputting the develop command to said developing means after editing.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of management data blocks are stored in said management data storage means in units of pages and the plurality of display data blocks are stored in said display data storage means in units of pages.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said editing means includes means responsive to a cut command as the edit command for reading the specific display data block from said display data storage means and the specific management data block to store the specific display data block and the specific management data block in said buffer means, for selectively deleting the specific display data block from said display data storage means and the specific management data block from said management data storage means, and for generating and outputting the develop command to said developing means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said editing means includes means responsive to a paste command as the edit command, for storing the specific display data block in said display data storage means after the plurality of display data blocks and the specific management data block in said management data storage means after the plurality of management data blocks, and for generating and outputting the develop command to said developing means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each management data block stored in said management data storage means further includes size data representing a size of the corresponding display data block;

and said developing means further comprises means responsive to the develop command, for determining from each management data block whether or not the corresponding display data block can be developed within the current page.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said editing means includes means responsive to a copy command as the edit command, for reading the specific display data block from said display data storage means and the specific management data block from said management data storage means to store the specific display data block and the specific management data block in said buffer means, storing the specific display data block in said display data storage means after the plurality of display data blocks and the specific management data block in said management data storage means after the plurality of management data blocks, and generating and outputting the develop command to said developing means.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each management data block stored in said management data storage means further includes size data representing a size of the corresponding display data block, and said developing means further comprises means responsive to the develop command for determining from each management data block whether or not the corresponding display data block can be developed within the current page.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising block data producing means for designating a block on the current page, for producing a new display data block in accordance with the display data image within the block and the display data blocks associated with the block, producing a new management data block in accordance with the block and the management data block corresponding to the display data blocks associated with the block, and for writing the new display data block in said display data storage means after the plurality of display data blocks and the new management data block in said management data storage means after the plurality of management data blocks.

9. A method of editing a specific display data block, comprising:

editing, in response to an edit command, the specific display data block of a plurality of display data blocks stored in display data storage means, and a specific management data block of a plurality of management data blocks stored in management data storage means, using buffer means, each of the plurality of display data blocks being sequentially stored in a form predetermined in accordance with a type of the display data block, each of the plurality of management data blocks being sequentially stored, corresponding to one display data block and including type data representing the type of the corresponding display data block and start position data representing position for the corresponding display data block to be displayed on a current page with respect to a reference position;

sequentially reading out, in response to a develop command, the plurality of display data blocks from said display data storage means and the plurality of management data blocks from said management data storage means to selectively develop each display data block into the corresponding display data block image in accordance with the type data of the corresponding management data block; and

displaying the display data block image on the current page in accordance with the start position data of the corresponding management data block.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of management data blocks are stored in said management storage means in units of pages and the plurality of display data blocks are stored in said display data storage means in units of pages.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein said editing step includes:

reading, in response to a cut command at the edit command, the specific display data block from said display data storage means and the specific management data block to store the specific display data block and the specific management data block in said buffer means;

selectively deleting the specific display data block from said display data storage means and the specific management data block from said management data storage means; and

generating the develop command.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein said editing step includes:

storing, in response to a paste command as the edit command, the specific display data block in said display data storage means after the plurality of display data blocks and the specific management data block in said management data storage means after the plurality of management data blocks; and

generating the develop command.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein each management data block stored in said management data storage means further includes size data representing a size of the corresponding display data block, and said developing step further comprises determining from each management data block in response to the develop command, whether or not the corresponding display data block can be developed within the current page.

14. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said editing step includes:

reading, in response to a copy commend as the edit command, the specific display data block from said display data storage means and the specific management data block from said management data storage means;

storing the specific display data block and the specific management data block in said buffer means;

storing the specific display data block in said display data storage means after the plurality of display data blocks and the specific management data block in said management data storage means after the plurality of management data blocks; and

generating the develop command.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein each management data block stored in said management data storage means further includes size data representing a size of the corresponding display data block, and said developing step further comprises determining from each management data block in response to the develop command, whether or not the corresponding display data block can be developed within the current page.

16. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

designating a block on the current page;

producing a new display data block in accordance with the display data image within the block and the display data blocks associated with the block;

producing a new management data block in accordance with the block and the management data block corresponding to the display data blocks associated with the block; and

writing the new display data block in said display data storage means after the plurality of display data blocks and the new management data block in said management data storage means after the plurality of management data blocks.