Vector calculator apparatus for graphic waveform manipulation

• US 5,046,024 A
• Filed: 02/26/1987
• Issued: 09/03/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Synopsys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Analogy, Inc. (Synopsys Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smith, David W., Majdecki, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Application Number:
  US07/019,418
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• Field of Search: 364/518-521, 364/709.01, 364/710.01, 364/709.14, 364/710.08, 364/715.03, 364/736, 340/710, 340/712, 340/734
• US Class Current: 345/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/961 Operator interface with visual structure or function dictated by intended use

Abstract

A software system that simulates the appearance and operation of a calculator provides a user interface to graphic waveform data base manipulation software. The calculator includes a plural key calculator pad, with the keys in the pad being associable in the system with different vector operators. It also includes a subwindow area in which the symbolically encoded operands and operators that form the expression to be evaluated are maintained for viewing by the user. The calculator'"'"'s keys, which may be operated by conventional cursor control means, are labeled with a descriptive legend representing the currently assigned vector operator. A post-fix operand entry protocol resembling that used in conventional scientific calculators is enforced for keypad input, while in-fix notation is used in the subwindow'"'"'s representation of the expression to be evaluated. The calculator may be used, in conjunction with an interactive simulator, to facilitate the user interface to graphic waveform manipulation software.

Claims

1. A vector data manipulation system, for use in conjunction with a computer terminal having a display monitor with a cursor, and a cursor control device with a push button, comprising:

means for depicting a pad of plural vector operator keys for display on such monitor;

means, responsive to such cursor control device, for positioning such cursor within the display on the monitor and adjacent one of said keys to select one of said vector operators;

means, responsive to such push button, for reading the position of such cursor to determine which vector operators is selected;

means, responsive to such cursor control device and such push button, for determining which vector data are selected as vector operands;

means for manipulating such vector operands in accordance with such selected vector operator to produce a graphic waveform; and

means for displaying said graphic waveform on a monitor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said pad-depicting means includes means for creating a display, and encoding means for representing symbolically on said display selected vector operands.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said pad-depicting means employs an operand stack.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said stack, as employed by said pad-depicting means, handles operands ordered in accordance with a last-in/first-out protocol.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said keys are each labeled with at least one operator.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein such operators include single operand, time-based functions.

9. The system of claims 1, 7, or 8, wherein at least one of said keys in user-programmable.

7. In the field of user interfaces to a computer terminal having a display monitor, and to application software including user-selectable vector functions for processing user-selectable graphic waveform data to perform a desired vector operand manipulation thereon, the data including at least one vector operand, a vector data manipulation system comprising:

calculator simulator means for simulating the appearance and operation of a calculator having a plural key keypad, at least one of the keys being associable with at least one vector function;

means for selecting a graphic waveform represented by plural ordered vectors;

means associating at least one vector function with a corresponding one of the keys of said keypad; and

user-operable cursor control means for operating said keys, whereby user operation of one or more of said keys results in the selection of one or more of such functions thereby processing such plural ordered vectors which represent such selected graphic waveform to produce a different graphic waveform.

8. A vector calculator emulation comprising:

calculator simulator means including a display for simulating the appearance and operation of a calculator having a plural key keypad;

cursor control means operatively connected with the display;

means for selecting a graphic waveform represented by a first ordered sequence of vectors as an operand in a vector calculator operation;

user-operable means associated with said cursor control means and said keys for effecting sequential vector operations on such selected graphic waveform to produce a second ordered sequence of vectors representing a different graphic waveform.

10. A graphic waveform calculator emulation comprising:

calculator simulator means including a display for simulating the appearance and operation of a calculator having a plural key keypad;

cursor control means operatively connected with the display for operating the keypad;

means for inputting a graphic waveform represented by plural vectors as an operand in a calculator operation;

means associated with said cursor control means and said keys for selecting a plural-vector operation to be performed by said calculator simulator means;

processing such operand in accordance with such selected plural-vector operation to produce a different graphic waveform; and

means associated with said operand-processing means and said keys for displaying said different graphic waveform.