Display control system for setting gray scale levels using popup menu

• US 5,428,739 A
• Filed: 06/16/1994
• Issued: 06/27/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Maeda, Mayumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US08/261,307
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• Field of Search: 395/132, 395/131, 395/161, 395/157, 395/156, 395/155, 345/147, 345/153, 345/154, 345/155, 345/3, 345/199
• US Class Current: 345/594
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability

Abstract

When an application program is being executed, a popup menu screen is displayed on a display device in response to a depression of specific keys on a keyboard. The popup menu screen displays a plurality of types of data indicating gray scale levels. A user selects one of the data indicating gray scale levels. Gray scale data are set in pallet registers in a display controller on the basis of the selected data indicating the gray scale level. As a result, a screen display based on the selected gray scale levels can be obtained in real time.

Claims

1. A display control apparatus in a computer system, which has video memory for storing a screen image, a monochromatic flat panel display device for displaying the screen image thereon with N kinds of gray scales, the N being an integer value, and to which a color CRT display device is arbitrarily connected, the color CRT display device for displaying the screen image data thereon with M kinds of color scales, the M being an integer value greater than the N, the display control apparatus comprising:

a display controller having a plurality of mapping registers in which gray scale data are set for colors designated by a color application program, wherein said display controller controls at least one of the monochromatic flat panel display device and the color CRT display device;

means for inputting data and a change instruction command to change the gray scale data during execution of the application program;

means, responsive to the change instruction command from the inputting means, for opening a window on said monochromatic flat panel display device to display a plurality of menu items indicative of a group of gray scale levels between colors currently designated by the color application program and their corresponding gray scale data within the window, wherein the group of gray scale levels corresponds to each of the colors;

means for selecting one of the menu items by the inputting means;

means for setting the gray scale data in the mapping registers in response to the selection of one of the menu items so that the monochromatic flat panel display device controlled by the display controller displays a new screen image reflecting the gray scale data set by the setting means in real time.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gray scale data in accordance with the selected menu item include data indicating the number of gray scale levels, and data indicating one of a normal display and a reverse display.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the menu items include a menu item indicating gray scale data set in the mapping registers.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting means includes means for saving the gray scale data in accordance with the selected menu item in a battery-back-up memory.

5. A display control apparatus in a computer system, which has video memory for storing a screen image, a monochromatic flat panel display means for displaying the screen image thereon with N kinds of gray scales, the N being an integer value, and to which a color CRT display device is arbitrarily connected, the color CRT display device for displaying the screen image data thereon with M kinds of color scales, the M being an integer value greater than the N, the display control apparatus comprising:

display controller means, having a plurality of mapping registers in which gray scale data are set in correspondence with colors designated by a color application program, for controlling the monochromatic flat panel display means using the gray scale data;

means for receiving a change instruction command and data during execution of the program, the data identifying the selection of one of a plurality of menu items indicative of a group of gray scale levels between colors currently designated by the color application program and their corresponding gray scale data, wherein the group of gray scale levels corresponds to each of the colors;

means, responsive to the change instruction command, for signaling the monochromatic flat panel display means to display a menu window including the plurality of menu items; and

means for resetting the gray scale data in the mapping registers corresponding to the received data.