Method and apparatus for converting attribute of display data into code

• US 5,481,661 A
• Filed: 11/17/1994
• Issued: 01/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation), Toshiba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Hironobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark K.
• Application Number:
  US08/344,685
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 364/521, 364/518, 340/701, 340/703, 340/747, 358/22, 358/80, 358/518, 358/521, 395/129, 395/131, 395/132, 345/153, 345/155, 348/587
• US Class Current: 345/594
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1475 with conversion of CRT control signals to flat panel control signals, e.g. adapting the palette memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/028 Circuits for converting colour display signals into monochrome display signals

Abstract

An apparatus for displaying display data in desired representations includes a storage section for storing the display data, a attributes being assigned to data portions of the display data, a display section for reading out the display data from the storage section and displaying the display data with the representations determined in accordance with display codes assigned to the attributes, and a changing section for changing a first display code of the display codes to a second display code. The first display code is assigned to one of the attributes which is selected by an input attribute selection instruction, and the second display code is selected by an input code selection instruction in a code change mode.

Claims

1. A display apparatus for displaying information on a display of a type capable of displaying only a certain number of gradations, comprising:

display data storing means for storing display data to be displayed, the display data including color codes indicative of a display color;

converting means for converting the color codes of the stored display data into converted gradation codes using a prestored table, each gradation code being indicative of one of the gradations and a number of possible gradation codes being less than a number of possible color codes;

means for driving the display to produce a window display, while an application program is being executed, the window display having separate columns, wherein one column indicates an entry representing an attribute of displayed display data and another column indicates a corresponding gradation code;

selecting means for selecting a selected gradation code from the converted gradation codes window-displayed on the display; and

changing means for receiving a command to change the selected gradation code into another gradation code and for changing the selected gradation code into the another gradation code,

said driving means subsequently displaying the display data including the another gradation code.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the command received by the changing means includes an input gradation code change instruction, and wherein the selecting means includes generating means for generating a start instruction and an end instruction indicating that the changed gradation codes is changed.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the changing means includes:

storage means for storing an application program and a code change program; and

processor means for executing the application program in an execution mode for resetting the apparatus from the execution mode to a code change mode in response to the start instruction to execute the code change program, and for resetting the apparatus from the code change mode to the execution mode in response to the end instruction, thereby stopping execution of the code change program and starting execution of the application program.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said processor means executes the code change program by interrupting the application program in response to the start instruction, and resumes the application program in response to the end instruction.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the code change program is included in an operating system.

6. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the window display produced by the means for driving the display includes a title portion provided above the separate columns.

7. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the window display produced by the means for driving the display includes a mark identifying a currently selected entry.

8. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the window display produced by the means for driving the display includes a third column provided between the one column and the another column, the third column including a selection mark for selecting a gradation code corresponding to the entry.

9. A display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the window display produced by the means for driving the display includes:

a title portion provided above the separate columns;

a mark identifying a currently selected entry; and

a third column provided between the one column and the another column, the third column including a selection mark for selecting a gradation code corresponding to the entry.

10. A method for changing codes corresponding to one of n color codes of display data into a corresponding one of m gradation codes where n>

m, comprising the steps of;

storing the display data, each pixel having one of the n color codes;

converting the color codes of display data into corresponding gradation codes using a prestored conversion table, a number of possible gradation codes being less than a number of possible color codes;

producing a window display, while an application program is being executed, the window display having separate columns wherein one column indicates an entry representing an attribute of displayed display data and another column indicates the corresponding gradation code;

selecting a selected gradation code from the corresponding gradation codes window-displayed in the displaying step;

changing the selected gradation code into a desired gradation code different from the selected gradation code; and

displaying the display data including the desired gradation code.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein changing the selected gradation code step is executed by a code change program for controlling change operation in response to a change start instruction.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein the code change program is performed by interrupting an application program being currently executed in response to the change start instruction and the application program is resumed in response to a change end instruction.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the code change program is included in an operating system.

14. A method according to claim 10, wherein the changing step includes the steps of generating an input code change instruction indicating a desired way of changing the selected gradation code, and generating an end instruction indicating when the desired gradation code is changed.

15. A display apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the window display produced by the window displayed producing step includes a title portion provided above the separate columns.

16. A display apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the window display produced by the window displayed producing step includes a mark identifying a currently selected entry.

17. A display apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the window display produced by the window displayed producing step includes a third column provided between the one column and the another column, the third column including a selection mark for selecting a gradation code corresponding to the entry.

18. A display apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the window display produced by the window displayed producing step includes:

a title portion provided above the separate columns;

a mark identifying a currently selected entry; and

a third column provided between the one column and the another column, the third column including a selection mark for selecting a gradation code corresponding to the entry.

19. A display apparatus comprising:

memory means for storing display data including a color code indicative of a display color;

a display controller having a palette register for storing color data corresponding to the color code, and a conversion table for storing an entry representing an attribute of displayed color data and gradation data in one-to-one correspondence and for producing gradation data selected by the color data output from the palette register;

keyboard means for designating a change to be made to the conversion table;

means for window-displaying contents of the conversion table in response to the designating means designating a change;

means for selecting a pair of data including color data and gradation data displayed by the window-displaying means;

means for changing the gradation data of the pair in the conversion table; and

display means for displaying the display data in accordance with the conversion table with the changed gradation data.

20. A display apparatus comprising:

memory means for storing display data including a color code indicative of a display color;

a display controller having a palette register for storing color data corresponding to the color code, and a conversion table for storing an entry representing an attribute of displayed color data and gradation data in one-to-one correspondence and for producing gradation data selected by the color data output from the palette register;

keyboard means for designating a change to be made to the conversion table;

means for producing a window display on the display, while an application program is being executed, the window display having separate columns wherein one column indicated an entry representing a color code and another column indicates the corresponding gradation code;

means for selecting a pair of data including color data and gradation data displayed by the window-displaying means;

means for changing the gradation data of the pair in the conversion table; and

display means for displaying the display data in accordance with the conversion table with the changed gradation data.