Method and apparatus for managing browsing, and selecting graphic images
First Claim
1. A graphics management system for organizing a plurality of graphic image files and displaying the graphic images in each of the plurality of graphic image files on a display apparatus, the system comprising:
- a database having a plurality of records, each of the plurality of records being uniquely linked to one of the plurality of graphic images files wherein each of the records comprises;
a filename which designates a file location of a graphic image file in which a particular graphic image is stored; and
an index name comprising textual information selected by a user to identify the graphic image;
a database view processor cooperating with the database for creating a selection set based on the textual information in each of the plurality of records; and
a graphics display processor responsive to the selection set for retrieving graphic images from the graphic images files in the selection set and simultaneously displaying a plurality of the retrieved images and at least a portion of the textual information on the display apparatus.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A graphics image management system registers each image in a graphical database which can be used to select and organize the images to generate a display record identifying images which meet certain user defined criteria. Each record contains a filename and contains an index name that does not need to be unique. The graphic image management system also includes a mechanism for displaying representations of each image on a display screen. The displayed graphic images can be scrolled in a picture browser window in any order as determined by the database. Index names may be used for selection of a graphical image in a combo box. In addition, a descriptive phrase can be associated with each image in order to further identify the image and these phrases can be searched to locate a particular image.
181 Citations
45 Claims
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1. A graphics management system for organizing a plurality of graphic image files and displaying the graphic images in each of the plurality of graphic image files on a display apparatus, the system comprising:
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a database having a plurality of records, each of the plurality of records being uniquely linked to one of the plurality of graphic images files wherein each of the records comprises; a filename which designates a file location of a graphic image file in which a particular graphic image is stored; and an index name comprising textual information selected by a user to identify the graphic image; a database view processor cooperating with the database for creating a selection set based on the textual information in each of the plurality of records; and a graphics display processor responsive to the selection set for retrieving graphic images from the graphic images files in the selection set and simultaneously displaying a plurality of the retrieved images and at least a portion of the textual information on the display apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A graphics management system responsive to user commands for organizing a plurality of graphic images and displaying the graphic images on a display apparatus, each of the plurality of images being stored in a respective graphic image file, the system comprising:
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a database having a plurality of records, each of the plurality of records comprising; a filename which designates a file location of a respective graphic file in which a particular graphic image is stored; and an index name comprising textual information entered by a user to identify the graphic image; a database view processor cooperating with the database for selecting selected ones of the plurality of records based upon the index names in said plurality of records and for creating an index containing a list of of the selected records in a predetermined order; and a graphics display processor responsive to the index for retrieving graphic images from the records in the subset in the order determined by the index file and simultaneously displaying the retrieved graphic images on the display apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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9. A graphics management system according to claim further comprising manual entry apparatus responsive to the user commands for receiving the index name and entering the index name into one of said plurality of records and for entering each of the plurality of records into a selection set based on the index name.
- 10. A graphics management system according to claim wherein each selection set is organized into selection subsets by information contained within each record in the selection set.
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13. A graphics management system according to claim further comprising file management apparatus cooperating with the manual entry apparatus and with the database for creating a new record and entering a filename into the new record and for entering an index name into the new record and for storing the new record.
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19. A graphics management system responsive to user commands for organizing a plurality of graphic images and displaying the graphic images on a display apparatus, each of the plurality of images being stored in a respective graphic image file, the system comprising:
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a database having a plurality of records, each of the plurality of records comprising; a filename which designates a file location of a respective graphic file in which a particular graphic image is stored; and an index name comprising textual information entered by a user to identify the graphic image; a database view processor cooperating with the database for selecting a subset of the plurality of records based upon the textual information and for creating an index containing a list of the selected records in the subset in a predetermined order; a graphics display processor responsive to the index for retrieving graphic images from the records in the subset in the order determined by the index and displaying the retrieved graphic images on the display apparatus, wherein the graphics display processor comprises an index box generator for displaying index names for a portion of the records in the subset and a picture browser area for displaying a plurality of the retrieved images; selection apparatus for selecting one of the images displayed in the picture browser area; and an index name display apparatus responsive to the selection of one of the images for controlling the index box generator to display an index name corresponding to the selected on of the images.
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20. A graphics management system responsive to user commands for organizing a plurality of graphic images and displaying the graphic images on a display apparatus, each of the plurality of images being stored in a respective graphic image file, the system comprising:
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a database having a plurality of records, each of the plurality of records comprising; a filename which designates a file location of a respective graphic file in which a particular graphic image is stored; and an index name comprising textual information entered by a user to identify the graphic image; a database view processor cooperating with the database for selecting a subset of the plurality of records based upon the index name and for creating an index containing a list of the selected records in the subset in a predetermined order; a graphics display processor responsive to the index for retrieving graphic images from the records in the subset in the order determined by the index and displaying the retrieved graphic images on the display apparatus, wherein the graphics display processor comprises an index box generator for displaying index names for a portion of the records in the subset and a picture browser area for simultaneously displaying a plurality of the retrieved images.; selection apparatus for selecting one of the index names displayed by the index box generator, and picture display apparatus responsive to the selection of one of the index names for controlling the picture browser area to display a graphic image corresponding to the selected index name.
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21. A graphics management system responsive to user commands for organizing a plurality of graphic images having a total number of images and displaying the graphic images on a display apparatus, each of the plurality of graphic images being stored in a respective graphic image file, the system comprising:
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a database having a plurality of records, each of the plurality of records including a filename which designates the file location of a graphic image file in which a particular graphic image is stored; a dialog box responsive to user commands for receiving an index name associated with each of the records, wherein the index name comprises text information entered by a user to identify a particular graphic image; a database view processor cooperating with the database for selecting at least one of the plurality of records and for creating index containing a list of selected records in an order determined by sorting the index name associated with each of the selected records; a combo box for displaying index names associated with a plurality of the selected records; a picture browser window for displaying a plurality of graphic images of the selected records and for enabling a user to scroll through the plurality of graphic images; and a graphics display processor responsive to the index for retrieving the graphic images from the selected records in the order determined by the index. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A graphics management system according to claim wherein the combo box comprises a scroll bar control for changing the index names displayed in the combo box.
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25. A method for organizing and displaying a plurality of graphic images, wherein each of the graphic images is stored in a respective graphic image file, the method comprising the steps of:
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A. creating a database having a plurality of records, each of the plurality of records comprising; a filename which designates a file location of a graphic image file in which a particular graphic image is stored; and an index name comprising textual information entered by a user to identify the graphic image; B. selecting a set of the plurality of records and ordering the selected set based on the textual information in the index name of each of the plurality of records; C. determining a number of graphic images which are to be displayed; D. retrieving the number of graphic images determined in step C from the graphic image files in the selected set; and E. simultaneously displaying a plurality of the retrieved images and at least a portion of the textual information on a display apparatus in the order determined by the set. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method for organizing a plurality of graphic images and displaying the graphic images on a display apparatus, each of the plurality of graphic images being stored in a respective graphic image file, the method comprising the steps of:
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A. creating a database having a plurality of records, each of the plurality of records comprising; a filename which designates a file location of a graphic image file in which a particular graphic image is stored; and an index name comprising textual information entered by a user to identify the graphic image; B. selecting a subset of the plurality of records; C. creating an index containing a list of the records in the subset in an order determined by the index name associated with each of the records in the subset; D. retrieving graphic images from the records in the subset in the order determined by the index; and E. displaying the retrieved images on the display apparatus. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method for organizing a plurality of graphic images and displaying the graphic images on a display apparatus, each of the plurality of images being stored in a respective graphic image file, the method comprising the steps of:
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A. creating a database having a plurality of records, each of the plurality of records including a filename which designates a file location of a graphic image file in which particular graphic image is stored; B. generating a dialog box which contains controls responsive to user commands for receiving an index name associated With each of the records, wherein the index name comprises text information entered by a user to identify a particular graphic image; C. entering an index name for each of the plurality of records; D. creating a selection set comprising at least one of the plurality of records; E. creating an index containing a list of records in the selection set in an order determined by the index name associated with each of the selected records in the selection set; F. creating a combo box for displaying index names associated with a plurality of records in the selection set; G. creating a picture browser window for displaying a plurality of graphic images of the selected records and enabling a user to scroll through the plurality of graphic images; and H. retrieving the graphic images from the selected records in the order determined by the index for display in the picture browser window. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45)
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Specification