Method and system for registering and filing image data

• US 5,608,858 A
• Filed: 04/28/1995
• Issued: 03/04/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Micro Software SYST
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Micro Software SYST
• Inventors: Okumura, Masahiro, Uchiyama, Hajime, Fujinawa, Masaaki, Shimizu, Hirowo, Tachi, Hitoshi, Kanema, Seiichi, Kubushiro, Naoaki, Kurosu, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Jankus, Almis R.
• Application Number:
  US08/430,827
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 395/145-149, 395/155-161, 395/162-164, 395/600
• US Class Current: 715/209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/422 Technical drawings; Geographical maps
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/964 CAD or CAM, e.g. interactive design tools

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a system integrally comprising a CAD system and an electronic filing system. When vector data such as figures and their names are converted to image (raster) data for storage, the system automatically extracts, from the vector data coming from the CAD system, those data that correspond to predetermined character attributes, maximum numeric attributes, primitives of each figure and the topology thereof. The data are set as key-words and are made to correspond to the image data for registration and storage into the electronic filing system. In searching for desired image data, the corresponding key-words are input for data retrieval and output.

Claims

1. A registering method of registering image data of figures into an electronic filing system having means for storing the image data and corresponding key-words thereof, means for searching the image data stored in the storing means in response to one of the key-words, and means for outputting the image data searched by the searching means, comprising the steps of:

receiving vector data of the figures to be stored;

converting said vector data into the image data of the figures; and

producing each of the corresponding key-words of the image data by extracting data corresponding to an indicated attribute from said vector data received in said receiving step.

2. The registering method according to claim 1, wherein:

said indicated attribute is a file name of said vector data, so that file name data is extracted as said corresponding key-words from said vector data in response to said indicated attribute in said producing step.

3. The registering method according to claim 1, wherein:

said indicated attribute is title information of said vector data, so that title information data is extracted as said corresponding key-words from said vector data in response to said indicated attribute in said producing step.

4. The registering method according to claim 1, wherein:

said indicated attribute is a maximum length value of the figures, so that maximum length data of said vector data is extracted as said corresponding key-words from said vector data in response to said indicated attribute in said producing step.

5. The registering method according to claim 1, wherein:

said indicated attribute is a primitive/topology of the figures, so that data of primitive elements or topology of said primitive elements is extracted from said vector data in response to said indicated attribute in said producing step.

6. The registering method according to claim 1, wherein:

said indicated attribute is an icon code, so that icon code data is extracted from said vector data in response to said indicated attribute by obtaining continuous line data from said vector data and reducing said continuous line data in said producing step.

7. A method for searching image data of figures being defined by vector data stored in an electronic filing means of an image filing system, in which the electronic filing means stores the image data of the figures, comprising the steps of:

selecting one of key-words, each of said key-words being produced by extracting attribute data from the vector data stored in the electronic filing means in response to an indicated attribute and being stored in the electronic filing means;

searching the image data in the electronic filing means in response to said selected key-word; and

outputting the image data corresponding to said selected key-word searched by said searching step.

8. A filing apparatus for filing image data corresponding to figures to be registered having means for storing the image data with a key-word corresponding to each of the image data, means for searching the image data stored in the storing means by using the key-word, and means for outputting the image data searched by the searching means, comprising:

receiving means for receiving vector data corresponding to the figures to be registered;

converting means for converting said vector data received by said receiving means into the image data to be stored in the storing means; and

generating means for generating the key-word to be stored with the image data by extracting data corresponding to at least one predetermined attribute from the vector data received by the receiving means.

9. The filing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

said generating means generates the key-word by extracting title information of said vector data as said data corresponding to said predetermined attribute.

10. The filing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

said generating means generates the key-word by extracting a maximum length value of the figures as said data corresponding to said predetermined attribute.

11. The filing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

said generating means generates the key-word by extracting one of primitive elements included in the figures or a topology of a plurality of said primitive elements as said data corresponding to said predetermined attribute.

12. The filing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

said generating means generates the key-word by extracting continuous line information from said vector data as said data corresponding to said predetermined attribute and reducing said continuous line information so as to produce an icon image of an icon code, which is used as the key-word.

13. The filing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

said icon code is stored in an icon code table of said storing means as a reference icon code.

14. An image filing apparatus for registering/searching image data corresponding to vector data of figures generated by a computer aided design system including means for registering the image data in an electronic filing means with a key-word corresponding to each of the image data, means for searching the image data registered in the electronic filing means in response to the key-word, and means for outputting the image data searched by the searching means in a display means, comprising:

receiving means for receiving the vector data of the figures to be registered from the computer aided design system;

converting for converting the vector data received by said receiving means into the image data to be stored in the electronic filing means; and

generating means for generating the key-word to be registered with the image data by extracting data corresponding to at least one predetermined attribute from the vector data received by the receiving means.

15. The image filing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

said generating means includes means for extracting a plurality of attribute data from the vector data and means for selecting the data corresponding to said predetermined attribute from a plurality of said attribute data.