Data communication apparatus and method having concurrent image overlay function

• US 5,634,040 A
• Filed: 12/18/1995
• Issued: 05/27/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Her, Sung-min, Choi, Dong-soo, Choi, Yang-hun, Kim, In
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M.
• Application Number:
  US08/574,346
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 395/135, 395/501, 395/502, 395/512, 395/520, 395/114, 382/232, 382/236
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/02 Handling of images in compressed format, e.g. JPEG, MPEG

Abstract

An integrated data communication card installed in an ISA bus slot of a multimedia personal computer capable of performing communication and overlay functions and of reducing load for the computer. Such an integrated data communication card comprises a network connector connected to a network terminal for enabling transmission of data to and from a communication network; a system connector connected to a central processing unit of the computer for enabling data transmission to and from the computer; a data processor communicable with a storage device and the network connector, for processing data in an asynchronous transfer mode received from or transmitted to the network in response to a system control signal or a first control signal; a decoder for decoding the data determined not to be processed through the network in response to the system control signal, and for decoding data determined to represent compressed motion picture data in response to a second control signal; an overlay processor for generating image overlays from the decoded data for display on a video monitor; and a transmission controller for generating the first and second control signals under control of the system control signal.

Claims

1. A data communication card installed in bus slot of a computer for performing both a data communication function and an image overlay function, comprising:

a network connector connected to a network terminal, for enabling transmission of data to a network;

a system connector connected to a central processing unit of the computer, for enabling transmission of data to and from the computer;

a decoder for decompressing compressed motion picture data in response to a computer control signal,

a transmission controller for generating a first control signal, a second control signal, and third control signal in response to computer control signals generated by the central processing unit of the computer;

a data processor response to said computer control signal and communicable with said network connector, for processing data received from the network in an asynchronous transfer mode for storage, and for processing stored data to be delivered to said network connector in the asynchronous transfer mode in response;

a shared storage device for storing data transferred between respective ones of said data processor, said decoder, and said system connector in dependance upon said first control signal, said second control signal, and said third control signal; and

an overlay processor for processing said decompressed motion picture data from said decoder and generating overlays for display by a video monitor.

2. The data communication card as recited in claim 1, wherein said system connector is connected to a central processing unit of the computer through an Industrial Standard Architecture bus.

3. The data communication card as recited in claim 1, wherein said compressed motion picture data represent images compressed according to a Motion Picture Expert Group recommended protocol.

4. The data communication card as recited in claim 1, wherein said decoder decodes data compressed using both interframe and intraframe techniques.

5. A data processing method for an integrated card in a computer system, the integrated card having an overlay processor, a network connector for communicating data with a communication network, a storage device for storing data, a data processor communicable with the network connector for processing data in an asynchronous transfer mode, a decoder for decoding compressed data, and a system connector connected to a central processing unit of the computer system, said data processing method comprising the steps of:

determining whether data received by said integrated card are network data for processing through said communication network;

when the data processed by said integrated card are determined to be network data, checking whether the network data represent compressed motion picture data;

when the network data do not represent compressed motion picture data, cutting off connection between said decoder and said storage device;

determining whether network data not representing compressed motion picture data are data received from the central processing unit of the computer or data received from the communication network;

when the network data represent compressed motion picture data, cutting off connection between said system connector and said storage device, and storing said compressed motion picture data in said storage device after it is processed by said data processor;

when the data received by said integrated card are determined not to be network data, cutting off connection between said data processor and said storage device, and storing the data in said storage device; and

decoding compressed motion picture data stored in said storage device and generating overlay images of the decoded data for video display.

6. The data processing method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

when network data not representing compressed motion picture data are determined to be data received from the central processing unit of the computer, storing said data in said storage device;

transmitting the stored network data received from the central processing unit of the computer through said communication network;

when network data not representing compressed motion picture data are determined to be data received from the communication network, storing said data in said storage device; and

reading the stored network data received from the communication network for transmission to the central processing unit of the computer.

7. The data processing method as recited in claim 5, wherein said compressed motion picture data represent images compressed according to a Motion Picture Expert Group recommended protocol.

8. The data processing method as recited in claim 5, wherein said step of decoding compressed motion picture images comprises decompressing images compressed using both interframe and intraframe compression techniques.

9. The data processing method as recited in claim 5, wherein said system connector of said integrated card communicates with the central processing unit of the computer through an Industry Standard Architecture bus.

10. The data processing method as recited in claim 5, wherein said network data determined not to represent compressed motion picture data, represent one of text data and electronic mail data.

11. The data processing method as recited in claim 10, wherein said compressed motion picture data represent images compressed under a protocol recommend by the Motion Picture Expert Group.

12. The data processing method as recited in claim 11, said step of decoding the stored compressed motion picture data comprises decompressing images compressed using both interframe and intraframe compression techniques.

13. A method for processing video data in an integrated card installed in a computer having a central processing unit, said method comprising the steps of:

determining whether data received by said integrated card are data to be processed through a communication network, or alternatively are data received from the central processing unit of the computer for display on a video monitor;

when the data received by said integrated card are determined to be data not to be processed through said communication network, storing the data in a storage device, decoding the stored data from said storage device, and generating overlay images of the decoded data for display on a video monitor;

when the data are determined to be data to be processed through said communication network, checking whether the data represent compressed motion picture data;

when the data determined to be processed through said communication network represent compressed motion picture data, storing the compressed motion picture data in said storage device, decoding the stored compressed motion picture data, and generating overlay images of the decoded motion picture data for display on said video monitor;

when the data to be processed through said communication network are determined not to represent compressed motion picture data, determining whether the data are received from the central processing unit of the computer to be transmitted through said communication network, or alternatively, are data received from said communication network;

when the data are determined to be received from the central processing unit of the computer for transmission through said communication network, storing the data in said storage device and transmitting the stored data through said communication network; and

when the data determined to be received from said communication network are determined not to represent compressed motion picture data, storing the data received from said communication network in said storage device and transmitting the stored data to the central processing unit of the computer.

14. The data processing method as recited in claim 13, wherein said data determined not to represent compressed motion picture data represent one of text data and electronic mail data.

15. The data processing method as recited in claim 13, wherein said integrated card is connected to the central processing unit of the computer through said system connector over an Industry Standard Architecture bus.