Image processing system

• US 5,642,124 A
• Filed: 09/30/1994
• Issued: 06/24/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Satoh, Hiroaki, Tamura, Hideyuki, Kawai, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): SARAS, STEVEN J
• Application Number:
  US08/312,933
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 345/1, 345/2, 345/3, 345/115, 345/118, 345/119, 345/120, 345/145, 345/146, 345/203, 345/902, 395/339, 395/340, 395/342, 395/346
• US Class Current: 345/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

An image processing system in which a process for implementing part of the display management function is provided separately from the window system or the operating system. In consequence, changes in the system configuration can be coped with only by conducting addition on a user program or the process which implements part of the display management function without modifying or altering the window system or the operating system. This eliminates modification or alteration of the window system or the operating program and increases the portability of the program.

Claims

1. An image processing system comprising:

storage means for storing image information;

first display means having a first display type for displaying at least one window;

window executing means for forming and displaying the at least one window on said first display means;

second display means having a second display type different from the first display type and a display screen used to display an image represented by the image information;

display control means for controlling a display of the image represented by the image information on the display screen of said second display means; and

display managing means for managing the image represented by the image information stored in said storage means to be displayed either in the at least one window of said first display means or on the display screen of said second display means, wherein said display managing means includes a display-management information table including display type data which indicates the at least one window and the display screen, and image information data which indicates the image information, in relation to each other, said display type data being changeable, and instructs said window executing means to display the image represented by the image information in the at least one window when the display type data is changed to indicate the at least one window, and said display control means to display the image represented by the image information on the display screen of said second display means when the display type data is changed to indicate the display screen.

2. An image processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a management data storage means for storing management data used to manage the window or the display screen on which the image information is to be displayed, the window or the display screen onto which the image information is to be moved, and the symbolized window in which the image information is to be displayed.

3. An image processing system according to claim 1, wherein said first display means is a bit map display.

4. A method of displaying an image represented by an image information in an image processing system having at least two display means comprising the steps of:

forming and displaying on a first display means plural windows in which an image represented by an image information is to be displayed;

displaying the image represented by the image information in at least one of the plural windows of said first display means or on a display screen of a second display means; and

moving a display position of the image represented by the image information from a source display to a destination display in accordance with an instruction, input from any one of the source display and the destination display, wherein, when the source display is one of the plural windows of said first display means, the destination display is the display screen of said first display means and, when the source display is the display screen of said second display means, the destination display is one on the plural windows of said first display means.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the step of moving a display position includes;

forming an icon corresponding to each of the plural windows of the first display means and the display screen of the second display means;

opening any one of plural icons in a display position selected from the plural windows of the first display means and the display screen of the second display means in accordance with a display position instruction.

6. An image processing system comprising:

storage means for storing image information;

first display means for displaying at least one window;

window executing means for forming and displaying the at least one window on said first display means;

second display means having a display screen used to display an image represented by the image information stored in said storage means;

display control means for controlling a display of the image represented by the image information on the display screen of said second display means;

icon forming means for forming an icon corresponding to each of the at least one window on said first display means and the display screen on said second display means;

icon opening means for opening any one of the icons formed by said icon forming means; and

display managing means for managing the image represented by the image information corresponding to the opened icon, to be displayed either in the at least one window of said first display means or on the display screen of said second display means, in accordance with an instruction in which a display position of the image represented by the image information corresponding to the opened icon is selected from the at least one window of said first display means and the display screen of said second display means.

7. An image processing system according to claim 6, further comprising a management data storage means for storing management data used to manage the at least one window of said first display means or the display screen of said second display means on which the image information is to be displayed, the at least one window or the display screen onto which the image information is to be moved, and the symbolized window in which the image information is to be displayed.

8. An image processing system according to claim 6, wherein said first display means is a bit map display.

9. A method of displaying an image represented by an image information in an image processing system having at least two display means comprising the steps of:

forming and displaying at least one window on first display means having a first display type by using window executing means;

forming a display-management information table including display type data which indicates the at least one window and a display screen of second display means having a second display type different from the first display type, and image information data which indicates an image information, in relation to each other, said display type data being changeable; and

managing an image represented by the image information to be displayed either in the at least one window of said first display means or on the display screen of said second display means, by instructing said window executing means to display the image represented by the image information in the at least one window when the display type data in said display-management information table is changed to indicate the at least one window, and display control means to display the image represented by the image information on the display screen of said second display means when the display type data in said display-management information table is changed to indicate the display screen.

10. A method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of preparing management data used to manage the window or the display screen on which the image information is to be displayed, the window or the display screen onto which the image information is to be moved, and a symbolized window in which the image information is to be displayed.

11. An image processing system comprising:

first and second display means;

window executing means for forming and displaying on said first display means plural windows in which an image represented by an image information is to be displayed;

display means for displaying the image represented by the image information in at least one of the plural windows of said first display means or on a display screen of said second display means; and

moving means for moving a display position of the image represented by the image information from a source display to a destination display in accordance with an instruction, input from any one of the source display and the destination display, wherein, when the source display is one of the plural windows of said first display means, the destination display is the display screen of said second display means and, when the source display is the display screen of said second display means, the destination display is one on the plural windows of said first display means.

12. An image processing system according to claim 11, wherein said moving means comprises:

icon forming means for forming an icon corresponding to each of the plural windows of said first display means and the display screen of said second display means; and

icon opening means for opening any one of plural icons in a display position selected from the plural windows of said first display means and the display screen of said second display means in accordance with a display position instruction.

13. An image processing system according to claim 11, wherein said first display means is a bit map display.

14. A method of displaying an image represented by an image information in an image processing system having at least two display means comprising the steps of:

forming and displaying at least one window on first display means having a first display type;

displaying the image represented by the image information on the at least one window or a display screen of second display means having a second display type different from the first display type;

forming an icon corresponding to each of the at least one window on said first display means and the display screen on said second display means;

opening any one of icons formed by said icon forming means; and

managing the image represented by the image information corresponding to the opened icon, to be displayed either in the at least one window of said first display means or on the display screen of said second display means, in accordance with an instruction in which a display position of the image represented by the image information corresponding to the opened icon is selected from the at least one window of said first display means and the display screen of said second display means.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of preparing management data used to manage the at least one window of the first display means or the display screen of the second display means on which the image information is to be displayed, the at least one window or the display screen onto which the image information is to be moved, and a symbolized window in which the image information is to be displayed.

16. A method of displaying an image represented by an image information in an image processing system having at least two display means, a first display means having a first display type and a second display means having a second display type different from the first display type, comprising the steps of:

forming and displaying at least one window on the first display means by a window executing means;

instructing a display control means for controlling a display on a screen of the second display means to display the image represented by the image information, when a display on the screen of the second display means is indicated; and

instructing the window executing means to display the image represented by the image information on a desired window, the window executing means selecting the desired window and providing the image information to the display control means, and the display control means transferring the image information to the window executing means, when a display on the at least one window of the first display means is indicated.