System for manipulating graphical composite image composed of elements selected by user from sequentially displayed members of stored image sets
First Claim
1. A computer system for producing and storing a composite image, said system comprising:
- means for storing zone definition data specifying the areas occupied by each of a plurality of different display zones, each of which is within the region occupied by said composite image,means for storing a plurality of groups of individual digital images, each of said groups being associated with one of said display zones,means for displaying in each given display zone a predetermined initial image selected from the group associated with said given display zone to produce an initial composite image,means for accepting an input position indication from a user,matching means for comparing said input position indication with said zone definition data to produce a selection signal identifying a user-specified one of said zones,means responsive to said selection signal for replacing the individual digital image currently displayed in said user-specified zone with a different individual image selected from the group of images associated with said user-specified group,means for accepting a completion signal from said user, andmeans responsive to said completion signal for storing a finished composite image consisting of the combination of the individual images displayed in each of said zones at the time said completion signal is accepted.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A computer graphical image manipulation and transmission system which enables a user to create a composite image by using a positional input device to select individual elements of the composite image to be changed. The system automatically presents alternative image elements in a predetermined sequence each time a given zone of the composite image is specified. The image modification proceeds by simply selecting image areas with a mouse or the like, eliminating the need for pop-up or drop-down menus, dialog boxes, tool boxes, or drag-and-drop image palettes. The selection of any image element may also cause an ancillary function to be performed, including the automatic alteration of the image elements associated with another zone of the image. The image composite image thus created may be converted into a standard bitmap file for use in other programs, or may take the form of an data structure containing zone coordinates and image identifiers, allowing the image modification session to be resumed and further allowing the transfer of an complex image by sending a relatively small amount of data when the individual image elements from which the image is constructed are available to both the transmitting and receiving station. The image manipulation and viewing mechanism may be utilized in standard applications adapted to receive and manipulate composite image applications in container documents, and is adapted for use with web browsers capable of displaying the composite images as imbedded images in web documents.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer system for producing and storing a composite image, said system comprising:
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means for storing zone definition data specifying the areas occupied by each of a plurality of different display zones, each of which is within the region occupied by said composite image, means for storing a plurality of groups of individual digital images, each of said groups being associated with one of said display zones, means for displaying in each given display zone a predetermined initial image selected from the group associated with said given display zone to produce an initial composite image, means for accepting an input position indication from a user, matching means for comparing said input position indication with said zone definition data to produce a selection signal identifying a user-specified one of said zones, means responsive to said selection signal for replacing the individual digital image currently displayed in said user-specified zone with a different individual image selected from the group of images associated with said user-specified group, means for accepting a completion signal from said user, and means responsive to said completion signal for storing a finished composite image consisting of the combination of the individual images displayed in each of said zones at the time said completion signal is accepted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A computer system as set forth in claim I including means responsive to the display of a first predetermined image in one of said zones for displaying a predetermined image in another of said zones.
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8. A computer display system for generating a data file representing a user-defined visual image comprising, in combination:
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means for storing digital data representing a plurality of groups of individual images, means for defining the location of a display zone associated with each of said groups, means for displaying an individual image selected from each of said groups in the particular display zone associated with that group, said individual images together forming a composite image, means responsive to zone selection signal from a user specifying a given one of said zones for replacing the image currently displayed in said given zone with another image from the group associated with said given zone, and means responsive to an approval signal from said user for forming a data file representative of the current content of said composite image. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A computer system for composing and transmitting images from a transmitting computer to a receiving computer via a communications pathway, said transmitting computer comprising, in combination:
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means for storing digital data representing a plurality of groups of individual images, means for defining the location of a display zone associated with each of said groups, means for displaying an individual image selected from each of said groups in the particular display zone associated with that group, said individual images together forming a composite image, means responsive to zone selection signal from a user specifying a given one of said zones for replacing the image currently displayed in said given zone with another image from the group associated with said given zone, means responsive to an approval signal from said user for forming a data file representative of the current content of said composite image, and means for transmitting said data file to said receiving computer via said communications pathway. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification