Apparatus and method for controlling image display

• US 6,081,277 A
• Filed: 09/25/1996
• Issued: 06/27/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kojima, Kiyonobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCUSO, HUEDUNG XUAN CAO
• Application Number:
  US08/719,793
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 345/433, 345/430, 345/127, 345/129, 345/131, 705/508
• US Class Current: 345/661
• 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: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4092 Image resolution transcoding, e.g. by using client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/045 Zooming at least part of an image, i.e. enlarging it or shrinking it
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for controlling image display arranged to enable an entire image to be recognized in one window. Image data is compressed in the direction of width so that the width defined by the image data is adjusted to the width of the window. Image data thereby compressed is is divided with respect to first to third storage areas. An image corresponding to the second storage area is directly displayed in a second display area in the window. Images corresponding to the first and third storage areas are displayed in first and third display areas in the window by being compressed in the vertical direction.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a display of one frame of an image having a predetermined size in a window, said apparatus comprising:

comparison means for comparing at least one of a length in the vertical direction and a length in the horizontal direction of one frame of an image with a length of the window in the corresponding direction;

compression means for adjusting said at least one length of the frame to the length of the window in the corresponding direction by compressing at least a portion of the frame in the direction of said at least one length if said at least one length of the frame is larger than the length of the window in the corresponding direction, the other portion of the frame being not compressed in the corresponding direction; and

output means for outputting the frame having the at least one portion compressed by said compression means and the other portion not compressed by said compression means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said compression means compresses an area of the frame having a length i a predetermined ratio to the length of the window in the corresponding direction.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising designation means for designating an area not compressed by said compression means.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the area not compressed by said compression means is centered on a point designated by said designation means.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said designation means sets the point with a cursor.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising adjustment means for compressing the entire frame in the direction other than the direction in which at least one portion of the frame is compressed so that the length of the frame in the corresponding direction is adjusted to the length of the window in the corresponding direction.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, if the length of the frame in the direction in which at least one portion of the frame is to be compressed is pageh;

a length of the area not compressed is Ih; and

a length of the window in the corresponding direction is dh, said compression means compresses at least one portion of the frame in a ratio of (dh-Ih)/(pageh-Ih).

8. A method of controlling display of one frame of an image having a predetermined size in a window, said method comprising the steps of:

comparing at least one of a length in the vertical direction and a length in the horizontal direction of one frame of an image with a length of the window in the corresponding direction; and

displaying the entire frame in the window by compressing at least a portion of the frame in the direction of said at least one length if said at least one length of the frame is larger than the length of the window in the corresponding direction, the other portion of the frame being not compressed in the corresponding direction.

9. An apparatus for controlling a display of an image having a predetermined size in a window, the apparatus comprising:

a comparison software module for comparing at least one of a vertical and a horizontal dimension of an image with a corresponding dimension of a window;

a compression software module for adjusting the dimension of the image to the corresponding dimension of the window by compressing one or more portions of the image in the direction of the compared dimension if the compared dimension of the image is larger than the corresponding dimension of the window, wherein at least one portion of the image is not compressed in the corresponding dimension; and

a display for outputting the image including the portion compressed by the compression software module and the portion not compressed by the compression software module.

10. The apparatus claim 9, wherein the compression software module compresses an area of the image having a dimension i a predetermined ratio to the corresponding dimension of the window.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a designation software module for designating an area not compressed by the compression software module.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the area not compressed by the compression software module is centered on a point designated by the designation software module.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the designation software module sets the point with a cursor.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising an adjustment software module for compressing the entire image in the dimension other than the dimension in which at least one portion of the frame is compressed, such that the image fits within the corresponding dimension of the window.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, if the dimension of the image in which at least one portion of the frame is compressed is pageh, a dimension of the area not compressed is lh, and a corresponding dimension of the window is dh, the compression software module compresses at least one portion of the image in a ratio of (dh-lh)/(pageh-lh).

16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the vertical dimension of the image is larger than the corresponding dimension of the window.

17. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the horizontal dimension of the image is larger than the corresponding dimension of the window.

18. A method of controlling display of one frame of an image having a predetermined size in a window, the method comprising the steps of:

comparing a height of a frame of an image with a height of a window;

comparing a width of a frame of an image with a width of a window; and

displaying the entire frame in the window by compressing one or more portions of the height of the frame if the height of the frame is larger than the height of the window wherein at least one portion of the height remains not compressed in a vertical direction.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the height of the frame is smaller than the height of the window and wherein the method further comprises the step of:

displaying the entire frame in the window by compressing one or more portions of the width of the frame if the width of the frame is larger than the width of the window wherein at least one portion of the width remains not compressed.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of:

displaying the entire frame in the window by compressing one or more portions of the width of the frame if the width of the frame is larger than the width of the window wherein at least one portion of the width remains not compressed in a horizontal direction.