Picture display apparatus

• US 6,184,859 B1
• Filed: 04/19/1996
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1995
• 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): Chang, Kent
• Application Number:
  US08/635,010
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 345/113, 345/114, 345/127, 345/130, 345/112, 345/121, 345/147, 345/139, 345/345, 345/439, 345/435, 345/132
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/027 Arrangements and methods specific for the display of internet documents
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/391 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats

Abstract

A picture display apparatus for enlarging a portion of a picture displayed on a screen for display on the same screen. The picture display apparatus includes a display unit having a display screen on which a picture is displayed, a specifying unit for specifying an optional area of an overall picture displayed on a display screen of the display unit, a magnified picture generating unit for generating a magnified picture of the area specified by the specifying unit, and a display control unit for superimposing the magnified picture on the overall picture in such a manner that the magnified picture is superimposed on the overall picture and the portion of the overall picture overlapped below the magnified picture is rendered visible and displayed on the display screen of the display unit. Since a magnified picture is superimposed on an overall picture for prohibiting the display from being divided into two portions, the viewer is not fatigued and is safeguarded against mistaken recognition, while the picture portion desired to be viewed may be designated easily, while the picture may be seen as the picture is magnified smoothly continuously.

Claims

1. A picture display apparatus, comprising:

display means having a display screen for displaying a picture;

specifying means for specifying an optional area of an overall picture displayed on a display screen of said display means;

magnified picture generating means for generating a magnified picture of the area specified by said specifying means;

display control means for superimposing said magnified picture on said overall picture in such a manner that said magnified picture is superimposed on said overall picture and the portion of said overall picture overlapped below the magnified picture is rendered visible and displayed in a same color as and with a lower density than said overall picture on the display screen of the display;

bi-level display control means for initially displaying a picture displayed on the display screen of said display means by bi-level representation; and

convert-to-multi-level display control means for displaying in multi-level representation after end of display in bi-level representation.

2. The picture display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein plural bits are used for each pixel of a displayed picture and wherein a conversion table is employed which correlates the contents of the plural bits for each pixel with the display density.

3. The picture display apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said display controlling means processes a picture supplied from an external network for display on a display screen of said display means.

4. A method for displaying a picture using a picture display apparatus having display means having a display screen on which a picture is displayed and specifying means for specifying an optional area of an overall picture displayed on a display screen of said display means, comprising the steps of:

a magnified picture generating step for generating a magnified picture of an area specified by said specifying means;

superimposing said magnified picture on said overall picture in such a manner that said magnified picture is superimposed on said overall picture and the portion of said overall picture overlapped below the magnified picture is rendered visible and displayed in a same color as and with a lower density than said overall picture on the display screen of said display means;

initially displaying a picture displayed on the display screen of said display means by bi-level representation; and

displaying in multi-level representation after end of display in bi-level representation.

5. An information recording medium having stored thereon a computer program readable and executable by a picture display apparatus having display means having a display screen on which a picture is displayed and specifying means for specifying an optional area of an overall picture displayed on a display screen of said display means, wherein said computer program comprises the steps of:

generating a magnified picture of an area specified by said specifying means;

superimposing said magnified picture on said overall picture in such a manner that said magnified picture is superimposed on said overall picture and the portion of said overall picture overlapped below the magnified picture is rendered visible and displayed in a same color as and with a lower density than said overall picture on the display screen of said display means;

initially displaying a picture displayed on the display screen of said display means by bi-level representation; and

displaying in multi-level representation after end of display in bi-level representation.

6. An information transmission medium having stored thereon a computer program readable and executable by a picture display apparatus having display means having a display screen on which a picture is displayed and specifying means for specifying an optional area of an overall picture displayed on a display screen of said display means, wherein said computer program comprises the steps of:

generating a magnified picture of an area specified by said specifying means;

superimposing said magnified picture on said overall picture in such a manner that said magnified picture is superimposed on said overall picture and the potion of said overall picture overlapped below the magnified picture is rendered visible and displayed in a same color as and with a lower density than said overall picture on the display screen of said display means;

initially displaying a picture displayed on the display screen of said display means by bi-level representation; and

displaying in multi-level representation after end of display in bi-level representation.

7. A picture display apparatus, comprising:

a display for displaying a picture;

a specifier that specifies an optional area of the picture;

a magnified picture generator that generates a magnified picture of the area specified by the specifier;

a display controller operable to superimpose the magnified picture on the picture in such a manner that both the magnified picture and the portion of the picture covered by the magnified picture are visible on the display, wherein the display controller displays the magnified picture using a different display density than a display density of the portion of the picture covered by the magnified picture, and wherein the display controller displays the magnified picture in a same color as and with a lower density than the portion of the picture covered by the magnified picture;

a bi-level display controller that initially displays the magnified picture in a bi-level representation; and

a multi-level display controller that displays the magnified picture in a multi-level representation after the bi-level representation of the magnified picture has been displayed.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein a plurality of bits are used for each pixel of a displayed picture and wherein a conversion table is employed to correlate the bits for each pixel with the display density of each pixel.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the display controller processes a picture supplied from an external network for display.