Character processing system and method

• US 6,522,330 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2000
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Justsystems Corporation
• Original Assignee: Justsystems Corporation
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Tatsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): FOULADI SEMNANI, FARANAK
• Application Number:
  US09/736,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20010019329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 345/467, 345/470, 345/471, 345/530
• US Class Current: 345/467
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/109 Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography

Abstract

A character processing apparatus has a font storage area with at least fonts for representative characters stored therein, and a character information table with storage address for the fonts, no-font information or the like stored therein. A retrieving section is provided for receiving arbitrary inputted character code, referring to storage address information or no-font information in the character information table, and outputting the storage address information corresponding to character code for a representative character having the same group number and the same type information as that of the retrieved character code according to type information as well as to group information when there is no-font information. A display control section and a display section are included for receiving a corresponding font from the font storage area and displaying a character for the arbitrary character code on a screen according to the storage address information inputted from the retrieving section.

Claims

1. A character processing apparatus comprising:

a font memory for storing therein fonts for at least representative characters among a group of different character shapes comprising representative characters and variant font characters thereof;

a character information memory for storing therein storage address information or no-font information for each character code and for fonts corresponding to the character code, type information indicating whether the character code is for a representative character or for any variant font character thereof assigned to each character code, and group information for group numbers for character code among group numbers assigned to classified groups of character code, each character code group comprising a representative character and variant font characters thereof;

a storage address output means for receiving an arbitrary character code, retrieving matching character code from the character information memory according to the received character code, referring to storage address information or no-font information corresponding to the retrieved character code, outputting, when there is storage address information, the storage address information, retrieving character code having an identical group number as that of the retrieved character code and also having type information for a representative character according to the type information as well as to the group information, and outputting storage address information for the character code; and

a display device for inputting therein a corresponding font from the font memory according to the storage address information received from said storage address output means and displaying a character of said arbitrary character code on a screen.

2. A character processing apparatus according to claim 1;

wherein said storage address output means outputs, when there is the no-font information, the storage address information as well as display changing information for changing only a display for the corresponding character code; and

said display device displays the corresponding character code, when it receives the storage address information and the display changing information, by a displaying method different from that for other character code.

3. A character processing apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a character code replacing means for replacing the corresponding character code with character code for a representative character when there is the no-font information.

4. A character processing apparatus according to claim 1;

wherein said character code is that defined in Universal Coded Character Set.

5. A character processing system comprising:

a character processing apparatus comprising a font memory for storing therein fonts for a plurality of character codes, a character information memory for storing therein storage address information for each character code as well as a font corresponding to the character code, a storage address output means for receiving an arbitrary character code, retrieving a matching character code from said character information memory according to the received character code, and outputting storage address information for the retrieved character code, and a display device for inputting therein a corresponding font from said font memory according to the storage address information received from said storage address output means and displaying a character of the arbitrary character code on a screen; and

a font output device connected through a network to said character processing apparatus for receiving a character code from said character processing apparatus and outputting a font corresponding to the character code;

wherein said character processing apparatus transmits the received character code to said font output device when it receives character code for a font not stored in the apparatus;

wherein said font output device retrieves a corresponding font according to the character code received from said character processing apparatus and transmits the retrieved front to said character processing apparatus; and

wherein said character processing apparatus displays a character of the character code with the font not stored in the apparatus on a screen using the font transmitted from said font output device.

6. A character processing system according to claim 5;

wherein said character processing apparatus stores the received font in said font memory and also stores storage address information for the received font in said character information memory in correlation to the corresponding character code.

7. A character processing system according to claim 5;

wherein said character code is one defined in the Universal Coded Character Set.

8. A character processing apparatus comprising:

a font memory for storing therein fonts for at least representative characters among a group of different character shapes comprising representative characters and variant font characters thereof;

a character information memory for storing therein storage address information or no-font information for each character code and for fonts corresponding to the character code, type information indicating whether the character code is for a representative character or for any variant font character thereof assigned to each character code, and group information for group numbers for character code among group numbers assigned to classified groups of character code, said each character code group comprising a representative character and variant font characters thereof;

a storage address output means for receiving an arbitrary character code, retrieving a matching character code from said character information memory according to said received character code, referring to storage address information or no-font information corresponding to the retrieved character code, outputting, when there is storage address information, the storage address information, retrieving character code having an identical group number as that of said retrieved character code and also having type information for a representative character according to said type information as well as to the group information, and outputting storage address information for the character code; and

a printer for receiving a corresponding font from said font memory according to the storage address information inputted from said storage address output means and executing print processing for said arbitrary character code.

9. A character processing method with a character processing apparatus comprising a font memory for storing therein fonts for at least representative characters among a group of different character shapes comprising representative characters and variant font characters thereof;

and a character information memory for storing therein storage address information or no-font information for each character code and for fonts corresponding to the character code, type information indicating whether the character code is for a representative character or for any variant font character thereof assigned to each character code, and group information for group numbers for character code among group numbers assigned to classified groups of character code, said each character code group comprising a representative character and variant font characters thereof;

said character processing method comprising;

a first step of inputting arbitrary character code and retrieving matching character code from said character information memory according to said inputted character code;

a second step of referring to storage address information or no-font information corresponding to the character code retrieved in said first step, outputting, when there is storage address information, the storage address information, retrieving, when there is no-font information, character code having the same group number as that for the retrieved character code and also having type information for a representative character according to said type information as well as said group information, and outputting storage address information for the character code; and

a third step of inputting the storage address information outputted in said second step, inputting a corresponding font from said font memory according to the inputted storage address information, and displaying a character of said arbitrary character code on a screen.

10. A character processing method according to claim 9;

wherein said character code is one defined in the Universal Coded Character Set.

11. A computer-readable medium in which a program for causing a computer to execute a character processing method according to claim 9 is recorded.

12. A character processing method according to claim 9;

wherein, in said second step includes the steps of, when there is the no-font information, outputting display changing information for changing a display for the corresponding character code with the storage address information; and

when the display changing information is inputted together with the storage address information, displaying the corresponding character code by a display method different from that for other character codes.

13. A computer-readable medium in which a program for causing a computer to execute a character processing method according to claim 12 is recorded.

14. A character processing method according to claim 9 further comprising a character code replacing step of replacing the corresponding character code with that for a representative character when there is the no-font information.

15. A computer-readable medium in which a program for causing a computer to execute a character processing method according to claim 14 is recorded.

16. A character processing method of using a character processing apparatus comprising a font memory for storing therein fonts for a plurality of character codes;

a character information memory for storing therein storage address information for each character code and a font corresponding to the character code;

a storage address output means for receiving an arbitrary character code, retrieving a matching character code from said character information memory according to the received character code, and outputting storage address information corresponding to the retrieved character code; and

a display means for inputting a corresponding font from said font memory according to the storage address information inputted from said storage address output means and displaying a character of said arbitrary character code on a screen, and also using a font output device connected through a network to said character processing apparatus for receiving character code from said character processing apparatus and outputting a font corresponding to the character code, said character processing method comprising;

a first step of transmitting, when character code for a font not stored in said character processing apparatus is inputted into said character processing apparatus, the inputted character code to said font output device;

a second step of receiving the character code transmitted in said first step with said font output device, retrieving a corresponding font according to the received character code according to the received character code, and transmitting the retrieved font to said character processing apparatus; and

a third step of receiving the font transmitted in said first step with said character processing apparatus and displaying a character of character code with a font not stored in said character processing apparatus using the received font on a screen.

17. A character processing method according to claim 16;

wherein said character code is one defined in the Universal Coded Character Set.

18. A computer-readable medium in which a program for causing a computer to execute a character processing method according to claim 16 is recorded.

19. A character processing method according to claim 16;

wherein said third step includes a step of storing the received font in said font memory, and a step of storing the storage address information for the received font in said character information memory in correlation to character code for the font not stored therein.

20. A computer-readable medium in which a program for causing a computer to execute a character processing method according to claim 19 is recorded.