Image transferring apparatus and method, file transferring apparatus and method, and program storage medium

• US 7,193,634 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2001
• Issued: 03/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Satoshi, Agata, Hideyuki, Hayashi, Masakazu, Tsuyuki, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung; Kee M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMINI, JAVID A
• Application Number:
  US09/947,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20020075281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,021 Days
• Field of Search: 345/619, 345/629, 707/101, 707/102, 707/10, 709/203
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32363 at the transmitter or at the receiver

Abstract

Disclosed is an image transferring apparatus for transferring an image displayed by a first program to a second program. The image transferring apparatus comprises: image copying means for storing a copy of the image into a predetermined temporary storage area; and image transferring means for acquiring the copy of the image from the temporary storage area before transferring the acquired copy to the second program. With this configuration, the image displayed by a first program is transferred to a second program by way of a temporary storage area, in accordance with display position information about the on-screen image, or in the form of a file accommodating the image of interest. The transfer of the image between the programs is accomplished in a simplified and reliable manner.

Claims

1. An image transferring apparatus for transferring an image of map data displayed by an electronic map program to an image of map data displayed by an image editing program, the image including a graphical display of the map data, the image transferring apparatus comprising:

first display means for reading and displaying the image of the map data displayed in a display window of the electronic map program;

image copying means for copying the displayed image of the map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program into a predetermined storage area without reading the map data;

image transferring means for acquiring the copy of the displayed image of the map data from said predetermined temporary storage area; and

second display means for displaying the acquired copy of the displayed image of the map data in an edit window of the image editing program as an editable image,

wherein a position and scale of the editable image is the same as a position and scale of the displayed copy of the image of the map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program, and

the edit window of the image editing program overlays the display window of the electronic map program and does not overlay a control portion of the map program.

2. The image transferring apparatus of claim 1, wherein said display parameters of said image of map data includes a size of said image.

3. The image transferring apparatus of claim 1, wherein said storage area includes a clipboard.

4. An image transferring apparatus for transferring an image of map data displayed by an electronic map program to an image of map data displayed by an image editing program, the image including a graphical display of the map data, the image transferring apparatus comprising:

display window position information acquiring means for acquiring display window position information about the image of map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program on a predetermined display screen;

image copying means for copying the displayed image of the map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program on the predetermined display screen without reading the map data;

acquisition image means for acquiring the copy of the displayed image of the map data based on said display window position information;

image transferring means for transferring the acquired copy of the displayed image of the map data to an edit window of the image editing program as an editable image,

wherein a position and scale of the editable image is the same as a position and scale of the displayed copy of the image of the map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program, and

the edit window of the image editing program overlays the display window of the electronic map program and does not overlay a control portion of the map program.

5. An image transferring apparatus for transferring an image of map data displayed by an electronic map program to an image of map data displayed by an image editing program, the image including a graphical display of the map data, the image transferring apparatus comprising:

image transforming means for transforming said image displayed in the display window of said electronic map program to a data file before storing said data file into a predetermined storage location without reading the map data; and

image transferring means for acquiring said data file from said predetermined storage location before transferring the acquired data file to an edit window of said image editing program as an editable image,

wherein a position and scale of said image displayed in the display window of the electronic map program is the same as a position and scale of said editable image displayed in the edit window of said image editing program, and

the edit window of the image editing program overlays the display window of the electronic map program and does not overlay a control portion of the map program.

6. An image transferring method for transferring an image of map data displayed by an electronic map program to an image of map data displayed by an image editing program, the image including a graphical display of the map data, the image transferring method comprising:

executing the electronic map program including a display window configured to display an image of map data and a control portion configured to provide user controls;

reading the map data and displaying the image of the map data in the display window of the electronic map program;

executing the image editing program;

copying the displayed image of the map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program into a predetermined storage area without reading the map data;

acquiring the copy of the displayed image of the map data from said predetermined storage area; and

displaying the acquired copy of the displayed image of the map data in an edit window of the image editing program as an editable image,

wherein a position and scale of the editable image is the same as a position and scale of the displayed copy of the image of the map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program, and

the edit window of the image editing program overlays the display window of the electronic map program and does not overlay the control portion of the map program.

7. An image transferring method for transferring an image of map data displayed by an electronic map program to an image of map data displayed by an image editing program, the image including a graphical display of the map data, the image transferring method comprising:

acquiring display position information about a display window of said image of map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program on a predetermined display screen;

copying the displayed image of the map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program on the predetermined display screen without reading the map data; and

acquiring the copy of the displayed image of the map data based on said display window position information;

transferring the acquired copy of the displayed image of the map data to an edit window of said image editing program as an editable image,

wherein a position and scale of the editable image is the same as a position and scale of said displayed copy of the image of the map data displayed in the display window of said electronic map program, and

the edit window of the image editing program overlays the display window of the electronic map program and does not overlay a control portion of the map program.

8. An image transferring method for transferring an image displayed by an electronic map program to an image of map data displayed by an image editing program, the image including a graphical display of the map data, the image transferring method comprising:

transforming said image of the map data displayed in a display window of said electronic map program to a data file before storing said data file into a predetermined storage location without reading the map data; and

acquiring said data file from said predetermined storage location before transferring the acquired data file to an edit window of said image editing program as an editable image,

wherein a position and scale of said image displayed in the display window of the electronic map program is the same as a position and scale of said editable image displayed in the edit window of said image editing program, and

the edit window of the image editing program overlays the display window of the electronic map program and does not overlay a control portion of the map program.

9. A computer program, stored in a tangible storage medium, for transferring an image of map data displayed by an electronic map program to an image of map data displayed by an image editing program, the image including a graphical display of the map data, said computer program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:

execute the electronic map program including a display window configured to display an image of map data and a control portion configured to provide user controls;

read the map data and display the image of the map data in the display window the electronic map program;

execute the image editing program;

copy the displayed image of the map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program into a predetermined temporary storage area;

acquire the copy of the displayed image of the map data from said predetermined storage area without reading the map data; and

display the acquired copy of the displayed image of the map data in an edit window of the image editing program as an editable image,

wherein a position and scale of the editable image is the same as a position and scale of said displayed copy of the

image of the map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program, and

the edit window of the image editing program overlays the display window of the electronic map program and does not overlay the control portion of the map program.

10. A computer program, stored in a tangible storage medium, for transferring an image of map data displayed by an electronic map program to an image of map data displayed by an image editing program, the image including a graphical display of the map data, said computer program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:

acquire display position information about a display window of said image of map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program on a predetermined display screen;

copy the displayed image of the map data displayed in the display window of the electronic map program on the predetermined display screen without reading the map data; and

acquire the copy of the displayed image of the map data based on said display window position information;

transfer the acquired copy of the displayed image of the map data to an edit window of said image editing program as an editable image,

wherein a position and scale of the editable image is the same as a position and scale of said displayed copy of the image of the map data displayed in the display window of said electronic map program, and

the edit window of the image editing program overlays the display window of the electronic map program and does not overlay a control portion of the map program.

11. A computer program, stored in a tangible storage medium, for transferring an image displayed by an electronic map program to an image of map data displayed by an image editing program, the image including a graphical display of the map data, said computer program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:

transform said image of the map data displayed in a display window of said electronic map program to a data file before storing said data file into a predetermined storage location without reading the map data; and

acquire said data file from said predetermined storage location before transferring the acquired data file to an edit window of said image editing program as an editable image,

wherein a position and scale of said image displayed in the display window of the electronic map program is the same as a position and scale of said editable image displayed in the edit window of said image editing program, and

the edit window of the image editing program overlays the display window of the electronic map program and does not overlay a control portion of the map program.

12. An image transferring apparatus for transferring an image of source data displayed by a first program to a second program, the image including a graphical display of the source data, the apparatus comprising:

image copying means for storing a copy of said image of source data displayed by a first window of the first program into a predetermined temporary storage area, and transmitting a first notice to the second program without copying the source data;

monitoring means for monitoring said predetermined temporary storage area in response to said first notice, said monitoring means transmitting a second notice to the second program when it is determined that the copy of said image of source data has been stored into the predetermined storage area; and

image transferring means for transferring the copy of said image of source data from said predetermined storage area into a second window of the second program in response to said second notice,

wherein the second window of the second program overlays the first window of the first program and does not overlay a control portion of the first program.

13. An image transferring apparatus for transferring an image of source data displayed by a first program to a second program, the image including a graphical display of the source data, the image transferring apparatus, comprising:

image copying means for storing a copy of said image of source data displayed in a first window into a predetermined temporary storage area, and for transmitting a first notice to the second program;

monitoring means for monitoring said predetermined temporary storage area in response to said first notice, said monitoring means transmitting a second notice to the second program when it is determined that the copy of said image of source data has been stored into the predetermined storage area; and

image transferring means for acquiring said copy of said image of source data from said predetermined storage area in response to said second notice, and transferring the acquired copy into a second window of said second program,

wherein a position and scale of said copy of said image of source data displayed in the second window is the same as a position and scale of said image of source data displayed in the first window, and;

the second window of the second program overlays the first window of the first program and does not overlay a control portion of the first program.