Image apparatus with zoom-in magnifying function

• US 7,327,932 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2003
• Issued: 02/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi ULSI Systems Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Yuzuru, Ozawa, Tsugutaro
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/617,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20040105654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,670 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/95, 386/112, 386/125, 715/800, 345/660
• US Class Current: 386/353
• 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 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42212 Specific keyboard arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/14 Picture signal circuitry for video frequency region cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/16 Analogue secrecy systems; Analogue subscription systems

Abstract

A picture to be reproduced and displayed on a television monitor (10) is discerned as a plurality of partitioned areas in correspondence to keys labeled “1” to “9” disposed on a remote control unit (R). After having zoomed in a picture in a partitioned center area by operating a zoom key disposed on the remote control unit, a partial picture in a partitioned area corresponding to a given one of the keys “1” to “9” is zoomed in with a desired magnification factor in response to operation of the given key. Position of the zoomed-in partial picture on a full screen and the magnification factor thereof can be visually recognized by displaying cursors correspondingly.

Claims

1. A picture processing method for generating magnified picture data based on original picture data recorded on a recording medium, comprising:

reproducing said original picture data from said recording medium as a pre-zoom picture;

dividing by a picture data processor, the pre-zoom picture into a total of M×

N (where M and N are integers) partial areas indicative of selectable zoom-in areas;

holding correspondence relations between a plurality of M×

N zoom-In area designating keys disposed at least on either one of a main body of said image apparatus or a remote control unit thereof, and the M×

N partial areas of the picture on a screen based on said original picture data, respectively; and

generating said magnified picture data, based on said original picture data, corresponding to a given one of said M×

N zoom-in area designating keys in response to operation of said given one of said M×

N zoom-in area designating keys,

wherein the plurality of M×

N zoom-in area designating keys are arrayed orderly such that the array of said plurality of M×

N zoom-in area designating keys can be associated with a plurality of said M×

N partial areas of the picture on the screen.

2. A picture processing method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of M×

N zoom-in area designating keys used for designating a location to be zoomed in when said zoom key is singly operated, while being used for other purposes than the designation of the location for zoom-in after another key is operated in precedence, said M×

N zoom-in area designating keys including keys labeled “

1 to “

9”

for the purpose of ten keys, respectively, and disposed in a three-row-by-three-column (3×

3) array.

3. A picture processing method for displaying magnified picture on a screen based on original picture data recorded on a recording medium, comprising:

reproducing said original picture data from said recording medium as a pre-zoom picture;

dividing by a picture data processor, the pre-zoom picture into a total of M×

N (where M and N are integers) partial areas indicative of selectable zoom-in areas;

holding correspondence relations between a plurality of M×

N zoom-in area designating keys disposed at least on either one of a main body of an image apparatus effecting the method or a remote control unit thereof, and the M×

N partial areas of the picture on a screen based on said original picture data, respectively; and

displaying on said screen said magnified picture based on said original picture data, corresponding to a given one of said M×

N zoom-in area designating keys in response to operation of said given one M×

N zoom-in area designating key,

wherein the plurality of M×

N zoom-in area designating keys are arrayed orderly such that the array of said plurality of M×

N zoom-in area designating keys can be associated with a plurality of said M×

N partial areas of the picture on the screen.

4. A picture processing method according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of M×

N zoom-in area designating keys used for designating a location to be zoomed in when said zoom key is singly operated, while being used for other purposes than the designation of the location for zoom-in after another key is operated in precedence, said M×

N zoom-in area designating keys including keys labeled “

1”

to “

9”

for the purpose of ten keys, respectively, and disposed in a three-row-by-three-column (3×

3) array.

6. A picture processing method according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of M×

N zoom-in area designating keys used for designating a location to be zoomed in when said zoom key is singly operated, while being used for other purposes than the designation of the location for zoom-in after another key is operated in precedence, said M×

N zoom-in area designating keys including keys labeled “

1”

to “

9”

for the purpose of ten keys, respectively, and disposed in a three-row-by-three-column (3×

3) array.

5. A picture processing method for reading out a first picture data from a recording medium and processing the first picture data to thereby derive second picture data for generating a zoomed-in picture on a screen by magnifying a partial area of a pre-zoom picture based on the first picture data, said picture processing method comprising the steps of:

dividing by a picture data processor the pre-zoom picture into a total of M×

N (where M and N are Integer) partial areas indicative of selectable zoom-in areas;

providing a plurality of M×

N zoom-in area designating keys disposed at least on either one of a main body of said picture apparatus or a remote control unit;

holding in a storage correspondence relations between said plurality of M×

N zoom-in area designating keys and said plurality of M×

N partial areas of the pre-zoom picture of the screen; and

generating in said picture data processor the second picture data corresponding to an operated one of said zoom-in area designating keys;

wherein relative locations of said plurality of M×

N zoom-in area designating keys with respect to one another substantially correspond to relative locations of the plurality of M×

N partial areas with respect to one another of the pre-zoom picture on the screen.