Management communication terminal system

• US 4,587,633 A
• Filed: 11/10/1982
• Issued: 05/06/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eistream Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Wang Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Ho, Shu K., Smutek, John M., Wang, An, Fry, Stanley B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zache, Raulfe B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/440,668
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 364/521, 364/515, 364/514, 340/703, 340/721, 340/745, 340/747, 340/798, 340/310 R, 340/700, 340/720, 358/256, 358/285, 358/294, 358/296
• US Class Current: 709/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/3871 the composed originals being of different kinds, e.g. low- and high-resolution originals

Abstract

A management communication terminal is formed by integrating an electronic, raster scanning camera with a personal computer. The terminal has a keyboard, a Winchester disk drive, a telecommunication controller, a cathode ray tube monitor, and a thermographic, raster image printer. Two such terminals define an office information system for the exchange of information produced at the keyboards and by the cameras. In each terminal, the coded data generated at the keyboard and the raster image data generated by the camera are temporarily stored in separate data buffers and from there are routed to the monitor, the printer and disk storage. The monitor and printer are able to display and print respectively, images created from the keyboard data, the camera data or a combination of the two. The camera data is compressed prior to storage and is reduced in resolution prior to application to the monitor. The telecommunication controller, when coupled to a transmission line, transfers keyboard and camera data directly between the disk memories associated with two terminals.

Claims

1. A data processing terminal comprising

a camera including graphic data generator means for scanning a target for generating graphic data representative of the binary bit pattern associated with a raster image of the target, and an input device including text data generator means for generating coded text data representative of information symbols,

mass storage means for storing said text and graphic data, and monitor means and raster image printer means for displaying and printing, respectively, images in response to said graphic and text data,

graphic data buffer means electrically coupled to the graphic data generator means, the printer means, the monitor means and the mass storage means for storing, short term, graphic data received from the graphic data generator means and from the mass storage means and for supplying graphic data to the printer means and monitor means,

text data buffer means electrically coupled to the text data generator means, the printer means, the monitor means and the mass storage means for storing, short term, text data received from the text data generator means and mass storage means and for supplying text data to the printer means and monitor means, and

a central processing unit (CPU) programmed to respond to commands from the input device to process text data and to control data flow to and from the graphic data buffer means, the text data buffer means and the mass storage means while maintaining an association between separately stored blocks of graphic data and text data to be displayed or printed as a composite image, the CPU being programmed to control the application of text data from the text data buffer means and associated graphic data from the graphic data buffer means to the monitor means and the printer means for respectively displaying and printing images created from a combination of the text data and the associated graphic data.

2. The terminal of claim 1 further including telecommunication means for coupling the terminal to a transmission medium for transmitting graphic data, text data and a combination of the two between local and remote terminals to display and print images created from graphic data, text data and a combination of the two with data residing at the local and remote terminals.

3. The terminal of claim 2 wherein said telecommunication means is coupled to the mass storage means of the terminal.

4. The terminal of claim 1 further including graphic data compression means for compressing the graphic data from the graphic buffer means prior to storage by the mass storage means and decompression means for decompressing graphic data retrieved from the mass storage means to the graphic buffer means.

5. The terminal of claim 1 further including scaler means for reducing the resolution of graphic data received from the graphic data buffer means before its application to the monitor means.

6. The terminal of claim 5 wherein the resolution of images displayed by the monitor means is less then that of images printed by the printer means.

7. The terminal of claim 5 wherein the scaler means reduces the resolution of the graphic data from about 200 ppi to about 100 ppi.

8. The terminal of claim 1 wherein said graphic data generator means includes a CCD array having a plurality of photosensitive elements corresponding to the number of pixels in a row of the raster image defined by the graphic data.

9. The terminal of claim 1 wherein the printer means includes a thermographic printer having a plurality of heating pads for marking a record medium.

10. The terminal of claim 1 wherein the text data generator means is a keyboard means having keys associated with different information symbols.

11. An office information system communication method comprising the steps of, at a local terminal:

generating graphic data representative of a raster image of a target document and text data representative of information symbols,

temporarily storing the graphic and text data in graphic and text data buffers respectively following the creation of the data and before applying the graphic and text data to mass storage means,

storing the graphic and text data in the mass storage means while maintaining an association between separately stored blocks of graphic data and text data to be displayed or printed as a composite image,

applying the graphic data to a raster image monitor means from the graphic data buffer means and applying the text data to the monitor means from the text data buffer means for displaying images created from text data, graphic data and a combination of the two, and

applying the graphic data to a raster image printer means from the graphic data buffer means and applying the text data to the printer means from the text data buffer means for printing images created from text data, graphic data and a combination of the two, and

transmitting between the local terminal and a remote terminal associated text data and graphic data and at the local and remote terminals displaying and printing images created from text data, graphic data and the combination of the two residing at the local terminal and at the remote terminal.

12. A data processing terminal comprising:

primary memory including separate graphic data map storage and text data storage,

a camera coupled to the primary memory for viewing a document and generating graphic data representing the binary bit pattern associated with a raster image of the document, the graphic data to be stored in the graphic data map storage,

an input device including text generator means coupled to the memory for generating text data representing information symbols, the text data to be stored in the text data storage,

a monitor coupled to the primary memory for displaying data from the graphic data map storage and from the text data storage,

a central processing unit (CPU) programmed to respond to commands from the input device to process text data from the text data storage, to control data flow to and from the primary memory and to control superimposed display by the monitor of graphic data from the graphic data map storage and text data from the text data storage.

13. The terminal of claim 12 further comprising disc storage for storing graphic data and text data, the CPU maintaining an association between separately stored blocks of graphic data and text data to be displayed or printed as a composite image.

14. The terminal of claim 13 further including compression means for compressing or decompressing graphic data for storage and retrieval of graphic data to and from the disc storage.

15. Terminal of claim 12 further including printer means coupled to the memory for printing an image created from text data, graphic data and combinations thereof.

16. A data processing terminal comprising:

primary memory including separate graphic data map storage and text data storage,

a camera coupled to the primary memory for viewing a document and generating graphic data representing the binary bit pattern associated with a raster image of the document, the graphic data to be stored in the graphic data map storage,

an input device including text generator means coupled to the memory for generating text data representing information symbols, the text data to be stored in the text data storage,

a monitor coupled to the primary memory for displaying data from the graphic data map storage and from the text data storage,

telecommunications means for coupling the terminal to a transmission medium and transmitting and receiving text data and graphic data, and

a central processing unit (CPU) programmed to respond to commands from the input device to process text data from the text data storage, to control data flow to and from the primary memory, to control superimposed display by the monitor of graphic data from the graphic data map storage and text data from the text data map storage and to control transmission and reception of text data and graphic data through the telecommunication means while maintaining an association between separately transmitted blocks of graphic data and text data to be displayed or printed as a composite image.

17. The terminal of claim 16 further including printer means coupled to the memory for printing an image created from text data, graphic data and combinations thereof.