Image display and archiving system and method

• US 5,706,457 A
• Filed: 06/07/1995
• Issued: 01/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Handy, James E., Dwyer, Douglas A., Grant, Kevin B., Curry, Paul E., Pflugshaupt, Rick E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Application Number:
  US08/473,831
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 395/349-351, 395/346, 395/965-967, 395/970, 395/348, 395/354, 395/773, 395/792, 395/680, 395/114, 395/115, 395/326, 395/340, 395/352, 395/761, 395/155-157, 395/159, 395/161, 395/144, 395/147, 395/650, 358/403, 358/401, 358/442, 358/444, 382/305, 382/306
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/966 Computer process, e.g. operation of computer

Abstract

A system 10 and methods for acquiring and archiving images derived from multiple sources with minimal operator interaction and understanding of the archiving computer 11. The system 10 and methods provide for reception of digitized images via modem 24 from a remote source, and the input of images from local sources including a digital photographic image source 25 such as a digital camera or 35 millimeter digitizing camera data back, an optical scanner 23, and digitized images previously stored on magneto-optical disk or digital audio tape. The system 10 also archives and distributes image and document data to multiple destinations, including a magneto-optical drive 22, digital or hard disk drive 15, and to laser or photographic quality continuous tone printers 26, 27. One key aspect of the system 10 and methods is that the operator is not given access to the operating system of the computer 11 and can only perform a predetermined set of functions that correspond to graphical icons 30 disposed on the computer desktop 17 (monitor 12). Each of the icons 30 launches a set of linked macro functions that initialize the modem 24, control data transfer, format the received image data into a predetermined format, attach textual data to the image files, and automatically archive or print the files. Submenus are provided during operation that permit certain selected actions related to the macro that is being run.

Claims

1. An image display system for acquiring and archiving image files, said system comprising:

a computer;

a hard disk drive coupled to the computer;

an archive storage medium coupled to the computer;

a monitor coupled to the computer;

a keyboard coupled to the computer;

a modem coupled to the computer for receiving image files from a remotely located source; and

a mouse pointer coupled to the computer, said mouse pointer having a cursor that is displayed on the monitor and that is moved by an operator to select predefined graphical icons displayed on the monitor that are representative of the hard disk drive, applications, and image acquisition tools, and wherein the graphical icons are constructed so that an operator can only perform a predetermined set of functions that correspond to the graphical icons, and wherein each of the icons comprises a set of linked macro functions that initialize the modem, control image file transfer from the remotely located source by way of the modem, and format received image files into a predetermined format, attach textual data to the image files, and automatically archive the image files.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a digital audio tape drive, and wherein a graphical icon is displayed on the monitor that comprises a macro that automatically transfers files from the digital audio tape drive to the hard disk drive.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising an interface for connecting to a digital photographic image source to permit transfer of images therefrom, and wherein a graphical icon is displayed on the monitor that comprises a macro that automatically transfers the images from the digital photographic image source to the hard disk drive.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a scanner coupled to the computer for scanning images into the computer, and wherein graphical icons are displayed on the monitor that comprise macros that automatically scan documents into the hard disk drive from the scanner.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one printer coupled to the computer for printing image files, and wherein a graphical icon is displayed on the monitor that comprises a macro that automatically prints the image files.

6. An image display system for acquiring and archiving image files derived from multiple sources, said system comprising:

a computer;

a hard disk drive coupled to the computer;

a digital audio tape drive coupled to the computer;

a magneto-optical disk drive coupled to the computer;

a monitor coupled to the computer;

a keyboard coupled to the computer;

an interface coupled to the computer for connecting to a digital photographic image source to permit transfer of images therefrom;

a mouse pointer coupled to the computer, said mouse pointer having a cursor that is displayed on the monitor and that is moved by an operator to select predefined graphical icons displayed on the monitor that are representative of the disk drives, applications, image acquisition tools, utility functions, and a display function;

a scanner coupled to the computer for scanning images into the computer;

a modem coupled to the computer for receiving image files from a remotely located source; and

at least one printer coupled to the computer for printing image files;

and wherein the graphical icons are constructed so that an operator can only perform a predetermined set of functions that correspond to the graphical icons, and wherein each of the icons comprises a set of linked macro functions that initialize the modem, control image file transfer from the remotely located source by way of the modem, from the scanner, from the digital photographic image source, from the digital audio tape drive, and from the disk drives, and format received image files into a predetermined format, attach textual data to the image files, and automatically archive and print the image files as a function of the selected icon.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein a graphical icon is displayed on the monitor that comprises a macro that automatically transfers files from the digital audio tape drive to the hard disk drive.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein a graphical icon is displayed on the monitor that comprises a macro that automatically transfers the images from the digital photographic image source to the hard disk drive.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein graphical icons are displayed on the monitor that comprise macros that automatically scan documents into the hard disk drive from the scanner.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein a graphical icon is displayed on the monitor that automatically prints the image files.

11. A method of acquiring and archiving image files derived from a remotely located source, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a computer system comprising a computer, a hard disk drive, an archive storage medium, a monitor, a keyboard, a modem for receiving image files from the remotely located source, and a mouse pointer having a cursor that is displayed on the monitor;

constructing a plurality of graphical icons that are displayed on the monitor that limit operator control of the computer system to a predetermined set of image acquisition and archiving functions, and that comprise a set of linked macro functions that initialize the modem, control image file transfer from the remotely located source by way of the modem, format received image files into a predetermined format, attach textual data to the image files, and automatically archive image files onto the archive storage medium;

activating a predetermined icon to initialize the modem and transfer image files from the remotely located source to the hard disk drive by way of the modem, format received image files into a predetermined format, attach textual data to the image files, and archive the image files with attached textual data.

12. A method of acquiring and archiving image files derived from a plurality of sources, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a computer system comprising a computer, a hard disk drive, a magneto-optical disk drive, a monitor, a keyboard, a modem for receiving image files from a remotely located source, a digital audio tape drive, an interface for connecting to a digital photographic image source, a scanner, and a mouse pointer having a cursor that is displayed on the monitor;

constructing a plurality of graphical icons that are displayed on the monitor that limit operator control of the computer system to a predetermined set of image acquisition and archiving functions, and that comprise a set of linked macro functions that initialize the modem, control image file transfer from the remotely located source to the hard disk drive by way of the modem, format received image files into a predetermined format, attach textual data to the image files, and automatically archive image files;

disposing a magneto-optical disk in the magneto-optical disk drive;

activating a predetermined icon to initialize the modem and transfer image files from the remotely located source to the hard disk drive by way of the modem, format received image files into a predetermined format, attach textual data to the image files, and archive the image files with attached textual data.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of activating a predetermined icon that comprises a macro that automatically transfers files from the digital audio tape drive to the hard disk drive.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of activating a predetermined icon that comprises a macro that automatically transfers the images from the digital photographic image source to the hard disk drive.

15. The system of claim 12 further comprising the step of activating one of a plurality of predetermined icons that comprise macros that automatically scan documents into the hard disk drive from the scanner.