Apparatus for displaying image with pointing character

• US 6,215,479 B1
• Filed: 03/12/1998
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Victor Company of Japan Limited (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsui, Katsuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M.
• Application Number:
  US09/041,304
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/173, 345/145, 345/326
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/08 Cursor circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/7433 Control circuits therefor

Abstract

A video image is displayed on an image screen of a cathode-ray tube. The image screen is partitioned into a plurality of character areas, each character area is composed of four display blocks, and each character of the video image is displayed in one character area. Also, a plurality of pointer characters respectively arranged in a position of a font area are stored in a pointing character storing unit, positions of the pointing characters differ from each other, and the position of each pointing character corresponds to a position of one display block in one character area for each character area in cases where the font area of the pointing character corresponds to the character area. Also, a touch screen panel partitioned into a plurality of input blocks is prepared, and each input block corresponds to one display block of the image screen. When a user selects a particular input block, a particular display block of a particular character area and a particular pointing character are selected by the control circuit on condition that a position of the particular pointing character in the font area corresponds to a position of the particular display block in the particular character area, and the particular pointing character is displayed in the particular display block of the image screen. Therefore, the pointing character can be displayed in every display block of any character area.

Claims

1. An image displaying apparatus for displaying a pointing character on a display, comprising:

position input means divided into a plurality of display blocks for generating position input information, said position input information indicating one of said plurality of display blocks of said position input means;

a display circuit for generating a display signal for a predetermined basic area of the display, said predetermined basic area of the display corresponding to a plurality of display blocks of said position input means;

storing means for storing font data representing a plurality of fonts to be displayed on said display,

each of said plurality of fonts corresponding to a portion of said pointing character,

said display circuit using said font data for generating a particular display signal representing a particular pointing character at a particular location within a particular basic area of said display in accordance with said position input information; and

control means for controlling said display circuit to selectively include, in said particular display signal, font data representing a particular combination of said plurality of fonts in said storing means, said control means determining said combination in accordance with a particular one of said display blocks indicated by said position input information from said position input means, thereby to display said particular pointing character in superposition on a displayed image and located at said particular location within said particular basic area determined by said one of said display blocks of said position input means.

2. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said position input means comprises a touch screen panel.

3. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said particular pointing character comprises an arrow having a pivotal portion thereof positioned within said particular basic area in accordance with said position input information from said position input means.

4. An image displaying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined basic area of the display corresponds in size to an area for displaying a single character.

5. An image displaying apparatus for displaying a pointing character on a display, comprising:

position input means divided into a plurality of display blocks for generating position input information, said position input information indicating one of said plurality of display blocks of said position input means;

a display circuit for generating a display signal for a predetermined basic area of the display, said predetermined basic area of the display corresponding to a plurality of display blocks of said position input means;

storing means for storing font data representing a plurality of fonts to be displayed on said display,

each of said plurality of fonts corresponding to a portion of said pointing character, one of said plurality of fonts including a pivotal feature of said pointing character;

said display circuit using said font data to generate a particular display signal representing a particular pointing character,

wherein said display circuit generates said particular display signal to display said pivotal feature of said particular pointing character at a particular location within a particular basic area of said display in accordance with said position input information, and

control means for controlling said display circuit to selectively include, in said particular display signal, font data representing a particular combination of said plurality of fonts in said storing means, said control means determining said combination in accordance with a particular one of said display blocks indicated by said position input information from said position input means, thereby to display said particular pointing character in superposition on a displayed image with the pivotal feature of said particular pointing character being located at the particular location within the particular basic area corresponding to said one of said display blocks of said position input means.