Abstract: A computer system for aiding in the design of an object, comprising a first sensor representing the object and adapted to be moved in three dimensions in a work area by a designer, the first sensor providing signals to the computer system that indicate its position and orientation in the work area, and a second sensor adapted to be moved by the designer in three dimensions in the work area, the second sensor providing signals to the computer system that indicate its position and orientation in the work area; the computer system responds to the signals from the first and second sensors by creating a displayed image corresponding to a three-dimensional model of the object in a virtual work area that corresponds to the designer's work area, the model comprising lines that each have a shape and position that corresponds to movement by the designer of at least one of the sensors, and by controlling the position and orientation of the model in the virtual work area in accordance with the motion of at least one of t

Abstract: A graphic processor comprises an input device for inputting a command from an operator, a display device for displaying graphic data and a computer for preparing and correcting graphic data by a command input from the operator and for making display control of the display device. When the operator wants to know the content of the command that is executed, he instructs the command to the computer. A command name, a processing content and a figure as an object of processing are calculated from history data instructed from the computer. The figure as the object of processing, the command processing content and the relation of correspondence are symbolized and displayed on the display device. Furthermore, a parametric figure is also displayed visually on the display device.

Abstract: An apparatus outputs each item data included in a single record in correspondence with a column position of each item which is set in advance, together with a field framing rule which frames the data. When at least one item data includes a plurality of words, line feed for each word is performed at the corresponding item column position, and the field frame rule is extended in the vertical direction in accordance with the line feed count, and the extended field frame rule is output.

Abstract: A word processor with a text layout display function, arranged so as to confirm various input conditions from the information in a text frame which is displayed concurrently on the same screen. The word processor has a storage unit for storing various kinds of text frames, a readout unit for reading out one text frame from the storage unit, a display unit capable of forming an input region and/or text frame display region, a display control unit for concurrently displaying the words in the input region and the text frame in the text frame display region respectively, a converting unit for converting words into symbols which have been inputted on a character by character basis, and a symbol output unit for displaying the converted symbols in the text frame.

Abstract: The operating principle permits a reader of an electronically published document to create notes, bookmarks, or annotations and relate them to a particular location in the document. The record of such annotations or "place marks" can be stored within or separately from the published material. Annotations stored separately from the originally published document are associated by name with the document and can either be accessed by a particular individual reader and/or shared and exchanged between individuals with access to the same (or copies of the) published electronic document for a variety of purposes. The attachment of annotations is a capability provided to the reader of an electronic document and does not require any specific preparation on the part of the writer or editor of an electronic document.

Abstract: A text processing apparatus includes a keyboard to input various kinds of text information and includes a display to display text information input from the keyboard and an area specifying device to specify an area of the text information displayed on the display device. A scroll instruction device is included to scroll the text information displayed on the display device, memories to store information for use in editing text information input from the keyboard, and a dispaly controller. Reference material can be input into a window on the display. When a scroll command is given, the window containing the reference material will scroll to an edge of the display and will stop. Text displayed outside the window can continue to scroll while the text in the window remains fixed.

Abstract: A graphic data conversion method converts the original data of a first format of a drawing or a product into basic element records comprising basic graphic elements, dimension line elements and text elements, organizes an intermediate data file by properly inserting edit partition records and edit records, and then converts the data stored in the intermediate data file into the data of a second format of the drawing or the product. Translators can be easily organized and the degree of freedom and efficiency of data conversion are enhanced, since the data is stored perspicuously in the intermediate data file in elements and structures.

Abstract: A data processing system including at least one storage device for storing and retrieving data and connected to a storage device interface that controls the storing and retrieving of data from the storage device and further includes a data buffer for storing data retrieved from or being stored in the storage device. The data processing system includes a storage device driver that receives storage access commands from a processor, provides commands to the interface in response to these commands to the access commands from the processor and also provides commands for data not requested by the processor. The commands for data not requested by the processor provide for the temporary storage of data in the storage device interface data buffer. This data not requested by the processor is retrieved in anticipation of commands to be sent by the processor. The storage driver manages this buffer to optimize the amount of storage dedicated to the storage of data for these anticipatory commands.

Abstract: A computer is provided with the facility to display in map form, directed data associated with respective nodes. The operation of the mapping facility is initiated in response to the user entering an appropriate command. Specifically, responsive to the command, the computer displays a plurality of symbols representing respective ones of the nodes such that those symbols which exchange data are connected to one another by a displayed link formed from two half-line segments each indicative of the direction and level of data associated with its respective symbol. In addition, a plurality of tools are displayed for controlling the parameters used in the display of the symbols and links. For example, the user is provided with the capability to change the length of the half-line segments, and is provided with the capability to erase from the display those segments representing data values which are not within a range of data thresholds established by the user operating a threshold tool.

Abstract: A database publishing system uses a plurality of microprocessors for flowing manuscript material such as text and graphics into predefined entities making up the structure of a publication according to predetermined attributes associated with each entity, and for imaging manuscript material in a sequence of processing stages with each stage including a plurality of processing operations. In operation, the structure and appearance of a publication can be defined in advance before entering the manuscript material making up the publication. Furthermore, manuscript material making up a plurality of publications can be in process at the same time in various processing stages in order to image the publications in assembly line fashion.

Abstract: The invented merged text and graphics printing method includes software which effects the printing of merged text and graphics by looking ahead and recognizing the position of text, effecting the printing of any graphics up to such text, then effecting the printing of the text. By looking ahead and recognizing the position of text, the method can determine when such text should be printed in relation to the graphics.

Abstract: The 3D display device of the invention is based on an octree structure of data pertaining to an object to be displayed. This structure is memorized in a memory associated with a cache memory sending blocks of data on a bus to which a geometrical processor and an image-generating circuit are connected. The geometrical processor generates the visible part of another octree corresponding to a target universe which may be positioned in any way in relation to the object universe (a cube enclosing all the data to be represented).

Abstract: A user/PC interface system is described which enables the creation and performance of a synchronized audio/visual story on the PC. The interface enables the initial storage of a plurality of visual images. Then, it enables the creation of an audio presentation which includes labels and time indications, certain of which are employed for synchronization purposes. The system is responsive to a label to execute a predetermined command upon the appearance of the label in the audio presentation. The PC is then operated to perform the audio presentation, that performance automatically causing the display of visual images upon the occurrence of labels and time indications. A table-based authoring system is also described for preparation of both the above noted audio and visual presentations. The system relies upon columnar presentations of a tabular form, each column indicating a separate control function (or comment) relating to the audio/visual presentation.

Abstract: A data transfer apparatus comprises first and second memories each having a plurality of sectors each having the storage capacity of each sector in a storage disk. First and second memory access circuits are respectively associated with the first and second memories for successively specifying sectors of the associated one of the memories, writing data from the disk into the specified sectors and reading a copy of data from the associated one of the memories onto the system bus. A read/write control circuit controls the first and second memories to alternately operate in read and write modes when data is transferred between the disk and a system bus and causes one of the first and second memories to operate in a read mode when an error is detected in the transferred data.

Abstract: A laser pattern inspection and/or writing system which writes or inspects a pattern on a target on a stage, by raster scanning the target pixels. Inspection can also be done by substage illumination with non-laser light. A database, organized into frames and strips, represents an ideal pattern as one or more polygons. Each polygon's data description is contained within a single data frame. The database is transformed into a turnpoint polygon representation, then a left and right vector representation, then an addressed pixel representation, then a bit-mapped representation of the entire target. Most of the transformations are carried out in parallel pipelines. Guardbands around polygon sides are used for error filtering during inspection. Guardbands are polygons, and frames containing only guardband information are sent down dedicated pipelines. Error filtering also is done at the time of pixel comparisons of ideal with real patterns, and subsequently during defect area consolidation.

Abstract: A system is described in which a user enters a search term at a user location, that search term being associated with a plurality of image objects which are stored at a plurality of geographically diverse locations within the system. The search term is then transmitted to a central index location where there is stored a central index which includes the object name and location and associated data for each of the distributed objects associated with the search term. Optionally, the associated data may be transmitted from the central location back to the user location for display to the user, who can then select which of the several objects or perhaps all of the objects to be accessed from the diverse geographic storage locations. The user can enter his selection at the user location and that selection will be transmitted back to the central index location.

Abstract: An image output command method, in an image processing system comprising an input controller to dot and compress density or tone data for an image read out by an input unit and for temporarily staying the compressed image data at a buffer; a work station to picture-edit not only a code information edited by an editing input unit but also the image data by the use of an input operating means and a display means; a file server connected to the input controller and the work station by bus lines and for storing the image data, code information and edited data picture-edited by the work station in the file server; and an image setter for reading out the edited data stored in the file server and subjecting the edited data to a required data processing, which comprises the steps of: reading out the stored data from the file server, separating respective image data which constitute one page and commands which edit respective images when the images are transferred to the image output unit via the image setter and are

Abstract: A method for displaying three dimensional images starts by initially forming a "stripped" partition of a view window by passing a contractible, vertical attachment through each scene vertex in the view window. Faces from the scene are chosen and added to a planar partition by selecting a vertex of the chosen face; locating its corresponding vertical attachment and traveling along the line segment which is initiated at that vertex. As the line segment traverses each region and makes region to region transitions, the partitions are updated. Concurrently, each new region in the partition has a visibility pointer assigned to it. When an entire scene face has been added, a set of visibility pointers associated with regions interior to the added scene face enable depth comparisons to be carried out.

Abstract: An apparatus converts a multi-density image into a binary value image by converting pixels with densities above a threshold to a first value and pixels below a threshold to a second value. The apparatus generates a histogram relating image densities with the numbers of pixels having those densities. A first memory holds the image pixel densities. A second memory has address inputs attached to the data outputs of the first memory. Addresses of the second memory correspond to image densities. As a pixel is read out of the first memory, its density value serves as an address for a location in the second memory, and a count stored in that address is incremented. After reading all of the pixels from the first memory and incrementing counts, the second memory holds a histogram of the image. The apparatus evaluates the histogram to identify a density for which the number of pixels in the image is a local minimum. The local minimum is selected as the threshold.

Abstract: An input method and an input apparatus wherein a sketch read by an image scanner is displayed on the display, the class of component figure is designated thereon, characteristic values are input, and positions of characteristic points are designated such that a figure of fair copy is automatically prepared. Further, the sketch and the figure of fair copy are displayed being superposed upon each other while modifying the brightness or color so that the results of input can be easily recognized, making it possible to reduce the work for inputting the figure and to easily determine the size and position of the figure on the document which is a constituent component. In preparing the figure of fair copy by recognizing through a pattern recognition device the sketch that is input by the image scanner, furthermore, those portions that were not properly recognized are input again by the above method and apparatus.