Abstract: Disclosed is an image transferring apparatus for transferring an image displayed by a first program to a second program. The image transferring apparatus comprises: image copying means for storing a copy of the image into a predetermined temporary storage area; and image transferring means for acquiring the copy of the image from the temporary storage area before transferring the acquired copy to the second program. With this configuration, the image displayed by a first program is transferred to a second program by way of a temporary storage area, in accordance with display position information about the on-screen image, or in the form of a file accommodating the image of interest. The transfer of the image between the programs is accomplished in a simplified and reliable manner.

Abstract: Systems and methods for georeferencing digital raster maps by assigning points on the raster map with geographic coordinates corresponding to points on a georeferenced vector map or another georeferenced raster map. The raster map and a corresponding vector map are simultaneously displayed to a user, wherein the user then locates a common geographic point or feature on each map, and marks each of them as a unique point-pair. When the user has marked at least two point-pairs, the system then computes a georeferencing function, based on the pixel-coordinates of the points marked on the raster map and the corresponding geographic coordinates of the points on the vector map. Thereafter the geographic coordinates of any point on the map may be easily computed. The preferred embodiment provides that as more point-pairs are identified, the georeferencing function is modified for increased accuracy.

Abstract: A method of creating an image utilizing a table of levels known as a “level activation table” (34) is disclosed. The method uses the level activation table to optimally evaluate a given compositing expression such that the number of pixel operations needed to evaluate the expression is minimized. The method determines the smallest regions in which compositing operations need to be performed and uses these regions to produce the level activation tables where clipping is applied to operations in order to avoid redundant and/or incorrect pixel operations. The method is preferably used in a compositing model in which objects are composited onto a page using a stack machine and an associated compositing stack (38). The stack 38 may be manipulated using standard stack operations such as push, pull and pop. Instructions for the stack machine are taken from the level activation table 34.

Abstract: In a graphical user interface for a computer, a method of displays objects for designing a service graph using a plurality of service independent building blocks. The method includes displaying a canvas object, displaying a toolbar object, displaying a menu object, and displaying a working folder tabs object that displays in one mode service independent building blocks that may be placed onto the canvas to design a service graph.

Abstract: A system and method for displaying objects in a plurality of layers. The layers are distinguished from one another using a variety of display attributes in order to emphasize objects in upper layers and de-emphasize objects in lower layers. The display attributes may include use of color (hue, saturation, and value), three dimensional images, fill patterns, and other display techniques. The user is able to change the layering in order to emphasize a different group, or category, of objects and de-emphasize other groups. The layers can be predefined, for example a hardware and software layers, or may be defined by analyzing the attributes corresponding with the objects. Objects and their attributes are stored in a data store, such as a relational database. Predefined layers include one or more of these attributes to use for matching.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a memory which stores therein data of a dotted-line pattern, a unit which identifies successive pixels on a straight line to be drawn with respect to each line of a plurality of straight lines that are drawn side by side, a pattern reference unit which refers to the data of a dotted-line pattern while changing a reference address for accessing the memory in accordance with a slope of a dotted line to be drawn, and a drawing unit which draws the successive pixels in response to the data of a dotted-line pattern referred to by the pattern reference unit.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing an image has a texture rendering unit for storing a texture image in a texture rendering area of an image memory, an image rendering unit for storing a polygon in a display rendering area of the image memory based on at least the texture image, and mapping the texture image onto the polygon, a texture moving unit for moving the texture image stored in the texture rendering area in an arbitrary direction and restoring the moved texture image in the texture rendering area, and a texture mapping unit for mapping the moved texture image onto the polygon stored in the display rendering area.

Abstract: The present invention is aimed at three specific data areas of font compression, each of whose size has become significant as other data areas have been compressed. The three data areas include model factoring, character level feature measurement (local dimensions) factoring, and typeface level feature measurement (global dimensions) factoring. In general, the invention in each area is an apparatus and method used in font compression to reduce redundant information, thereby allowing a reduction in data format (e.g., words to bytes and bytes to bits) resulting in an overall reduction in storage area for a given font collection.

Abstract: This invention is relative with a text displaying terminal unit used for preparation, transmission/reception and display of a text message. A text message entered by a user is collated to a keyword and, if there is a keyword in the text, displaying attributes of the text and/or the background image are added to the text to send the resulting text added by the displaying attributes to a server (400). Alternatively, the server may collate the text to the keyword to add the displaying attributes of the text and/or the background image to the text. A receiving side terminal unit receives an XML document (240b), added by the displaying attributes, from the server to display the XML document added by the displaying attributes as a motion text message. This motion text message may also be provided by the server to the user as the Web information.

Abstract: Graphs representing multimedia content are validated and modified through graph matching and graph rewriting techniques using pre-defined model graphs. In one aspect, an input graph is validated against a model template graph. In another aspect, suggestions for modifying an input graph are provided based on model alphabet, rule and morphism graphs. The resulting graphs may represent queries against existing description schemes or new description schemes.

Abstract: A formatting object according to the present invention conveys information to the reader of a document (such as a table or chart) by associating visual attributes (such as color, fill type, border width, line width, line style, font size, marker size and marker type) to characters or markers within the document. The formatting object may be used to emphasize data within a table or a chart by modifying the structural visual attributes of characters or markers within the table or chart according to pre-defined criteria. Similarly, the formatting object may be used to increase information density within a table or chart, and to elegantly represent the relationships between four or more interrelated variables in a two-dimensional chart. The formatting object accomplishes this by defining at least one format map that comprises one or more mapping segments.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for use in computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, computer-aided engineering and product lifecycle management. An efficient, non-centralized communications framework makes “synchronous” collaborative design possible. Users are resident at workstations that are connected in a peer-to-peer arrangement. In a collaborative design session, the model is resident in memory at each workstation. Modifications are made at any workstation, and commands, which are interpreted at each workstation to effect the modifications, are transmitted over the network. In addition, cell descriptors may be used to identify one or more geometric cells of a model. The cell descriptors are in the form of scripts specifying constraints or filters for identifying cells.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating a colored or shaded texture for images to be displayed on a display device or printed. The method includes the step of providing a plurality of shape elements, each of which defines a surface. Each of the shape elements also has an associated opacity which varies across its surface. The shape elements are arranged in an overlapping fashion and then rendered for output to a printer or display device. The overlapping opacities and opacity gradients provide a visually interesting colored or shaded texture. Preferably the shape elements are circles and the opacity is applied as a cone-shaped function tapering to zero opacity at its edges.

Abstract: An information displaying system, in which digital information data such as news and a commercial message are displayed with screen data on a display without decreasing the amount of the screen data that are displayed in a working region of the display, is provided. A screen mixing unit mixes digital information data such as news and a commercial message at digital information data adding regions at outside a working region where screen data from a personal computer are displayed on a display with the screen data, without decreasing the screen data in the working region. And the mixed data are converted to data having a frequency being capable of displaying on the display. With this, the digital information data can be displayed with the screen data on the display without decreasing the amount of the screen data that are displayed on the working region on the display.

Abstract: In a data processing system that executes a program of instructions, a method of inverting a distorted surface in a detail-in-context presentation is provided comprising the steps of locating a first approximation point in an undistorted surface for the inversion of a point in a distorted surface, determining if the approximation point is acceptable as an inversion of the point in the distorted surface, locating a next approximation point in the undistorted surface if the first approximation point is not acceptable, and repeating this process until an acceptable approximation point is located for the inversion of the point in the distorted surface. The use of this method to obtain the distance between points on an undistorted surface from the relative distances between corresponding points on a plurality of distorted surfaces in a detail-in-context presentation is provided.

Abstract: A method of selectively providing cartographic features on a video display of a navigation system for improved rendering is provided. The method includes the steps of determining an operational mode of the navigation system, selecting a desired cartographic entity for a cartographic feature based upon the operational mode, and displaying the desired cartographic entity on the video display. For example, less detailed cartographic entities are selected for display when the navigation system is in an operational mode that requires the video display to be updated frequently ore a mode in which it is desirable to focus the user's attention on a different cartographic entity. The less detailed cartographic entity may have a lower intensity than or contrast less with surrounding cartographic entities. In this manner, the user may be provided the desired level of map details with the video display regenerated rapidly.

Abstract: A method, computer-readable medium and apparatus for georeferencing a raster map. A first map is displayed in one area of a display, wherein the first map is a digital raster map. A second map is displayed in a second area of the display, wherein the second map is a georeferenced map that displays at least a portion of an identical geographic region displayed in the raster map. A user selects a point on the first map, and then selects a point on the second map, wherein the point selected on the second map corresponds to the point selected on the first map. Next, a geographic coordinate associated with the point selected on the second map is assigned to the corresponding point selected on the first map. These operations are repeated, i.e., selecting a point on the first map, selecting a point on the second map and assigning a geographic coordinate at least a second time.

Abstract: A method, system, and program for providing runtime graph parameters and conditional components for data flow graphs. Runtime parameters allow an application builder to defer the value of a parameter setting to runtime. The values of runtime parameters may be supplied by the end user or be derived from a combination of other runtime parameters or objects stored in an object repository. A developer may specify a prompt for each parameter and the conditions for displaying the prompt, which are used to determine a graphical user interface control for receiving the parameter value. A conditional components mechanism permits changes to a graph structure based on parameter values and computed metadata. Each component of a graph has a condition which controls whether or not that component will appear in the graph at runtime. The condition can be computed directly or indirectly through runtime parameters.

Abstract: A display device comprising a CPU 53, displays section 67 and a video memory 70. The video memory 70 stores data about the character data and image data that the application software processes in an absolute coordinate system. The display section 67 displays the character data and the image data, both based on the data stored in the video memory 70. The CPU 53 controls the writing of data from the application software into the video memory 70 and the reading of data from the video memory 70 to the display section 67.

Abstract: A display device that has a display screen is disclosed that has the ability to prevent reflections of the display screen from appearing on glass, without lowering the visibility of a display portion of the display screen. The brightness of the display color of either the background portion 31 on a display screen 30 or the background portion 31 of such one of display portions 32 and 33 as occupies the larger area of the lit portion of the display screen 30 is changed according to the control of a control switch 23. If the brightness of the display color of the background portion 31 is lowered (from the “thin light blue” to the “thick light blue”, for example) at the nighttime, its reflection on the glass around a cabin 40 can be reduced without lowering the luminance of the display screen 30. Alternatively, the saturation or hue of the display color can be changed to obtain a similar effect.