TRANSFERRING SYSTEM FOR HUGE AND HIGH QUALITY IMAGES ON NETWORK AND METHOD THEREOF
A transferring system for huge and high quality images on network and a method thereof are disclosed, wherein various individual image data are converted into high quality image data to be converted into layered image data, and classified into a plurality of sub cells, then stored in database as a compressed form. A client system connected to a server requires information, immediately downloads the required information, releases the compression, and then displays on a screen real time. In the present invention, a user can fast see only his wanted part since images of a newspaper and a magazine are converted as they were. Also, various additional information is provided with image, thereby providing multimedia digital publication services on wire or wireless network.
This application is a Continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/850,124 filed Jun. 27, 2022, which is a Continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/091,430 filed Nov. 6, 2020, which is a Continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/732,962 filed Jan. 2, 2020, which is a Continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/274,839 filed Feb. 13, 2019, which is a Continuation application of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/924,972 filed Mar. 19, 2018, which is a Continuation application of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/614,193 filed Jun. 5, 2017, which is a Continuation application of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/227,697 filed Aug. 3, 2016, which is a Continuation application of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/579,293 filed Dec. 22, 2014, which is a Continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/362,046 filed Jan. 31, 2012 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,948,525), which is a Continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/715,564 filed Mar. 2, 2010 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,131,093), which is a Continuation application of Ser. No. 10/345,430 filed Jan. 14, 2003 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,702,160), which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Application No. 10-2002-0028241 filed on May 21, 2002, whose entire disclosures are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND 1. FieldThe present invention relates to a transferring system, and particularly, to a transferring system of huge and high quality images on network and a method thereof.
2. BackgroundNowadays, it takes much time to display high quality image data in a client computer through Internet service because of a limitation of network bandwidth or processing time in a main memory unit. That requires expansion of the network bandwidth and increased capacity of a main memory unit, resulting in increasing cost of an overall system.
In the related art, newspaper and magazine service through Internet is performed mainly with text or PDF format. The text service provides information with only letters, thereby having a limitation in added image information and various contents construction. Also, in PDF form, a file is downloaded according to a corresponding page on Internet and data are read by using a special program.
In the related art, even if the method is used by some newspaper and magazine service, a user has to download his wanted page each time and can see the part after completing the download, thereby not providing overall contents real time. Also, a constitution and a user interface of the downloaded page are not intuitive, and in case of PDF, screen renewal time is influenced by a function of the user's computer system, resulting in that the method is not proper to real time service of high quality image data.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTherefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a transferring system which fast transmits image information without extending network bandwidth and increasing capacity of a main memory device and displays the image information real time and a method thereof.
Especially, an object of the present invention is to provide a method in which a form of newspaper and magazine offered off-line is originally converted into high quality image data to provide real time on-line, and various multimedia contents and additional information are connected to be utilized as a synthetic information offering media.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a transferring system for huge and high quality image on network comprising an image converting system for converting digital information into a high quality image format, the digital information such as image information converted into a file possible to work in a computer or image information read from a scan device; an image database for storing high quality image information made in the image converting system; and a server system for transmitting image information stored in the image database on network by a request of a client system.
Also, in the present invention, there is provided a method for transferring high quality image on network comprising the steps of converting digital information into high quality image data by the following steps of: (a) converting digital information into layered data with different levels so as to output the digital information in the client system with various magnification or contraction levels; (b) converting digital information into a plurality of sub cells to provide a plurality of divided regions; and (c) compressing the divided digital information as a sub cell unit; storing the converted high quality image data in database; and transferring high quality image data from a server system by a request of a client system on network.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.
In the drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
A transferring system for huge and high quality images on network comprises a system for making original data be digital by a regular rule and converting the data into high quality image format; a database for storing the digital image data and managing; and a server system for transferring the data real time on network.
Referring to
In a method for transferring image data according to the present invention, as shown in
With respect to a client system, one or more systems simultaneously communicate with the server system on network, and each client system includes a central processing unit and at least one memory unit and a display unit.
Meanwhile, in the transferring method, as shown in
In the present invention, network includes all means in which not only wire Internet or wireless Internet but also all kinds of intranets and at least two electronic media are connected for communication. Hereinafter, network will be explained mainly about Internet.
High Quality Image Data
High quality image data according to the present invention is a special format which fast displays huge image through network in a client system. By using the format, huge image can be fast displayed without delay of time, and fast searched. Also, approximate information is searched by contracting the huge image with layered data, and minute information is searched by magnifying the image. The magnification and contraction processes also work fast.
Digital information including huge image information is converted by image converting system of the present invention by the following main three steps.
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- converting huge image into multiple layered data according to levels
- dividing the huge image into a plurality of sub cells
- compressing the image as divided cell units
To convert into high quality image data, general image files such as BMP, GIF, PNG, JPG, etc. are used as original text contents. Also, a text file such as PDF is converted into an image file for use.
Original image files are converted into high quality image data by steps shown in
Generation of Layered Data
In the present invention, image data having a layered structure are generated so as to provide high quality image in which images of multimedia digital publication and etc. transmitted real time on network are magnified or contracted fast and accurately according to levels. That is, a plurality of data layers converted with ½n, . . . , ¼, ½, 1 times, etc. of an original image are generated.
The number of layers in the layered structure are determined by graphic user interface (GUI). In
Division of Huge Image
The generated data layers are divided into a plurality of sub cells. By dividing the data, huge image is fast transmitted. Division units of the huge image into a plurality of sub cells are determined by a processing ability of a client system and a transmittance speed on network. At this time, a number of sub cells are determined within an optimum scope. Indexes are endowed to each cell of the divided images, and the images are integrated by positions or orders. The integrated cells exist as one file, but only corresponding cells of the huge image are transmitted by a client's request. According to this, a client can fast see his wanted image.
Referring to
As aforementioned, dividing image data into each sub cell unit and then storing is determined by a processing ability of a client system and a transmittance speed on network. At this time, if a large number of sub cells are divided, a processing speed in a central processing unit of a client system is down, and if few sub cells are divided, a transmittance speed on network is down. Therefore, it is important to divide the sub cells within an optimum scope.
For example, supposing that screen display resolution is 1024×768 pixel, images displayed on a screen are divided into 5 horizontal sub cells and 4 vertical sub cells. The cells divided at an optimum condition prevent delay in a transmitting process or in a display process, and transmit image fast.
The divided sub cells are compressed, and endowed with indexes, so that positions and coordinates etc. in an overall image are recorded. Then, the sub cells are integrated into one file and stored in database.
Compression of the Divided Image Data
High quality image data according to the present invention are stored as a compressed form so as to improve a transmittance speed.
It is preferable to compress data into each divided sub cell unit. At this time, compression technique such as widely known JPEG, GIFE are used. Each sub cell can be compressed with a same method independently, or compressed with different methods. For example, in case of data having a figure and a picture together, GIF compression is used at the figure and JPEG compression is used at the picture. By doing so, it is possible to improve compression efficiency of an image.
The compressed sub cells are integrated according to orders and positions, and are endowed with indexes respectively, then stored in database. The indexes can include not only base information of sub cells but also additional information relevant to the sub cells. A server system is accessed to the indexes and selects sub cells of a wanted image, thereby fast transmitting.
Transmittance of the Divided Image
If the client system requests special image information (for example, click of a special item in a graphic user interface circumstance, or move of a view point), a server system selects only sub cells relevant to the client's request information in image data stored in database and transmits the sub cells to the client system.
For example, in case that a client requests special information (110a) among one individual image data 110, only relevant sub cells (E11, E21, E12, E22) are transmitted on network (130) since sub cells of the individual image data are E11, E21, E12, and E22. Also, the client system releases compression of the transmitted sub cells in a central processing unit (compression will be later explained), and displays only a displayed part 110a in a display unit through a main memory unit.
Meanwhile, in case that the client system requires information included in at least one individual image, sub cells are transmitted by the following method. In
Once individual image data are divided into sub cells and only requested cells by a client among the divided sub cells are transmitted, huge image can be fast transmitted and displayed, even if capacity of a main memory unit in the client system is less, a processing ability of a main processing unit is less, or data transmitting speed on network is low (that is, bandwidth of transmittance line path on network is less).
Client/Server Model
High quality image data generated from the image converting system can be displayed with just less memory and less calculation of a main processing unit when a client system receives an image file. The reason is why only required parts among sub cells divided from huge image data are selected, transmitted, and displayed. The larger original text image size (information amount) is and the more the number of layers is, the more advantage is obtained.
The present inventors applied the advantage to the client/server model in which network such as Internet line is used and developed a powerful image providing solution. Accordingly, in the present invention, at best utilized is display ability of a client system having limitation in transmitting data on network (that is, bandwidth), storing for the transmitted data, and processing the data, thereby providing huge image real time.
A server system is connected to image database for storing high quality image data and additional information database for storing additional information, thereby providing information requested by a client system real time. Like the transferring system 12 in
A client system includes a central processing unit, a memory unit, a display unit, and a browser for connecting to each server through network. Once the client system is connected to the server for transferring high quality image data according to the present invention on network, the client system automatically receives a client program for processing the high quality image data.
The client program provides various graphic user interfaces, fast receives various contents provided from the server, and displays in the client system.
High quality image data according to the present invention are applied to the client/server model, so that huge image information is transmitted on network fast and efficiently and displayed in the client system.
In the present invention, contrary to the related PDF service and JPEG image providing solution where an overall image file is transmitted, only a request part by a client system is transmitted and displayed real time, thereby having a more excellent performance. Also, since images are fast magnified or contracted according to levels by a layered data structure, an efficient search of image information is possible. That is, it is possible to transmit, display and search image information real time by image streaming.
In each index of high quality image data, not only information regarding to sub cells but also additional information are recorded. The additional information includes moving image, text, sound, web page information regarding to each sub cell. Therefore, if the server system transmits the additional information to the client system with the image data, a user of the client system can receive information of the moving picture, text, web page, etc, together with image.
Information Request by a Client
It is general for an Internet user to search image by moving a view point shown on a screen of a display unit such as a monitor of a client system. Image information requested by a client system exists in a server system, so that the client system has to request transmittance of corresponding information to the server.
The process works by a series of streaming packet defined in advance, and is performed by a client program already transmitted to the transmittance system in the server system and the client system. The process will be explained in detail.
A user is connected to a server on network in a client system. To the first connected user, a client program is automatically transmitted from a server at the time of connection (to the user already connected, the client program needs not to be transmitted), and the client program makes the user search information requested by the server by providing graphic user interface in the client system.
The user requests image information and image level change in the interface provided by the client program. The process is shown as a click for items and icon on the interface displayed on a screen.
By the process, a request by the client system is transmitted to the server on network. The server receives the request and searches sub cells corresponding to a part requested by the client system, then transmits one by one real time.
In the client system, compressions of sub cells (image tile) transmitted from the server are released real time in a central processing unit, and the sub cells are displayed on a screen via a main memory unit and a video buffer. Accordingly, a screen is immediately displayed without delay of image processing in the client system.
If the user moves a view point to a new region on interface of a monitor screen or changes an image level, the client program transmits information request for the new image region or image of different level to the server.
Providing Additional Information
In a state that the server selects image data from database according to a request of the client system, if additional information is included on index, the additional information is transmitted to the client system with image data.
The additional information is stored in additional information database of the server. In the database, a location (that is, image data which will be displayed with the additional information), kinds, and styles of the additional information (for example, in case of text information, color, font, and in case of moving image information, image path) are stored. The additional information can be generated through a separate tool and can be input by a hand work.
It is preferable to manage the additional information provided with high quality image according to the present invention through a separate file. The file is defined as MAP file in the present invention. The additional information management file consists of a script language, and contains a position and an attribute of the additional information on the basis of resolution of high quality image.
For example, in case of providing moving image of Abc.mpg in 500×500 position of 1000×1000 high quality image, if an image file name is Abc.IPQ, Abc.MAP having the same file name are generated and defined as follows.
Movie 500, 500 Abc.mpg
The additional information file (Abc.mpg) and the management file (Abc.MAP) are stored in additional information database. If image information requested by the client is Abc.IPQ, the server connects the image information with Abc, MAP and transmits to the client system with Abc.mpg.
Preferred EmbodimentsHereinafter, real time service of multimedia digital publication will be explained in detail.
In a data collecting step (310), individual image data and additional information data which will be constituted as real time integrated data are collected. The individual image data are generally interactive one another. Examples of the individual data include data which scanned each side of a newspaper, data which scanned each side of a magazine, image data converted in PDF file, and image data directly converted from typesetting system, etc. Also, the additional information data which will be used in the step includes moving image file, sound file, another image file, text information, and web page address, etc.
A manufacturing step (320) is a step for converting data collected in the data collecting step into individual high quality image data and for connecting with additional information data.
A file converted from PDF and from typesetting system is converted to high quality image file according to the present invention, and a newspaper and a magazine are scanned to be manufactured as an image file, thereby generating high quality image. In the step, methods such as the aforementioned data layer generation, image division, and compression, etc. are used.
Also, in the step, a search keyword necessary to an image search is extracted. The keyword can be a theme word regarding a headline in case of a newspaper. Then, determined is whether individual image, search keyword, and additional information collected in the data collecting step 310 are interactive one another or not. In the case, the additional information can be edit by hand work or another tool (editing tool), or data relevant one another are connected to be integrated.
Then, respective data are stored in high quality image database and additional information database (330).
In a transmitting step (340), at the time of transmitting information according to a request of a client on Internet network, only data display region 110a or 120a are transmitted.
In a displaying step (350), the transmitted data display region is displayed on a screen window via a central processing unit, a main memory unit, a video buffer, etc. in the client system.
As shown in
A function button region (corresponding to 201 of
In section menu and searching region (202 in
In image display region (203 of
High quality newspaper or magazine image transmitted from the database of the server can be displayed with various methods besides the methods shown in the preferred embodiments.
Meanwhile, if a user moves a view point along displayed images by using a mouse, only renewed region is transmitted from the server and displayed. Even if the user moves high quality digital image to any directions, image data of the new region are transmitted real time without delay in a transmitting process and displayed on a screen. Also, if the user clicks a wanted part with a mouse, the part can automatically move to a center of a screen.
Image magnification or contraction function is performed by locating a mouse cursor to a wanted part and clicking. The magnification or contraction can be performed by a layer unit step by step, or can be performed at one time from the highest step (70 of
In case that hyper-linked additional information exists at a special position of image displayed from a display unit of the client system, the corresponding information is displayed on a screen real time. At this time, the additional information can be displayed on a current window, or on a new window. Additional information data that will be used with high quality image includes moving image file, sound file, flash animation, another high quality image file, text information, and web page address, etc.
According to the present invention, high quality image data are provided real time without extending network bandwidth and increasing capacity of a main memory device. Especially, huge image information is provided as high quality image data without extending a client system and delaying time.
Also, in the present invention, possible is real time service of high picture quality multimedia digital publication, and image data and relevant additional information data are provided through a graphic user interface, so that a user can easily obtain various information. Also, wanted information is fast searched, and same resolution is maintained at the time of magnifying a screen. A real time service of high picture quality multimedia digital publication can be applied to all publications issued periodically, so that various on-line services are possible.
As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A method of storing an image comprising:
- dividing an image having a prescribed display screen resolution into M horizontal sub cells and N vertical sub cells such that there are a total of M×N sub cells;
- compressing each of the sub cells;
- endowing each compressed sub cell with an index indicating position or coordinate relative to the image; and
- integrating the compressed sub cells into a single image file; and
- storing the single image file, wherein based on a user request, a prescribed number of sub cells are processed for display on a display device, the prescribed number of sub cells being less than M×N sub cells.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the display device of a client system is coupled to a memory, the memory has a capacity to store data less than data corresponding to the prescribed display screen resolution.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 14, 2023
Publication Date: Jan 25, 2024
Inventor: Sung-Min KIM (Seoul)
Application Number: 18/233,469