Method and apparatus for display of variable intensity pictures on a video display terminal
AssigneeProfessional Guidance Systems, Inc.
InventorMark A. Davis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for adapting a video display terminal (VDT) to display variable-intensity pictorial information. The pictorial information is received as serial digital data which is stored in a digital memory. Following this load operation, the stored data are read from the memory under control of VDT synchronization signals, converted to analog signals, and displayed. A variety of formats are possible, including pictorial information only and a concurrent display of pictorial and alphanumeric information. An apparatus permitting concurrent display of variable-intensity and alphanumeric information is disclosed.
Claims16
A method of displaying photographic information comprising a plurality of digitally-encoded pixels and alphanumeric information on a video display terminal, comprising the steps of:
- receiving the plurality of digitally-encoded pixels;
- storing each of the digitally-encoded pixels in a digital memory means;
- receiving a video signal representing the alphanumeric information;
- reading at least some of the digitally-encoded pixels from the digital memory means;
- and
- producing a composite video signal by combining the received video signal and the stored, digitally-encoded pixels that are read from the digital memory means.
Apparatus adapted to produce video signals for displaying photographic information comprising a plurality of digitally-encoded pixels and alphanumeric information on a video display terminal, comprising:
- means for receiving synchronization signals;
- means for receiving the plurality of digitally-encoded pixels;
- means for receiving a video signal representing the alphanumeric information;
- digital memory means;
- means adapted to store each of the digitally-encoded pixels in the digital memory means;
- means adapted to read at least some of the digitally-encoded pixels from the digital memory means;
- and
- means adapted to produce a composite video signal by combining the received video signal and the stored, digitally-encoded pixels that are read from the digital memory means in response to the synchronization signals.
A method of displaying photographic information comprising a plurality of digitally-encoded pixels and alphanumeric information on a video display terminal, comprising the steps of:
- receiving the plurality of digitally-encoded pixels;
- storing each of the digitally-encoded pixels in a digital memory means;
- receiving a video signal representing the alphanumeric information;
- reading at least some of the digitally-encoded pixels from the digital memory means;
- producing a composite video signal by combining the received video signal and the stored, digitally-encoded pixels that are read from the digital memory means;
- and
- displaying the composite video signal on a video display terminal.
Apparatus adapted to display photographic information comprising a plurality of digitally-encoded pixels and alphanumeric information on a video display terminal, comprising:
- means for receiving the plurality of digitally-encoded pixels;
- memory means;
- means for storing each of the digitally-encoded pixels in the memory means;
- means for receiving a video signal representing the alphanumeric information;
- means for reading at least some of the digitally-encoded pixels from the memory means;
- means for producing a composite video signal by combining the received video signal and the stored, digitally-encoded pixels that are read from the memory means;
- and
- means adapted to receive and display the composite video signal on the video display terminal.
Apparatus for displaying photographic information comprising a plurality of digitally-encoded pixels and alphanumeric information, comprising:
- means for producing synchronization signals;
- means for receiving the plurality of digitally-encoded pixels;
- means for producing a video signal representing the alphanumeric information, the alphanumeric information being digitally encoded;
- memory means;
- means adapted to store each of the digitally-encoded pixels in the memory means;
- means adapted to read at least some of the digitally-encoded pixels from the memory means;
- means adapted to produce a composite video signal by combining the alphanumeric video signal and the stored, digitally encoded pixels that are read from the memory means in response to the synchronization signals;
- and
- means for displaying the composite video signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.