Report generating method and apparatus

A method for storing information in an oscilloscope, comprising the steps of:

• storing a screen display in a predetermined format, the screen display comprising image data and at least one of an annotated image and a notation to a waveform image displayed on a display;
• storing one or more oscilloscope configuration settings associated with the screen display;
• storing data acquired by the oscilloscope via one or more input channels to one or more channel acquisition input buffers used to generate the screen display;
• loading the stored screen display, the one or more associated configuration settings into the oscilloscope, and the stored data acquired by the oscilloscope via one or more input channels into the the one or more channel acquisition input buffers, thereby placing the oscilloscope in the state it was in when stored data was originally generated;
• and
• annotating the restored data.

An oscilloscope for acquiring and storing information, comprising:

• an acquisition system for acquiring input data via one or more input channels;
• and
• a memory for storing a screen display in a predetermined format, the screen display comprising image data and one of an annotated image and a notation to a waveform image displayed on a display, for storing one or more oscilloscope configuration settings associated with the screen display, and for storing data acquired by the oscilloscope via the one or more input channels to one or more channel acquisition buffers associated with the stored screen display;
• and
• a controller for loading the stored screen display into an oscilloscope display, the one or more associated configuration settings into the oscilloscope, and the stored data acquired by the oscilloscope into the one or more channel acquisition input buffers, thereby placing the oscilloscope in the state it was in when stored data was originally generated as if the oscilloscope had been retained in a state when it acquired such data.

An oscilloscope for acquiring and storing information, comprising:

• an acquisition system for acquiring input data via one or more acquisition channels;
• a memory for storing a screen display in a predetermined format, the screen display comprising image data and at least one of an annotated image and a notation to a waveform image displayed on a display, for storing one or more oscilloscope configuration settings associated with the screen display, and for storing data acquired by the oscilloscope via the one or more input channels to one or more channel acquisition buffers used to generate the screen display;
• and
• a controller for loading the stored screen display into an oscilloscope display, the one or more associated configuration settings into the oscilloscope, and the stored data acquired by the oscilloscope into the one or more channel acquisition input buffers, thereby placing the oscilloscope in the state it was in when stored data was originally generated as if the oscilloscope had been retained in a state when it acquired such data, and for annotating the restored data.