Patent Publication Number: US-2007101270-A1

Title: Method and system for generating a presentation file for an embedded system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to a method for generating a presentation file for an embedded system, such as mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, and digital cameras.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      For most users, almost all presentation files are generated by software, such as the Power-Point program, because this kind of software provides many various animations, audio clips and illustrations. Although presentation files are typically projected onto large screens, sometimes the presentation file needs to be displayed on a small screen, such as found in a notebook computer. However, to do so the user must use a safe computer, as otherwise the presentation file may be copied or pirated.  
      Many portable electronic devices have small screens, such as mobile phones and digital cameras, and it would offer more convenience for users if the screens on these devices could be used for the displaying of presentation files.  
      Therefore, it is desirable to provide a method for generating a presentation file for an embedded system to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      A main objective of the present invention is to provide a method for generating a presentation file for an embedded system, such as mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, and digital cameras.  
      Another objective of the present invention is to provide an embedded system with presentation function.  
      In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the method of the present invention comprises: 
          providing an image recording means to record a presentation image displayed by the PC-based presentation file when the personal computer plays the PC-based presentation file;     performing tag recording when the personal computer plays the PC-based presentation file if a changing image key on the personal computer is pressed; and     storing a presentation file for the embedded system on a storage device of the personal computer when displaying of the PC-based presentation file is completed on the personal computer;     wherein the presentation file for an embedded system includes a plurality of digital images and a plurality of tags so that the embedded system can use an operating interface to provide a presentation by utilizing each tag.        

      Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an implementation diagram of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a method for generating a presentation file for an embedded system according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic drawing of an embedded system displaying a presentation file according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  shows an embodiment of a file format of the presentation file displayed by an embedded system.  
       FIG. 5  is a schematic drawing of a digital camera.  
       FIG. 6  is a circuit block drawing of a digital camera.  
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart of the embedded system showing the presentation file according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 8  is a schematic drawing of a mobile phone.  
       FIG. 9  is a schematic drawing of a PDA. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Please refer to  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is an implementation diagram of the present invention. A personal computer  70  comprises a storage device  75  (such as a hard drive, a CD drive, a memory stick, or a combination of these devices). A user can utilize a presentation application program  25  (such as PowerPoint presentation software) to produce a PC-based original presentation file  20  (such as a PowerPoint presentation file). In the present invention, the user can generate a presentation file  50  for an embedded system when the PC-based original presentation file  20  is displayed on the personal computer  70 .  
      In the present invention, a presentation generation program  40  is stored in the storage device  75  so the processor of the personal computer  70  can execute the presentation generation program  40  to generate the presentation file  50  for the embedded system. The presentation generation program  40  comprises an image recording program  41  and a tag recording program  42 . Please refer to following  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 .  
      In the following, the presentation application program  25  is presented as a PowerPoint application program.  
      Step  200 :  
      Playing the original presentation file  20  and executing the presentation generation program  40 .  
      The presentation application program  25  has an editing mode and a display mode; in the display mode, images obtained from the original presentation file  20  are displayed on the personal computer  70  as full images.  
      The presentation generation program  40  may be executed in the background, so that no operating interfaces or information is shown in the image displayed that is based on the original presentation file  20 , and hence the user will not see the presentation generation program  40  when the presentation application program  25  runs.  
      Since the typical operating system on the personal computer  70  can execute a plurality of programs at the same time, and as one program can call or start another program, no further description of the presentation generation program  40  is required.  
      Step  201 :  
      Recording the images.  
      When the original presentation file  20  is loaded for display, the image recording program  41  starts to record the presentation images shown by the original presentation file  20 .  
      Please refer to  FIG. 3 . The original presentation file  20  may have, for example, three presentation pictures:  
      a first presentation picture, as shown in presentation image  21   a , showing: “This”;  
      a second presentation picture, as shown in presentation image  21   c , showing: “is a”; the second presentation picture first shows “is” (as a presentation image  21   b , and when the user presses the ┌↓┘ key  712 , the second presentation picture first shows “is a”; and  
      a third presentation picture, as shown in presentation image  21   d , showing: demo.  
      When step  201  is executed for the fist time, the presentation image  21   a  is recorded.  
      Step  202 :  
      Has an image changing key  30  has been pressed? 
      Taking the PowerPoint application program as an example, a ┌page downs┘ key, a ┌↓┘ key  7 l 2 , a ┌→┘ key  7 l 3  on a keyboard  71  and a left button  721  on a mouse  72  can all be pressed to show a subsequent image (which is not necessarily the next page). The subsequent image could be the next page, or different text or drawings in the same page, or an animation. In this invention, the image changing key  30  is used for changing to a subsequent image; in the PowerPoint application program, the image changing key  30  can be the ┌page down┘ key  711 , the ┌↓┘ key  712 , the ┌→┘ key  713  on the keyboard  71  and the left button  721  on the mouse  72 .  
      When the image changing key  30  is pressed, the presentation generation program  40  performs step  203 . For the presentation application program  25 , if the image changing key  30  is pressed, it shows the subsequent image.  
      Step  202  is a monitoring step; when the image changing key  30  is not pressed, step  201  is repeatedly performed.  
      Step  203 :  
      Performing tag recording.  
      By way of example, the presentation image  21   a  is first shown; after the image changing key  30  is pressed, the tag recording program  42  is executed to record a tag 1 , which marks an ending point of the presentation image  21   a  and also marks a beginning point of the presentation image  21   b.    
      In this embodiment, the presentation image sequentially generates tag 1 , tag 2  and tag 3  when the image changing key  30  is pressed, and the presented images are presentation image  21   a , presentation image  21   b , presentation image  21   c  and presentation image  21   d.    
      Please refer to  FIG. 3 . A tag 0  can be used for representing a beginning point of the first presentation image (such as the presentation image  21   a ), but tag 0  is not required, since the beginning point of the first presentation image is known. But for management convenience, when step  201  is executed for the first time, tag 0  can be generated automatically (without the image changing key  30  being pressed).  
      Step  204 :  
      Has the original presentation file  20  finished? 
      When the original presentation file  20  has finished, step  205  is performed; otherwise step  201  is continuously performed. However, step  204  is for continuous monitoring.  
      Please refer to  FIG. 3  again; tag 4  is not required, because the ending point of the last presentation image is known. But for management convenience, the last tag (which is tag 4  in this embodiment) can be generated.  
      Step  205 :  
      Finishing the presentation file  50  for the embedded system.  
      Step  201  and step  203  are used for continuously generating the presentation file  50  for the embedded system; when the original presentation file  20  has finished, the presentation file  50  for the embedded system is completed and can be stored on the storage device  75  (such as a memory stick or a hard disk).  
      Please refer again to  FIG. 3 . The presentation file  50  for the embedded system comprises a presentation data area  54  for storing data for the presentation images  21   a ,  21   b ,  21   c ,  21   d , and a tag area  53  for storing positions of tag 0 ˜tag 4  in the presentation data area  54 .  
      The presentation file  50  for the embedded system can be in many different formats; it can even include a plurality of files, such as files for storing the presentation images  21   a ,  21   b ,  21   c ,  21   d  and files for storing tag 0 ˜tag 4 . Please refer to  FIG. 4 , which shows an embodiment for a file format of the presentation file  50  of the embedded system. The format of the presentation file  50  for the embedded system may be divided into four areas, such as:  
      a file name area  51  for storing a plurality of file names;  
      a tag recording area  53   a  for recording each tag, such as tag 1 ˜tag 4 ;  
      a tag indicating area  53   b  for recording the positions of each tag in the presentation data area  54 , such as an image data address and audio data for tag 1  in the presentation data area  54 ; the above-mentioned step  201  can also record audio, not being limited to just images, and the corresponding tag records the address of the image data and the address of the audio data; the tag recording area  53   a  and the tag indicating area  53   a ,  53   b  are equivalent to the tag area  53  shown in  FIG. 3 ; and  
      the presentation data area  54  for storing image data and audio data.  
      When the presentation file  50  for the embedded system has finished, it can be run by the embedded system. The embedded system can be a mobile phone, a smart phone, a PDA, or a digital camera. Taking a digital camera  80  as an example, and with reference to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , the digital camera  80  comprises a processor  81 , a memory  82 , a screen  83 , an image extracting module  84  and an operating interface  85 . More advanced digital cameras even include microphones and speakers (not shown). Usually, the memory  82  includes an internal memory and an extended memory (such as an SD or a CF card), and the internal memory stores system software and application programs. The presentation file  50  for the embedded system can be stored in the extended memory so that the application program can read it.  
      Since the presentation file  50  for the embedded system includes the tag area  53 , the user can use the left and right keys, or the up and down keys, in operating interface  85  to operate the display of the presentation file  50  for the embedded system. A flowchart of the application program for displaying the presentation file  50  for the embedded system is presented in the following:  
      Step  700 :  
      i=0; the variable i is set to 0.  
      Step  701 :  
      Display image (tag(i) to tag(i+1)); the images indicated by tag(i) to tag(i+1) are displayed.  
      Step  702 :  
      If a “next” key (which is usually the right arrow key or the down arrow key) of the operating interface  85  is pressed, then i=i+1. But when i&gt;maximum value for i, then i=maximum value for i, (for example, if tag( 4 ) is the last tag, then the maximum value for i is 4) and the display procedure finishes.  
      If a “previous” key (which is usually the left arrow key or the up arrow key) of the operating interface  85  is pressed, then i=i−1. But when i&lt;0, then i=0.  
      Step  701  is then executed again.  
      The embedded system can be used in the digital camera  80 . The embedded system may also be used in a mobile phone  80   a  (as shown in  FIG. 8 ), since the mobile phone  80   a  also has a processor, a memory, a screen  83   a  and an operating interface  85   a.    
      Similarly, the embedded system can be used in a PDA  80   b  (as shown in  FIG. 9 ), since the PDA  80   b  has a processor, a memory, a screen  83   b  and an operating interface  85   b.    
      To reduce the size of the presentation file  50  for the embedded system, if the presentation image is a still picture, it may be represented by a single image. Additionally, all image data or audio data stored in the presentation file  50  for the embedded system may be compressed, using such codes as MJPEG, MP3, MP4 or similar compression formats.  
      Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.