Patent Document ID: 4670841
Application ID: 06757873
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A system for generating composite characters from a combination of basic characters for display on a display device having a display area comprising: (a) means for storing basic characters for permitting the selection of any one of the basic characters for display on the display area, each basic character being stored in a matrix of storage locations with each location storing a pixel of information which may be displayed on the display area when said each basic character is displayed; (b) means for storing a plurality of basic layouts which may be selected for display on the display area, each basic layout having at least two selection areas within the display area, each of the selection areas being selectable for the display of one of the basic layouts or one of the basic characters, the means for storing basic layouts having storage locations for storing parameters which define each selection area of each basic layout, the parameters for each selection area being the coordinates of an origin and a pair of orthogonal compression coefficients; (c) basic layout selection means for selecting for display any one of the basic layouts on a selection area of the display area, each of the pixels of a selected basic layout being displayed when a basic layout has not been previously displayed and the pixels of a selected basic layout to be displayed within a selection area of a previously selected basic layout being a function of the orthogonal compression coefficients stored in association with the selection area of the previously selected basic layout; (d) basic character selection means for selecting for display any one of the basic characters within one of the selection areas of the basic layout, the display of stored pixels of the selected basic character to be displayed within a selection area of a basic layout being a function of the orthogonal compression coefficients stored in association with the selection area of the basic layout; (e) a current character layout file storage means coupled to the means for storing basic layouts for storing the orthogonal compression coefficients of the selection areas of one or more basic layouts in the order in which the selection areas of selected basic layouts are to have displayed therein either a basic character or another basic layout with the exception of the compression coefficients of the selection area which is currently available to have a basic character or another basic layout displayed therein; (f) a current area compression file storage means coupled to the current character layout file storage means for storing the orthogonal compression coefficients of the currently available selection area, the orthogonal compression coefficients stored in the current area compression file storage means being coupled to the basic character selection means to permit processing by the basic character selection means when a basic character is selected for display in the currently available selection area and being coupled to the basic layout selection means to permit processing by the basic layout selection means when a basic layout is selected for display in the currently available selection area, the selection of either a basic character or a basic layout for display in the currently available selection area causing another pair of orthogonal compression coefficients of another selection area in the current character layout file storage means to be transferred to the current area compression file for storage therein; (g) a current area origin file storage means coupled to the current character layout file storage means for storing the coordinates of the origin of the currently available selection area, the coordinates of the origin in the current area origin file being coupled to the basic character selection means to permit processing by the basic character selection means when a basic character is selected for display in the currently available selection area and being coupled to the basic layout selection means to permit processing by the basic layout selection means when a basic layout is selected for display in the currently available selection area, the selection of either a basic character or a basic layout for display in the currently available selection area causing the coordinates of the origin of another selection area stored in the current character layout file storage means to be transferred to the current area origin file storage means for storage therein; and (h) a display memory coupled to the basic character selection means and the basic layout selection means for storing the pixels of any selected basic layouts and selected basic characters which are to be displayed on the display area.