Image processing system - Patent Review 5018083

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing system comprising:

display means for displaying image information including plural kinds of image information;

first memory means for storing the image information displayed by said display means;

instruction means for generating an instruction for extracting a desired area of the image information;

second memory means for storing the desired area of image information extracted in accordance with the instruction from said instruction means;

third memory means for storing information that indicates the kind of image information stored in said second memory means; and

control means for controlling said display means also to display a symbol selected in accordance with the information stored in said third memory means, whereby the kind of image information stored in said second memory means is indicated by the symbol.

2. An image processing system according to claim 1, wherein said instruction means includes area designating means comprising a pointing device which designates a rectangular area in the image information displayed by said display means.

3. A character processing system according to claim 2, further comprising an additional instruction means for generating an instruction for taking out the image information from said second memory means, and for storing the same in said first memory means such that the image information may be displayed in a desired position, wherein said designating means designates the desired position.

4. A character processing system according to claim 3, wherein said control means controls said display means by recognizing the designating position as a position, of an area of image information which was stored in said second memory, in said first memory.

5. A system according to claim 1, further comprising an additional instruction means for generating an instruction for taking out the image information from said second memory means and for storing the same in said first memory means such that the image information may be displayed in a desired position.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the information stored in said third memory means that indicates the kind of information comprises information for distinguishing letters, pictures and figures from each other.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the instruction for extracting information is generated by designating a pattern on said display means which represents an extraction mode, and wherein said system is set into an extraction mode by this designation.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein said instruction means comprises a pointing device for designating a pattern on said display means which represents an extraction mode or for designating a pattern on said display means which represents an inserting mode and wherein said system is set into the extraction mode or the inserting mode by this designation.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said display means so as to display the symbol along with a title representing the image information stored in said second memory means.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said display means so as to display the symbol in an area distinct from other areas.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said display means so as to give a visual display of the desired area.

12. An image processing system comprising:

output means which can output image information including document information; and

storage means for storing parameters to determine an output style of said image information which is outputted by said output means, wherein the output style of at least a part of said image information is made different for predetermined areas of every image on the basis of the parameters stored in said storage means, and said image information is outputted in different positions for even numbered pages and odd numbered pages, wherein the parameters include at least top and bottom edges, margin, edge and catchword.

13. An image processing system according to claim 12, wherein said output style comprises information indicative of the page number which differs for every page.

14. A system according to claim 5, wherein among the parameters, at least the top edge remains unchanged.

15. A system according to claim 12, wherein said output means comprises display means.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the image output by said display means is in one to one correspondence with the image output by said printing means.

17. A system according to claim 12, wherein the document information includes at least one of a sentence, figure and picture.

18. An image processing system according to claim 12, wherein the catchword is a running head.

19. A system according to claim 12, wherein said output means comprises printing means.

20. An image processing system comprising:

output means which can output on the basis of a first output parameter for image information including document information;

means for setting a scope for information within said information; and

output control means for setting a second output parameter other than said first output parameter for said information within said scope which is set by said setting means, and for performing rule editing and document input editing processes on the information within said set scope on the basis of said second output parameters.

21. An image processing system according to claim 20, wherein the second output parameter includes a horizontal and vertical line number table.

22. A system according to claim 20, wherein said output means comprises display means.

23. A system according to claim 22, wherein said setting means includes a pointing device for designating an end point representing the scope on said display means.

24. A system according to claim 20, wherein said output means is capable of outputting a table comprising a plurality of the scopes set by said setting means.

25. A system according to claim 24, wherein said control means is capable of setting different second output parameters for the respective scopes.

26. A system according to claim 20, wherein said output control means controls said output means so as to display a plurality of grids each positioned at a predetermined distance for setting the scope.

27. An image processing system comprising:

memory means for storing information such that document information and image information can be outputted as a mixed form;

output means for outputting the content of said memory means;

detecting means for detecting a line-end position of character trains contained in the document information;

counting means for counting the line-end position detected by said detecting means; and

control means operative except in the case of image information, for outputting a count value for every predetermined number of said counting means to said output means.

28. An image processing system according to claim 27, wherein said count value is a line number.

29. A system according to claim 27, wherein said control means resets said counting means every time one page of the document information is output.

30. A system according to claim 27, wherein said detecting means detects whether character data exists on a line.

31. A system according to claim 27, wherein said output means outputs the count value at a position adjacent the character trains.

32. A system according to claim 31, wherein the count value is output as a numeral.

33. A system according to claim 27, wherein the predetermined number is 5.

34. A system according to claim 27, wherein in the event that both the document information and the image information exists on the same line, said counting means counts at the line-feed position.

35. An image processing system comprising:

display means for displaying information of the type including document, sentence, and figure image information;

output means for outputting data;

instruction means for generating an instruction for two-sided output; and

control means for controlling said output means in accordance with the instruction from said instruction means in a manner such that in order to edit and display information for print of a front surface and information for print of a back surface in conjunction with each other, the data corresponding to said respective information is dependently processed.

36. An image processing system according to claim 35, wherein said output means outputs said information to both front and back surfaces on the basis of said data.

37. A system according to claim 35, wherein said output means includes a unit for forming a latent image, a unit for transferring the image on a paper and fixing the same, and a unit for executing two-sided copying operations including an intermediate tray.

38. A system according to claim 35, wherein said output means outputs the information for print of a front surface and the information for print of a back surface in conjunction with each other.

39. A system according to claim 35, wherein said output means outputs the information such that data such as page number or catchword on the front surface and on the back surface is shifted toward each other in the left-right direction.

40. A system according to claim 35, wherein said control means comprises means for discriminating whether data for an even numbered page exists subsequent to data for an odd numbered page and controls said output means so as to perform one-sided printing.

41. A system according to claim 35, wherein said control means controls said output means such that the front surface and the back surface have the same binding margin.

42. A character processing system comprising:

input means for inputting character trains;

display means for displaying the input character trains arranged on the basis of format information;

designation means for designating some of the character trains;

instruction means for instructing character trains designated by said designation means to be changed to headline character trains; and

control means for controlling said display means such that in response to an instruction from said instruction means, the headline character trains are displayed and such that the character trains following the headline character trains are rearranged so as to be displayed in accordance with the format information.

43. A character processing system according to claim 42, wherein the format information is of the type including position, size, and character style information, of the headline character trains.

44. A system according to claim 42, wherein said designation means comprises a pointing device for designating said some of the character trains on said display means.

45. A system according to claim 42, wherein said control means controls said display means so as to display the character trains designated by said designation means distinguishably from other character trains.

46. A system according to claim 42, wherein said control means controls said display means so as to display the headline character trains in a size different from that of the character trains.

47. A system according to claim 42, wherein said control means controls said display means so as to display the headline character trains in a character pitch and a size different from the character trains and in response thereto, rearrange other character trains.

48. A system according to claim 42, wherein the headline character trains can be placed across a plurality of columns, and said control means controls said display means so as to rearrange and display the subsequent character trains in response to the position of the headline character trains and the number of columns.

49. A character processing system according to claim 48, wherein the character trains printed by said print means and the character trains displayed by said display means are substantially in one-to-one relation with each other.

50. A character processing system according to claim 42, wherein a plurality of attributes can be set for the headline character trains.

51. A character processing system according to claim 13, wherein said instruction means can also instruct the headline character trains to be one of a big headline and a small headline.

52. A character processing system according to claim 42, further comprising print means for printing the character trains displayed by said display means.

53. A character processing system according to claim 42, wherein the headline character trains can be placed across a plurality of columns.

54. A character processing system according to claims 1, 12, 20, 27, 35 or 42, wherein said system is constituted by a plurality of apparatuses.

55. A character processing system according to claims 1, 12, 20, 27, 35 or 42, wherein said system is constituted by a single apparatus.

Description Submit all comments and votes

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a document editing system which inputs, edits, produces, prints and outputs a document and, more particularly, to an advanced image processing system in which a pleasing style is aligned on the basis of a print type set-up rule and in which different information such as figures, images, tables, graphs, etc. is edited.

The invention also relates to an image processing system which can synthesize document data (including images, graphs, etc.) and perform the type set-up process or the like and having a function to print and output the document data and, more particularly, to an image processing system which can display or print the number of lines for every predetermined lines.

The present invention also relates to an image processing system which can edit document data (including image data or the like) and print and output or display the document data and, more particularly, to an image processing system in which working efficiency is improved in the so-called "cut and paste" work of the data.

Further, the invention relates to an image processing system which inputs and edits document images and, more particularly, to an advanced image processing system in which a pleasing style including headlines, page number, catchwords, etc. is aligned on the basis of a type set-up rule and also different information such as figures, images, tables, graphs, etc. is edited.

Description of the Prior Art

Recently, word processors have become widespread and the work of document inputting works are being mechanized and rationalized; however, the rationalization is limited to the inputting character trains such as in the case of the Katakana-Chinese character conversion, Romaji-Chinese character conversion, or the like. Therefore, an output apparatus having high resolution to print a high-grade document, namely, a document which is beautiful and easy to read is not yet available. In addition, existing output apparatuses do not have performance of what is called a type setup rule in the print field, such as a device for arrangement of characters or the like. Therefore, it is difficult to make a document which exceeds a predetermined print level.

On one hand, in the print field, a great amount of know-how of type set-up depends on the manual work such as arrangement of characters, style of column set-up, and the like which have been accumulated as the knowledge of specialists. Complicated steps are required to make a high-grade document, resulting in high cost. Particularly, the produced document has a problem such that it can be proofread only after it has once been outputted as a form of a galley proof or the like and it is repeatedly corrected, so that an already long procedure is repeated.

For example, when a two-sided output is considered, the arrangement of body, catchwords, page number, and the like is not decided in consideration of symmetry with respect to the front side and back side of a print or recording paper or to the binding margins of both of right and left double spread pages when they are bound. On one hand, type set-up machines which are used in the print field do not automatically perform those processes; therefore, it is necessary to input complicated development (print) position parameters for every page.

In addition, hitherto, there has not been presented an apparatus which adds the line number of a character train, namely, what is called a line counter to a document and outputs the document when a document is inputted, edited, and displayed or printed and outputted.

Although an apparatus having functions to "cut and paste" data has conventionally been presented, it is difficult to discriminate from which data the cut data was taken out because of an i-con of the constant style. With respect to data to be "pasted" (or inserted) as well, it is difficult to discriminate which data should be inserted to obtain a desired data.

For example, in the case where tables, photographs, figures, etc. are laid out in sentences with information processing apparatuses for making a document or the like, it is difficult to make the document since the explanatory sentences, comments, or the like to describe those image data are influenced by the reedition of the sentences when the sentences are reedited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an information processing system in which additional information to be added to information which is inputted from input means is set, and both of the input information and the additional information can be easily handled, in consideration of the above-mentioned points.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an image processing system in which methods of typesetting and its arrangement and its print format based on the print type set-up rule such as definition of format parameters, table work, small work, etc. are displayed on a display, and a method of editing a document with a high response speed can be also realized using a keyboard and a pointing device with respect to an arbitrary area on the display screen or an area which is formed in that area by a frame spacing in consideration of the conventional technologies.

Another object of the invention is to provide an image processing system comprising: output means for printing at least a document or images on a page unit basis; control means for developing the document in accordance with a print type set-up rule by the use of format parameters such as a print format, a column set-up style, and the like which are preliminarily defined to constitute the document which is outputted by the output means; display means for displaying the document whose style was coordinated equivalently to the print output; and editing means for performing document edition such as character input, movement, copy, insertion, deletion, replacement, etc. with regard to the document displayed by the display means by the use of a keyboard and a pointing device, and thereby always reflecting the print state after conversion.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an image processing system having lay-out processing means for frame spacing, inserting, frame movement, frame deletion, cutting, etc. in order to synthesize information such as figures, image tables, graphs, etc. which are different from characters and being capable of displaying and editing document data with a style which is equal to the print output with regard to those synthesized documents.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an image processing system in which the document edition such as character input, movement, copy, insertion, deletion, replacement, etc. with regard to the document on the display, and the command processes regarding the format and type set-up, and the like can be executed by any one of a keyboard and a Mouse.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an image processing system in which when a document is outputted, the line number is added to the document for every predetermined lines and then the document is outputted, in consideration of the above-mentioned points.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an image processing system in which when data which mixedly includes document data and image data is outputted, a line counter is accurately added for every predetermined number of lines without counting the area of the image data.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an image processing system in which a virtual window where the cut data is inserted is provided, and both information indicating from which data the cut data was taken out and information representative of the kind of the cut data are displayed in the virtual window so that these information can be discriminated, in consideration of the above-mentioned points.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method of editing a document at a high response speed whereby methods of typesetting and its arrangement and its print format, etc. based on a type set-up rule such as definition of format parameters, headlines, page numbers, catchwords, etc. are displayed on a display and a document is edited at a high response speed using a keyboard and a pointing device and, more particularly, to provide an image processing system which can extremely efficiently print headlines, catchwords, page numbers, etc. in accordance with a format and right and left pages, in consideration of the conventional technologies.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an image processing system in which format definition is adopted and the output of the style which is unified throughout the whole documents can be obtained by once inputting the format definition parameter, and the style of the whole documents can be easily changed by changing only the document definition.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an image processing system comprising: output means for outputting a document or images; control means for developing the document images in accordance with a type set-up rule by the use of format parameters such as print format, column set-up style, and the like which are preliminarily defined in order to constitute the document which is outputted by the output means; display means for displaying the document whose style was coordinated equivalently to the above-mentioned output; and editing means for performing the document edition such as character image input, movement, copy, insertion, deletion, replacement, etc. with regard to the document displayed by the display means by the use of a keyboard and a pointing device, and thereby always reflecting the print state after conversion.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an image processing system in which the document and image edition such as character input, movement, copy, insertion, deletion, replacement, etc. with respect to document images on the display, and the command processes regarding format and type set-up, and the like can be also executed by any one of a keyboard and a Mouse.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1-1 is an external connection diagram of an image processing system to which the present invention is applied;

FIG. 1-2 is a block diagram showing an image editing apparatus;

FIG. 1-3 is a diagram showing a simple memory map in a PMEM;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a part of data which is stored in a disk device H8;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of format data which is stored in a format file 10 shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of terminology regarding a format;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for registration of a format;

FIGS. 6-1 thru 6-4 are a diagram showing a flow of display in inputting a column style;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of menu display of a format;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for correction of a part of the registered format file;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for formatting a document;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for change of a part of a format of a document;

FIGS. 11a-c are a control flowchart including document process and type set-up process in an image processing system;

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of display of document data and an editing menu;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the table work (small work);

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a menu in the rule edition;

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a grid;

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of the attribute edition;

FIGS. 17A-B are an explanatory diagram of cells;

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of the input edition;

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of a table work table;

FIGS. 20A-B are a control flowchart for a document process and a type set-up process;

FIGS. 21A to 21D are diagrams showing examples of document display to which line numbers were added;

FIGS. 22A-B are a control flowchart for a line count;

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of display after execution of cutting and inserting works;

FIG. 24 is a diagram, showing data storage areas for cutting and inserting;

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a clipboard control table;

FIGS. 26A and 26B are diagrams showing control procedures for cutting and inserting;

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the form of the cut data;

FIG. 28-1 is a diagram showing the state in that the sentence code data including no format command is stored in a memory;

FIG. 28-2 is a diagram showing an image display example of the information developed to the bit image data;

FIG. 28-3 is a diagram showing the state of designation of a scope on a display screen;

FIG. 28-4 is a diagram showing the data with respect to a type set-up process in a PMEM;

FIG. 28-5 is a diagram showing the state in that the sentence code data including format commands is stored in a memory;

FIG. 28-6 is a diagram showing the state in that an image was actually outputted on a display screen on the basis of format commands due to a type set-up process;

FIGS. 29-1A-B is a flowchart for a type set-up process including headlines, page numbers and catchwords;

FIG. 29-2 is a diagram showing a memory map in a PMEM;

FIG. 29-3 is a flowchart for page numbers output;

FIG. 29-4 is a flowchart for catchword output;

FIG. 29-5 is an explanatory diagram of a two-sided output form;

FIG. 29-6 is a diagram showing an example of a flag train;

FIG. 29-7 is a flowchart for two-sided output;

FIG. 30-1 is a diagram showing an example of a two-sided printer;

FIG. 31 is an explanatory diagram of a flag train of headline definition;

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing the relation among the headlines and the definition items;

FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing a headline process;

FIG. 34A-B are a diagram showing an example of execution of column alignment;

FIGS. 35 and 36 are diagrams for explaining the details of a PMEM;

FIG. 37-1 is a diagram showing a display screen for explaining the present invention;

FIG. 37-2 is a flowchart for explaining the invention;

FIG. 37-3 is a diagram showing a display screen for explaining the invention;

FIG. 37-4 is a diagram showing the display screen for explaining the invention;

FIG. 37-5 is a flowchart for explaining the invention;

FIG. 37-6 is a diagram for explaining a variable magnification of a frame; and

FIG. 37-7 is a flowchart for explaining the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be described in detail hereinbelow with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1-1 is an external connection diagram of an image processing system to which the present invention is applied. The invention is not limited to this system but can be obviously applied to a sole equipment or a system a part of which was changed. In FIG. 1-1, a control section (called a work station) 31 is depicted having: a microcomputer to control a system; an internal memory consisting of a RAM, a ROM, and the like; and an external memory consisting of a floppy disk, a cartridge disk, or the like. An original reader 32 serves as an input section of a digital copying machine. This reader reads document information of an original placed on an original plate and converts it to an electrical signal by an image pickup device such as a CCD or the like. A high speed printer 33 serves as an output section of the digital copying machine. This printer is a laser beam printer or the like which records an image on a recording medium on the basis of the information converted to the electrical signal. An image file 34 has a storage medium such as a photo disk, a photo magnetic disk, or the like. A great amount of image information can be written into or read out from the image file 34. A microfilm file 35 is provided with a microfilm search section and a microfilm reader section to convert the searched image information in microfilm to an electrical signal by an image pickup device. A soft display 36 of a high resolution has a photosensitive belt which is constituted by forming a photoconductive layer on a transparent band-like conductive substrate. The soft display 36 irradiates a laser beam modulated in accordance with an input image signal onto the photoconductive layer through the substrate to form an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the light and dark of the image light on the photoconductive layer, and develops this latent image by a toner (developer) having conductivity and magnetism which was held on a toner carrier, thereby forming a display image. A printing device 37 is a laser beam printer or the like similar to the printer 33; however, it is a small-sized and low-speed printer as compared with the printer 33 and is installed as necessary. A CRT display device 38 displays the image information which was photoelectrically read by the digital copying machine and the input scanner (reader) of the microfilm file, or control information or the like of the system. The CRT 38 serves as a display section to perform document and image processes of the present invention. A change-over device 39 changes over the connection of the respective input/output apparatuses on the basis of signals from the control section 31. Those input/output apparatuses are electrically connected by cables 40 to 48. A keyboard 50 is provided for the control section 31. Operation instructions or the like of the system are inputted by operating the keyboard 50. A pointing device 61 processes and indicates image information on the CRT 38 by selecting a command image in a command menu by arbitrarily moving a cursor on the CRT 38 in the X and Y directions. The operation of the digital copying machine is instructed by an operation panel 51. This panel has keys to set a copy quantity, copy magnification, and the like, a copy key 55 to indicate the start of copy, a numeral value display, etc. A mode change-over switch 52 is used to determine which one of the copying machine and the control section takes the initiative in actuation of the digital copying machine. Display devices 53 and 54 consist of light emitting diodes (LED) to display the mode selection state of the mode change-over switch 52.

This system further has a communication controller and lines for a network to connect external devices.

FIG. 1-2 is a block diagram of an image editing apparatus. In this invention, the image edition also includes the document edition. The same devices and components as those shown in FIG. 1-1 are designated by the same reference numerals. A VRAM H4 develops on a bit map the data to be displayed in the display section 38. For example, in the case of character data, the characters corresponding to its code are developed in the VRAM and they can be displayed by directly generating a cursor in the display area of the VRAM due to software control. In this embodiment, the memory capacity of the VRAM H4 is 512 kbytes. A communication interface 202, a transceiver cable 205, a transceiver 203, and a network cable 204 are also provided. The foregoing system is connected to the external devices through a network.

[Bit Manipulation unit]

H5 denotes a BMU (Bit Manipulation Unit) to transfer data on a work unit basis among the input/ output apparatuses such as the video RAM H4, a main memory, devices (H7, H8, H9) such as disks or the like, printer, and the like without passing through an MPU. Further, the BMU H5 has a function capable of executing the following sixteen kinds of logic operations. Assuming that the side from which data is transferred is A (source side) and the side to which the data is transferred is B (destination side), for example, there are the logic operations such as A0 (inversion), AB , A+B, Logic 1 (an image area is completely formed as a black image), A+B, B, A+B, A+B, A B, A+B, B, A+B, Logic 0, A B, A B, A, etc.

The BMU further has a function of a DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller) and is provided with a device mode with ACK in the case where the synchronization is necessary (for example, it is not the case of data transfer between memories).

Moreover, the BMU has functions such as rotation of figure, variable magnification, and the like. In the XY conversion, it is possible to perform five kinds of conversions (rotation by 90.degree., rotation by 180.degree., rotation by 270.degree., X symmetry, Y symmetry). There are four kinds of conversion sizes (16.times.16, 32.times.32, 48.times.48, 64.times.64).

The variable magnification function will now be described. In addition to a function to simply enlarge or reduce, it is possible to carry out enlargement in fifteen steps of 2/1, 3/2, . . . , and 16/15 and to carry out reduction in fifteen steps of 1/2, 2/3, . . . , 15/16. On one hand, a magnification can be independently designated in the vertical and horizontal directions. In the case of reduction, a character (binary image) is reduced by simply thinning out and a photograph (dither image) is reduced by thinning out on a box unit basis of 4.times.4.

In FIG. 1-2, H7, H8, and H9 denote the disks to file data. For example, H8 is a hard disk 7HD, H7 is a floppy disk (FD) of five inches and has a memory capacity of 640 Kbytes, and H9 is a floppy disk of eight inches and has a memory capacity of 7 Mbytes.

[Microprocessor Unit]

H6 denotes an MPU (Microprocessor unit) which uses, for example, 68000 made by Motorola Semiconductor Co., Ltd. as a CPU. The MPU H6 also has an HD/FD - IF (interface) and controls the disks H7, H8, H9, and the accesses and the like of a PMEM and an IMEM which will be described hereinafter.

In FIG. 1-2, H10 and H13 are printers of different pixel densities, and H12 is a reader to read an original. H11 and H14 are interfaces which are provided in correspondence to the printer H10, and the printer H13 and reader H12, respectively.

[Program Memory and Image Memory]

H15 and H16 are program memories (PMEM) having memory capacities of, e.g., 1 Mbytes or 1.5 Mbytes as optional capacities. The PMEM is called a main memory and appropriately selects a program for an editing process from the hard disk H8 and transfers to the PMEM and executes this program. The data inputted from the keyboard 50 is stored as code information into the main memory also serving as a text memory. The data stored in the main memory, the data stored on the disk, and the data read out from the reader can be developed as bit data in an image memory IMEM. Although the data stored in the PMEM can be also similarly processed, it can be subjected to the above-mentioned DMAC, XY conversion, variable magnification, etc. through the foregoing BMU. A simple memory map in the PMEM and H15 or H16 is shown in FIG. 1-3. P-1 denotes a document data sentence section in which sentence data is stored as code information. P-2 is a document data format section in which kinds of characters of, for example, body, headlines, catchwords, etc., the line pitch, and the character pitch are included as data. P-3 is a line information table which is used to perform the positioning in the memory and on the display. Data (x11, x12, x13, . . . , y) are stored in the table P-3, for example, on a line unit basis.

The line information table P-3, document data format section P-2, and document data sentence section P-1 together have a line count register LCNT, a character pointer ADR, and a character count register NCNT as line counter work areas.

The character codes to be displayed are sequentially stored in the section P-1 and the line-feed codes and paging codes mixedly exist among those character codes. The display positions or developing positions in the VRAM H4 of characters are respectively stored in the table P-3.

Therefore, the line-feed or paging can be discriminated by the section P-1 and table P-3.

Namely, when the section P-1 is developed in the VRAM H4 and developed on the CRT 38, characters are developed one by one by reference to the table P-3. If the line-feed code exists, the line is fed at this time. Even if no line-feed code appears, the line is fed after completion of the development of characters as many as the number of characters of one line in the line information table P-3 with respect to one line. The next characters are then developed in the next line.

On one hand, information indicating how to develop information in the document such as images, figures, or the like which have no line data content is also stored in the document data format section P-2. P-3 may be included in P-2.

Description will now be made with respect to the function relative to the formats such as a print style, column style, and the like which are prepared and the access to the sentence in the document editing apparatus of the invention in the system constituted as described above. The following functions regarding the formats are presented.

(1) Registration of formats.

(2) Correction of a part of the registered formats.

(3) Setting of formats to documents.

(4) Correction of a part of the formats of the documents.

Prior to describing the above items (1) to (4), the format data will be first explained. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a part of data which is stored in the disk device 48 shown in FIG. 1-1. A format file table 9 is used to determine which file is selected from format files 10. A sentence section 12 in which the document data is actually stored and a format section 13 in which the formats corresponding to the sentences are stored are provided in document files 11. A document file table 14 is used to determine which sentence or format is selected from the document files 11.

The format data to be stored into the format files 10 shown in FIG. 2 will now be described. This data is not needed to be stored into the files but may be stored into the IMEM or PMEM as shown in FIG. 1-3. In the format definition, the following three recording sections are used.

<a> Format definition header recording section.

<b> One body definition recording section.

<c> A plurality of peripheral definition recording sections.

<a> manages the number of format definitions and its detailed description is omitted. <c> defines the page number (page number), catchwords (headlines out of columns), and the like and its detailed description is omitted in this specification. <b> defines the body and has definitions of bodies and columns and is constituted as shown in, e.g., FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of parameters (terminology) regarding a format. The positions of the print face which are displayed on the display section 38 such as a CRT or the like shown in FIG. 1-1 are shown in FIG. 4. These positions correspond to the positions in