Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Chihiro Kawahara

Kiyokazu Yamanaka

Kazuo Okamura

Masahiro Oashi

Junichi Hirai

Yuki Kusumi

Masahiro Kawai

Hisayuki Kino

Norio Sanada

Ryoichi Sasaki

Hidekazu Tanigawa

Yasuyuki Shintani

Reiko Ueno

Seizo Tsuji

Hidekaau Tanigawa

One routing device which connects plural networks on which a plurality of other routing devices, including a parent router, are connected. The parent router manages network identification data to identify the plural networks. Master router data is included for each corresponding other routing device. Master router data includes master router identification data identifying whether the corresponding other routing device is a 'master router' located on a path to the parent router or a 'slave router' which is a routing device other than the master router, and includes network identification data identifying a network to which the corresponding other routing device connects. Upon startup of the one routing device, the master router data is acquired from the other routing devices on the networks to which the one routing device connects. It is determined whether a router function of the one routing device is enabled based on the acquired master router data.

Routing device for connecting multiple physically discrete networks into a single system and startup method thereof

A CD-ROMfor recording multi-media information of at least one page stream. Contents of each page stream are successively recorded in the storage areas in the CD-ROMThe following three items are shown by the page stream: a partial image list having at least one pair of partial image data which describes partial images of one screen image and display state information including X-Y coordinates, X-Y enlargement rates and a rotational angle showing the display state; control information which describes command to be executed corresponding to an input signal; time line information which describes parameters concerning time sequence processing to be executed corresponding to the control information. The display data creation unitsynthesizes partial images shown by the partial image list and creates display data from the partial image data and display state information in the page stream read from the CD-ROMand writes the display data in the display data storage unit

Multi-media information record device, and a multi-media information playback device

A focus control device that positions a focus on one of a plurality of graphical user interface (GUI) components displayed on a screen includes request receiving means for receiving a request to move the focus, focus permission information storing means for storing focus permission information indicating, for each GUI component, whether the focus can be positioned on the GUI component, and focus moving means for moving the focus in response to the received request to a GUI component where, according to the focus permission information, the focus can be positioned, the focus moving means skipping over GUI components where the focus cannot be positioned.

Focus control device that moves a focus in a GUI screen

A layout unit refers to a plurality of menu items stored in a menu item information storage unit by a menu item information obtaining unit. The following processes are performed as necessary to display a large number of menu items in a predetermined part of a GUI screen. A character size reducing unit reduces the size of characters used to display menu items. A margin reducing unit determines the layout of menu items so as to reduce the margins in menu items. An abbreviating unit replaces certain character strings in menu items with shorter character strings. In this way, the layout unit determines the layout of menu items. A menu control unit then has the menu items displayed in accordance with the layout determined by the layout unit.

Graphical user interface apparatus with improved layout of menu items

A data conversion apparatus is provided for reading a document for a display screen and generating a display image for another display screen which has a different aspect ratio from the former display screen, where the document is composed of control statements written along with character strings or image information. The data conversion apparatus obtains the document from an external unit and converts the character strings and the image information in the document into display image elements based on conversion information. The data conversion apparatus judges whether a storage includes a blank for storing the display image elements at an appropriate position based on the conversion information. The data conversion apparatus writes the display image elements into the blank if it judges that the storing unit includes the blank; the data conversion apparatus assigns a new storage area in the storage and writes the display image elements into the new storage area if it judges that the storing unit does not include the blank.

Data conversion apparatus for reading a document for a display screen

A data conversion apparatus is provided as a data transmitting apparatus in a data communication system which achieves pseudo interactive communications by using one-way communications between the data transmitting apparatus and a plurality of data receiving apparatuses. The data conversion apparatus converts documents stored inside into images to be displayed on the screen, such as a TV screen. In doing so, if the document includes character strings or image information as link destination information which specifies another document as a link destination, the data conversion apparatus adds a supplementary design into the image of the link destination information for the viewer to recognize such information.

Data conversion apparatus for data communication system

A CD-ROM 201 for recording multi-media information of at least one page stream. Contents of each page stream are successively recorded in the storage areas in the CD-ROM 201. The following three items are shown by the page stream: a partial image list having at least one pair of partial image data which describes partial images of one screen image and display state information including X-Y coordinates, X-Y enlargement rates and a rotational angle showing the display state; control information which describes command to be executed corresponding to an input signal; time line information which describes parameters concerning time sequence processing to be executed corresponding to the control information. The display data creation unit 213 synthesizes partial images shown by the partial image list and creates display data from the partial image data and display state information in the page stream read from the CD-ROM 201, and writes the display data in the display data storage unit 209.

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Kadoma, Japan

Chihiro Kawahara