High-speed search system for image data storage

United States Patent m

Sato

[54] HIGH-SPEED SEARCH SYSTEM FOR IMAGE DATA STORAGE

[75] Inventor: Minora Sato, Yokohama, Japan

[73] Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Kawasaki, Japan

[21] Appl. No.: 528,611

[22] Filed: May 25,1990

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data

May 31, 1989 [JP] Japan 1-138888

May 31, 1989 [JP] Japan 1-138890

May 31, 1989 [JP] Japan 1-138907

[51] Int. CI.* G06F 15/62

[52] U.S. CI 395/146; 395/155;

395/162

[58] Field of Search 395/144, 115-117,

395/164, 166

[56] References Cited

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

4,491,874 1/1985 Yamamoto 358/296

4,931,957 6/1990 Takagi et al 395/164 X

5,018,078 5/1991 Urabe et al 395/164

FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 2219674A 12/1989 United Kingdom .

OTHER PUBLICATIONS Image Filing System Capable of Quick Retrieval, Saito

US005220648A

[li] Patent Number: 5,220,648 [45] Date of Patent: Jun. 15,1993

Inoue; NHK Laboratories, No. 328, Feb. 1986, pp. 1 and 3-i2.

Image/Text Retrieval System On A Lan, M. Sato et al.; IEEE Computer Society Office Automation Symposium Apr. 27-29, 1987, pp.. 200-204.

Primary Examiner—Gary V. Harkcom
Assistant Examiner—Almis Jankus
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Finnegan, Henderson,
Farabow, Garrett & Dunner

[57] ABSTRACT

A high-speed search system for an image data storage system, which comprises a device for storing images, each of the images being identified by search information data and an image number, wherein each image is defined as a numbered page, with the pages constituting a numbered file, and with the files being stored in the storing device, a first control circuit for selecting each of the files which correspond to specified search information data, a device for selecting target images to be searched, a circuit for searching the storing device for the target image selected by the selecting device, a device for displaying the images searched by the searching circuit, a device for designating the manner of presentation of the images by the display device, a second control circuit for selecting from the storing device the image number of the images relevant to the searched image based on the manner designated by the designating device, and a circuit for enabling the display device to display the image represented by the image number selected by the second control circuit.

14 Claims, 15 Drawing Sheets