1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for displaying a received image. The present invention particularly relates to an apparatus for receiving data representative of an image, captured elsewhere, of a real article.
The invention is hereinafter described with reference to it's use in displaying images of documents or cheques. It is to be understood that this is an example and not a limitation to the use of the present invention.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The document processing industry includes processing of cheques, bills, invoices and other paper work relating to buying and selling, shipping and delivery of goods, as well as the normal banking processes. The prior art has shown extensive use of document encoding machines. These are cumbersome, and rely upon the difficult art of moving paper in a controlled manner, and are generally slow and impede the processing of data, from the documents, which is the true purpose of the machine.
The present invention seeks to ameliorate this process by assisting in the processing images of documents rather than the documents themselves. According to a first aspect, the present invention consists in an apparatus for displaying a received image, said apparatus comprising: a main memory for receiving data represented of a succession of images; a display memory for storing data representative of a current image for display; and selection means for selecting a fresh image as the current image; said display memory being coupled to receive data representative of the fresh image from said main memory; said main memory being coupled to receive further data, representative of a an image, to replace that data supplied to said display memory representative of said fresh image.
According to a second aspect, the present invention consists in an apparatus for displaying a received image, said apparatus comprising: a display memory for storing data, representative of a current image for display; and selection means for selecting a fresh image as the current image; said display memory being coupled to receive data, representative of the fresh image; said display memory comprising; a first page for receiving and storing data representative of a first image; a second page for receiving and storing data, representative of a second image; and selection means operative to select said second page to receive and store data when said first page is selected for display and operative to select said first page to receive and store data when said first page is selected for display.
The operator of such an apparatus is required to change the image on the screen from time to time so that images of documents may be examined. In order to speed the display process the present invention order to minimise the amount of actual data required to represent an image, the present invention provides that the data is compressed data, the apparatus comprising a decompressor, operative to decompressed data for storage in the main memory and display.
In order that the succession of images may be updated sufficiently frequently for display in succession, the present apparatus provides that the decompressor is operative to signal when a predetermined amount of data has been decompressed, the main memory, responding to the signal from the decompressor, accepting and storing the predetermined amount of decompressed data.