JPH03186843A - Layout device for kind of flyer and catalog - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a leaflet/catalog layout device, particularly a leaflet/catalog layout device that performs layout work interactively while looking at a display screen.
This invention relates to a catalog sorting device.

[Conventional technology]

In printed materials such as flyers and catalogs, it is necessary to skillfully allocate photographs, character strings, or desired figures for a large number of products onto a single printed material.

Recently, layout devices have been used that can perform such layout work using a computer. In this type of device, photographs and character strings for each product are input into a computer as digital data. Then, an image based on these data can be displayed on the display screen to perform layout work. The operator is
While looking at the display screen, you can specify where to place a photo or text about a specific product, and you can change the magnification and tilt as necessary.

Further, regarding graphics, by inputting a predetermined instruction, a desired graphic can be created at a desired layout position on the display screen.

The layout results obtained in this way are retained in the form of data stored in the computer's memory, so it is easy to modify the layout, and the operator can perform the layout work interactively with the computer. can proceed.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, the conventional layout device has a problem in that inputting a figure made up of lines with width is complicated. Generally, a graphic is stored in a memory divided into line information and width information regarding the line. In other words, a figure surrounded by a wide outline is displayed on the display screen, but information about the center line of this outline and information about the width are stored separately in memory. Become. Therefore, in the conventional apparatus, a figure is input by specifying the center line and the width of the contour line composing the figure.

However, if the designer who designed the layout of a flyer or catalog specifies the inner dimensions or outer dimensions of a figure, it is no longer possible to input them as is. For this reason, in the past, operators had to manually correct and input dimensions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a layout device for leaflets and catalogs that can easily input figures composed of lines with width.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention includes a product data input device for inputting product data regarding products to be published in flyers and catalogs, an allocation instruction input device for inputting allocation instructions from an operator, and a method for inputting product data based on the input allocation instructions. An allocation work device that performs allocation work, a storage device that stores the results of this allocation work, an allocation result output device that outputs the results of this allocation work, and a display device that displays the work progress of this allocation work on a screen. A layout device for leaflets and catalogs, comprising: a graphic data input device for inputting graphic data regarding a graphic composed of a contour line having a width, dividing it into line information and width information regarding the line; A mode specifying device that specifies whether the line information indicates the center of the figure's outline or the boundary of the figure's outline, and a mode specifying device that specifies the boundary. When,
The apparatus further includes a graphic data conversion device that converts line information into information indicating the center and stores the information in a storage device.

[For production]

In the flyer/catalog layout device according to the present invention, the mode specifying device allows selection between a mode indicating the center and a mode indicating the boundary. When the mode indicating the center is selected, the input line information is stored in the storage device as indicating the center of the outline of the figure, as in the conventional device. On the other hand, when the mode indicating the boundary is selected, the input line information is converted by the graphic data converting device into information indicating the center and then stored in the storage device. Therefore, by inputting a figure in the mode that indicates the boundary, the operator can input the inner dimensions and outer dimensions of the figure, making input easier.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be described below based on illustrated embodiments.

Basic Structure of the Apparatus FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic structure of the leaflet/catalog layout apparatus of the present invention. The product data input device 1 is a device for inputting product data regarding products to be published in flyers and catalogs.

Here, the product data is data such as a photo of the product, a character string indicating the product name, price, etc. Specifically, in this embodiment, an input scanner device is used as a device for inputting photos of products, and a word processor is used as a device for inputting character strings. In the case of a photograph, it is input as image raster data, and in the case of a character string, it is input as a character code (including series and font code). The layout instruction input device 2 is a device for inputting layout instructions from an operator, and can use a device such as a keyboard or a mouse. The layout work device 3 is a device that performs layout work on input product data based on the input layout instructions, and is specifically realized by hardware that constitutes a computer body and software that operates this. The final result of the allocation work is output from the allocation result output device 4, and the progress of the work is sequentially displayed on the screen on the display device 5. As the layout result output device 4, an output scanner device, a printer, or the like is used. Normally, after the operator completes the allocation work, he or she will give an output instruction to the allocation result output device 4. On the other hand, the display device 5 has a function of always displaying the current (=I) state.

Therefore, when an operator inputs a layout instruction from the layout instruction input device 2 and the layout work device 3 performs work to allocate predetermined product data to a predetermined position according to this instruction, the result is immediately displayed on the display device 5. Ru. Since the operator can confirm the layout results based on the instructions given by the operator on the display device 5, the operator can carry out the layout work in an interactive manner. A storage device 6 is also connected to the layout work device 3 .

This storage device 6 is a memory used in a computer constituting the layout work device 3, and stores the results of the layout work as data.

The features of this device further include a graphic data input device 7, a mode designation device 8, a graphic data conversion device 9, and a designated point input device 1.
01 Designated Point Conversion Device] It is located at the point where 1 is provided. Specifically, each of these devices can be realized by directly using the computer used as the layout work device 3 and its input device, and by preparing dedicated software for each. Note that the functions of each of these devices will be described in detail below.

Figure Input Work Next, the figure input work that is a feature of the present invention will be explained. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a layout screen displayed on the display device 5. As shown in FIG.

In this example, a photo 11 of a product and a description 12 of the product are allocated within a rectangle 10. Here, the photograph 11 and the explanatory text 12 are input from the product data input device 1 and allocated to this position based on an operator's instruction given from the allocation instruction input device 2. A rectangle 10 is a figure input by the input operation of the present invention. This rectangle 10 is actually composed of a contour line with width. In this example, the rectangle 10 is used as an allocation frame for the photo 11 and explanatory text 12, but in flyers and catalogs, figures expressed with wide outlines are used for various purposes. It is often assigned as Such graphic layout is performed by the graphic data input device 7, mode designation device 8, and graphic data conversion device 9.

Before explaining the actual figure layout work, it will be explained what kind of data the allocated figures are stored in the storage device 6. FIG. 3 shows a rectangle 20 expressed by an outline having a width W. In FIG. Here, for convenience of explanation, the width W is shown as a fairly large value. Here, the center line 21 of the contour line having this width is shown by a chain line. Now, there is an outer boundary line 2 outside this center line 21.
0 2 and an inner boundary line 23 on the inside, this rectangle 20 is expressed by a contour line with a width W formed in the area between the outer boundary line 22 and the inner boundary line 23. become. Data of such a rectangle 20 is stored in the storage device 6 at four vertices P1 . P2. P3. P
It is stored in the format of the coordinate value of 4 and the value of the width W.

If such a format is adopted, the amount of data will be extremely small and it will be efficient. Generally, graphic data of a polygon is stored in the form of coordinate values of each vertex of the polygon and line width values. In addition, the shape data of a circle is stored in the form of the coordinate value of the center point, the radius value, and the line width value, and the shape data of an ellipse is stored in the format of the coordinate value of the center point, the length of the major axis, and the length of the minor axis. , and is stored in the form of a line width value. In any case, a contour figure with a width is expressed by data defining the center line of the contour of the figure and line width data. When the layout work device 3 outputs this figure to the layout result output device 4 or the display device 5, it reads data defining the center line and line width data from the storage device 6, and reads the data from these pigs. It actually produces and outputs a contour figure with width.

Now, in order to input a figure such as the rectangle 20, the operator inputs line information and width information regarding this line into the figure data input device 7. The feature of this device is that inputted line information is transferred to the center line 21, outer boundary line 22, and
It is possible to treat this information as any information on the inner boundary line 23.

In the conventional device, input line information is always treated as center line 21 information. The mode specifying device 8 specifies which information the input line information should be treated as. The mode specifying device 8 is provided with three modes: center line mode, outer boundary line mode, and inner boundary line mode, and the operator specifies one of these modes.

When inputting the rectangle 20 shown in FIG. 3, the operator may perform the following operations in each mode.

(1) When the centerline mode is specified, rectangular data consisting of the centerline 21 or 2 and the value of the width W are input into the graphic data input device 7. For rectangular data, for example, the coordinate values of four vertices (PI to P4) may be specified, or the coordinate values of one vertex and the length of a side (for example, length L2 for the top and bottom sides) may be specified. good.

(2) When the outer boundary line mode is specified, rectangular data consisting of the outer boundary line 22 and the value of the width W are input into the graphic data input device 7.

For example, the rectangle data may specify the coordinate values of four vertices of the outer boundary line 22, or may specify the coordinate values of one vertex and the length of a side (for example, the length L3 for the top and bottom sides). good.

(3) When the inner boundary line mode is designated, the rectangular data consisting of the inner boundary line 23 and the value of the width W are input into the graphic data input device 7.

For example, the rectangle data may specify the coordinate values of four vertices of the inner boundary line 23, or may specify the coordinate values of one vertex and the length of a side (for example, the length Ll for the top and bottom sides). good.

No matter which input operation (1), (2), or (3) above is performed, the graphic data input into the storage device 6 will be
Both are the same data. That is, the coordinate values and width value W of the four vertices P1 to P4 of the center line are stored in the storage device 6. Therefore, when input is performed in the center line mode (1), the input data may be stored in the storage device 6 as is. However, (2)
, If input is made in each boundary line mode of (a),
After converting the input data into data regarding the center line, it is necessary to store it in the storage device 6. The graphic data conversion device 9 is a device that performs this conversion work. That is, when the center line mode is specified by the mode specifying device 8, the graphic data (line information and width information) input to the graphic data input device 7 is provided as is to the storage device 6; If specified, it is converted and then given to the storage device 6. The conversion work is as follows.

For example, assume that the data of a line indicating a rectangle 30 as shown in FIG. 4 is given by the coordinate values of four vertices R1 to R4, and the width value W is given by a numerical value.

At this time, if the inner boundary line mode is specified, the graphic data conversion device 9 converts the rectangle 31 located outside the rectangle 30 at a distance of W/straddle, as shown in FIG. Find the coordinate values of the four vertices R1 to R4 of the rectangle 30,
The coordinate values of the four vertices P1 to P4 of the rectangle 31 may be converted and stored in the storage device 6. On the other hand, when the outer boundary line mode is specified, the graphic data conversion device 9 calculates a rectangle 32 located inside the rectangle 30 at a distance of W/straddle, as shown in FIG. , the coordinate values of the four vertices R1 to R4 of the rectangle 30 may be converted to the coordinate values of the four vertices P1 to P4 of the rectangle 32 and stored in the storage device 6. −
As a counterargument, the conversion of any polygon can be performed as follows.

Given an arbitrary polygon 40 as shown in FIG.
If this is the inner boundary line mode, draw parallel lines on the outside of the polygon 40 at a distance of W/2 on each side of the polygon 40, find the coordinate values of the intersections of these parallel lines, and store it. All you have to do is store it in device 6. In the case of the outer boundary line mode, similar parallel lines may be drawn inside the polygon 40.

If a circle 50 as shown in FIG. 8 is input, the data conversion task is easier. In the case of a circle of 50, the center point O
Since the input is in the form of the coordinate value of plus 5 yen
1, and if the outer boundary line mode is specified, as shown in Figure 10,
What is necessary is to subtract W/2 from the radius value r and convert it into data regarding the circle 52. Also, an ellipse 60 as shown in FIG.
is input, the data is input in the form of the coordinate value of the center point O, the length of the long sleeve a, and the length of the short axis. It is sufficient to convert the data to data regarding the ellipse 61, which is obtained by adding W/2 to the lengths of both axes. Furthermore, if the outer boundary line mode is specified, the data may be converted to data regarding an ellipse (not shown) obtained by subtracting W/2 from the length of both wheels.

As mentioned above, in the figure input work using this device, the input of a figure consisting of a wide outline can be specified by the inner dimension of the figure, or by the outer dimension. Of course, it is also possible to specify the size of the center line as in the conventional device.

Therefore, input can be made in a manner that is most convenient for the operator.

Point specification work Next, the work of specifying points unique to this apparatus will be explained.

The point designation work described here means that the operator moves a cursor on the screen using an input device such as a mouse while looking at the display device 5, and selects a point on the outline of the figure displayed on the screen. This is the task of specifying the As mentioned above, the work of allocating leaflets and catalogs is carried out in an interactive manner with the computer, so the operator often has to specify a point on the screen while looking at the display screen of the display device 5. be exposed. In particular, when assigning another layout object to a predetermined position based on a figure laid out on the screen, a point on the outline of this figure is often specified as the reference point. For example, in FIG. 2, if you want to allocate some sort of layout object to a position separated by a predetermined distance on the left side of rectangle 10, specify point Q on the outline of rectangle 10, and use this point Q as the reference point. It is common to specify the layout position.

However, it is difficult for the operator to accurately specify a point on the outline of the rectangle 10 on the display screen of the display device 5 using an input device such as a mouse. In particular, when the display device 5 is displayed in a reduced size, the pixels on the display screen are thinned out, so it is theoretically impossible to specify an accurate position on the screen. Therefore, in a normal allocation device, conversion is performed to correct input errors. In other words, in FIG. 2, even if the operator specifies a point S instead of an accurate point Q on the outline of the rectangle 10, there is no function to convert the point S into a point Q and recognize it. ing. That is, the point Q on the outline of the rectangle 180, which is closest to the point S actually input by the operator, is calculated.

The outline of an actual figure is a line with width, as described above. Therefore, in reality, the rectangle 20 is composed of an outline having a width W, as shown in FIG.

In this case, the exact point on the contour line is
This is a point QO on the center line 21. In other words, when the operator actually inputs a point S, since only data related to this center line 21 is stored in the storage device, in the conventional device, this point S is inputted to the nearest point QO on the center line 2]. It will be converted and recognized. In other words, with the conventional device, it is not possible to specify the point Q1 on the outer boundary line 22 or the point Q2 on the inner boundary line 23. this is,
This becomes a major obstacle in specifying accurate positions that also take line width into account.

This device includes a mode designation device 8, a designated point input device 10,
And the specified point conversion device 11 allows points on any line to be specified accurately.

That is, by using the mode specifying device, if the center line mode is specified, the point QO on the center line 21 can be specified, if the outer contour line mode is specified, the point Q1 on the outer contour line 22 can be specified, and if the inner contour line mode is specified, the point Q1 on the outer contour line 22 can be specified. By specifying , the point Q2 on the inner contour line 23 can be specified. The specified point input device 10 is a device for inputting actual specified points from the operator, and the coordinate values of the points input here are converted by the specified point conversion device 11, and the converted coordinate values are used as allocation instruction inputs. device 3. This conversion work is performed with reference to the graphic data stored in the storage device 6, and the content of the work differs depending on the mode designated by the mode designation device 8. The conversion work when the centerline mode is specified is similar to the work in conventional devices.

For example, in the case of the example shown in FIG.
Since the data (coordinate values of the four vertices P1 to P4) are stored, if the operator performs a calculation to find the closest point QO on the center line 21 for the specified point S input into the specified point input device 10, good. The feature of this device is that when the outer contour line mode or inner contour line mode is specified,
It has the ability to perform new conversion tasks.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of this new conversion work. First, in step S1, there are many figures in the vicinity of the specified point S input by the operator into the specified point input device 10 (that is, a target figure for which the operator intended to specify one point on the outline of the figure). It is determined whether the shape is square or not.

This can be easily determined by referring to the graphic pigs stored in the storage device 6. Here, if it is a polygon, in step S2, the radius r from the designated point S is
A point P within the range is searched. Here, the radius r is a predetermined constant, and is set in advance in consideration of the operability of the work. Further, the point P is a point stored in the storage device 6 as a vertex of a polygon. For example, 5 as shown in Figure 13.
If we consider the case where the target figure is a rectangle and the specified point S is taken at the position shown in the figure, it is understood that there is a point P4 within radius r. As mentioned above, the storage device 6 stores only the coordinate values and the line width W of the points P1 to P5 shown in FIG. Although the center line can be directly recognized, the boundary line shown by the solid line cannot be directly recognized as it is. Since point P4 has been searched, an affirmative determination is made in step S3. This is a case where the designated point S is in the vicinity of one of the vertices of the polygon (distance within radius r), and it is recognized that the operator's intention is to designate the vertex of the polygon.

Therefore, in step S4, parallel lines c and d are drawn, respectively, to the two center lines a and b passing through point P4. Here, the position where the parallel line is drawn differs depending on the designation by the mode designation device 8. That is, if it is in the outer boundary line mode, parallel lines are drawn outside the target figure (parallel lines c and d in Figure 13), and if it is in the inner boundary line mode, parallel lines are drawn inside the target figure. . Also, parallel lines are W from the center line.
They are drawn at a distance of /2 (W is the line width value of this target figure stored in the storage device 6). and step S
5, the coordinate values of the intersection Q of the two parallel lines c and d are calculated, and in step S6, the coordinates of the intersection Q of the two parallel lines c and d are calculated.
or the specified point after conversion.

2 Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 13, when the operator specifies the outer boundary line mode and inputs the specified point S, the specified point is converted to Q. Conversely, when an operator wants to specify point Q, if the input operation is performed in the outer boundary line mode, point Q can be specified accurately as intended even if the actual specified point S position is slightly off. That will happen. Note that when trying to designate point Q', the input work can be performed in the inner boundary line mode, and when trying to designate the point P4, the input work can be performed in the center line mode.

On the other hand, if point P is not searched in step S3, the following will occur. In this case, as shown in Figure 14, the designated point S is not near the vertex of the polygon, and it is recognized that the operator's intention is to designate one point on the side of the polygon. It turns out. So step S
7, a line d parallel to the center line S closest to point S
pull.

Similar to step S4, parallel lines are drawn at a distance of W/2 from the center line, either inward or outward, depending on the mode. Then, as shown in FIG. 15 (partially enlarged view of FIG. 14), in step S8, the closest point T of the designated point S is taken on the center line (this is done by dropping a perpendicular line from the point S to the line). Then, draw a perpendicular line from this point T to the parallel line d, and make that foot point Q. Finally, in step S6, this point Q becomes the specified point after conversion. Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 15, when the operator specifies the outer boundary line mode and inputs the specified point S, the specified point is converted to Q. Conversely, when the operator attempts to specify point Q,
If you perform input work in the outer boundary line mode, the actual specified point S
Even if the position of Q is slightly shifted, the point Q will be specified accurately as intended.

In step S1, if the target figure is not a polygon, no vertex is specified, so steps S7 and S8 can be performed immediately. For example, as shown in Fig. 16, when the center line e of a circle is defined by the coordinate values and radius value of the center point O, if the operator inputs the specified point S in the outer boundary line mode. do. Then, in step S7, a parallel line f is drawn outside the center line e by a distance W/
is drawn, and in step S8, a point S is drawn on the center line e'2.
The closest point T is taken, and a perpendicular line is drawn from point T to the parallel line f, and its foot becomes point Q. In this way, designated point S is converted to point Q.

Other Embodiments Although the present invention has been described above based on an illustrative embodiment,
The present invention is not limited to this example only,
It can be implemented in various ways. For example, the mode designation is not limited to the three modes of center line mode, outer boundary line mode, and inner boundary line mode according to the above-described embodiments. If it is a closed figure like the example above,
It is possible to define the inside and outside, but when applying to an open figure, it is sufficient to prepare an upper border mode, a lower border mode, a left border mode, and a right border mode. Further, although polygons, circles, and ellipses are used as figures in the above-described embodiments, the present invention can be similarly applied to other figures.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the flyer/catalog layout device according to the present invention, the mode specifying device allows the user to select between the mode indicating the center and the mode indicating the boundary. If you enter
The operator can now input the inner dimensions and outer dimensions of the figure, making input easier.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a flyer/catalog layout device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a layout work screen in the device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG.
The figure shows an example of a figure made up of contour lines with line width, Figures 4 to 7 are diagrams showing a method of data conversion using the apparatus in Figure 1 for polygons, and Figures 8 to 7 FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a method of data conversion using the device shown in FIG. 1 for circles, ellipses, and FIG. Figures 13 to 16
The figure is a diagram explaining the procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12. 10... Rectangle, ]1... Product photo, 12... Product description, 20... Rectangle, 21... Center line, 22...
...Outer border line, 23...Inner border line, 30-32.
...Rectangle, 40...Polygon, 41...Parallel line, 50
~52...Circle, 60.6]...Ellipse, S...Specified point, T...Nearest point, Q...Point after conversion, W...
Line width.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A product data input device for inputting product data regarding products to be published in leaflets and catalogs; an allocation instruction input device for inputting allocation instructions from an operator; An allocation work device that performs allocation work on product data, a storage device that stores the results of this allocation work, an allocation result output device that outputs the results of this allocation work, and a display device that displays the work progress of this allocation work on a screen. In a layout device for leaflets and catalogs, which is equipped with the following, figure data input is performed in which figure data regarding a figure constituted by a contour line with width is inputted separately into line information and width information regarding this line. a mode specifying device for specifying whether the line information indicates the center of the outline of the figure or the boundary of the outline of the figure; and the mode specifying device. A layout device for leaflets and catalogs, further comprising: a graphic data conversion device that converts the line information into information indicating the center and stores it in the storage device when a boundary is specified. .