초록 ▼

Out of a lot of fonts, the desired font is quickly found. For this purpose, out of a plurality of portions constituting a character displayed in a partial image retrieval area, the desired portion is selected. A retrieval area is clicked by a user, to retrieve a font on the basis of the selected po

Out of a lot of fonts, the desired font is quickly found. For this purpose, out of a plurality of portions constituting a character displayed in a partial image retrieval area, the desired portion is selected. A retrieval area is clicked by a user, to retrieve a font on the basis of the selected portion. A list of the results of retrieval is displayed in a retrieval result area. Even if a font name is not memorized, a desired font can be found.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A font retrieval apparatus comprising: a display device displaying a plurality of partial images which represents a characterizing portion of a character with a plurality of different fonts; a portion selecting device for selecting at least one of a plurality of characterizin

What is claimed is: 1. A font retrieval apparatus comprising: a display device displaying a plurality of partial images which represents a characterizing portion of a character with a plurality of different fonts; a portion selecting device for selecting at least one of a plurality of characterizing portions of the character, said display device displaying the plurality of partial images of the characterizing portion selected by said portion selecting device; a partial image selecting device selecting at least one of the partial images displayed on said display device; and a font output device outputting data representing any font corresponding to the partial image selected by said partial image selecting device. 2. The font retrieval apparatus of claim 1, wherein said font data comprises at least one of: a font identification name; and one or more characters as represented in a format of said font. 3. The font retrieval apparatus of claim 2, wherein characters are simultaneously presentable in two or mare font formats, thereby allowing a comparison of said two or more fonts. 4. The font retrieval apparatus of claim 2, further comprising one or more of: a selector to choose at least one of said font identification name and a representation of at least one character in a font; a selector allowing a single character to be displayed in different fonts; and a font link table to store said font data and a relationship between said fonts and said partial images. 5. The font retrieval apparatus of claim 1, wherein more than one of said plurality of characterizing portions of the character are selected for deriving said font information. 6. A font retrieval method comprising the steps of: displaying a plurality of characterizing portions of characters; selecting one of said plurality of characterizing portions; displaying a plurality of partial images which represents the selected characterizing portion with a plurality of different fonts; selecting one of the displayed partial images; and outputting data representing any font corresponding to the selected partial image. 7. A machine-readable medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method of retrieving font information, said method comprising: displaying a plurality of characteristic portions of characters; allowing a selection of at least one of the displayed characteristic portions; displaying a plurality of partial images of a character, each said partial image representing a portion of said character as represented in a different font in said selected characteristic portion; allowing a selection of at least one of the displayed partial images; and outputting data representing information of any font corresponding to the selected partial image. 8. A font information retrieval apparatus comprising: a font link table storing a relationship between a plurality of fonts and a plurality of retrieval keys, said retrieval keys being classified into a plurality of groups, said relationship defining an association between the retrieval keys and the fonts; a display device displaying a plurality of retrieval key groups, wherein one said retrieval group includes a plurality of retrieval keys to allow selection of one or more characteristic portions of characters for displaying partial images of a character, each partial image illustrating a characteristic of said character as represented in at least one said font; a retrieval key selecting device to allow selecting at least one of said plurality of retrieval keys in said first group; and a font output device retrieving and outputting a font information associated with the retrieval key selected by said retrieval key selecting device. 9. The font retrieval apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said font output device retrieves, when a plurality of retrieval keys are selected by said retrieval key selecting device, font information for each of a font which is associated with all of the selected retrieval keys. 10. The font information retrieval apparatus of claim 8, wherein a second group of said plurality of retrieval keys is displayed when one of first group of retrieval keys is selected, each retrieval key of said second group being associated with each said partial image. 11. A font retrieval device, comprising: a font link table storing information about a plurality of fonts, each said font having one or more features; a plurality of retrieval keys, each said retrieval key being related to one of said features, at least one retrieval key for indicating partial images of a character, each partial image representing a portion of a character that serves to illustrate a characteristic of said character as represented in at least one said font; a retrieval key entry device for allowing a retrieval key to be entered; a registration key for allowing a registration command to be entered; and a link device for linking a font stored in said font link table to a retrieval key entered from said retrieval key entry device and storing the link relation in said font link table when said registration command is entered. 12. A font information retrieval method using partial images of a character, said method comprising: storing a relationship between a plurality of fonts and a plurality of retrieval keys classified into a plurality of groups, said relationship defining an association, if any, between each said retrieval key and one or more of said fonts; displaying a plurality of retrieval keys for at least one said group; wherein said plurality of groups comprises a first group of retrieval keys associated with a plurality of portions of characters; selecting one of said first group of retrieval keys to display at least one partial image of a character, each said partial image comprising a portion of a character that serves to illustrate a characteristic of at least one said font, each said partial image being respectively associated with a second group of retrieval keys; selecting one of said retrieval keys in said second group; and retrieving and outputting data for each of any font associated with the selected retrieval key from said second group. 13. A font data link method using partial images, said method comprising: storing a plurality of fonts; entering a retrieval key relating to a feature of one of said stored fonts, wherein at least one retrieval key relates to at least one partial image of a character, each said partial image comprising a portion of said character that serves to illustrate a characteristic of said stored font; linking the one of said plurality of fonts to the entered retrieval key; and storing the link. 14. A computer readable recording medium storing a program for controlling a computer in order to retrieve font information, the program controlling the Computer so as to: store a relationship between a plurality of fonts and a plurality of retrieval keys, said retrieval keys being classified into a plurality of groups, said relationship defining an association between the retrieval keys and said fonts, wherein said plurality of groups comprises partial images of a character, each said partial image comprising a portion of a character that serves to illustrate a characteristic of at least one said font; display a plurality of retrieval keys for allowing a selection of one of a plurality of characteristic portions of characters; allow a selection of one of said plurality of retrieval keys to display partial images associated with said selected characteristic portion; allow a selection of one of said partial images; and retrieve and output a font information for any of a font associated with the selected partial image. 15. A font information retrieval apparatus comprising: a font link table stored in a memory, said font link table storing a relationship between a plurality of fonts and a plurality of features attributable to said fonts, wherein said plurality of features comprises: partial images of a character, each said partial image comprising a portion of a character that serves to illustrate a characteristic of at least one said font; and a characteristic portion of characters associated with said partial images; and a comparator receiving an input query, said input query including one of said partial images and one of said characteristic portions, said comparator determining which entries in said font link table match said input query. 16. The font retrieval apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a plurality of font retrieval keys, each said font retrieval key associated with one of said features, said input query being formed from selections of said font retrieval keys by a user. 17. The font retrieval apparatus of claim 15, further comprising: a font output display receiving as input the output of said comparator and displaying a font information. 18. A method of font retrieval, comprising: establishing a font link table in a memory, said font link table storing a relationship between a plurality of fonts and a plurality of features attributable to said fonts, wherein said plurality of features comprises partial images of a character, each said partial image comprising a portion of a character that serves to illustrate a characteristic of at least one said font, and characteristic portions of characters that are associated with said partial images; and providing a comparator to determine which entries in said font link table match an input query, said input query including at least one of said partial images and one of said characteristic portions. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: providing a plurality of font retrieval keys, each said font retrieval key being associated with one of said plurality of features; forming said input query from a selection of one or more of said plurality of font retrieval keys; and displaying a font information for any entry that matches said input query. 20. A computer-readable medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital processing apparatus to perform a method of font retrieval based on partial images of a character, said method comprising: establishing a font link table in a memory, said font link table storing a relationship between a plurality of fonts and a plurality of features attributable to said fonts, wherein said plurality of features comprises at least partial images of a character, each said partial image comprising a portion of a character that serves to illustrate a characteristic of at least one said font, and characteristic portions of said character having said partial images; and providing a comparator to determine which entries in said font link table match an input query, said input query including at least one of said partial images and one of said characteristic portions.