Method and apparatus for retrieving and converting remotely stored non-standard graphic images and storing the converted images in a database
View Patent ↗The present invention is directed to a process enabling users to retrieve and view remotely stored proprietary images in a standard graphics image format (i.e., JPEG, TIFF, GIF, etc.) without using the legacy system in which the images are stored. Converting the non-standard image file to a standard graphics image file format affords the user with a greater choice in image viewing software since a standard image file format is more likely to be widely implemented, while the non-standard image file format is proprietary and unlikely to be supported by a wide variety of image viewing software.
1. A method of retrieving and converting remotely stored non-standard image format files, comprising:
retrieving the non-standard image format file from a first computer to a second computer;
converting the non-standard image format file to a standard image format file at the second computer; and
inserting the converted image file into an existing database as a binary large object.
2. The method of claim 1 , comprising removing the non-standard image from the first computer.
3. The method of claim 1 , comprising querying a local database for a document ID.
4. The method of claim 1 , comprising spawning a script using information from a database to locate the non-standard image from a legacy system.
5. The method of claim 4 , comprising removing file information from the first computer concerning the retrieved non-standard image.
6. The method of claim 1 , comprising determining if the non-standard image exists in a local database.
7. The method of claim 6 , comprising of the non-standard image does not exist at the first computer, inserting a record into the local database that the non-standard could not be located.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising retrieving a converted image and printing the converted image.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising retrieving a converted image and viewing the converted image.
10. A method of retrieving and converting a remotely stored non-standard graphic image file, comprising:
reading information from the non-standard graphic image file to determine the number of pages of the non-standard graphic image;
opening a standard graphic image file for writing or appending;
writing information from the non-standard graphic image file into the opened standard graphic file;
using the information read from the non-standard graphic image file, read raw image data of the non-standard graphic image into a buffer; and
increment to the next page in the non-standard graphic image file.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the non-standard graphic image's page information includes image width, orientation, bits per sample, compression, photometric interpretation, planar configuration, fill order, samples per pixel, rows per strip, X resolution, Y resolution, and resolution unit.
12. A computer architecture, comprising:
retrieving means for retrieving a non-standard image from a first computer;
converting means for converting the non-standard image file to a standard image format file at the second computer; and
inserting means for inserting the converted image file into an existing database as a binary large object.
13. An article, comprising:
at least one sequence of machine executable instructions;
a medium bearing the executable instructions in machine readable form, wherein execution of the instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to:
retrieve a non-standard image file from a first computer to a second computer;
convert the non-standard image file to a standard image format file at the second computer; and
insert the converted image file into an existing database as a binary large object.
14. A computer system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory coupled to said processor, the memory having stored there in sequences of instructions, which, when executed by said processor, cause said processor to:
retrieve a non-standard image file from a first computer to a second computer;
convert the non-standard image file to a standard image format file at the second computer; and
insert the converted image file into an existing database as a binary large object.