Patents by Inventor Jon Blossom

Jon Blossom has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • System and method for composing a display frame of multiple layered graphic sprites
    Patent number: 5892521
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes a graphics display device for displaying a display frame comprising a plurality of display frame pixels. A sprite management system composes the display frame from a plurality of graphic sprites. Each graphic sprite comprises a plurality of sprite pixels and corresponding sprite pixel values. Each sprite has a specified depth relative to the other sprites. One of the sprites is designated to be a video sprite. This sprite is loaded with a chroma-key value. The sprite management system includes a data processing device connected to access a display frame composition buffer. The data processing device is programmed to write pixel values of individual sprites to the display frame composition buffer. This writing begins with the pixel values of the sprite having the greatest depth and proceeds with the pixel values of the remaining sprites in order of decreasing sprite depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1999
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jon Blossom, Michael Edwards
  • System and method for composing a display frame of multiple layered graphic sprites
    Patent number: 5546518
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes a graphics display device for displaying a display frame comprising a plurality of display frame pixels. A sprite management system composes the display frame from a plurality of graphic sprites. Each graphic sprite comprises a plurality of sprite pixels and corresponding sprite pixel values. Each sprite has a specified depth relative to the other sprites. One of the sprites is designated to be a video sprite. This sprite is loaded with a chroma-key value. The sprite management system includes a data processing device connected to access a display frame composition buffer. The data processing device is programmed to write pixel values of individual sprites to the display frame composition buffer. This writing begins with the pixel values of the sprite having the greatest depth and proceeds with the pixel values of the remaining sprites in order of decreasing sprite depth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1996
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Jon Blossom, Michael Edwards