Data Transfer Between System Memory Display Memory Patents (Class 345/538)
  • Patent number: 7746346
    Abstract: A three-dimensional graphics data rendering method. The method divides initially inputted first graphics data into a static object and a dynamic object, performs a rendering process with respect to the static object, and updates a predetermined buffer with the rendering result. Then the method performs a transformation process, a portion of the rendering process with respect to the dynamic object, determines an updating area, and stores a rendering result of the buffer corresponding to the updating area in a predetermined storage unit; performs a remaining rendering process with respect to the dynamic object, updates the buffer and outputs a first image whose rendering is completed. Finally, the method restores a rendering result of the updating area to the buffer by referring to the storage unit and utilizes a rendering result of the restored buffer as a rendering result of subsequently inputted second graphics data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Sang Oak Woo
  • Patent number: 7746350
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention sets forth a computing system for performing cryptographic computations. The computing system comprises a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, and a driver. The central processing requests a cryptographic computation. In response, the driver downloads microcode to perform the cryptographic computation to the graphics processing unit and the graphics processing unit executes microcode. This offloads cryptographic computations from the CPU. As a result, cryptographic computations are performed faster and more efficiently on the GPU, freeing resources on the CPU for other tasks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: Radoslav Danilak
  • Patent number: 7742054
    Abstract: A display module for displaying information on a screen, using a display data structure, wherein the display data structure is a doubly linked list. A display space in defined in video memory and the display space is filled by sequentially copying at least a portion of a set of characters from the display data structure into the video memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Inventor: Jacques Nault
  • Patent number: 7737931
    Abstract: A semiconductor device capable of displaying a still image with low consumption power is provided. In the semiconductor device incorporated with a semiconductor display device capable of displaying the still image, a memory portion is mounted on a substrate on which a pixel portion is formed. As a mounting method, the memory portion is formed on the substrate on which the pixel portion is formed or a stick driver including the memory portion is used. When the still image is displayed using image data stored in such a memory portion, the still image can be displayed by inputting only simple control signals from the outside of the semiconductor device. Thus, there are provided the semiconductor display device capable of displaying the still image with low consumption power and the semiconductor device incorporated with the semiconductor display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Jun Koyama, Kiyoshi Kato
  • Patent number: 7737984
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a system for displaying images in at least one display window on a display unit includes a display processor configured to generate graphics commands from a received input. A graphics processing unit is coupled to the display processor and includes rendering engine configured to generate graphic data from the graphics commands, an internal memory coupled to the rendering engine, and a general purpose I/O coupled to the rendering engine and configured to transmit messages from the graphics processing unit. A graphics logic device is coupled to the graphics processing unit. The graphics logic device is configured to initiate a transfer of graphic data for an update of a display window from the internal memory to the display unit upon receipt of a message indicative of an available update to the display window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: William R. Hancock, Robert J. Quirk
  • Patent number: 7733294
    Abstract: Multimedia from a source can be wirelessly transmitted in an infrared system to a display. To support rapid reads of data written into a slave at the display by a master at the source in accordance with I2C protocol, a master simulator on the display side continually polls the slave for changes, and maintains a shadow memory in a slave simulator at the source side current, so that reads from the master may be immediately executed from the shadow memory in the slave simulator without transmitting the wireless link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Allan Unger
  • Patent number: 7719482
    Abstract: Multimedia from a source can be wirelessly transmitted in a 60 GHz system to a display. To support rapid reads of encryption, EDID, and other data written into a slave at the display by a master at the source in accordance with I2C protocol, a master simulator on the display side continually polls the slave for changes, and maintains a shadow memory in a slave simulator at the source side current, so that reads from the master may be immediately executed from the shadow memory in the slave simulator without transitting the wireless link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Allan Unger
  • Patent number: 7710425
    Abstract: A computer system in which a graphics accelerator unit manages page faulting of texture data invisibly to the host processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: 3Dlabs Inc. Ltd.
    Inventor: David Robert Baldwin
  • Patent number: 7688325
    Abstract: One embodiment of the invention sets forth a technique for compressing and storing display data and optionally compressing and storing cursor data in a memory that is local to a graphics processing unit to reduce the power consumed by a mobile computing device when refreshing the screen. Compressing the display data and optionally the cursor data also reduces the relative cost of the invention by reducing the size of the local memory relative to the size that would be necessary if the display data were stored locally in uncompressed form. Thus, the invention may improve mobile computing device battery life, while keeping additional costs low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Krishnan Sreenivas, Koen Bennebroek, Karthik Bhat, Stefano A. Pescador, David G. Reed, Brad W. Simeral, Edward M. Veeser
  • Patent number: 7675808
    Abstract: An object is to realize high-capacity of a memory while reducing power consumption and making the power consumption even throughout the memory. A memory includes a plurality of memory block arranged to be symmetrically to each other. Also, a specific combination of signals among address signals supplied to the memory, a memory block including a memory cell to be read from or written to is specified. Further, signals supplied to other memory blocks than the above memory block is maintained at a constant value. Consequently, a wiring length of a bit line in a memory array can be shortened, and current consumption can be made to be even among data reading or writing from/to memory cells of a variety of addresses within the memory, at the same time as reducing load capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 7675478
    Abstract: The camera reads identification information of the user, which is contained in an identification card, through a card reading part. The camera connects automatically to a server designated in accordance with the read identification information through a communication interface. Then, the camera transmits and stores the data of recorded images to the designated server. The camera retrieves the image data stored in the server, and reproduces and displays the image on an image display at the back of the camera. A plurality of cameras in which the same user's identification information is set can be controlled altogether in the image-recording and reproduction by one camera. One camera in which the identification information of a plurality of user's is set can distribute the recorded image data to the servers of the users simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Akihisa Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 7671864
    Abstract: Methods and machines which increase image processing performance by efficiently copying image data from input memory to main memory before performing CPU intensive operations, such as image enhancement, compression, or encryption, and by efficiently copying image data from main memory to output memory after performing CPU intensive operations, such as decryption, decompression, image enhancement, or reformatting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Inventor: Kendyl A. Román
  • Patent number: 7646388
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling the algorithmic elements in 3D graphics systems via an improved 3D graphics API is provided. In one aspect, in a 3D graphics system having privatized formats with privatized drivers used to increase the efficiency of display, existing problems are eliminated that are associated with multiple redundant copies of the publicly formatted graphics data made in host system memory pursuant to various graphics operations e.g., lock and unlock operations. The ability to make a system copy of publicly formatted data is exposed to the developer, eliminating the creation of unnecessary, and redundant copies. Efficient switching between the privatized and public format remains hidden from the developers so that applications execute efficiently while removing consideration thereof from the developers. Thus, developers are free to consider other tasks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Jeff M. J. Noyle
  • Patent number: 7633508
    Abstract: A reference-data storing unit stores reference data for determining whether to display image data by overwriting display data. A data converting unit converts the image data into display image data. A transparency determining unit determines whether a first pixel value of the display image data obtained through a color conversion by the data converting unit coincides with a second pixel value of the reference data stored in the reference-data storing unit. A data transfer unit that transfers, when it is determined that the first pixel value coincides with the second pixel value, the display image data to a display address space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Eiji Enami, Keita Maejima, Hironobu Kurihara, Yuichi Yomogida
  • Patent number: 7623134
    Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for processing address page requests in a GPU system that is implementing a virtual memory model. A hardware-based page fault manager included in the GPU system intercepts page faults otherwise processed by a software-based page fault manager executing on a host CPU. The hardware-based page fault manager in the GPU includes a DMA engine capable of reading and writing pages between system memory and frame buffer memory without involving the CPU or operating system. A net improvement in system performance is achieved by processing a significant portion of page faults within the GPU, reducing the overall load on the host CPU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2009
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventor: Radoslav Danilak
  • Patent number: 7595804
    Abstract: A display of CPU utilization in a multiprocessor system is provided. This feature illustrates processor utilization and application group assignments to CPUs and clusters of CPUs. Various graphic indicator are described that can be used to display processor utilization and indicate processors that have no application group assignments. For example, bar graphs as well as gauge displays can be used to visually convey processor utilization. As a result, a user can visually determine the processor utilization and application group assignments across a multiprocessor system. Additionally, various colors and shadings can be used to visually convey application group assignments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2009
    Assignee: Unisys Corporation
    Inventor: Clifford Shiroku Shimizu
  • Patent number: 7593016
    Abstract: In an image processing system, high density storage of bit-plane data is provided in a secondary or page memory as well as high bandwidth access to the data by an image processor. The page memory provides storage of data not currently being processed. The page memory may also be part of a system that provides input and output of image data to and from the image processor. The image data may be handled outside the image processor in a packed pixel form and be converted between that form and bit-line form which the page memory stores during input and output. The bit-line data may be gathered into bit-planes for use by the image processor during movement of data from the page memory to the processing logic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2009
    Assignee: Teranex Systems, Inc
    Inventor: Woodrow L. Meeker
  • Patent number: 7555527
    Abstract: A system and method for efficiently linking together replicas of a storage object. The location of a first replica of the storage object may be stored on a node in a network. When new replicas of the storage object are created, the node that stores the new replica may efficiently lookup the location of the first replica and utilize the location information to perform an efficient process to link the new replica to the first replica and any other existing replicas by causing routing information to be created on various nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory L. Slaughter, Xiaohui Dawn Chen, Thomas E. Saulpaugh
  • Patent number: 7554551
    Abstract: A display color buffer in a unified memory architecture is decoupled from main memory by partitioning the address space for the color buffer into a frame-preparation memory accessed by a graphics subsystem at a frame rate to prepare color data and a refresh memory that is accessed by a display device at a refresh rate to display the color data. The color data is periodically transferred between the frame-preparation memory and the refresh memory, or when a frame of color data is ready for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Sara Ruhina Biyabani
  • Patent number: 7545383
    Abstract: An information processing system includes a first information processor to process data to be displayed in a first display unit and a second information processor to indicate the data displayed in the first display unit. The first information processor includes a first display control unit to control the data to be displayed; a first communication unit to receive operation information from the second information processor and transmit data information about a piece of data indicated by the second information processor; and a first detecting unit to detect a position on the first display unit indicated by the second information processor. The second information processor includes an accepting unit to accept an operation by a user; a second communication unit to transmit operation information to the first information processor and receive the data information from the first information processor; and a received data storage unit to store the data information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tadashi Morita
  • Patent number: 7528838
    Abstract: A video memory manager manages and virtualizes memory so that an application or multiple applications can utilize both system memory and local video memory in processing graphics. The video memory manager allocates memory in either the system memory or the local video memory as appropriate. The video memory manager may also manage the system memory accessible to the graphics processing unit via an aperture of the graphics processing unit. The video memory manager may evict memory from the local video memory as appropriate, thereby freeing a portion of local video memory use by other applications. In this manner, a graphics processing unit and its local video memory may be more readily shared by multiple applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Anuj Gosalia, Steve Pronovost, Bryan Langley
  • Publication number: 20090102849
    Abstract: In devices in which display data is read from a memory for display, display underflow in a processing block is alleviated by controlling a clock frequency driving the processing block. Stages of the processing block send underflow detection signals to underflow prevention logic. The underflow prevention logic controls the frequencies of clock signals generated by a clock generator to alleviate the underflow condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Publication date: April 23, 2009
    Applicant: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Oleksandr Khodorkovsky, Mahendra Persaud
  • Patent number: 7511714
    Abstract: Video conversion using a 3D graphics pipeline of a graphical processing unit (GPU) is disclosed. A plurality of video data formatted in a first video format is accessed from a memory unit. Moreover, the plurality of video data is converted from the first video format to a second video format using a 3D graphics pipeline of the GPU. The plurality of video data formatted in the second video format is sent to the memory unit. The 3D graphics pipeline applies a filtering technique. In an embodiment, the filtering technique is an interpolation technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Garry W. Amann, Stephen Lew, Sanford S. Lum
  • Patent number: 7489320
    Abstract: A system and method for conserving memory bandwidth while supporting multiple sprites includes a memory device that stores main display data and the multiple sprites for presentation upon a display device. A display controller populates a fetch table with pixel source identifiers that indicate pixel sources from either the main display data or one of the multiple sprites. The pixel source identifiers correspond to display pixels of the display device. The display controller then utilizes the pixel source identifiers to directly locate the appropriate display pixels from the various pixel sources for providing to the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Barinder Singh Rai, Jimmy Kwok Lap Lai
  • Patent number: 7486297
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for image processing using a graphics processor in a handheld device including a first memory device receiving a video input signal containing encoded video frame having a plurality of portions of encoded video frame data. The first memory device has a storage capacity less than all of the plurality portions of the encoded video frame data. The method and apparatus further includes the graphics processor coupled to the first memory device, wherein the graphics processor receives the first portion of the encoded video frame data and generates a first graphics portion. A second memory device receives the first graphics portion and stores the first graphics portion therein. As such, the encoded video frame is processed on a portion-by-portion basis using the first memory device and the second memory device in conjunction with the graphics processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: ATI Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Ioannis Kouramanis, Maxim Smirnov, Milivoje Aleksic
  • Patent number: 7483035
    Abstract: Provided are methods, systems, and graphics processing apparatus, for improving graphics system performance using a data dependent slot and set selection technique for receiving texture data into an L2 cache for providing a high utilization of system resources in a diverse texture processing environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Via Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Jianming Xu
  • Patent number: 7483042
    Abstract: A video graphics module capable of blending multiple image layers includes a plurality of video graphic pipelines, each of which is operable to process a corresponding image layer. One of the video graphic pipelines processes a foremost image layer. For example, the foremost image layer may be a hardware cursor. The video graphics module also includes a blending module that is operably coupled to the plurality of video graphic pipelines. The blending module blends, in accordance with a blending convention (e.g., AND/Exclusive OR blending and/or alpha blending), the corresponding image layers of each pipeline in a predetermined blending order to produce an output image. The blending module blends the foremost image layer such that it appears in a foremost position with respect to the other image layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: ATI International, SRL
    Inventor: David I. J. Glen
  • Patent number: 7477205
    Abstract: A computer system including a processor, a display, and a graphics unit coupled between the processor and the display, in which the processor is configured to perform multi-display operations which generate multiple frames of display data for simultaneous display, and a graphics unit for use in such a system. Typically, the graphics unit includes graphics memory that includes at least two frame buffers, and the processor operates as if it were independently asserting multiple streams of display data to multiple frame buffers for driving multiple displays independently. Another aspect of the invention is a system that displays data from a frame buffer on a screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Abraham B. de Waal, Walter E. Donovan
  • Patent number: 7474312
    Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, a GPU contains an authentication module at the front end, and a memory security engine and graphic memory interface at the backend. In one embodiment of the present invention, the memory security engine provides a privilege table. The programmable privilege table maps memory address ranges, and user IDs to privileges for accessing the memory address ranges. In one embodiment of the present invention, the memory security engine receives a memory access command along with an associated authenticated user ID. In one embodiment of the present invention, the memory security engine checks the authenticated user ID and address range against the privilege table. In one embodiment of the present invention, if the table indicates that the user has authorization for the particular read or write transaction to the graphic memory, the instruction is executed by the graphic memory interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Nvidia Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel Cory Rohrer, Paolo Enrique Sabella
  • Patent number: 7475210
    Abstract: An address processing section allocates addresses of desired data in a main memory, input from a control block, to any of three hit determination sections based on the type of the data. If the hit determination sections determine that the data stored in the allocated addresses does not exist in the corresponding cache memories, request issuing sections issue transfer requests for the data from the main memory to the cache memories, to a request arbitration section. The request arbitration section transmits the transfer requests to the main memory with priority given to data of greater sizes to transfer. The main memory transfers data to the cache memories in accordance with the transfer requests. A data synchronization section reads a plurality of read units of data from a plurality of cache memories, and generates a data stream for output by a stream sending section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Hideshi Yamada
  • Patent number: 7466317
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling the algorithmic elements in 3D graphics systems via an improved 3D graphics API is provided. In one aspect, in a 3D graphics system having privatized formats with privatized drivers used to increase the efficiency of display, existing problems are eliminated that are associated with multiple redundant copies of the publicly formatted graphics data made in host system memory pursuant to various graphics operations e.g., lock and unlock operations. The ability to make a system copy of publicly formatted data is exposed to the developer, eliminating the creation of unnecessary, and redundant copies. Efficient switching between the privatized and public format remains hidden from the developers so that applications execute efficiently while removing consideration thereof from the developers. Thus, developers are free to consider other tasks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Jeff M. J. Noyle
  • Patent number: 7446776
    Abstract: A system, a circuit and a method are given, to realize a display control and driver interface with graphic display memory, whereby the use of dynamic RAM rather than static RAM for this graphic display memory is new. This has the advantage, that for a given size of display memory (number of bits) the DRAM silicon area is significantly less than that of the SRAM. Said system and circuit are designed in order to be implemented with a very economic number of components, capable to be realized with modern monolithic integrated circuit technologies and implementing the given method. This display controller and driver chip can then be used for all LCD display devices including STN (Super Twisted Nematic), CSTN (Colour STN), TFT (Thin Film Transistor) LCD's and for OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) displays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2008
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor GmbH
    Inventors: David Clewett, Toshiki Kitaguchi
  • Patent number: 7444593
    Abstract: The method of storing a time based stream of information to generate a presentation is provided for in which a processing system is used. The methods provide for deleting a selected time based stream of information from the storage medium. In one embodiment, a process manager in the processing system deletes selected information in response to a user selection command. This process manager may further check for reference data to the information and only delete the information is no more than one reference to the selected information exists. A trash depository may be used as an intermediary holding area for the information prior to is deletion. Other aspect of the present invention relating to the processing system conserving storage for a time based stream of information for use in authoring a presentation are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Glenn Reid
  • Patent number: 7397476
    Abstract: In response to a requirement of transferring a file from a personal computer PC to a projector 10 that is output by dragging and dropping a corresponding file icon onto a projector icon, a CPU 50 requires setting of a password. The CPU 50 maps the preset password to a file and transfers the file with the password to an external storage device of the projector 10. The projector 10 requires input of a password, which is expected to be assigned to the file, and allows reproduction of the file when the input password is coincident with the preset password.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shoichi Akaiwa, Tomohiro Nomizo, Miki Nagano, Masaru Kono
  • Patent number: 7394465
    Abstract: A memory control unit controls the transfer of image data from a video buffer to a frame buffer, and from the frame buffer to a display, to be performed block by block. Image data is written from a video buffer to the frame buffer one block at a time. When image data for the entire block has been written to the frame buffer, the data for that block can be refreshed on the display. Image data for the next frame can only be written to the frame buffer once the data in that block has been refreshed on the display. In this way, image tearing can be eliminated. Images can also be successfully rendered when the direction of writing data to the frame buffer is perpendicular to the direction of copying data from the frame buffer and refreshing the display. Thus, landscape images can be rendered on a portrait display, without the need for double buffering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventor: Hemminki Toni
  • Patent number: 7365750
    Abstract: It is an object to provide an user identity authentication system and an user identity authentication method with the Internet and a mobile information communication device. The mobile information communication device includes a liquid crystal device with a built-in image sensor. The image sensor reads individual information of a user, and user's identity is authenticated based on the individual information. A result of the authentication is unicast via the Internet. Alternatively, it is judged whether or not the result of the authentication is required to be unicast in accordance with a degree of requirement preset in the mobile information communication device or a destination terminal of communication, and the result is unicast via the Internet only when needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Yasuyuki Arai, Hideomi Suzawa, Koji Ono, Toru Takayama
  • Patent number: 7362333
    Abstract: Methods to manipulate the mobile wireless device screen more efficiently are provided. The method and devices allow a graphical user interface to be used more efficiently on a mobile handset with limited processing ability. A graphical user interface can be implemented on a mobile wireless device efficiently by limiting processing to only the areas of the display screen on the mobile wireless device that is changing. For example, if a graphical item is to be displayed on the display screen the value in the display screen memory location that will be covered by the graphical item can be stored for future use. If the graphical item is later moved the stored value can be retrieved and efficiently written to the display without the need to recalculate what was behind the graphical item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Kyocera Wireless Corp.
    Inventors: Sumita Rao, Gowri Rajaram
  • Patent number: 7342589
    Abstract: A system and method for managing graphical information are disclosed. The system includes a processing device, first and second memory portions within at least one memory device coupled to the processing device. The first memory portion stores a first plurality of files having a first type of information relating to graphical entities, and a second plurality of files having a second type of information relating to graphical entities, where each of the second plurality of files references at least one of the first plurality of files. The second memory portion duplicatively stores a first subset of the first plurality of files and a second subset of the second plurality of files, where each of the files of the first subset are referenced by at least one of the files of the second subset, and where the first and second subsets have information relating to a first project.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Nathan P. Miserocchi
  • Publication number: 20080055325
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes methods and systems for tiling video or still image data. At least some preferred embodiments include a method for accessing data that includes partitioning a display of graphical data into a plurality of two-dimensional tiles; mapping a two-dimensional tile of the plurality of two-dimensional tiles to a single memory row within a memory; and maintaining the graphical data for the two-dimensional tile in the single memory row.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2006
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Applicant: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Franck Seigneret, Sylvain Dubois, Jean Pierre Noel, Pierre-Yves J. Taloud
  • Patent number: 7310096
    Abstract: A method for efficiently processing graphics data for graphics primitives, the graphics data including vertex coordinate information and vertex attribute data. Coordinate information, in the form of homogeneous coordinates, of the graphics primitive determines whether the graphics primitive is to be rendered. If the primitive is to be rendered, then attribute data associated with the location information is retrieved. However, if the data is not to be rendered, then the location information is discarded. By only retrieving parameters for a primitive that is rendered, performance is increased. In one embodiment, the attribute data is fetched before it is known whether or not the graphics primitive is to be rendered, and if not, the prefetch is aborted, and new location information is fetched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Via Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Hsilin Huang
  • Patent number: 7307634
    Abstract: The method of one embodiment for the invention is for the CPU to read a subset of consecutive pixels from RAM and cache each such pixel in the WC Cache (and load corresponding blocks into the L2 Cache). These reads and loads continue until the capacity of the L2 Cache is reached, and then these blocks (a “band”) are iteratively processed until the entire band in the L2 Cache has been written to the frame buffer via the WC Cache. Once this is complete, the process then “dumps” the L2 Cache (that is, it ignores the existing blocks and allows them to be naturally pushed out with subsequent loads) and the next band of consecutive pixels is read (and their blocks loaded). This process continues until the portrait-oriented graphic is entirely loaded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Donald David Karlov
  • Patent number: 7304646
    Abstract: A method is provided for transferring data for processing of an image between a first memory and a second memory accessible by a processor. According to such method, data is provided in the first memory for processing of the image, the data being organized into a plurality of blocks, wherein each block relates to a portion of the image. At least some of the data is transferred by a direct memory access controller in units of a block between the first memory and a second memory accessible by the processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventor: Eiji Iwata
  • Patent number: 7292239
    Abstract: The VPC unit and setup unit of a graphics processing subsystem perform culling operations. The VPC unit performs culling operations on geometric primitives falling within a specific criteria, such as having a property within a numerical range limit of the VPC unit. This limitation reduces the complexity of the VPC unit. As increasing rendering complexity typically produces a large number of small primitives, the VPC unit can cull many primitives despite its culling limitations. The VPC unit also includes a cache for storing previously processed vertices in their transformed form, along with culling information previously computed for the vertices. To minimize memory bandwidth, the VPC unit retrieves vertex data used for culling operations first. After completing the culling operations, the VPC unit retrieves the attributes of a vertex only if the primitive has not been culled. The VPC unit applies a perspective correction factor to the vertex attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Henry Packard Moreton, Dominic Acocella, Robert W. Gimby, Thomas M. Ogletree, Christopher J. Goodman, Andrew D. Bowen, David C. Tannenbaum
  • Patent number: 7280111
    Abstract: A three-dimensional API for communicating with hardware implementations of vertex shaders and pixel shaders having local registers. With respect to vertex shaders, API communications are provided that may make use of an on-chip register index and API communications are also provided for a specialized function, implemented on-chip at a register level, that outputs the fractional portion(s) of input(s). With respect to pixel shaders, API communications are provided for a specialized function, implemented on-chip at a register level, that performs a linear interpolation function and API communications are provided for specialized modifiers, also implemented on-chip at a register level, that perform modification functions including negating, complementing, remapping, stick biasing, scaling and saturating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Charles F. Boyd, Michael A. Toelle
  • Patent number: 7256789
    Abstract: It comprises a main CPU, a main memory for storing the programs, display data and other data, a data processing circuit for performing a processing to convert the display data in the main memory to the data format for the display, a display memory section for storing the converted display data, an output processing circuit for performing a processing to output the display data on the screen, a DMA for performing a data access to the main memory, a program memory, a data memory, a display processor for interpreting the commands/data described in the program memory and the data memory and transferring the display data according thereto, and a sync signal generating circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Nakamura, Hiroyuki Yamamura, Shinzi Yamamoto, Masaaki Moriya
  • Patent number: 7243253
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling repeated switching of a cross-connect and a timing source in a network element through the use of a phase adjuster. In one embodiment, a traffic card includes an aligner to adjust the occupancy of the data in two ingress FIFOs to synchronize their occupancy. In addition, the traffic card includes a clock control logic, including a phase adjuster, to adjust the phase of clock signals driving the two ingress FIFOs to avoid an underflow or overflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: Redback Networks Inc.
    Inventors: Michael McClary, Sharath Narahari
  • Patent number: 7196709
    Abstract: Provided are a display device with low power consumption which enables reduction of an operation processing amount of a GPU and which does not require a storage device for storing image data corresponding to one screen, and a display system using the display device. The display device is constituted by pixels each including storage circuits, an operation processing circuit, and a display processing circuit and circuits each having a function of storing image data in arbitrary storage circuits. The display system is constituted by the display device and an image processing device including the GPU. Image data is formed for each structural component through operation processing in the GPU in the display system. The formed image data is stored in the corresponding storage circuit for each pixel. The stored image data is subjected to composition processing by the operation processing circuit for each pixel. Then, the image data is converted into an image signal in the display processing circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Kurokawa, Takayuki Ikeda
  • Patent number: 7187385
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus operates with a high-speed print engine. An ASIC is provided between a graphics port and a peripheral device interconnection port. The print engine is connected to the peripheral device interconnection port. A memory is provided on a side of the CPU with respect to the graphics port. A CPU processes image data and stores the image data in the memory. The CPU transfers the image data stored in the memory to the print engine directly through the graphics port, the ASIC and the peripheral device interconnection port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Satoru Tanaka
  • Patent number: 7187384
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling the algorithmic elements in 3D graphics systems via an improved 3D graphics API is provided. In one aspect, in a 3D graphics system having privatized formats with privatized drivers used to increase the efficiency of display, existing problems are eliminated that are associated with multiple redundant copies of the publicly formatted graphics data made in host system memory pursuant to various graphics operations e.g., lock and unlock operations. The ability to make a system copy of publicly formatted data is exposed to the developer, eliminating the creation of unnecessary, and redundant copies. Efficient switching between the privatized and public format remains hidden from the developers so that applications execute efficiently while removing consideration thereof from the developers. Thus, developers are free to consider other tasks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Jeff M. J. Noyle
  • Patent number: 7180522
    Abstract: A distributed memory controller memory system for a graphics processing system having addressable memory areas each coupled to a respective memory controller. The memory controllers are further coupled to each other through a memory controller bus upon which a memory access request and data may be passed from one memory controller to other memory controller. A memory access request to a memory location in one addressable memory area, but received by a memory controller coupled to another addressable memory area, is passed through the memory controller bus from the receiving memory controller to the memory controller coupled to the addressable memory area in which the requested location is located in order to service the memory access request. Additional memory controllers coupled to a respective addressable memory area may be included in the memory system. The memory controllers are coupled to the memory controller bus in order to receive and pass memory access requests from the other memory controllers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: William Radke, James R. Peterson