Abstract: Initially, a graph is electronically displayed, the graph including a historical portion that includes historical values of the variable over time and also including a future portion. Then, a participant is permitted to designate a point on the future portion of the graph (e.g., by using an input device such as a mouse, a touch-sensitive display screen or the like) and the designated point is converted into a predicted value for the variable at a realization time.

Abstract: An image data composition apparatus includes a color table in which color data for each of plural color codes is associated with transparency data relating to the transparency of this color data. The color table receives first image data which has data relating to the color of an image as the color code, accepts the color code from the first image data, and outputs the color data and the transparency data which correspond to this color code. The apparatus further includes a composition unit which receives second image data having, as color data, information relating to the color of an image, and composes the color data of this second image data with the color data output from the color table in accordance with a transparency which is decided by the transparency data.

Abstract: Disclosed is a graphics processing apparatus capable of drawing graphics at high speed with a small memory capacity even in the case of drawing graphics in which a drawing element and a clip element exist mixedly or which has many overlaps. A drawing command is interpreted by a command interpretation unit and data is converted to linear vectors by a vector data generation unit. A display list generation unit generates a display list. With respect to graphics in which a clip element and a drawing element exist mixedly, display lists of both elements are merged and a clipping process is performed at the level of the display lists while executing predetermined determination. In the case of graphics having many overlaps, the overlaps are similarly removed at the level of the display lists. A display list drawing unit has a processing unit of 2N and performs drawing while executing a DDA operation in parallel.

Abstract: An automatic scrolling and paging function is provided for use with an object/text editor or a browser, in which either scrolling or paging is automatically performed at a variable speed. A delay time is set as a parameter for control of the display; automatic display of the document is commenced by displaying a first portion of the document; a subsequent portion of the document is displayed after expiration of the delay time; and the display of portions of the document is iterated until the entire document has been displayed. The delay time is reset during the automatic display, thereby changing the rate at which successive portions of the document are displayed. The delay time may depend upon the location of the portion of the document; accordingly, successive portions of the document may be automatically displayed at a varying rate.

Abstract: A method is provided for forming an on-screen display (OSD) for overlay on a video image. According to the method, colors that are to be used to display the OSD are stored in a color look-up table, and a coefficient of transparency is assigned to each line of pixels of the OSD before overlaying the OSD on the video image. In a preferred method, the colors are stored in the color look-up table as three significant values representing chrominance and luminance for each pixel of the OSD, and the assigned coefficients of transparency are stored in a programmable register. This provides a substantial memory space gain in the color look-up table, and thus the range of available colors can be very wide. A device for forming an OSD for overlay on a video image is also provided. The device includes a color look-up table that stores a color for each pixel of the OSD, and a transparency programming register that assigns a transparency level to each line of pixels of the OSD.

Abstract: A method of generation of smoothly shaped, non-circular, curves by formation of multiple circular arcs. In the method, one draws a first circular arc which passes through two points and is tangent to a first line extending from a first point in the indicated direction. Next, one repeats the process by drawing a second circular arc which passes through one of the aforementioned two points and a third point and is tangent to an extending line. By utilizing of a common point for each of the two circular arcs one can generate a smooth, non-circular, curve from the end blending of the two circular arcs. By moving or deleting points, or by adding points, or by changing the defined directed tangent line, or by defining a directed tangent line at a different point, one can reconfigure the curve into the desired final curve. Several curves can be combined to generate a desired figure.

Abstract: For converting an image from an input device to an image corresponding to the color gamut of an output device, the color gamut of a color signal outside the color gamut of the output device is reduced to a color closer to the color available at the output device.

Abstract: A computer graphics system efficiently implements a pixel zoom function. The graphics system includes a rasterizer designed to define a new zoomed (enlarged or reduced) raster image of a region in an original raster image having pixels defined in a coordinate system with orthogonal first and second axes (x,y), the region comprising a plurality of original pixels. The region to be zoomed can be modified differently along its x, y axes. In other words, the region may be enlarged (positive zoom) along one axis, while reduced (negative zoom) along the other axis, or either enlarged or reduced by different magnitudes (zoomX, zoomY) along the x, y axes. Furthermore, the zoom magnitudes may be integers (integer zoomX, integer zoomY) or floating point numbers (float zoomX, float zoomY).

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus in a data processing system for printing characters. Data received include glyphs for output on an output device, wherein the glyphs are to be output using a selected device font. A list containing all device font supported glyphs is passed to the operating system. Monitoring for unsupported glyphs in the selected device font is performed by the operating system. In response to detecting a glyph unsupported by the selected device font, a backup system font is used to output the glyph to the output device.

Abstract: A display device comprising a plurality of picture elements arranged in rows and columns, each picture element being switchable between at least two states having different optical output characteristics, a plurality of row and column drivers, connected to said rows and columns respectively, for switching said picture elements between said states, wherein at least one switch is provided for switching at least one of said drivers between a first configuration in which the driver drives at least one row or column, and a second configuration, different from said first configuration, in which the driver drives at least two rows or columns.

Abstract: A graphic workstation receives digitized medical images and the user creates textual information that is to be displayed on the images. The text along with associated properties are packaged as a data structure along with a set of properties, and the data structure is passed through a pipeline having a series of formatters. The formatters are easily configured by the user to modify the properties of the text data structures as they flow through the pipeline prior to being rendered on a display.

Abstract: A method for generation of a surface representation of an object from layered pixel data converts the pixel data into a series of layers of ordered point clouds. The layered ordered point clouds are stitched together for form a surface representation. Cleanup and sampling of the pixel data or the ordered point could data may be performed. The method also contemplates generation of a surface representation from point data.

Abstract: In computer graphics the image of a surface patch is computed, including specular reflections (mirror-like reflections) from the surface patch. A bump map is used to perturb the normal to a surface, so as to simulate bumps on the surface, which cause specular reflection highlights. The bump map assigns a perturbation vector to each point on several different surface patches and the same perturbation is applied to corresponding points on different surface patches, irrespective of orientation and shape differences between the surface patches. Preferably, the perturbation vector is always parallel to the viewscreen direction, irrespective of the direction of the normal that is being perturbed.

Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus in which when a route to a destination is searched, a road of the route is displayed with emphasis while a color or shape indicating the type of the road can be checked. When the route to the destination is searched, both sides of the road of the searched route are displayed with emphasis lines. The inside of both the sides of the road is displayed such that the type of the road, such as an expressway or an open load, can be recognized. By this, a user can easily check the searched route, and can check the type of the road of the route. For example, in the route from a current location to a destination, the user can check that a route A is an expressway, and other route B, route C, and route D are open roads.

Abstract: A system and method for multiple texture rendering on a primitive using a fine grain multi-pass at a pixel level. The present invention has hardware capable of processing one texture and either hardware, software, and/or firmware capability to hold state information associated with several textures. The hardware rapidly switches between processing different textures and allows a very fine grain multi-pass implementation of multiple texture rendering. In one embodiment, a computer graphics raster subsystem renders multiple textures on a primitive. A fine grain scan converter takes in a primitive description with multiple sets of texture coordinates defined for each vertex. Each set of texture coordinates defines an independent texture. Each texture is associated with a texture number. The fine grain scan converter produces a set of texture coordinates at a given pixel for each of the multiple textures before moving on to the next pixel.

Abstract: A system for graphically displaying an item (having a plurality of elements) on a display device as the item appears at a preselected time in a timeline first determines which of the plurality of elements are later in the timeline than the preselected time. Once this is determined, first and second sets of elements are defined, in which the elements in the first set each have a respective associated time that is no later than the preselected time. The second set of elements, however, includes each of the elements not in the first set of elements. The number of elements in each of the first set and the second set can range from no elements to many elements. The elements in the first set are drawn on the display device in a first format, and the elements in the second set are drawn on the display device in a second format. The second format, however, graphically indicates that the elements in the second set have respective times that each are later than the preselected time.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for arranging and presenting situational awareness information on a computer display screen using maps and/or other situational awareness information so that greater amounts of relevant information can be presented to a user within the confines of the limited area on small computer screen displays. The map display layout for a screen display utilizes multiple, independent map displays arranged on a computer screen in order to maximize situational awareness information and display that information efficiency. By displaying single or multiple maps in a plurality of range bands arranged along the peripheral area of a display screen, wasted screen area is minimized. The ability to independently scale with respect to distance, time and velocity, as well as zoom and pan each map on the screen display further improves the display presentation.

Abstract: Picture data composed of a color palette storage address and palette number data is read from memory. On the basis of the color palette storage address, a color palette is taken from among one or more color palettes stored in the memory. The picture data is colored according to the extracted color palette for each piece of the palette number data.

Abstract: An apparatus simultaneously displays the output of two or more computers on a single monitor in a manner similar to the manner in which television sets provide picture-in-picture (PIP) viewing. In one embodiment, computer video is converted to a format such as NTSC so that existing television set PIP circuits may be employed with little or no modification. In another embodiment, the PIP circuit accepts computer video inputs. In yet another embodiment, the apparatus utilizes a processor to control the content of the main display area and PIP window using cursor position. The apparatus also supplies input device signals, such as mouse and keyboard signals, to the computer corresponding to the main screen area and transmits dummy keyboard and mouse signals to other computers attached to the system.

Abstract: To enable a moving image to be clearly displayed on a hold-type of a display, such as a liquid crystal display, by setting a shutter function in an overlay processor, a computer having a display for displaying a moving image includes a memory with an on-screen area for storing display image information and an off-screen area for storing image information of the moving image. The on-screen area includes a memory area used as a display area of the moving image and which stores predetermined key color information. A data reading circuit reads the display image information from the on-screen area and the image information of the moving image from the off-screen area, and a shutter circuit outputs the image information of the moving image from the data reading circuit or predetermined color information by a predetermined frame.