Patents by Inventor J. Turner Whitted

J. Turner Whitted 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).

  • Publication number: 20020093476
    Abstract: Display apparatus, and methods for displaying images, e.g., text, on gray scale and color monitors are described. Gray scale displays implemented in accordance with the present invention include displays having a resolution in a first dimension, e.g., the horizontal dimension, which is several time the resolution in a second dimension, e.g., the vertical dimension. Various other displays of the present invention are capable of operating as both gray scale and color display devices. In one such display, the color filter used to implement a color portion of the display is omitted from another, e.g., gray scale portion of the same display. In such an embodiment, text, e.g., captions, are displayed using the gray scale portion of the display while color images, e.g., graphics, are displayed on the color portion of the display. In another display of the present invention, a color filter with filter cells that can be switched between a color and a clear mode of operation are employed. When images, e.g.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 1998
    Publication date: July 18, 2002
    Inventors: BILL HILL, MICHAEL DUGGAN, LEROY B. KEELY, GREGORY C. HITCHCOCK, J. TURNER WHITTED
  • Patent number: 6421054
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for utilizing pixel sub-components which form a pixel element of an LCD display, e.g., as separate luminous intensity elements, are described. Each pixel of a color LCD display is comprised of three non-overlapping red, green and blue rectangular pixel sub-elements or sub-components. The invention takes advantage of the ability to control individual RGB pixel sub-elements to effectively increase a screen's resolution in the dimension perpendicular to the dimension in which the screen is striped, e.g., the RGB pixel sub-elements are arranged lengthwise. In order to utilize the effective resolution which can be obtained by treating RGB pixel sub-components separately, scaling or super sampling of digital representations of fonts is performed in one dimension at a rate that is greater than the scaling or sampling performed in the other dimension. In some embodiments where weighting is used in determining RGB pixel values, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: William Hill, Michael Duggan, Leroy B. Keely, Jr., Gregory C. Hitchcock, J. Turner Whitted
  • Patent number: 6307566
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for utilizing pixel sub-components which form a pixel element of an LCD display, e.g., as separate luminous intensity elements, are described. Each pixel of a color LCD display is comprised of three non-overlapping red, green and blue rectangular pixel sub-elements or sub-components. The invention takes advantage of the ability to control individual RGB pixel sub-elements to effectively increase a screen's resolution in the dimension perpendicular to the dimension in which the screen is striped, e.g., the RGB pixel sub-elements are arranged lengthwise. In order to utilize the effective resolution which can be obtained by treating RGB pixel sub-components separately, scaling or super sampling of digital representations of fonts is performed in one dimension at a rate that is greater than the scaling or sampling performed in the other dimension. In some embodiments where weighting is used in determining RGB pixel values, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: William Hill, Michael Duggan, Leroy B. Keely, Jr., Gregory C. Hitchcock, J. Turner Whitted
  • Patent number: 6278434
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for displaying an image by uttilizing pixel sub-components which form a pixel element of an LCD display as separate luminous intensity elements. By treating the pixel sub-components independently, increased resolution is achieved in the dimension that is perpendicular to the dimension in which the screen is striped. To take advantage of the increased resolution, the image is processed by first scaling the image data in one dimension at a rate that is greater than the scaling of the image data in another dimension. The pixel sub-components are then independently determined from different portions of the scaled image data though scan conversion, which may involve the use of different weights for each color component. Color distortions such as color fringing is compensated by treating eachi pixel sub-component independently. For horizontally flowing text, applications, screens with vertical striping are preferred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: William Hill, Michael Duggan, Leroy B. Keely, Jr., Gregory C. Hitchcock, J. Turner Whitted
  • Patent number: 6243070
    Abstract: Color processing operations can be used to reduce color artifacts in images displayed on display devices having pixels with separately controllable pixel sub-components. Different regions of image data are mapped to the individual pixel sub-components of the pixels. In the absence of performing the color processing operations, distracting color artifacts can be generated in the displayed image as a result of the pixel sub-components being treated as independent luminous intensity sources. Color artifacts can be reduced by comparing the difference between the luminous intensity values of adjacent red and green pixel sub-components with a threshold value and adjusting the luminous intensity values so as to reduce the difference if it exceeds the threshold value. Color artifacts can also be reduced by performing a gray scaling operation on pixels having an overall luminance that is less than the luminance associated with a foreground color and also less than the luminance associated with a background color.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: William Hill, Michael Duggan, Leroy B. Keely, Jr., Gregory C. Hitchcock, J. Turner Whitted
  • Patent number: 6239783
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for sampling image data and mapping the samples to pixel sub-components which form a pixel element of an LCD display so that each pixel sub-component has a different portion of the image mapped thereto and at least one of the pixel sub-components has two or more samples mapped thereto. The methods can be used with conventional color LCD displays that include pixels consisting of three non-overlapping red, green and blue rectangular pixel sub-elements or sub-components. The separately-controllable nature of individual RGB pixel sub-components is used to effectively increase a screen's resolution in one dimension. A scan conversion process maps samples of the image data to individual pixel sub-components, including mapping two or more samples to at least one of the pixel sub-component. As a result, each of the pixel sub-components represents a different portion of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2001
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: William Hill, Michael Duggan, Leroy B. Keely, Jr., Gregory C. Hitchcock, J. Turner Whitted
  • Patent number: 6225973
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are described for sampling image data that includes foreground/background color information and mapping the samples to pixel sub-components which form a pixel element of an LCD display so that each pixel sub-component has a different portion of the image mapped thereto. The methods can be used with conventional color LCD displays that include pixels consisting of three non-overlapping red, green and blue rectangular pixel sub-elements or sub-components. The separately-controllable nature of individual RGB pixel sub-components is used to effectively increase a screen's resolution in the dimension perpendicular to the dimension in which the screen is striped. A scan conversion process maps samples of the image data to individual pixel sub-components, resulting in each of the pixel sub-components representing a different portion of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: William Hill, Michael Duggan, Leroy B. Keely, Jr., Gregory C. Hitchcock, J. Turner Whitted
  • Patent number: 6219025
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for sampling image data and mapping the samples to pixel sub-components which form a pixel element of an LCD display so that each pixel sub-component has a different portion of the image mapped thereto. The methods can be used with conventional color LCD displays that include pixels consisting of three non-overlapping red, green and blue rectangular pixel sub-elements or sub-components. The pixel sub-components can be arranged on the display device to form horizontal or vertical stripes of individual colors. The separately-controllable nature of individual RGB pixel sub-components is used to effectively increase a screen's resolution in the dimension perpendicular to the dimension in which the screen is striped. A scan conversion process maps samples of the image data to individual pixel sub-components, resulting in each of the pixel sub-components representing a different portion of the image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: William Hill, Michael Duggan, Leroy B. Keely, Jr., Gregory C. Hitchcock, J. Turner Whitted
  • Patent number: 6188385
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for utilizing pixel sub-components which form a pixel element of an LCD display, e.g., as separate luminous intensity elements, are described. Each pixel of a color LCD display is comprised of three non-overlapping red, green and blue rectangular pixel sub-elements or sub-components. The invention takes advantage of the ability to control individual RGB pixel sub-elements to effectively increase a screen's resolution in the dimension perpendicular to the dimension in which the screen is striped, e.g., the RGB pixel sub-elements are arranged lengthwise. In order to utilize the effective resolution which can be obtained by treating RGB pixel sub-components separately, scaling or super sampling of digital representations of fonts is performed in one dimension at a rate that is greater than the scaling or sampling performed in the other dimension. In some embodiments where weighting is used in determining RGB pixel values, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2001
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: William Hill, Michael Duggan, Leroy B. Keely, Jr., Gregory C. Hitchcock, J. Turner Whitted