Patents by Inventor Jacob N. Smith

Jacob N. Smith 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).

  • Patent number: 10026150
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for graphics processing of a vertex buffer using a relative index buffer are disclosed. Example methods to process a vertex buffer disclosed herein include accessing a first relative index stored in a relative index buffer, the first relative index specifying an offset from a current index selecting a first entry of the vertex buffer. Such disclosed example methods also include, in response to the first relative index being a nonzero value, processing data associated with a second entry of the vertex buffer to determine a rasterizer output associated with the first entry of the vertex buffer, the second entry of the vertex buffer being selected using the current index offset by the first relative index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jacob N. Smith, Jason M. Surprise, Zack S. Waters
  • Patent number: 9934548
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed relating to storing primitive information for tile-based graphics rendering. In some embodiments, primitive information is stored using hierarchically arranged bins. In some embodiments, information for a given primitive may be stored at multiple levels in the hierarchy. For example, in some embodiments a graphics processor is configured to store primitive information for a primitive in a particular bin if the primitive (1) completely covers the area in screen space corresponding to the particular bin and (2) the primitive is not listed in any bins that correspond to a larger area that includes the area corresponding to the particular bin. This may reduce memory requirements because the memory needed for each primitive may be proportional to the width (or height) of the primitive multiplied by the log of the width (or height), rather than the area of the primitive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Jacob N. Smith
  • Publication number: 20170262951
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed relating to storing primitive information for tile-based graphics rendering. In some embodiments, primitive information is stored using hierarchically arranged bins. In some embodiments, information for a given primitive may be stored at multiple levels in the hierarchy. For example, in some embodiments a graphics processor is configured to store primitive information for a primitive in a particular bin if the primitive (1) completely covers the area in screen space corresponding to the particular bin and (2) the primitive is not listed in any bins that correspond to a larger area that includes the area corresponding to the particular bin. This may reduce memory requirements because the memory needed for each primitive may be proportional to the width (or height) of the primitive multiplied by the log of the width (or height), rather than the area of the primitive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Inventor: Jacob N. Smith
  • Publication number: 20170169538
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for graphics processing of a vertex buffer using a relative index buffer are disclosed. Example methods to process a vertex buffer disclosed herein include accessing a first relative index stored in a relative index buffer, the first relative index specifying an offset from a current index selecting a first entry of the vertex buffer. Such disclosed example methods also include, in response to the first relative index being a nonzero value, processing data associated with a second entry of the vertex buffer to determine a rasterizer output associated with the first entry of the vertex buffer, the second entry of the vertex buffer being selected using the current index offset by the first relative index.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Jacob N. Smith, Jason M. Surprise, Zack S. Waters
  • Patent number: 9536278
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for graphics processing of a vertex buffer using a relative index buffer are disclosed. Example methods to process a vertex buffer disclosed herein include accessing a first relative index stored in a relative index buffer, the first relative index specifying an offset from a current index selecting a first entry of the vertex buffer. Such disclosed example methods also include, in response to the first relative index being a nonzero value, processing data associated with a second entry of the vertex buffer to determine a rasterizer output associated with the first entry of the vertex buffer, the second entry of the vertex buffer being selected using the current index offset by the first relative index.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Jacob N. Smith, Jason M. Surprise, Zack S. Waters
  • Publication number: 20150145880
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for graphics processing of a vertex buffer using a relative index buffer are disclosed. Example methods to process a vertex buffer disclosed herein include accessing a first relative index stored in a relative index buffer, the first relative index specifying an offset from a current index selecting a first entry of the vertex buffer. Such disclosed example methods also include, in response to the first relative index being a nonzero value, processing data associated with a second entry of the vertex buffer to determine a rasterizer output associated with the first entry of the vertex buffer, the second entry of the vertex buffer being selected using the current index offset by the first relative index.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventors: Jacob N. Smith, Jason M. Surprise, Zack S. Waters