Abstract: A SIMD processing unit processes a plurality of tasks which each include up to a predetermined maximum number of work items. The work items of a task are arranged for executing a common sequence of instructions on respective data items. The data items are arranged into blocks, with some of the blocks including at least one invalid data item. Work items which relate to invalid data items are invalid work items. The SIMD processing unit comprises a group of processing lanes configured to execute instructions of work items of a particular task over a plurality of processing cycles. A control module assembles work items into the tasks based on the validity of the work items, so that invalid work items of the particular task are temporally aligned across the processing lanes. In this way the number of wasted processing slots due to invalid work items may be reduced.

Abstract: A handheld grinder comprising a housing; a grinding disk; a motor; an output shaft connected to the grinding disk and the motor to impart rotary motion thereto; and a circuit board residing in the housing and having thereon a rectifier that receives an alternating current and converts the alternating current to a direct current, a switching arrangement having a plurality of motor switches connected electrically between the rectifier and the motor and operates to deliver the direct current from the rectifier to the motor, a capacitor connected electrically between the rectifier and the switching arrangement, wherein the capacitor is coupled in parallel across the rectifier, a driver circuit interfaced with the motor switches and operable to control switching operation of the motor switches, and a power switch connected electrically between the rectifier and the driver circuit and operable to selectively energize the driver circuit and power on the grinder disk.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and articles of manufacture provide for new features and functionality of slot-style games. In some embodiments, one or more music components, music-related game objects and/or other types of musical features may be integrated into a game.

Abstract: A tile-based graphics system has a rendering space sub-divided into a plurality of tiles which are to be processed. Graphics data items, such as parameters or texels, are fetched into a cache for use in processing one of the tiles. Indicators are determined for the graphics data items, whereby the indicator for a graphics data item indicates the number of tiles with which that graphics data item is associated. The graphics data items are evicted from the cache in accordance with the indicators of the graphics data items. For example, the indicator for a graphics data item may be a count of the number of tiles with which that graphics data item is associated, whereby the graphics data item(s) with the lowest count(s) is (are) evicted from the cache.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for processing multiple streams of data on a plurality of execution threads. Data is selected from a plurality of data sources. An address in the data storage device is allocated for the selected data which is loaded into the allocated address. An execution task including the selected data source, the data address and an execution address is constructed and the data task is queued with previously constructed tasks. A determination is made as to which processing resources are required for each task and tasks are selected for execution in dependence on the determination. Tasks selected for execution are distributed across a plurality of processing threads.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing memory usage for three-dimensional computer graphics systems are provided. A scene which is textured and shaded in the system is divided into a plurality of rectangular areas, each including a plurality of picture elements in the scene. For each rectangular area a list of objects which may be visible in the scene is derived. Objects which do not contribute to the final textured and shaded scene are then removed from each list and the rectangular area is then textured and shaded using reduced lists of objects.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided to enable tile based rendering systems to operate with predicated geometry whilst only making a single rasterisation pass. To do this, geometry that is to be predicated is substituted in image data with visibility test objects and associated conditional break points. In rasterisation, when a visibility test object is encountered, a visible pixel count register is updated. On completion of rasterisation of a tile, the associated conditional break points are used to test the visible pixel count register to determine if the predicated geometry should be processed and inserted into tile object lists. If it is, then a tile object list corresponding to the predicated geometry is inserted into the tile object list for the current tile and is rasterised before moving onto the next tile.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for managing memory usage for three-dimensional computer graphics systems are provided. A scene which is textured and shaded in the system is divided into a plurality of rectangular areas , each comprising a plurality of picture elements in the scene. For each rectangular area a list of objects which may be visible in the scene is derived. Objects which do not contribute to the final textured and shaded scene are then removed from each list and the rectangular area is then textured and shaded using reduced lists of objects.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provided for rendering three-dimensional computer graphic images which include both translucent and opaque objects. A list of objects which may be visible in the image is determined and for each pixel in the image a determination is made as to whether or not an object for the list may be visible at that pixel. A data tag is stored for a transparent object determined to be visible at a pixel and the tag and object data are passed to a texturing and shading unit when a translucent object is determined to be overwriting the location in the tag buffer already occupied by another data tag.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for processing multiple streams of data on a plurality of execution threads. Date is selected from a plurality of data sources (1001). An address in the data storage means (1036) is allocated for the data thus selected. The selected data is then loaded into the allocated address. Following this an execution task comprising the selected data source, the date address and an execution address is constructed and the data task is queued with previously constructed tasks. A determination is made as to which processing resources are required for each task and tasks are selected for execution in dependence on this. Tasks selected for execution are distributed across a plurality of processing threads (170). The allocation of data storage in the data storage means includes the steps of selecting data from one of the data sources and supplying a code execution address to a programmable data sequencer (1004).

Abstract: A method and apparatus provided for rendering three-dimensional computer graphic images which include both translucent and opaque objects. A list of objects which may be visible in the image is determined and for each pixel in the image a determination is made as to whether or not an object for the list may be visible at that pixel. A data tag is stored for a transparent object determined to be visible at a pixel and the tag and object data are passed to a texturing and shading unit when a translucent object is determined to be overwriting the location in the tag buffer already occupied by another data tag.