Abstract: Disclosed are methods, apparatus (1) and computer readable media for rendering at least one graphic object (80, 90) described by at least one edge (82-86, 92-98) into a raster pixel image (78) having a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of pixel locations on each scan line. For each scan line, coordinates of intersection of those edges of the objects that intersect the scan line are determined in a predetermined order. This is preferably achieved by processing edge records (418) using a number of buffers (402, 404,406, 412,420, 422) thereby enabling efficient sorting of edge intersections into order. For each adjacent pair of edge intersections, information (530) associated with the corresponding object is examined to determining a set of active objects (508, 510) for a span of pixel locations between the corresponding pair of edge intersections. For each span of pixel locations, the corresponding set of active objects is used to determine (600) a value for each of the locations within the span.

Abstract: A method of creating a series of font characters (101) on a computer system (150) is disclosed. A series of font outlines (111) and source artwork (112); a series of manipulation tools (116) for the manipulation of aspects of the outlines and artwork. Such an arrangement provides for the creation of substantially arbitrarily complex font structures from the outlines, artwork and manipulation tools. A series of font characters is then formed through the application of the complex font structures to each of a base font outline in the series of font characters. Preferably, the complex font structures can comprise a graphical expression tree of operations (120) to be performed in the creation of a font and the tree includes an outline of a font character. The manipulation tools can include tools for distorting, replacing or compositing the outline of a font and can further include the tools for the application of morphological and non-morphological effects to the font outlines.

Abstract: Apparatus 100 is disclosed that comprises a DCT unit 104 for transforming blocks of pixels into respective blocks of transform coefficients, entropy encoders 106(1), . . . 106(18) for encoding respective partitions of the DCT blocks where at least one partition comprises bit-plane data from each of the block of transform coefficients, a scan output manager 108 for storing the entropy encoded partitions in a buffer 110 of fixed memory size. The manager 108 manages the storing of the coded partitions in the buffer 110 whereby during the storing of the coded partitions if it is determined the buffer 110 is full, a coded least perceptually significant partition currently stored in the buffer 110 is overwritten by data from a coded more perceptually significant partition.

Abstract: A method of arranging a plurality of images on a page includes the step of arranging the images on the page in accordance with a first predetermined layout pattern. The images are then rearranged in accordance with a “controlled overlapping” rule characterized by a predetermined cost function. Finally, the predetermined cost function is optimized to determine a final coordinate position for each image, thereby to generate a final layout pattern.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method, apparatus and system for managing virtual memory, in which a co-processor (224) is adapted to use virtual memory with a host processor (202). A host memory (203) is coupled to the host processor (202) to implement the virtual memory. The co-processor (224) includes a virtual-physical memory mapping device (915) for interrogating a virtual memory table and for mapping one or more virtual memory addresses (880) requested by the co-processor (224) into corresponding physical addresses (873) in the host memory (203). The virtual memory table is stored in two or more non-contiguously addressable regions of the host memory (203), and is preferably a page table. The memory mapping device (915) further includes a multiple-entry translation lookaside buffer (889) for caching virtual-to-physical address mappings (872), where entries in the buffer (889) are replaced on a least recently used replacement basis.

Abstract: The present invention discloses apparatus for, and a method of, rendering image data prior to outputting of the resulting image. A graphics co-processor (224) is utilized together with a host CPU (202), the former having a plurality of data calculation streams (241, 242, 243) arranged in parallel fashion. Only one of the data calculation streams (241, 242, 243) is operated at any one time. Preferably at least one (242) of the data calculation streams is able to be reconfigured.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an image processor (224) for executing a computer instruction set (280, 290) in the form of an opcode (281), at least one operand (283-285) which is, or indicates the location of data to be processed. The data to be processed consists of a variable length stream of data and each instruction includes a length field (297) containing data specifying the number of items of data to be processed or, if that number exceeds the size of the length field, a predetermined location of a previously allocated storage area at which that number is stored.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for rendering a page description on a rendering system. The page description of a page to be rendered comprises one or more objects. The method comprises the step of receiving the objects sequentially in z-order (302-315) from bottom to top and generating (306, 310 314) one or more sets of render instructions. The generating step performs the following for each received object of the page description. It first determines (304) whether by adding the corresponding render instructions of a current received object to a current set of render instructions the resources of the rendering system will be exceeded. If the resources would be exceeded then it creates (306) a new set of render instructions, adds (310) render instructions to the new set of render instructions to draw the current set of render instructions as a background image, and then adds (314) to the new set of render instructions the corresponding render instructions of the current received object.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for formatting, collating and printing, on an output print device, hyper-text documents in a format favoring a printed document The method includes: (a) monitoring a user's access pattern to said hyper-text documents; (b) accessing said hyper-text documents including structure information of the accessed hyper-text documents; (c) creating a formatted version of the accessed hyper-text documents for said user. Preferably the documents are “harvested” of fetched from various hyper-links, in a background mode while a user is accessing various hyper-text documents.

Abstract: A video information display business system is disclosed. In accordance with the system an information appliance (300) having an advertising display area (202) permanently disposed within a working display area (200) is provided. Advertising information is displayed in the advertising display area (202) and is not dependent upon a non-advertising application being run on the information appliance (300). The system comprises a software upgrade of the non-advertising application, the upgrade has an upgrade cost and is offered to an owner of the information appliance (300) for an upgrade price. The software upgrade has space for the advertising information. The system also comprises an advertising space cost determination means which is adapted to determine an advertising space cost for an amount of the space to be offered to an advertiser. The upgrade price determination means is adapted to determine the upgrade price dependent upon a difference between the advertising space cost and the upgrade cost.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating a blend from one arbitrary edge (20) to a second arbitrary edge (21) in a computer graphic image creation is disclosed. A color along each of the edges (20,21) is determined. A parametric equation is then formed for a color of each pixel (23) within the area bounded by the edges (20,21), and the parametric equation is solved to derive a color for each of the pixels (23). In another aspect, after determining the color along each edge (20,21), each of the edges (20,21) is vectorised into corresponding line segments (31 to 34). Pairs of the line segments (31 to 34) are then matched to form polygons (29) having a defined color at each of vertices, A color is then determined for each pixel of the polygon (29) from the defined colors of the vertices.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method, apparatus and system for managing virtual memory, in which a co-processor (224) is adapted to use virtual memory with a host processor (202). A host memory (203) is coupled to the host processor (202) to implement the virtual memory. The co-processor (224) includes a virtual-physical memory mapping device (915) for interrogating a virtual memory table and for mapping one or more virtual memory addresses (880) requested by the co-processor (224) into corresponding physical addresses (873) in the host memory (203). The virtual memory table is stored in two or more non-contiguously addressable regions of the host memory (203), and is preferably a page table. The memory mapping device (915) further includes a multiple-entry translation lookaside buffer (889) for caching virtual-to-physical address mappings (872), where entries in the buffer (889) are replaced on a least recently used replacement basis.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an image processor (224) for executing a computer instruction set (280, 290) in the form of an opcode (281), at least one operand (283-285) which is, or indicates the location of data to be processed. The data to be processed consists of a variable length stream of data and each instruction includes a length field (297) containing data specifying the number of items of data to be processed or, if that number exceeds the size of the length field, a predetermined location of a previously allocated storage area at which that number is stored.

Abstract: A system, method and language for compositing or creating images is disclosed. The images typically comprise a plurality of graphical elements each including color and opacity information. The system utilizes operators having the graphical elements as operands in which the operators combine the operands according to a function defined by the operators, the color information, and the opacity information, to produce new graphical elements. One part of the system includes interpreting the language by parsing and executing a sequence of statements and forming an expression tree the nodes of which comprise the graphical elements. Instructions are then derived from the tree. Another part permits the compositing of opaque graphical elements and associated clipping operations. Bounding box method are used for locating active areas of graphical elements from the nodes. Manipulation of the expression tree is used to reduce the expected execution time of the compositing commands.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for displaying color for selection is disclosed. The method includes the steps of displaying a currently selected color in a first predefined area and displaying a series of blend areas each containing a blend from a first blend color to a second blend color, and at least one of the blend colors being substantially the same as the currently selected color. Preferably, each of the second colors is a predetermined distance in a color space from the currently selected color. The first predefined area may be located in a central area and each of the blend areas may be located around the central area and the at least one of the blend color in the blend area being located substantially closest to the central area. The blend areas are located radially around the central area. The color space is preferably the CIE L*a*b* color space and the blends are substantially continuous in the CIE L*a*b* color space.

Abstract: A method of updating, directing or moving page table entry values in a virtual memory management system. The method operates without requiring suspension of a search process looking for a predetermined page table entry value of a page table. In a first step, the method determines whether the current page table value is the predetermined page table entry value or whether the search process looking for a page table entry value is in progress. Then, the current page table entry value is deleted or moved in the event that the current page table entry value is not the predetermined page table entry value or in the event that the search process is not in progress.

Abstract: An image signal in filtered to provide a filtered image signal representing a filtered image, and a mapping function is determined from a predetermined arbitrary function of the image signal. The filtered image signal and the image signal are interpolated in accordance with the mapping function to produce a final image signal representing a final image. The interpolation includes adjusting an opacity of each picture element of the image signal and the filtered image signal in accordance with the mapping function. In a final image, a smoothed transition is produced between the filtered image signal and the image signal. Preferably, the determination of the mapping function is also dependent upon the filtered image signal, and the mapping function is an absolute value of a difference between the image signal and the filtered image signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and apparatus for displaying a grouped structure (23) in a computer graphics image. This involves providing at least one selection tag (18) for the grouped structure. A group display mode is used so that, when a selection tar (18) of the grouped structure is selected, portions (25,26) of the structure of the group structured are determined. The portions (25,26) of the structure of the grouped structure (23) are then displayed. Preferably, the displayed portions (25,26) initially comprise a top level portion (25) of the grouped structure (23). This further involves displaying further levels (26) of the grouped structure (23). Preferably, the displayed portions of the structure are displayed in a tree format. Optionally, the tree format includes nodes (25,26) denoting part of the grouped structure (23).

Abstract: A system, method and language for compositing or creating images is disclosed. The images typically comprise a plurality of graphical elements each including color and opacity information. The system utilizes operators having the graphical elements as operands in which the operators combine the operands according to a function defined by the operators, the color information, and the opacity information, to produce new graphical elements. One part of the system includes interpreting the language by parsing and executing a sequence of statements and forming an expression tree the nodes of which comprise the graphical elements. Instructions are then derived from the tree. Another part permits the compositing of opaque graphical elements and associated clipping operations. Bounding box methods are used for locating active areas of graphical elements from the nodes. Manipulation of the expression tree is used to reduce the expected execution time of the compositing commands.

Abstract: A system, method and language for compositing or creating images is disclosed. The images typically comprise a plurality of graphical elements each including color and opacity information. The system utilizes operators having the graphical elements as operands in which the operators combine the operands according to a function defined by the operators, the colour information, and the opacity information, to produce new graphical elements. One part of the system includes interpreting the language by parsing and executing a sequence of statements and forming an expression tree the nodes of which comprise the graphical elements. Instructions are then derived from the tree. Another part permits the compositing of opaque graphical elements and associated clipping operations. Bounding box methods are used for locating active areas of graphical elements from the nodes. Manipulation of the expression tree is used to reduce the expected execution time of the compositing commands.