EP0149310A2 — Method of electronically moving portions of sever…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 194 words

A system for electronically displaying portions ( WD 2, WD 2, WD 3, WD 4, WD S, WD6, WD 7 ) of several different images on a screen (16); comprising: a memory means (14) for storing a plurality of said images (IM a , IM b ) ; a means (32) for storing first control signals that partition said screen (16) into an array of blocks and define multiple prioritized viewports by indicating which of said blocks are included in each viewport; a first control means (34, 36, 38, 40) for receiving input signals which identify a particular block of said screen and for combining them with said first control signals to generate output signals which indicate the highest priority viewport that includes said particular block; a means (42) for storing second control signals that correlate each of said viewports with a portion of a respective image in said memory; and a second control means (43, 44, 48) for combining said output signals from said first control means with said second control signals to generate the address in said memory of the image that is correlated to said block of said highest priority viewport.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 194 words

A system for electronically displaying portions ( WD 2, WD 2, WD 3, WD 4, WD S, WD6, WD 7 ) of several different images on a screen (16); comprising: a memory means (14) for storing a plurality of said images (IM a , IM b ) ; a means (32) for storing first control signals that partition said screen (16) into an array of blocks and define multiple prioritized viewports by indicating which of said blocks are included in each viewport; a first control means (34, 36, 38, 40) for receiving input signals which identify a particular block of said screen and for combining them with said first control signals to generate output signals which indicate the highest priority viewport that includes said particular block; a means (42) for storing second control signals that correlate each of said viewports with a portion of a respective image in said memory; and a second control means (43, 44, 48) for combining said output signals from said first control means with said second control signals to generate the address in said memory of the image that is correlated to said block of said highest priority viewport.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 65 words

A system according to Claim 1 wherein said means for storing first control signals includes a means for storing respective control words for each of said blocks, each word containing a respective bit for each of said viewports, and the state of each bit in a particular word indicating if the viewport corresponding to that bit includes the block which corresponds to said particular word.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 58 words

A system according to Claim 1 wherein said means for storing first control signals includes a means for storing respective control words for each of said blocks, each word contains a respective bit for each of said viewports, and the position of each bit in a particular word indicates the priority for the viewport corresponding to that bit.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 44 words

A system according to Claim 1 wherein said second control means includes a counter means for counting blocks horizontally across said screen, and an adder means for adding said second control signals to the count in said counter means to obtain said memory address.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 53 words

A system according to Claim 1 wherein said first control means and second control means convert said signals which identify a particular block into signals which address said memory within a time interval that is less than the time which elapses when the addressed portion of said image is displayed on said screen.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 47 words

A system according to Claim 1 which further includes a means for sending different sets of said first control signals to said means for storing those signals to change the definition of which blocks are included in a viewport without altering the images in said memory means.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 46 words

A system according to Claim 1 which further includes a means for sending different sets of said second control signals to said means for storing those signals to change the correlation between a viewport and an image portion without altering the images in said memory means.

Claim 9

Independent Claim 208 words

A method of electronically moving portions of several different images on a screen (16); including the steps of: storing, in one section of a memory means (14), a first image (IM 3 ); and storing, in a different section of said memory means (14), a second image (I M b) ; storing control bits in a storage means (32, 42) which define high and low priority viewports on said screen and correlate portions of said first and second images to said high and low priority viewports respectively; displaying, in response to said stored control bits, the entire portion of the image in said high priority viewport (17) and only the non-overlapping portion of the image in said low priority viewport (12) by transferring said image portions from said memory means (14) to said screen (16) with no frame buffer therebetween; modifying at least some of said stored control bits (32) to change the priorities of said high and low priority viewports to low and high respectively; and repeating said displaying step, in response to said modified control bits, to display the entire portion of the image to said new high priority viewport (12) and only the non-overlapping portion of the image in said new low priority viewport (17).

Claim 10

Independent Claim 208 words

A method of electronically moving portions of several different images on a screen (16); including the steps of: storing, in one section of a memory means (14), a first image (IM 3 ); and storing, in a different section of said memory means (14), a second image (I M b) ; storing control bits in a storage means (32, 42) which define high and low priority viewports on said screen and correlate portions of said first and second images to said high and low priority viewports respectively; displaying, in response to said stored control bits, the entire portion of the image in said high priority viewport (17) and only the non-overlapping portion of the image in said low priority viewport (12) by transferring said image portions from said memory means (14) to said screen (16) with no frame buffer therebetween; modifying at least some of said stored control bits (32) to change the priorities of said high and low priority viewports to low and high respectively; and repeating said displaying step, in response to said modified control bits, to display the entire portion of the image to said new high priority viewport (12) and only the non-overlapping portion of the image in said new low priority viewport (17).

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 46 words

A method according to Claim 8 wherein the control bits which define said high priority viewport are stored at first predetermined locations in said storage means, and the control bits which define said low priority viewport are stored at second predetermined locations in said storage means.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 24 words

A method according to Claim 9 wherein said modifying step is performed by interchanging said control bits at said first and second predetermined locations.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 27 words

A method according to Claim 8 wherein said screen is partitioned into an array of blocks, and each of said viewports includes selectable subsets of said blocks.

Method of electronically moving portions of several different images on a CRT screen

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