Remote memory-mapped display with interactivity determination

Claim 2

In digital processing apparatus having a source display buffer memory divided into a plurality of data-containing regions and a target display buffer memory interconnected to the source display buffer memory by at least one communications medium, a system for updating said target display buffer memory via said at least one communications medium, comprising: indicator means for generating and storing a digital update indicator corresponding to each of the plurality of data-containing regions of said source display buffer memory, said indicator means including (i) identification means for identifying which of said regions contain changed data values, and (ii) means, responsive to said identification means, for setting to a first value said update indicators whose corresponding identified regions have changed data values, monitor means responsive to said indicator means, for identifying said update indicators having said first value, transmitting means for transmitting data of each said identified region over said at least one communication medium to said target display buffer memory means for changing said update indicators from said first value to a second value in response to said monitor means identifying said updated indicators having said first value, and configuring means for dynamically defining the shape, size and configuration of the data-containing regions of said source display buffer memory to correspond to regions of arbitrary contiguity in said target display buffer memory.

Claim 3

In a digital processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means responsive to said monitor means does not terminate the updating of the second memory buffer.

Claim 4

In a digital processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein, upon operation of said means responsive to said monitor means, updating of said second memory buffer is maintained.

Claim 5

In a digital processing apparatus as set forth in claim wherein said means responsive to said monitor means sets to a second value only said update indicators.

Claim 6

The digital processing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said system has the text and graphic modes of operation, and wherein said configuring means is responsive to the operation mode of the system and defines the plurality of data-containing regions of the source display buffer memory in accordance with the operation mode of the system.

Claim 7

The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said target display buffer memory comprises a raster-scan display buffer memory and wherein the configuring means defines the plurality of regions of said source display buffer memory to correspond to one or more full scan lines of the raster-scan display buffer.

Claim 8

The data processing apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said target display buffer memory comprises a raster-scan display buffer memory and wherein the configuring means defines the plurality of regions of said source display buffer memory to correspond to contiguous portions of a plurality of contiguous scan lines of the raster-scan display buffer memory.

Claim 9

In digital processing apparatus having a source display buffer divided into a plurality of data-containing regions and a target display buffer interconnected by at least one communications medium to the source display buffer, a system for updating said target display buffer from said source display buffer via said at least one communication medium comprising: indicator means for generating and storing a digital update indicator corresponding to each of the plurality of data-containing regions of said source display buffer, said indicator means including (i) identification means for identifying which of said regions contain changed data values, and (ii) means, responsive to said identification means, for setting to a first value said update indicators whose corresponding identified regions have changed data values, monitor means, responsive to said indicator means, for identifying said update indicators having said first value, transmitting means for transmitting data of each said identified region over said at least one communications medium to update said display, means for changing said update indicators from said first value to a second value in response to said monitor means identifying said updated indicators having said first value and, configuring means for dynamically defining the shape, size and configuration of the data-containing regions of said source display buffer to correspond to regions of arbitrary contiguity in said target display buffer.

Claim 10

In digital processing apparatus having a source display buffer divided into a plurality of data-containing regions and a target display buffer interconnected by at least one communications medium to the source display buffer, a system for updating said target display buffer from said source display buffer via said at least one communication medium comprising: indicator means for generating and storing a digital update indicator corresponding to each of the plurality of data-containing regions of said source display buffer, said indicator means including (i) identification means for identifying which of said regions contain changed data values, and (ii) means, responsive to said identification means, for setting to a first value said update indicators whose corresponding identified regions have changed data values, monitor means, responsive to said indicator means, for identifying said update indicators having said first value, transmitting means for transmitting data of each said identified region over said at least one communications medium to update said display, means for changing said update indicators from said first value to a second value in response to said monitor means identifying said updated indicators having said first value and, configuring means for dynamically defining the shape, size and configuration of the data-containing regions of said source display buffer to correspond to regions of arbitrary contiguity in said target display buffer.

Claim 11

In a digital processing apparatus having a plurality of source display buffers, each divided into a plurality of data-containing regions, and a plurality of target display buffers interconnected to said source display buffers by a plurality of communications media, a system for updating said target display buffers from said source display buffers via said communication media, comprising: indicator means, for generating and storing a digital update indicator corresponding to each of the plurality of data-containing regions of each of said source display buffers, said indicator means including (i) identification means for identifying which of said regions contain changed data values and (ii) means, responsive to said identification means, for setting to a first value said update indicators whose corresponding identified regions have changed data values, monitor means, responsive to said indicator means, for identifying said update indicators having said first value, transmitting means for transmitting data of each said identified region over said communications media to update said display, means for changing said update indicators from said first value to a second value in response to said monitor means identifying said updated indicators having said first value and, configuring means for dynamically defining the shape, size and configuration of the data-containing regions of said source display buffers to correspond to regions of arbitrary contiguity in said target display buffers.

Claim 12

In a digital processing apparatus having a plurality of source display buffers, each divided into a plurality of data-containing regions, and a plurality of target display buffers interconnected to said source display buffers by a plurality of communications media, a system for updating said target display buffers from said source display buffers via said communication media, comprising: indicator means, for generating and storing a digital update indicator corresponding to each of the plurality of data-containing regions of each of said source display buffers, said indicator means including (i) identification means for identifying which of said regions contain changed data values and (ii) means, responsive to said identification means, for setting to a first value said update indicators whose corresponding identified regions have changed data values, monitor means, responsive to said indicator means, for identifying said update indicators having said first value, transmitting means for transmitting data of each said identified region over said communications media to update said display, means for changing said update indicators from said first value to a second value in response to said monitor means identifying said updated indicators having said first value and, configuring means for dynamically defining the shape, size and configuration of the data-containing regions of said source display buffers to correspond to regions of arbitrary contiguity in said target display buffers.

Claim 14

In a digital processing apparatus having a plurality of source video display buffers, each divided into a plurality of data-containing regions, and a plurality of trarget video display buffers interconnected to said source video display buffers by a plurality of communications media, a system for updating said target video display buffers from said source video display buffers via said communication medium, comprising: indicator means for generating and storing a plurality of update indicator bits, each update indicator bit corresponding to one of the plurality of data containing regions of one of said source video display buffers, said indicator means including (i) identification means for determining which of said regions contain changed data values and (ii) means, responsive to said identification means for setting to a first value, said update indicator bits whose corresponding identified regions have changed data values, monitor means, responsive to said indicator means, for identifying said update indicator bits having said first value, transmitting means for transmitting data of each of said identified region over said communications media to update said display, means for changing said update indicators from said first value to a second value in response to said monitor means identifying said updated indicators having said first value and, configuring means for dynamically defining the shape, size and configuration of the data-containing regions of said source video display buffers to correspond to regions of arbitrary contiguity in said target video display buffers.

Claim 15

In a digital processing apparatus having a plurality of source video display buffers, each divided into a plurality of data-containing regions, and a plurality of trarget video display buffers interconnected to said source video display buffers by a plurality of communications media, a system for updating said target video display buffers from said source video display buffers via said communication medium, comprising: indicator means for generating and storing a plurality of update indicator bits, each update indicator bit corresponding to one of the plurality of data containing regions of one of said source video display buffers, said indicator means including (i) identification means for determining which of said regions contain changed data values and (ii) means, responsive to said identification means for setting to a first value, said update indicator bits whose corresponding identified regions have changed data values, monitor means, responsive to said indicator means, for identifying said update indicator bits having said first value, transmitting means for transmitting data of each of said identified region over said communications media to update said display, means for changing said update indicators from said first value to a second value in response to said monitor means identifying said updated indicators having said first value and, configuring means for dynamically defining the shape, size and configuration of the data-containing regions of said source video display buffers to correspond to regions of arbitrary contiguity in said target video display buffers.