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US5512918A
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High speed method and apparatus for generating animation by means of a three-region frame buffer and associated region pointers
Assignee: Sun Microsystems Inc
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Filing: 1994-10-13
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Granted: 1996-04-30
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Expires: 2014-10-13
Abstract
Abstract A method and apparatus for quickly copying a first frame region into a second frame region. A video memory array comprising a plurality of video random access memory devices is divided into at least two frame regions. A background image is rendered by a central processing unit into a background frame region within the video memory array. The central processing unit then requests the background image in the background frame region to be copied into a new frame region in the video memory array. A dedicated circuit copies the entire background image in the background frame region into the new frame region. The dedicated circuit operates by using a serial data register within each video random access memory device during the vertical retrace period of a video timing signal. The dedicated circuit performs the background frame copy without requiring any processing resources from the central processing unit.
Inventors
- 👤 Craig S. Forrest
- 👤 Edward H. Frank
- 👤 Patrick J. Naughton
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 13:10
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/14; G09; G09G; G09G5/00; G09G5/36; G09G5/39; G09G5/393
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
185 words
A method for generating and displaying a sequence of animation frames, said method for use with a frame buffer apparatus comprising at least three data regions, each of the data regions having contents comprising frame data, and said frame buffer apparatus further comprising a display region pointer, a background region pointer, and a new frame region pointer, said method comprising the following steps: displaying, on a video display device, the contents of the data region addressed by the display region pointer; copying the contents of the data region addressed by the background region pointer into the data region addressed by the new frame region pointer; rendering a next frame in the sequence of animation frames; overlaying the next frame onto the data region addressed by the new frame region pointer; resetting the display region pointer to identify the data region addressed by the new frame region pointer; resetting the new frame region pointer to identify the data region previously addressed by the display region pointer; iteratively repeating the foregoing steps until the sequence of animated frames has been completely displayed on the video display device.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
185 words
A method for generating and displaying a sequence of animation frames, said method for use with a frame buffer apparatus comprising at least three data regions, each of the data regions having contents comprising frame data, and said frame buffer apparatus further comprising a display region pointer, a background region pointer, and a new frame region pointer, said method comprising the following steps: displaying, on a video display device, the contents of the data region addressed by the display region pointer; copying the contents of the data region addressed by the background region pointer into the data region addressed by the new frame region pointer; rendering a next frame in the sequence of animation frames; overlaying the next frame onto the data region addressed by the new frame region pointer; resetting the display region pointer to identify the data region addressed by the new frame region pointer; resetting the new frame region pointer to identify the data region previously addressed by the display region pointer; iteratively repeating the foregoing steps until the sequence of animated frames has been completely displayed on the video display device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of displaying includes one or more video retrace periods, and the respective steps of copying, rendering, and overlaying are performed during said video retrace periods.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said one or more video retrace periods include a vertical video retrace period.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 2 wherein said one or more video retrace periods include a horizontal video retrace period.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
69 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the step of resetting the new frame region pointer is replaced by the following steps: resetting the background region pointer to address the data region addressed by the display region pointer, thereby updating the contents of the region addressed by the background region pointer; and resetting the new frame region pointer to address the data region previously addressed by the background region pointer.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
191 words
An apparatus for generating and displaying a sequence of animation frames, said apparatus comprising: a frame buffer apparatus comprising at least three data regions, each of the data regions having contents comprising frame data, and the frame buffer apparatus further comprising a display region pointer, a background region pointer, and a new frame region pointer; means for displaying, on a video display device, the contents of the data region addressed by the display region pointer; means for copying the contents of the data region addressed by the background region pointer into the data region addressed by the new frame region pointer; means for rendering a next frame in the sequence of animation frames; means for overlaying the next frame onto the data region addressed by the new frame region pointer; means for resetting the display region pointer to identify the data region addressed by the new frame region pointer; means for resetting the new frame region pointer to identify the data region previously addressed by the display region pointer; means for iteratively repeating the foregoing steps until the sequence of animated frames has been completely displayed on the video display device.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
191 words
An apparatus for generating and displaying a sequence of animation frames, said apparatus comprising: a frame buffer apparatus comprising at least three data regions, each of the data regions having contents comprising frame data, and the frame buffer apparatus further comprising a display region pointer, a background region pointer, and a new frame region pointer; means for displaying, on a video display device, the contents of the data region addressed by the display region pointer; means for copying the contents of the data region addressed by the background region pointer into the data region addressed by the new frame region pointer; means for rendering a next frame in the sequence of animation frames; means for overlaying the next frame onto the data region addressed by the new frame region pointer; means for resetting the display region pointer to identify the data region addressed by the new frame region pointer; means for resetting the new frame region pointer to identify the data region previously addressed by the display region pointer; means for iteratively repeating the foregoing steps until the sequence of animated frames has been completely displayed on the video display device.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the means for displaying include means for generating one or more video retrace periods, and the respective means for copying, rendering, and overlaying are operative during said video retrace periods.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said one or more video retrace periods include a vertical video retrace period.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said one or more video retrace periods include a horizontal video retrace period.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
73 words
The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the means for resetting the new frame region pointer are replaced by the following means: means for resetting the background region pointer to address the data region addressed by the display region pointer, thereby updating the contents of the region addressed by the background region pointer; and means for resetting the new frame region pointer to address the data region previously addressed by the background region pointer.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-04-30 | 1999-10-30 | 2000-04-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-04-30 | 2003-10-30 | 2004-04-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-04-30 | 2007-10-30 | 2008-04-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |