Patent US881368A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent EP0099188A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0099188A2
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EP
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General purpose display controller for electronic games
Assignee: Bally Manufacturing Corp
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Filing: 1983-06-16
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-06-16
Abstract
Abstract A general purpose controller suitable for use with an electronic amusement game having a raster scan display receives game data from the game during vertical blank periods, the game data specifying object images and their screen positions desired for the next display in the sequence of raster scan displays. The controller then reads εolor/ intensity information for each display pixel out of permanent memory at the time the pixel is displayed on the raster scan display surface. An embodiment is described capable of controlling up to 32 object images in the play of a game.
Inventors
- 👤 John Jacob Pasierb, Jr.
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 11:24
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63F; A63F13/00; A63F13/50; G; G09; G09G; G09G5/00; G09G5/42; A63F2300/00; A63F2300/20; A63F2300/203
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
348 words
A general purpose controller to be used with an electronic amusement game having means to communicate game data and having a raster scan display, for the display, as required by the play of the game, of a plurality of object images on the display surface scanned by the raster scan in a manner which causes a sequence of. individual displays, each composed of individual substantially parallel lines drawn by the raster scan, to appear on the display surface, the displays in the sequence occurring so rapidly as to make possible the illusion of continuous motion of the individual object images, the controller comprising: game data means for receiving said game data during the time interval between successive displays in said sequence, said game data specifying locations on said display surface where said object images are required to be displayed in the next display in said sequence, and for retaining said game data until new game data is received; memory means for retaining information, substantially permanently, defining said plurality of object images independently of the display positions of any of said object images on said display surface, said information characterizing the display at positions along said raster scan lines required to represent each of said object images on said display surface; display means for controlling said raster scan display, for signaling to said memory means when the time has arrived to begin displaying one line of said object image, and for operating upon said information within said memory means to cause said line of said object image to be drawn with the required characterization of the display, and for providing timing signals to synchronize controller operation with the raster scan display; and supervisory means for operating upon said game data retained by said game data means to designate to said display means prior to the time each of said parallel lines is drawn upon said display surface the positions on such line where the drawing of parts of respective object images will begin; thereby causing object images to appear on the display surface in accordance with the game data.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
348 words
A general purpose controller to be used with an electronic amusement game having means to communicate game data and having a raster scan display, for the display, as required by the play of the game, of a plurality of object images on the display surface scanned by the raster scan in a manner which causes a sequence of. individual displays, each composed of individual substantially parallel lines drawn by the raster scan, to appear on the display surface, the displays in the sequence occurring so rapidly as to make possible the illusion of continuous motion of the individual object images, the controller comprising: game data means for receiving said game data during the time interval between successive displays in said sequence, said game data specifying locations on said display surface where said object images are required to be displayed in the next display in said sequence, and for retaining said game data until new game data is received; memory means for retaining information, substantially permanently, defining said plurality of object images independently of the display positions of any of said object images on said display surface, said information characterizing the display at positions along said raster scan lines required to represent each of said object images on said display surface; display means for controlling said raster scan display, for signaling to said memory means when the time has arrived to begin displaying one line of said object image, and for operating upon said information within said memory means to cause said line of said object image to be drawn with the required characterization of the display, and for providing timing signals to synchronize controller operation with the raster scan display; and supervisory means for operating upon said game data retained by said game data means to designate to said display means prior to the time each of said parallel lines is drawn upon said display surface the positions on such line where the drawing of parts of respective object images will begin; thereby causing object images to appear on the display surface in accordance with the game data.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
The general purpose controller of Claim 1 wherein said game data means receives said game data during vertical blanking in a time short compared with the vertical blanking time.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
A general purpose controller according to one of Claims 1 and 2 wherein said game data means comprises at least one RAM.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
65 words
A general purpose controller according to Claim 3 wherein said game data means comprises at least one odd RAM and one even RAM wherein said game data is received alternately by said odd and even RAM's for each of said plurality of object images to be displayed and such that said even and odd RAM's together contain said game data for each such object image.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
A general purpose controller according to one of Claims 1 and 2 wherein said memory means includes a ROM.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
110 words
A general purpose controller according to one of Claims 1 and 2 wherein said display means comprises a RAM havfng a bit capacity at least as large as a digital representation of a single one of said substantially parallel lines drawn by the raster scan, said timing signals cause said R AM to be addressed sequentially and synchronously with the drawing of said digitally represented line; said RAM outputs data substantially at the tine to begin displaying one line of each of said object images to be displayed, and said data enable said memory means to output said information corresponding to one line of each such image to be displayed.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
43 words
A general purpose controller according to Claim 5 wherein said display means includes a RAM containing the initial addresses in said ROM at which said ROM has information defining the next line to be drawn of one of said plurality of object images.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
A general purpose controller according to Claim 7 wherein said display means includes an array of four 8-to-I multiplexer/data selectors.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
A general' purpose controller according to one of Claims 1 and 2 wherein said supervisory means includes a fast CPU/sequencer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
A general purpose controller according to. Claim 9 wherein said fast CPU/sequencer shares RAM memory with said game data means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
66 words
A general purpose controller according to one of Claims 1 and 2 wherein said game data means, said memory means, and said display means retain information in a plurality of RAM's, and said supervisory means and said display means transfer data between one or more pairs of said RAM's by fast data transfer under the control of one of said display means and said supervisory means:
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
40 words
A general purpose controller according to one of Claims 1 and 2 wherein said display means includes a RAM containing the positions on the next line to be drawn where drawing of pacts of respective object images is to begin.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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