EP0601535A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for, and methods of, providing a universal format of pixels and for scaling fields in the pixels
Assignee: Mindspeed Technologies LLC
•
Filing: 1993-12-07
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2013-12-07
Abstract
Abstract Raster display memories are often arranged to output groups of pixels in progressive blocks, each having a plurality of pixels and each pixel having a plurality of fields. The fields in each pixel may provide color, overlay and cursor information for an individual position on a video screen. The numbers of bits in each pixel and in each field may be variable in different applications. In this system, control information indicates the starting position of each block, the location of each pixel in each block and each field in each pixel and the width of each pixel and each field in number of bits. Using this control information, the system recovers the pixels in each block and the fields in each pixel and processes such information to provide a display of the pixel information on a video screen. The number of bits contained in each field may be expanded to a width (e.g. 8) when the field width is less than eight (8) bits. In this expansion, the expanded field value has an error, compared to the field value before expansion, less than half of the least significant bit in the expanded field. Frequently, the bits in each field before expansion are provided in the positions of greatest binary significance in the expanded field. The unused positions in the expanded field are then filled in the order of progressively decreasing significance by the bits of progressively decreasing significance in the field before expansion, starting from the bit of greatest significance.
Inventors
- 👤 James Corona
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 08:28
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09G; G09G5/00; G09G5/36; G09G5/39; G09G5/395
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 32
Claim 1
Independent Claim
154 words
In combination, first means for providing a plurality of bits of information in a block having a variable number of pixels and having a plurality of fields in each pixel and a variable number of bits in each pixel, second means responsive to each block for progressively separating the bits in each progressive pixel in each block in accordance with the variations in the number of pixels in each block, third means responsive to the separation of each pixel in each block for sequentially separating the bits in each progressive field in such pixel in accordance with the variations in the number of bits in such pixel, and fourth means for converting the number of bits in each field to a particular number of bits with an error less than one half of the value of the least significant bit when the number of bits in such field is less than the particular number.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
55 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 1, the second means including means for determining the start of the block, the number of positions in each pixel in the block and whether the start position in the block is the most significant position in the block or the least significant position in the block.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
60 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 2, the second means including means for counting the successive bits in each block in accordance with the determination of the start of the block and the number of bits in each pixel in the block and for separating the bits in the block into successive pixels in accordance with such count.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
44 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 1, the third means including means for indicating the start bits in each of a plurality of successive fields in each pixel and for separating the bits in each successive field in accordance with such indications.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
53 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 1, the fourth means including means for indicating the number of bits in each field in each pixel and for processing the indications in such bits to expand the indications to the particular number of bits in each field in accordance with such processed indications.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
250 words
In combination, storage means for providing successive blocks of information bits, the blocks including a plurality of pixels in the blocks, each of the pixels including a plurality of fields, each of the fields including a plurality of bits, the number of the bits of information in each pixel and the number of the bits of information in each field in each pixel being variable, first means responsive to each of the successive blocks of information in the storage means for recovering such blocks and for storing the bits of information in the recovered blocks, second means responsive to the bits of information stored in each block for recovering the bits of information in each of the pixels in the stored block regardless of the number of bits of information in such pixel and for storing the recovered bits of information in such pixel, third means responsive to the bits of information stored in each of the pixels for recovering each of the fields in each pixel regardless of the number of bits of information in such fields and for storing the bits of information in each of such fields, and fourth means for expanding the number of bits in the fields in each pixel to a particular number without varying, by more than one half of the least significant bit in the expanded fields, the value represented by the expanded number of bits relative to the value represented the number of bits in such particular fields before such expansion.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
38 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 6, the first means including first register means, the second means including second register means, the third means including third register means, and the fourth means including fourth register means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 6, the fourth means including means for disposing the recovered bits in the particular fields in the positions of greatest significance in the expansions of such particular fields and for repeating such bits, in the expansions of such fields, in the order of decreasing binary significance.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
106 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 6, means for providing control instructions for separating each pixel in each block in accordance with the number of the bits of information in such pixel, the start position of the block in the storage means and the direction of processing of the information in each pixel from the position of greatest binary significance or the position of least binary significance, and the first means being responsive to the control information for recovering the bits of information in each of the pixels in the stored block regardless of the number of the bits of information in such pixel.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
204 words
In combination for use in providing color information on a video screen where the color information is provided in a block by pixels of variable width, each of the pixels having a plurality of fields of variable width to represent the primary colors and to represent particular ones of an overlay, a cursor and a bypass control, first means for storing bits of information relating to the progressive pixels to be displayed on the video screen, second means for providing control information representing the width of the pixels, the widths of the fields, the start positions of the pixels and the fields and the direction of the bits of information in the pixels and the fields as between the most significant bit or the least significant bit being the starting position, third means responsive to the control information for separating the bits in the first means into the successive pixels, fourth means responsive to the control information for separating the bits for each of the pixels into the plurality of fields in the pixel, and fifth means responsive to the control information for processing the bits of information in each field in each pixel to recover the information in each field for such pixel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
53 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 10, first register means for storing the bits of information in the pixels after the separation of the pixels from the first means, and second register means for storing the bits of information in the fields after the separation of the fields in each pixel.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
102 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 10 wherein the pixels are provided in blocks and wherein the second means provides control information representing the start of the blocks and the width of the blocks and the direction of the bits of information in the blocks as between the most significant bit or the least significant bit being the starting position, wherein means are responsive to the control information representing the start of the blocks and the width of the blocks and the direction of the bit of information for separating the bits for each of the pixels from the blocks.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
85 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 10, including, means for expanding the number of bits of information in each field to a particular number, without varying the accuracy of the relative value represented by such expanded bits from the relative value of the original bits by as much as one half (1/2) of the relative value of the least significant bit in the expanded field when the number of bits of information in such field before expansion is less than the particular number.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
137 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 11, including, means for expanding the number of bits of information in each field to a particular number, without varying the accuracy of the relative value represented by such expanded bits from the relative value of the original bits by as much as one half (1/2) of the value of the least significant bit in the expanded number of bits, when the number of bits in the fields before expansion is less than the particular number, the expanding means including means for inserting the bits of information in each field before expansion into the positions of greatest significance in the expanded field in the order of decreasing binary significance, and for then repeating the insertion of such bits in the positions of progressively decreasing significance in the expanded field.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
98 words
In combination, first means for providing a plurality of bits in a field, second means for providing control information representing the number of bits in the field, third means responsive to the control information for expanding the bits of information in the field to a particular number, without affecting the relative value of the expanded bits from the relative value of the bits before expansion by less than the relative value of one half (1/2) of the least significant bit in the particular number, when the number of bits in the field is less than the particular number.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
33 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 15, the third means including a multiplexer having a ratio of input to output dependent upon the number of bits in the field before expansion.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
38 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 15, the third means including means for inserting the bits, starting with the most significant bit, of progressively decreasing binary significance into the least significant positions in the expanded field.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
42 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 16, the third means including means for inserting on a repetitive basis, the bits, starting with the most significant bit, of progressively decreasing binary significance into the least significant positions in the expanded field.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
141 words
In combination first means for providing a pixel defined by a plurality of bits of information, second means for separating the pixels into a plurality of fields each defined by a plurality of bits, third means for expanding the number of bits in the fields into a particular number of bits when the number of bits in such field is less than the particular number with the bits in the field before expansion constituting the most significant bits in the expanded field, and fourth means for inserting into the unfilled positions in the expanded fields, bits related to the bits in the field before expansion to obtain in the expanded field values having a deviation from the value of the bits before expansion by less than half of the value of the least significant bit in the expanded field before expansion.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
79 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 19, the fourth means including a multiplexer having a variable value dependent upon the number of bits in the field before expansion, the fourth means including means for setting the multiplexer to operate at a particular ratio of the input to the multiplexer to the output from the multiplexer, this ratio being dependent upon the number of pixels in the field before the expansion of the pixels to the particular number.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
46 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 20, means responsive to the operation of the multiplexer for repetitively duplicating, in the field with the particular number of bits, the bits in the field before expansion, this expansion being in the order of progressively decreasing significance.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
87 words
In a combination as set forth in claim 19, the fourth means including means for inserting, into the unfilled positions of least binary significance in the field with the particular number of bits, the bits in the most significant positions in such field, starting with the filling of the most significant bit in such field in the unfilled position of greatest binary significance and filling of bits of progressively decreasing binary significance in such field into the unfilled positions of progressively decreasing binary significance in such field.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
152 words
A method of recovering information from a display memory which stores bits of information in successive blocks each having a plurality of pixels of variable width and each of the pixels having a plurality of fields each of variable width, providing a program to control the start position of the successive blocks in the display memory and the width of each block, the start position of each pixel in each block and the width of each pixel in each block and the start of each field in each block and the width of each field in each block, separating each of the successive blocks in the display memory in accordance with such program, separating each of the successive pixels in accordance with such program provided, separating each of the fields in each pixel in accordance with such program, and processing the bits of information in each of the fields in each pixel.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
80 words
A method as set forth in claim 23 wherein the method is adapted to display colors in progressive pixel positions on a video screen and wherein the fields in each pixel include separate fields relating to each of the primary colors and wherein the bits of information in each pixel for the fields relating to the primary colors are processed to provide for the display on a video screen of color in the successive pixel positions of the video screen.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
73 words
A method as set forth in claim 23 wherein the method is adapted to display colors in progressive pixel positions on a video screen and wherein the fields in each pixel include a separate field relating to an overlay and wherein the bits of information in the pixels for the field relating to the overlay are processed to provide for the display of the overlay at individual pixel positions on the video screen.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
70 words
A method as set forth in claim 23 wherein the method is adapted to display a cursor on a video screen and wherein the fields in each pixel include a separate field relating to a cursor and wherein the bits of information in the pixels for the field relating to the cursor are processed to provide for the display of the cursor at individual pixel positions on the video screen.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
96 words
A method as set forth in claim 23 wherein the program controls the extension of the bits in each field to a particular number when the number of bits in such field is less than the particular number and wherein the program further controls the information in the particular number of bits to provide a value relative to the value of the bits in the field before the expansion to produce an error less than one half (1/2) of the value of the least significant bit in the expanded field with the particular number of bits.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
85 words
A method as set forth in claim 24 wherein the program controls the expansion of the bits in each field to a particular number when the number of bits in such field is less than the particular number and wherein the program provides for the disposition of the bits in such expanded field in the positions of greatest binary significance and provides for the insertion in the unfilled positions in such expanded field of the bits in the order of their progressively decreasing binary significance.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
124 words
A method of expanding the binary bits in a field to a particular number where the particular number is greater than the number of the binary bits in the field, including the steps of: determining the number of bits in the field, determining the value of each bit in the field, providing the determined bits in the positions of greatest binary significance, and providing, in the positions of reduced binary significance in the expanded field, binary values to provide in the expanded field a particular value relative to the maximum value capable of being attained in the expanded field such that the particular value has an error less than one half (1/2) of the value of the least significant bit in the expanded field.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method as set forth in claim 29 wherein the values recorded in the positions of the reduced binary significance in the expanded field are related to the values recorded in the most significant positions in the expanded field.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method as set forth in claim 29 wherein the values provided in the position of reduced significance in the expanded field are duplicates of the values provided in the most significant positions in the expanded field.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method as set forth in claim 30 wherein the values provided in the positions of reduced binary significance in the expanded field are the binary bits provided in the most significant positions in the expanded field, starting with the bit of greatest binary significance and progressively the bits of progressively decreasing significance.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.