Video picking and clipping method and apparatus

Claim 1

A method of picking a data object from among a plurality of data objects appearing on a video display in a video system having a central processing unit (CPU), a system memory, a bit map, a direct memory access (DMA) circuit and a graphics microprocessor (GμP), comprising the steps of: storing in said system memory a segment comprising a plurality of display lists, each of said display lists in said segment comprising a plurality of instructions for storing one of said plurality of data objects in said bit map, at least one of said instructions comprising a special pick instruction having an operation code and an object number corresponding to said one of said data objects; storing at the beginning of said segment the starting address of the first instruction in said segment and a number corresponding to the number of instructions in said segment; storing in said system memory an index table of index entries, each of said entries comprising an object number and the address of the first instruction in the data list for the data object associated with said object number; executing the instructions in said segment for storing said plurality of data objects in said bit map; displaying each of said data objects in said bit map on said video display; moving a pointer on said video display to a position coinciding with the position of said data object on said video display; generating a pointer signal for indicating the position of said pointer on said video display and a pick request signal when the position of said pointer coincides with the position of said selected data object; transferring in response to said pick request signal said starting address of the first instruction in said segment and said number corresponding to the number of instructions in said segment from said system memory to said DMA circuit; transferring each of said instructions in said segment from said system memory to said DMA after said starting address and said number of instructions in said segment are transferred to said DMA; transferring each of said instructions in said segment from said DMA circuit to said GμP for virtually re-executing each of said instructions; comparing the coordinates of each pixel associated with an instruction which is virtually executed in said GμP with said position of said pointer on said video display; generating a pick interrupt signal when a match occurs between the coordinates of a data object pixel and said position of said pointer; generating a software interrupt signal when said special pick instruction in said display list of said selected data object is executed by said GμP after said pick interrupt signal is generated; transferring said software interrupt signal to said CPU; transferring in response to the receipt of said software interrupt signal by said CPU said special pick instruction from said GμP to said CPU; transferring from said index table in said system memory to said CPU the index entry associated with said special pick instruction; generating in response to the receipt of said index entry by said CPU a new display list for performing a selected operation on said selected data object; and transferring said new display list to said DMA and said GμP for performing said selected operation on said selected data object.

Claim 2

A method of picking a data object from among a plurality of data objects appearing on a video display in a video system having a central processing unit (CPU), a system memory, a bit map, a direct memory access (DMA) circuit and a graphics microprocessor (GμP), comprising the steps of: storing in said system memory a segment comprising a plurality of display lists, each of said display lists in said segment comprising a plurality of instructions for storing one of said plurality of data objects in said bit map, at least one of said instructions comprising a special pick instruction having an operation code and an object number corresponding to said one of said data objects; storing at the beginning of said segment the starting address of the first instruction in said segment and a number corresponding to the number of instructions in said segment; storing in said system memory an index table of index entries, each of said entries comprising an object number and the address of the first instruction in the data list for the data object associated with said object number; executing the instructions in said segment for storing said plurality of data objects in said bit map; displaying each of said data objects in said bit map on said video display; moving a pointer on said video display to a position coinciding with the position of said data object on said video display; generating a pointer signal for indicating the position of said pointer on said video display and a pick request signal when the position of said pointer coincides with the position of said selected data object; transferring in response to said pick request signal said starting address of the first instruction in said segment and said number corresponding to the number of instructions in said segment from said system memory to said DMA circuit; transferring each of said instructions in said segment from said system memory to said DMA after said starting address and said number of instructions in said segment are transferred to said DMA; transferring each of said instructions in said segment from said DMA circuit to said GμP for virtually re-executing each of said instructions; comparing the coordinates of each pixel associated with an instruction which is virtually executed in said GμP with said position of said pointer on said video display; generating a pick interrupt signal when a match occurs between the coordinates of a data object pixel and said position of said pointer; generating a software interrupt signal when said special pick instruction in said display list of said selected data object is executed by said GμP after said pick interrupt signal is generated; transferring said software interrupt signal to said CPU; transferring in response to the receipt of said software interrupt signal by said CPU said special pick instruction from said GμP to said CPU; transferring from said index table in said system memory to said CPU the index entry associated with said special pick instruction; generating in response to the receipt of said index entry by said CPU a new display list for performing a selected operation on said selected data object; and transferring said new display list to said DMA and said GμP for performing said selected operation on said selected data object.

Claim 6

A method of clipping a data object appearing on a video display in a video system when said data object is moved from a source area S on said display to a destination area D on said display, said destination area D being spaced from said source area S, said video system having a bit map, and a one-bit register, said bit map comprising a data plane and a match plane, said data plane and said match plane comprising pixels, comprising the steps of: storing said data object in said data plane within an area in said data plane which corresponds to said source area S on said display, said data object in said data plane comprising pixels having a predetermined logical binary value; storing a clipping object in said match plane within an area in said match plane which corresponds to said destination area D on said display, said clipping object in said match plane comprising pixels having a predetermined logical binary value; moving said data object in said data plane from said area corresponding to said source area S on said display to an area corresponding to said destination area D on said display; scanning the pixels in said data plane as said data object is being moved; scanning the pixels in said match plane as said data object is being moved; comparing said pixels in said match plane as they are being scanned against the contents of said one-bit register for generating a write enable signal when a pixel in said match plane matches the contents of said one-bit register; and enabling said data plane to store within said area in said data plane which corresponds to said destination area D on said display each pixel scanned in said data plane which corresponds spatially with a pixel scanned in said match plane when said write enable signal is generated, each of said pixels in said match plane having a predetermined correspondence with the contents of said one-bit register.

Claim 7

A method of clipping a data object appearing on a video display in a video system when said data object is moved from a source area S on said display to a destination area D on said display, said destination area D being spaced from said source area S, said video system having a bit map, and a one-bit register, said bit map comprising a data plane and a match plane, said data plane and said match plane comprising pixels, comprising the steps of: storing said data object in said data plane within an area in said data plane which corresponds to said source area S on said display, said data object in said data plane comprising pixels having a predetermined logical binary value; storing a clipping object in said match plane within an area in said match plane which corresponds to said destination area D on said display, said clipping object in said match plane comprising pixels having a predetermined logical binary value; moving said data object in said data plane from said area corresponding to said source area S on said display to an area corresponding to said destination area D on said display; scanning the pixels in said data plane as said data object is being moved; scanning the pixels in said match plane as said data object is being moved; comparing said pixels in said match plane as they are being scanned against the contents of said one-bit register for generating a write enable signal when a pixel in said match plane matches the contents of said one-bit register; and enabling said data plane to store within said area in said data plane which corresponds to said destination area D on said display each pixel scanned in said data plane which corresponds spatially with a pixel scanned in said match plane when said write enable signal is generated, each of said pixels in said match plane having a predetermined correspondence with the contents of said one-bit register.

Claim 13

An apparatus for picking a data object from among a plurality of data objects appearing on a video display in a video system having a central processing unit (CPU), a system memory, a bit map, a direct memory access (DMA) circuit and a graphics microprocessor (GμP), comprising: means for storing in said system memory a segment comprising a plurality of display lists, each of said display lists in said segment comprising a plurality of instructions for storing one of said plurality of data objects in said bit map, at least one of said instructions comprising a special pick instruction having an operation code and an object number corresponding to said one of said data objects; means for storing at the beginning of said segment the starting address of the first instruction in said segment and a number corresponding to the number of instructions in said segment; means for storing in said system memory an index table of index entries, each of said entries comprising an object number and the address of the first instruction in the data list for the data object associated with said object number; means for executing the instructions in said segment for storing said plurality of data objects in said bit map; means for displaying each of said data objects in said bit map on said video display; means for moving a pointer on said video display to a position coinciding with the position of a data object on said video display; means for generating a pointer signal corresponding to the position of said pointer on said video display and a pick request signal when the position of said pointer coincides with the position of said data object; means for transferring in response to said pick request signal said starting address of the first instruction in said segment and said number corresponding to the number of instructions in said segment from said system memory to said DMA circuit; means for transferring each of said instructions in said segment from said system memory to said DMA after said starting address and said number of instructions in said segment are transferred to said DMA; means for transferring each of said instructions in said segment from said DMA circuit to said GμP for virtually re-executing each of said instructions; means for comparing the coordinates of each pixel associated with an instruction which is virtually executed in said GμP with said position of said pointer on said video display; means for generating a pick interrupt signal when a match occurs between the coordinates of a data object pixel and said position of said pointer; means for generating a software interrupt signal when said special pick instruction in said display list of said selected data object is executed by said GμP after said pick interrupt signal is generated; means for transferring said software interrupt signal to said CPU; means for transferring in response to the receipt of said software interrupt signal by said CPU said special pick instruction from said GμP to said CPU; means for transferring from said index table in said system memory to said CPU the index entry associated with said special pick instruction; means for generating in response to the receipt of said index entry by said CPU a new display list for performing a selected operation on said selected data object; and means for transferring said new display list to said DMA and said GμP for performing said selected operation on said selected data object.

Claim 14

An apparatus for picking a data object from among a plurality of data objects appearing on a video display in a video system having a central processing unit (CPU), a system memory, a bit map, a direct memory access (DMA) circuit and a graphics microprocessor (GμP), comprising: means for storing in said system memory a segment comprising a plurality of display lists, each of said display lists in said segment comprising a plurality of instructions for storing one of said plurality of data objects in said bit map, at least one of said instructions comprising a special pick instruction having an operation code and an object number corresponding to said one of said data objects; means for storing at the beginning of said segment the starting address of the first instruction in said segment and a number corresponding to the number of instructions in said segment; means for storing in said system memory an index table of index entries, each of said entries comprising an object number and the address of the first instruction in the data list for the data object associated with said object number; means for executing the instructions in said segment for storing said plurality of data objects in said bit map; means for displaying each of said data objects in said bit map on said video display; means for moving a pointer on said video display to a position coinciding with the position of a data object on said video display; means for generating a pointer signal corresponding to the position of said pointer on said video display and a pick request signal when the position of said pointer coincides with the position of said data object; means for transferring in response to said pick request signal said starting address of the first instruction in said segment and said number corresponding to the number of instructions in said segment from said system memory to said DMA circuit; means for transferring each of said instructions in said segment from said system memory to said DMA after said starting address and said number of instructions in said segment are transferred to said DMA; means for transferring each of said instructions in said segment from said DMA circuit to said GμP for virtually re-executing each of said instructions; means for comparing the coordinates of each pixel associated with an instruction which is virtually executed in said GμP with said position of said pointer on said video display; means for generating a pick interrupt signal when a match occurs between the coordinates of a data object pixel and said position of said pointer; means for generating a software interrupt signal when said special pick instruction in said display list of said selected data object is executed by said GμP after said pick interrupt signal is generated; means for transferring said software interrupt signal to said CPU; means for transferring in response to the receipt of said software interrupt signal by said CPU said special pick instruction from said GμP to said CPU; means for transferring from said index table in said system memory to said CPU the index entry associated with said special pick instruction; means for generating in response to the receipt of said index entry by said CPU a new display list for performing a selected operation on said selected data object; and means for transferring said new display list to said DMA and said GμP for performing said selected operation on said selected data object.

Claim 18

An apparatus for clipping a data object appearing on a video display in a video system when said data object is moved from a source area S on said display to a destination area D on said display, comprising: a bit map comprising a data plane for storing a data object and a match plane for storing a clipping object, said data plane and said match plane comprising spatially corresponding pixels and said clipping object comprising pixels having a predetermined logical binary value; a one-bit register for storing a bit having a predetermined logical binary value; means for moving said data object in said data plane from an area corresponding to said source area S on said display to an area corresponding to said destination area D on said display; means for scanning the pixels in said data plane as said data object is being moved; means for scanning the pixels in said match plane as said data object is being moved; means for comparing said pixels in said match plane and the contents of said one-bit register as said pixels in said match plane are being scanned; and means for enabling said data plane to store in said data plane in said area corresponding to said destination area D on said display each pixel scanned in said data plane which corresponds spatially with a pixel in said match plane when said pixel in said match plane has a predetermined correspondence with the contents of said one-bit register.

Claim 19

An apparatus for clipping a data object appearing on a video display in a video system when said data object is moved from a source area S on said display to a destination area D on said display, comprising: a bit map comprising a data plane for storing a data object and a match plane for storing a clipping object, said data plane and said match plane comprising spatially corresponding pixels and said clipping object comprising pixels having a predetermined logical binary value; a one-bit register for storing a bit having a predetermined logical binary value; means for moving said data object in said data plane from an area corresponding to said source area S on said display to an area corresponding to said destination area D on said display; means for scanning the pixels in said data plane as said data object is being moved; means for scanning the pixels in said match plane as said data object is being moved; means for comparing said pixels in said match plane and the contents of said one-bit register as said pixels in said match plane are being scanned; and means for enabling said data plane to store in said data plane in said area corresponding to said destination area D on said display each pixel scanned in said data plane which corresponds spatially with a pixel in said match plane when said pixel in said match plane has a predetermined correspondence with the contents of said one-bit register.