Data processing apparatus having a graphics device with priority scheduling of drawing requests

Claim 2

A data processing apparatus comprising: a host processor including multitasking means for executing a plurality of processes in a time sharing manner, scheduling means for scheduling drawing requests generated in parallel from the plurality of processes and forming the drawing requests into a single sequence of drawing commands, said multitasking means and said scheduling means being connected to interact logically, and a graphics device for controlling a display device to draw a picture in accordance with a predetermined unit of drawing commands transferred from the single sequence in said scheduling means, wherein said scheduling means monitors an execution status of the predetermined unit of drawing commands at the graphics device, and reserves the scheduling of the drawing request from each of the processes until the execution status advances to a predetermined stage, and wherein said drawing requests from the plurality of processes include a drawing request related to a hardware event and said scheduling means schedules the hardware event-related drawing request with priority over other requests.

Claim 3

A data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the hardware event is generated in response to an operation of a device selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, a mouse, a light pen, a touch screen and a track ball.

Claim 4

A data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said scheduling means provides a multi-window function on a single screen of said graphics device.

Claim 5

A data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display device comprises a ferroelectric liquid crystal display panel.

Claim 6

A data processing apparatus comprising graphics device means for drawing a picture on a screen in accordance with a drawing command, and host processor means for running a process of generating the drawing command and for transferring the generated drawing command to said graphics device means, wherein said host processor means monitors a drawing request and a hardware event from the running process to said graphics device means, sequentially registers the drawing command generated in response to the monitored drawing request in a first queue and executes the monitored hardware event, wherein said host processor means further monitors an execution status of the drawing command transferred to said graphic device means, and controls, in accordance with the execution status, registration of the generated drawing command in said first queue, and wherein said host processor means suspends monitoring of the drawing request to said graphics device means until the execution of the drawing command transferred to said graphics device means reaches a predetermined stage and executes the monitored hardware event with priority over the monitored drawing request.

Claim 7

A data processing apparatus comprising graphics device means for drawing a picture on a screen in accordance with a drawing command, and host processor means for running a process of generating the drawing command and for transferring the generated drawing command to said graphics device means, wherein said host processor means monitors a drawing request and a hardware event from the running process to said graphics device means, sequentially registers the drawing command generated in response to the monitored drawing request in a first queue and executes the monitored hardware event, wherein said host processor means further monitors an execution status of the drawing command transferred to said graphic device means, and controls, in accordance with the execution status, registration of the generated drawing command in said first queue, and wherein said host processor means suspends monitoring of the drawing request to said graphics device means until the execution of the drawing command transferred to said graphics device means reaches a predetermined stage and executes the monitored hardware event with priority over the monitored drawing request.

Claim 8

A data processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a buffer for storing the drawing command transferred to said graphics device means, wherein the drawing request to said graphics device means starts to be monitored when an amount of unexecuted commands in said buffer becomes at most a predetermined amount.

Claim 9

A data processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a buffer for storing the drawing command transferred to said graphics device means, wherein the drawing request starts to be monitored in response to a first to occur of an unexecuted command being not present in said buffer and said host processor means judging that there is free space for storing the next drawing command.

Claim 10

A data processing apparatus according to any one of claims 5, 6 and 7 wherein said host processor provides a plurality of processes run in a time sharing manner, registers the generated drawing command in a second queue provided for each drawing generation process by said host processor means, controls the registered drawing commands in said second queue as a single sequence, and stores the registered drawing commands in said first queue.

Claim 11

A data processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the hardware event is generated in response to an operation of a device selected from the group consisting of a keyboard, a mouse, a light pen, a touch screen and a track ball.

Claim 12

A data processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said graphics device means comprises a ferroelectric liquid crystal display panel device.

Claim 13

A data processing apparatus comprising: a graphics device including a display panel and a local processor for driving said panel in accordance with a drawing command to draw a picture on said display panel; a user operation device for generating a hardware event; and a host computer processor including client execution means for running a drawing process and server means for conducting a scheduling of monitoring a drawing request from the drawing process and the hardware event, said server means transferring the drawing command to said local processor in response to the drawing request and informing the drawing process of the hardware event in response to the hardware event, said client execution means and said server means being connected to interact logically, wherein said server means executes the hardware event with priority over the drawing request if said hardware event and said drawing request occur substantially at the same time, and monitors an execution status of the drawing commend by said local processor to reserve scheduling of the drawing request until the execution status reaches a predetermined stage.

Claim 14

A data processing apparatus comprising: a graphics device including a display panel and a local processor for driving said panel in accordance with a drawing command to draw a picture on said display panel; a user operation device for generating a hardware event; and a host computer processor including client execution means for running a drawing process and server means for conducting a scheduling of monitoring a drawing request from the drawing process and the hardware event, said server means transferring the drawing command to said local processor in response to the drawing request and informing the drawing process of the hardware event in response to the hardware event, said client execution means and said server means being connected to interact logically, wherein said server means executes the hardware event with priority over the drawing request if said hardware event and said drawing request occur substantially at the same time, and monitors an execution status of the drawing commend by said local processor to reserve scheduling of the drawing request until the execution status reaches a predetermined stage.

Claim 15

A data processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said display panel comprises a ferroelectric liquid crystal panel.

Claim 16

A data processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said server provides the drawing command to the local processor.