US5504920A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Video driver system for communicating device specific primitive commands to multiple video controller types
Assignee: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP
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Filing: 1994-05-16
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Granted: 1996-04-02
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Expires: 2014-05-16
Abstract
Abstract A method and system for accommodating multiple video controllers. The method includes communicating a plurality of primitive commands to a video controller having a configuration of a predetermined type. Further, the method includes electronically determining the type of the configuration, and generating a vector table comprising a plurality of device-specific routines. Each entry in the vector table may point to a device-specific routine for hardware acceleration of a primitive command or to a default routine which sets the video controller in a specific mode which can be operated by a set of colordepth-specific routines which operate on any video controller set to the specific mode. In response to a primitive from the operating environment, common code, which is device and colordepth independent, will access a routine via the vector table. If the vector table does not access a hardware accelerated routine, colordepth specific code is used to execute the primitive.
Inventors
- 👤 Kent E. Biggs
- 👤 Mark A. Lobodzinski
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 15:28
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/14; G09; G09G; G09G5/00; G09G5/14
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
117 words
A method of communicating a plurality of primitive commands to a video controller having a configuration of a predetermined type, comprising the steps of: generating a vector table linking a plurality of function calls to corresponding routines; electronically determining said type of said configuration; and modifying the vector table responsive to said determined type of configuration such that certain of said function calls point to device-specific routines for performing hardware accelerated video operations and other of said function calls point to a routine for setting the video controller in a predetermined mode in which code specific to a specific color depth can execute video operations in the absence of a device-specific routine for a particular primitive command.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
117 words
A method of communicating a plurality of primitive commands to a video controller having a configuration of a predetermined type, comprising the steps of: generating a vector table linking a plurality of function calls to corresponding routines; electronically determining said type of said configuration; and modifying the vector table responsive to said determined type of configuration such that certain of said function calls point to device-specific routines for performing hardware accelerated video operations and other of said function calls point to a routine for setting the video controller in a predetermined mode in which code specific to a specific color depth can execute video operations in the absence of a device-specific routine for a particular primitive command.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
The method of claim 1 wherein said step of electronically determining said type of said configuration comprises polling a register associated with said configuration, wherein said register contains data identifying said type of said configuration.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 1 and further comprising the steps of: accessing the vector table responsive to a primitive command; and executing a routine specified by the vector table corresponding to the primitive command.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 3 and further comprising the step of indicating whether the routine executed in said executing step initiated a hardware acceleration operation of the video controller.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 4 and further comprising the step of executing code specific to a color depth associated with the video controller to complete execution of the primitive command.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said video controller is one of a plurality of different types of video controllers, and wherein said step of executing code specific to a color depth comprises the step of executing a plurality of color depth operations, wherein each of said plurality of different video controllers types are responsive to said plurality of color depth operations.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
58 words
The method of claim 5 and further comprising, before said step of executing color depth operations, the steps of: determining whether said video controller is in a proper mode to respond to a color depth operation; and delaying said executing step until after said video controller is in a proper mode to respond to a color depth operation.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 5 and further comprising, before said step of executing color depth operations, the step of placing said video controller into a predetermined memory access mode for responding to said color depth operations.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
117 words
A computer system, comprising: a display; a video controller having a configuration of a predetermined type and for controlling said display; control circuitry for: generating a vector table linking a plurality of function calls to corresponding routines; electronically determining said type of said configuration; and modifying the vector table responsive to said determined type of configuration such that certain of said function calls point to device-specific routines for performing hardware accelerated video operations and other of said function calls point to a routine for setting the video controller in a predetermined mode in which code specific to a specific color depth can execute video operations in the absence of a device-specific routine for a particular primitive command.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
117 words
A computer system, comprising: a display; a video controller having a configuration of a predetermined type and for controlling said display; control circuitry for: generating a vector table linking a plurality of function calls to corresponding routines; electronically determining said type of said configuration; and modifying the vector table responsive to said determined type of configuration such that certain of said function calls point to device-specific routines for performing hardware accelerated video operations and other of said function calls point to a routine for setting the video controller in a predetermined mode in which code specific to a specific color depth can execute video operations in the absence of a device-specific routine for a particular primitive command.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
The computer system of claim 9 wherein said control circuitry further: accesses the vector table responsive to a primitive command; and executes a routine specified by the vector table corresponding to the primitive command.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
The computer system of claim 10 wherein said control circuitry further indicates whether the routine initiated a hardware acceleration operation of the video controller.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
The computer system of claim 11 wherein said control circuitry further executes code specific to a color depth associated with the video controller to complete execution of the primitive command.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
54 words
The computer system of claim 12 wherein said control circuitry further: determines whether said video controller is in a proper mode to respond to a color depth operation; and delays said execution of the color depth operation until after said video controller is in a proper mode to respond to a color depth operation.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
36 words
The computer system of claim 12 wherein the control circuitry further places said video controller into a predetermined memory access mode for responding to said color depth operations prior to execution of a color depth operation.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-04-02 | 1999-10-02 | 2000-04-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-04-02 | 2003-10-02 | 2004-04-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-04-02 | 2007-10-02 | 2008-04-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |