Packetized command interface to a graphics processor
Granted: December 18, 2001
Patent Number:
6331857
A method and apparatus for transferring commands to a graphics processor is provided. The method and apparatus are intended for use in a host computer system having a memory that is addressable by a host processor and a graphics processor. One or more queues of packet descriptors are maintained in the memory of the host computer system. Each packet descriptor includes a pointer to a region of memory known as a packet buffer. Each packet descriptor also includes a ready variable. To pass…
Method and apparatus for synchronizing graphics pipelines
Granted: December 11, 2001
Patent Number:
6329996
A method and apparatus for synchronizing the execution of a sequence of graphics pipelines is provided. For a representative embodiment a sequence of graphics pipelines are connected in a daisy-chain sequence. Each pipeline operation can be controlled to operated in one of two modes. The first is a local mode where the pipeline outputs its own digital video data. The second is a pass-through mode where the pipeline outputs digital video data received from preceding graphics pipelines.…
Acoustic perspective in a virtual three-dimensional environment
Granted: December 11, 2001
Patent Number:
6330486
A system and method for correcting discrepancies in the apparent location of audio sources in a computer representation of a three-dimensional environment is provided. The system and method compensate for distortions created by disparities between the virtual camera field of view and the observer's field of view. The system and method further provide for appropriate adjustments to audio sources outside of the observer's field of view.
System and method for rendering an image
Granted: November 27, 2001
Patent Number:
6323874
A system and method for rendering a graphic object that recursively subdivides a frame buffer into rectangular regions in an order determined by a space-filling curve. Each rectangular region is tested to determine if the region includes at least part of the object to be rendered. If it contains at least part of the object to be rendered, then the region is subdivided. In accordance with the present invention, the same tests are performed on the subdivided regions. This proceeds until…
Method and device for associating a pixel with one of a plurality of regions in a logarithm or cosine space
Granted: November 13, 2001
Patent Number:
6317126
A method and device for associating a pixel on a surface with one of a plurality of regions defined on the surface. The regions are concentric and defined on the surface by a cutoff angle &phgr; and a transition angle &Dgr;. The concentric regions have a center point that is aligned with a source point disposed above the center point. The source point and the center point form a first axis and the source point and the pixel define a second axis between the source point and the pixel. The…
Graphical user interface with anti-interference outlines for enhanced variably-transparent applications
Granted: November 13, 2001
Patent Number:
6317128
A system and method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) with anti-interference outlines for enhanced user attention and fluency of work. The GUI utilizes transparency to merge images (or layers) of objects onto a graphical display. For example, variably-transparent (transparent/semi-transparent) or “see through” objects, such as menus, tool palettes, windows, dialogue boxes, or screens are superimposed over similar objects or different background content, such as…
System software for use in a graphics computer system having a shared system memory and supporting DM Pbuffers and other constructs aliased as DM buffers
Granted: November 13, 2001
Patent Number:
6317134
A computer system having a shared system memory, and system software in the computer system, are described herein. The computer system has a general purpose, shared system memory that is used for all processing, including video input/output operations, image conversion operations, and rendering operations. In operation, a digital media (DM) Pbuffer is created. The DM Pbuffer is aliased as a DM buffer in the system memory. This is done by storing in a color buffer identifier of the DM…
Multi-threaded texture modulation for axis-aligned volume rendering
Granted: November 13, 2001
Patent Number:
6317137
A method, system, and computer program product are provided for multi-threaded texture modulation in axis-aligned volume rendering. Three texture modulation threads are used to modulate texture of three sets of the volumetric data (image sets) in accordance with a texture modulation request. Control is returned from the first texture modulation thread to a main rendering thread while the first texture modulation thread is executing. A user can then interact with a display view while the…
Three dimensional model with three dimensional pointers and multimedia functions linked to the pointers
Granted: November 6, 2001
Patent Number:
6313836
A computer implemented method of annotating a geometric figure displayed and manipulable in three-dimensional representation on a display of a computer system with a pointer is described. The pointer is also displayed and manipulable in three-dimensional representation on the display. The method associates multimedia functions with the geometric figure. The pointer is positioned to point at an area of the geometric figure using a control device. The geometric figure is displayed in a…
Interconnect capacitive effects estimation
Granted: November 6, 2001
Patent Number:
6314546
An non-iterative approach for estimating interconnect capacitive effects. The non-iterative approach includes a method for estimating the interconnect capacitive effects. The method includes modeling the gate and estimating an effective capacitance for the interconnect capacitive effects. The effective capacitance estimation includes modeling the gate load at an output of the gate. The gate load modeling includes approximating an admittance of the gate load to a single capacitance model…
Air or liquid cooled computer module cold plate
Granted: October 23, 2001
Patent Number:
6305463
A cold plate that provides air or liquid cooling for a computer circuit module and has at least one mounting plate with a board mounting surface on one side for carrying a printed circuit board assembly and a cooling surface located on the other side. A cover is disposed parallel to and spaced apart from the mounting plate with a cooling chamber defined between the two. The cooling chamber is divided into a liquid cooled section and an air cooled section. The liquid cooled section has a…
Method and apparatus for processing a set of data values with plural processing units mask bits generated by other processing units
Granted: October 23, 2001
Patent Number:
6308250
A method and system for operating a computing system having multiple processing units. According to a new machine instruction, called the iota instruction, the computing system operates on a vector of mask bits to generate an iota vector having a sequence of values. In one form, each value of the iota vector is a sum of a series of the lower order mask bits up to and including the mask bit corresponding to the entry in the iota vector. In another form, each entry in the iota vector is a…
Boolean operations for subdivision surfaces
Granted: October 23, 2001
Patent Number:
6307555
A method for creating a new subdivision surface from one or more prior subdivision surfaces using a computer, the computer having a processor and a memory, includes establishing in the memory a data structure storing data representing the structures of the prior subdivision surfaces, performing Boolean operations upon prior meshes defining the one or more prior subdivision surfaces to form a resulting mesh defining the new subdivision surface, and storing the resulting mesh in the…
Floating point gamma correction method and system
Granted: October 16, 2001
Patent Number:
6304300
The present invention provides a method, a device, and a system for performing gamma correction on a set of pixel data based on a gamma correction curve table. The gamma correction curve table includes a specified total number of intensity levels associated with gamma corrected pixel values with one intensity level per pixel value. The method includes partitioning the gamma correction curve table into N segments such that each of the N segments is associated with a set of intensity…
Method, system, and computer program product for visualizing a data structure
Granted: October 9, 2001
Patent Number:
6301579
A data structure visualization tool visualizes a data structure such as a decision table classifier. A data file based on a data set of relational data is stored as a relational table, where each row represents an aggregate of all the records for each combination of values of the attributes used. Once loaded into memory, an inducer is used to construct a hierarchy of levels, called a decision table classifier, where each successive level in the hierarchy has two fewer attributes. Besides…
Method, system, and computer program product for using static single assignment form as a program representation and a medium for performing global scalar optimization
Granted: October 9, 2001
Patent Number:
6301704
A method, system, and computer product uses a hashed static single assignment (SSA) form as a program representation and a medium for performing global scalar optimization. A compiler, after expressing the computer program in SSA form, can perform one or more static single assignment (SSA)-based, SSA-preserving global scalar optimization procedures on the SSA representation. Such a procedure modifies, (i.e., optimizes) the SSA representation of the program while preserving the utility of…
Electrical connector with latching backplate assembly
Granted: September 25, 2001
Patent Number:
6293813
An electrical connector (10) includes a cable dock (12) having a first connector (16) and a backshell assembly (14) having a second connector (18). The second connector (18) is adapted for engagement with the first connector (16). The electrical connector (10) also includes a locking element (40) coupled to the cable dock (12) and a latch (46) coupled to the backshell assembly (14). The latch (46) is operable to engage the locking element (40) and, in response to movement of the latch…
System and method for the direct rendering of curve bounded objects
Granted: September 18, 2001
Patent Number:
6292192
A texture procedure allows the rendering of curve bounded objects to a graphics display device directly from a high level curve-based description. The method comprises receiving a curve-based description of the graphics object and dividing the graphics object into a rectangular mesh of texels. Each texel is then detailed by defining a combination of curved geometry functions and a boolean function. These function are then evaluated for each pixel of the graphics display device thereby…
Apparatus and method for utilizing multiple rendering pipes for a single 3-D display
Granted: September 18, 2001
Patent Number:
6292200
A computer graphics system having a hyperpipe architecture. Multiple rendering pipes are coupled together through a hyperpipe network scheme. Each of the rendering pipes are capable of rendering primitives for an entire frame or portions thereof. This enables multiple rendering pipes to process graphics data at the same time. A controller coordinates the multiple rendering pipes by sending requests to the appropriate rendering pipes to retrieve the pixel data generated by that particular…
Method, system and computer program product for managing memory in a non-uniform memory access system
Granted: September 11, 2001
Patent Number:
6289424
A memory management and control system that is selectable at the application level by an application programmer is provided. The memory management and control system is based on the use of policy modules. Policy modules are used to specify and control different aspects of memory operations in NUMA computer systems, including how memory is managed for processes running in NUMA computer systems. Preferably, each policy module comprises a plurality of methods that are used to control a…
