Reverse mapping page frame data structures to page table entries
Granted: August 29, 2000
Patent Number:
6112286
A system, method and computer program product for reverse mapping a page of memory to one or more data structure references, such as page table entries, that reference the page of memory. A number m of fields of a page frame data structure are reserved for storing reverse mapping data for a page of memory. Each reserved field can store a reverse map entry for pointing to a data structure reference, such as a page table entry, that references the page of memory that is represented by the…
Method, system, and computer program product for increasing interpolation precision using multi-channel texture mapping
Granted: August 22, 2000
Patent Number:
6108007
A method, system, and computer program product are provided for increasing interpolation bit precision using multi-channel texture mapping. According to the present invention, pixels are separated into respective groups of data segments in multiple texture channels. The groups of data segments in each texture channel are interpolated in parallel to obtain an interpolated pixel value for each texture channel. The interpolated pixel value for each texture channel for a sample is stored in…
Method for accelerating minified textured cache access
Granted: August 15, 2000
Patent Number:
6104415
A method of a computer graphics system accelerates minified texture cache access by determining a starting address of a texture in s and t coordinates and a level of detail (LOD) of the texture. The texture includes tiles of texels stored in a memory. Then, the method of the present invention reads a succession of each of the tiles of the texture from the memory based on the starting address of a first of the succession of tiles. For each tile in the succession of tiles, each texel in…
Unified memory computer architecture with dynamic graphics memory allocation
Granted: August 15, 2000
Patent Number:
6104417
A computer system provides dynamic memory allocation for graphics. The computer system includes a memory controller, a unified system memory, and memory clients each having access to the system memory via the memory controller. Memory clients can include a graphics rendering engine, a CPU, an image processor, a data compression/expansion device, an input/output device, a graphics back end device. The computer system provides read/write access to the unified system memory, through the…
System and method for maintaining translation look-aside buffer (TLB) consistency
Granted: August 15, 2000
Patent Number:
6105113
A system and method for maintaining consistency between translational look-aside buffers (TLB) and page tables. A TLB has a TLB table for storing a list of virtual memory address-to-physical memory address translations, or page table entries (PTES) and a hardware-based controller for invalidating a translation that is stored in the TLB table when a corresponding page table entry changes. The TLB table includes a virtual memory (VM) page tag and a page table entry address tag for indexing…
Bezel for a computer
Granted: August 8, 2000
Patent Number:
D429248
System and method for performing high-precision, multi-channel blending using multiple blending passes
Granted: August 8, 2000
Patent Number:
6100899
A high-precision multi-channel blending operation replaces a single pass blending operation to overcome distortions resulting from an insufficient number of bits available per pixel in a hardware frame buffer. A desired frame buffer configuration, with a fewer number of channels, and a larger number of bits available per channel than available for a single pass blending operation, is specified and allocated in memory. The same, fewer number of channels from a destination image are…
Web-site delivery
Granted: August 1, 2000
Patent Number:
6096096
A method and system for emulating on-line accessing of information in an off-line environment. In one embodiment, information initially configured to be displayed via an on-line connection is stored onto a plurality of portable storage media. The portable storage media is adapted to be used by an end-user in an off-line environment. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the information is arranged on the plurality of storage media such that off-line accessing of the information emulates…
Server to dynamically generate graphics for the world wide web
Granted: August 1, 2000
Patent Number:
6098092
A method and arrangement for dynamically generating computer displayable graphics for the World Wide Web is provided. Upon receiving a request from an end user over the web, a server executes a program stored in its memory to retrieve data from a selected data source such as a continuously updated data base. Next, the server executes a second program stored in its memory using the data retrieved as input to generate computer graphics. The second program is written in a flexible and easy…
Constant multisample image coverage mask
Granted: July 18, 2000
Patent Number:
6091425
In a computer, a graphics system and process for generating a multisample image coverage mask comprising a constant number of samples. The mask covers an array of pixels with each pixel containing a number of samples. The samples are associated with information regarding the image which is used by the computer graphics system to render the image on a pixel. The samples utilized in creating the mask are those closest to the center of an image.
BGA land pattern
Granted: July 18, 2000
Patent Number:
6091155
A ball grid array (BGA) land pattern. In the present invention, a capture pad is disposed on a substrate. The capture pad is electrically coupled to a via which is formed into the substrate. A substantially rectangularly-shaped landing pad is also disposed on the substrate proximate to the capture pad. The substantially rectangularly-shaped landing pad is electrically coupled to the capture pad. In one embodiment, an electrically conductive connecting region electrically connects the…
General purpose web annotations without modifying browser
Granted: June 27, 2000
Patent Number:
6081829
A general purpose system and method for associating annotations, modifications, or other information with a web-viewable document is disclosed. An embodiment of the system and method includes the use of a "redirector." A user attempting to access a document at a particular web address, sends a request to view the document to that address. The request is intercepted by the redirector which, in turn, requests the document on behalf of the user. The redirector modifies the document and…
Quantum acceleration of conventional non-quantum computers
Granted: June 27, 2000
Patent Number:
6081882
A process and apparatus for quantum acceleration of a conventional computer by coupling a few quantum devices to the conventional computer. Initially, a first, second, and third maximally entangled qubit are prepared in a Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state. A fourth qubit is prepared in a perfect superposition of states which is unentangled from the three qubits. The second qubit is then measured and its measured value is input to the conventional computer. The conventional computer…
Method and apparatus for extraction of program region
Granted: June 20, 2000
Patent Number:
6077311
A method and apparatus for marking a region of source code within a program unit and extracting an executable version of this marked region of code. The executable version has a initialized program state equivalent to that of the original source code when the original source code entered the region. The method and apparatus remove as much source code as possible from the original source code while retaining enough code to enable the extracted region execute (replay) in a manner identical…
Method and system for efficiently drawing subdivision surfaces for 3D graphics
Granted: June 20, 2000
Patent Number:
6078331
A process for efficiently drawing subdivision surfaces. The present invention operates within a computer system for visually displaying 3 dimensional (3D) surfaces on a display. The present invention pulls polygons from a polygon mesh of a 3D surface. The polygons are stored into a 2 dimensional array such that the vertices of the polygons occupy nodes of the 2 dimensional array and are readily accessed. The polygons are subsequently divided into a plurality of resulting polygons. The…
Real-time lighting method using 3D texture mapping
Granted: June 20, 2000
Patent Number:
6078332
The present invention includes a method and system for providing real-time realistic lighting to graphics objects within a computer controlled graphics display system utilizing 3D texture mapped light values. The present invention generates and utilizes a 3D texture map indicating light intensity values with a predefined 3D graphics region. In generating the 3D texture map light values, the present invention selects a point (x, y, z) within the 3D graphics region that is to be displayed…
Memory system with multiple addressing and control busses
Granted: June 20, 2000
Patent Number:
6078515
A memory system that includes a memory controller and memory modules that provide address and control signals to groups of memory components through multiple busses. In one embodiment, each memory module is coupled to an address/control buss. The use of multiple address/control busses provides the necessary bandwidth so as to allow for fast access and control of memory components. Memory components are grouped into banks of memory components with each bank including three memory…
System and method for buffering multiple frames while controlling latency
Granted: June 13, 2000
Patent Number:
6075543
A system and method for managing multiple frame buffers. The system includes multiple frame buffers, and thus reduces the risk of dropped frames. The system controls and bounds render-to-display latency, and provides an application friendly and effective interface to the frame buffers. The system operates by estimating a latency of a frame that is yet to be rendered. The system determines whether the latency is greater than a target latency. If the latency is greater than the target…
System and method for the scaling of image streams that use motion vectors
Granted: June 13, 2000
Patent Number:
6075906
A system and method for scaling image streams that use motion vectors is disclosed. The system combines an error term with a predicted term in order to produce a display value. The system operates on image components represented in the spatial and frequency domains. The system processes motion vectors in the spatial domain. The motion vectors are scaled. The integral part of the scaled motion vector addresses a framestore. The fractional portion of the scaled motion vector is input to a…
Method and computer program product for accessing a web site
Granted: June 6, 2000
Patent Number:
6072491
A system and computer-based method for permitting a computer system to access a network location using a browser application by activating a desktop icon. The system comprises a first computer readable program code means for causing the computer system to display a desktop icon associated with a file containing a network address corresponding to the network location. When the desktop icon is activated, a second computer usable program code means causes the computer to launch an instance…
