Method and apparatus for presenting information in a display system using transparent windows
First Claim
1. A computer display system including a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to a display for displaying data, comprising:
- user interface generation means coupled to said CPU for generating a user interface on said display wherein said data is displayed in at least one window;
transparency means coupled to said user interface generation means for selectively adjusting the transparency of said window and said data such that said window and data appear at least partially transparent to a user viewing said window and data.
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Abstract
A central processing unit (CPU) is provided and is coupled to a display for displaying graphic and other data in multiple overlapping windows. The CPU is further coupled to one or more input devices which permits a user to selectively position a cursor and input and manipulate data within each of the windows on the display. The windows include defined areas having window features such as text, icons and buttons corresponding to functions to be executed by the CPU. Multiple applications may be executed concurrently by the CPU such that each application is associated with one or more windows. Each display element (“pixel”) comprising the display is represented by multiple bits in a computer frame buffer memory coupled to the CPU. An alpha value (α) is associated with the intensity of each pixel of the display, such that multiple images may be blended in accordance with a predefined formula utilizing the alpha values. By setting the alpha values appropriately, transparency may be accomplished such that data associated with underlying windows may be rendered visible to the user. Effectively, the present invention merges multiple images through alpha “blending” such that several images appear transparently on top of one another. The present invention, through the selective use of alpha blending, permits underlying windows to display data visible to the user through windows which are overlaid above an underlying window.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A computer display system including a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to a display for displaying data, comprising:
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user interface generation means coupled to said CPU for generating a user interface on said display wherein said data is displayed in at least one window;
transparency means coupled to said user interface generation means for selectively adjusting the transparency of said window and said data such that said window and data appear at least partially transparent to a user viewing said window and data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A computer controlled display system including a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to a display, said display including a plurality of display elements “
- pixels”
), each of said display elements being selectively enabled for displaying a plurality of objects on said display, comprising;
memory means coupled to said CPU and said display for storing a plurality of bits, each of said pixels being represented by corresponding bits stored in said memory means including bits representing an intensity α
value;
transparency means coupled to said CPU for selectively adjusting the intensity α
value of pixels corresponding to each of said objects such that the transparency of an object is selectively varied, resulting in said object appearing to a user to be at least partially transparent. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
- pixels”
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17. In a computer display system having a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to a display such that data is displayed on said display in a plurality of windows, a method for displaying said windows and operating on said windows and said data in said windows by a user, comprising the steps of:
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generating and displaying a first window and a second window, said first window overlapping a portion of said second window on said display;
adjusting the transparency of said first window such that at least a portion of said second window and data disposed in said second window is visible through said first window;
said user selecting which of said windows to operate while viewing data in said first window and at least a portion of said data disposed in said underlying second window.
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Specification