Fast rendering of ink

• US 20050088464A1
• Filed: 10/24/2003
• Published: 04/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bernstein, Michael S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,154,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/171 by use of digital ink
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/08 Cursor circuits

Abstract

A system and process for quickly rendering ink is described. Rendered ink information is placed into a transparency map of an image. The image is combined with foreground and background information to produce a final image. Using this process, the painting of ink using transparency map information may be performed quickly and with less processor work than a slow rendering process.

Claims

1. A process for caching ink information comprising the steps of:

rendering ink;

writing information relating to a transparency map relating to said ink; and

, caching said transparency map.

2. The process according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

storing said transparency map.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein said rendering step produces a bitmap of said ink.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein said transparency map is an alpha channel of an image.

5. The process according to claim 4, wherein said image is a bitmap image.

6. A system for caching ink information comprising:

means for rendering ink;

means for writing information relating to a transparency map relating to said ink; and

,

means for caching said transparency map.

7. The system according to claim 6, further comprising:

means for storing said transparency map.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein said means for rendering produces a bitmap of said ink.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein said transparency map is an alpha channel of an image.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said image is a bitmap image.

11. A process for displaying ink information comprising the steps of:

receiving transparency information relating to ink;

combining said transparency information with foreground information;

combining the combination of said transparency information and said foreground information with background information to form a resultant image; and

,

displaying said resultant image.

12. The process according to claim 11, wherein said transparency information is in an alpha channel of an image.

13. The process according to claim 12, wherein said image is a bitmap image.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein said transparency information is in an alpha channel of an image.

16. The system according to claim 12, wherein said image is a bitmap image.

14. A system for displaying ink information comprising:

means for receiving transparency information relating to ink;

means for combining said transparency information with foreground information;

means for combining the combination of said transparency information and said foreground information with background information to form a resultant image; and

,

means for displaying said resultant image.