Planar mapping of graphical elements

• US 20050243346A1
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Foehr, Oliver H., Ternasky, Joseph D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,519,899 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.900
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1246 by handling markup languages, e.g. XSL, XML, HTML
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1276 within a printer driver, e.g. driver resides either on a server or on a client

Abstract

Planar rendering is described. In implementation, a method includes approximating a shape that corresponds to an overlapping portion of at least one graphical element that is translucent with another graphical element. A color is computed for the approximated shape from respective colors of each of the graphical elements and the translucence of the at least one graphical element. The approximated shape having the computed color is formed into a communication for output to a printer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

approximating a shape that corresponds to an overlapping portion of at least one graphical element that is translucent with another graphical element;

computing a color for the approximated shape from;

respective colors of each said graphical element; and

the translucence of the at least one graphical element; and

forming the approximated shape having the computed color into a communication for output to a printer.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the approximated shape is configured to form a vector image.

3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the communication is formatted in a print description language (PDL) that is readable by the printer.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the printer is incapable of printing the at least one graphical element that is translucent.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein:

each said graphical element is included in a hierarchical structure having a plurality of levels;

at least one said level specifies a job for printing on the printer;

at least one said level specifies one or more documents associated with the job;

at least one said level specifies one or more renditions associated with the one or more documents;

at least one said level specifies one or more pages associated with the one or more renditions; and

each said graphical element is associated with the one or more pages.

6. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

walking a display list having each said graphical element that, when rendered, forms an image; and

forming a tree from the display list that describes a z order in which each said graphical element is to be displayed, one to another, to form the image.

7. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising computing a color for one or more of a plurality of graphical elements that is translucent and does not overlap another said graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements based on a color of the one or more graphical elements and a color representing a printable medium, on which, the one or more graphical elements is to be printed by the printer.

8. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

adding the approximated shape to a display list;

determining if the approximated shape obscures one or more other graphical elements included in the display list; and

removing any of the one or more other graphical elements that are obscured from the display list.

9. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising removing an area corresponding to the overlapping portion from one or more said graphical elements.

10. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, direct the computer to perform the method as described in claim 1.

11. A method comprising:

walking a display list having a plurality of graphical elements that, when rendered, form an image;

forming a tree from the display list that describes a hierarchical order in which each said graphical element is to be displayed, one to another, to form the image;

selecting a current said graphical element based on the hierarchical order;

determining whether the current said graphical element overlaps another said graphical element; and

for each said current said graphical element that overlaps another said graphical element and that has at least one translucent portion;

determining an overlapping portion of the current said graphical element with the another said graphical element;

computing a color for the overlapping portion based on;

respective colors of the current and the other said graphical elements; and

the at least one translucent portion;

including the overlapping portion having the computed color in a result tree.

12. The method as described in claim 11, wherein the plurality of graphical elements are configured such that the image is a vector image.

13. The method as described in claim 11, wherein:

the plurality of graphical elements are provided through a hierarchical structure having a plurality of levels;

at least one said level specifies a job;

at least one said level specifies one or more documents associated with the job;

at least one said level specifies one or more renditions associated with the one or more documents;

at least one said level specifies one or more pages associated with the one or more renditions; and

the plurality of graphical elements are associated with the one or more pages.

14. The method as described in claim 11, further comprising translating the result tree into a print description language (PDL) that is readable by a printer.

15. The method as described in claim 11, further comprising determining whether the current said graphical element is opaque, and if so, adding the current said graphical element to the result tree.

16. The method as described in claim 11, wherein:

the result tree is formatted in a print description language (PDL) that is readable by a printer; and

the printer is incapable of printing the at least one said graphical element that is translucent.

17. The method as described in claim 11, further comprising:

determining if the overlapping portion obscures one or more said graphical elements included in the result tree; and

removing any obscured one or more said graphical elements from the result tree.

18. The method as described in claim 11, further comprising computing a color for at least one said graphical element that is translucent and does not overlap another said graphical element from a color of the at least one said graphical element and a color representing a printable medium, on which, the at least one said graphical element is to be printed.

19. The method as described in claim 11, further comprising removing an area corresponding to the overlapping portion from either the current said graphical element or the other said graphical element.

20. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, direct the computer to perform the method as described in claim 11.

21. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, direct the computer to:

walk a hierarchical structure of graphical elements that form an image when rendered; and

for each said graphical element that is translucent;

determine an overlapping portion of the each said graphical element with another said graphical element;

compute a color for the overlapping portion based on the each said graphical element and the other said graphical element; and

store the overlapping portion having the computed color in a display list for output in a graphics environment that does not support transparency.

22. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 21, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed on the computer, direct the computer to translate the display list into a print description language (PDL) that is readable by a printer.

23. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 21, wherein the graphics environment includes a printer that is incapable of printing the overlapping portion having the at least one said graphical element that is translucent.

24. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 21, wherein the display list forms a tree having a level that contains each said graphical element.

25. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 21, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed on the computer, direct the computer to compute a color for one or more said graphical elements that is translucent and does not overlap another said graphical element based on a color of the one or more said graphical elements and a color representing a printable medium, on which, the at least one said graphical element is to be printed.

26. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 21, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed on the computer, direct the computer to:

determine if the overlapping portion obscures one or more other said graphical elements included in the display list; and

remove any of the one or more other said graphical elements that are obscured from the display list.

27. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 21, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed on the computer, direct the computer to remove an area corresponding to the overlapping portion from either the each said graphical element or the other said graphical element.

28. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 21, wherein:

the graphical elements are included in a hierarchical structure having a plurality of levels;

at least one said level specifies a job;

at least one said level specifies one or more documents associated with the job;

at least one said level specifies one or more renditions associated with the one or more documents;

at least one said level specifies one or more pages associated with the one or more renditions; and

the graphical elements are associated with the one or more pages.

29. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

a printer interface for communicatively coupling the processor with a printer; and

memory configured to maintain;

an image storable as a plurality of graphical elements; and

a converter module that is executable on the processor to;

approximate a shape that corresponds to an overlapping portion formed by the plurality of graphical elements, wherein at least one said graphical element is translucent; and

compute a color for the approximated shape based on respective colors of the plurality of graphical elements and the translucence of the at least one said graphical element; and

form a communication for output via the printer interface to the printer that includes the approximated shape having the computed color.

30. The computing device as described in claim 29, wherein the image is a vector image.

31. The computing device as described in claim 29, wherein the communication is formatted in a print description language (PDL) that is readable by the printer.

32. The computing device as described in claim 29, wherein the printer interface is a printer adapter.

33. The computing device as described in claim 29, wherein the converter module is executable to determine whether one said graphical element is opaque, and if so, add the opaque one said graphical element to the communication.

34. The computing device as described in claim 29, wherein the printer is incapable of printing the at least one said graphical element that is translucent.

35. The computing device as described in claim 29, wherein:

the image is included in a hierarchical structure having a plurality of levels;

at least one said level specifies a job for printing by the printer;

at least one said level specifies one or more documents associated with the job;

at least one said level specifies one or more renditions associated with the one or more documents;

at least one said level specifies one or more pages associated with the one or more renditions; and

the image is associated with the one or more pages.

36. The computing device as described in claim 29, wherein the converter module is further executable on the processor to form a tree that describes a hierarchical order in which each said graphical element is to be displayed, one to another, to form the image.

37. The computing device as described in claim 29, wherein the converter module is further executable on the processor to compute a color for one or more said graphical elements that is translucent and does not overlap another said graphical element based on a color of the one or more said graphical elements and a color representing a printable medium, on which, the at least one said graphical element is to be printed.

38. The computing device as described in claim 29, wherein the converter module is further executable on the processor to:

add the approximated shape to a display list;

determine if the approximated shape obscures one or more said graphical elements included in the display list; and

remove any of the one or more said graphical elements that are obscured from the display list.

39. The computing device as described in claim 29, wherein the converter module is further executable on the processor to remove an area corresponding to the overlapping portion from one of the plurality of graphical elements.

40. An apparatus comprising:

means for forming an image from an arrangement of a plurality of graphical elements at least one of which has a translucent alpha value; and

means for converting the arrangement into a planar map of renderable graphical elements each having a color that is independent of other said renderable graphical elements.