Graphic data retrieving apparatus, method, and program

• US 20070268314A1
• Filed: 05/15/2007
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kizuka, Yoshihisa
• Application Number:
  US11/798,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20070268314A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/635
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a graphic data retrieving apparatus includes an intermediate buffer which defines a graphic plane and a graphic processing unit which retrieves contents of the intermediate buffer for transfer. The graphic processing unit is configured to store various graphic objects, which should be placed in the graphic plane, in the intermediate buffer as graphic data, partition a drawing area, which serves as part of the graphic plane and is occupied by the graphic data, into a plurality of rectangular areas which do not overlap one another, and retrieves the graphic data from the intermediate buffer for each rectangular area.

Claims

1. A graphic data retrieving apparatus comprising:

a drawing memory which defines a graphic plane; and

a processing section which retrieves contents of the drawing memory for transfer;

wherein the processing section is configured to store various graphic objects, which should be placed in the graphic plane, in the drawing memory as graphic data, partition a drawing area, which serves as part of the graphic plane and is occupied by the graphic data, into a plurality of rectangular areas which do not overlap one another, and retrieve the graphic data from the drawing memory for each rectangular area.

2. The graphic data retrieving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing section includes a bitmap memory which manages a distribution of the drawing area in the graphic plane by a set of a predetermined number of pixels and is configured to arrange flags in the bitmap memory in accordance with arrangement of a portion of the drawing area obtained for each graphic object.

3. The graphic data retrieving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processing section is further configured to search the bitmap memory for a set of flags consecutively arranged in a vertical and horizontal directions in order to partition the drawing area into the plurality of rectangular areas, and to obtain coordinate information on the plurality of rectangular areas on the basis of search results.

4. The graphic data retrieving apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processing section is configured to minimize the number of rectangular areas in the search for the set of flags.

5. A graphic data retrieving method for graphic data from a drawing memory which defines a graphic plane, the method comprising:

storing various graphic objects, which should be placed in the graphic plane, in the drawing memory as graphic data;

partitioning a drawing area, which serves as part of the graphic plane and is occupied by the graphic data, into a plurality of rectangular areas which do not overlap one another; and

retrieving the graphic data from the drawing memory for each rectangular area.

6. The graphic data retrieving method according to claim 5, further comprising using a bitmap memory which manages a distribution of the drawing area in the graphic plane by a set of a predetermined number of pixels, to arrange flags in the bitmap memory in accordance with arrangement of a portion of the drawing area obtained for each graphic object.

7. The graphic data retrieving method according to claim 6, further comprising searching the bitmap memory for a set of flags consecutively arranged in a vertical and horizontal directions in order to partition the drawing area into the plurality of rectangular areas, and obtaining coordinate information on the plurality of rectangular areas on the basis of search results.

8. The graphic data retrieving method according to claim 7, further comprising minimizing the number of rectangular areas in the search for the set of flags.

9. A graphic data retrieving program for graphic data from a drawing memory which defines a graphic plane, the program causing a computer to execute a process of:

storing various graphic objects, which should be placed in the graphic plane, in the drawing memory as graphic data;

partitioning a drawing area, which serves as part of the graphic plane and is occupied by the graphic data, into a plurality of rectangular areas which do not overlap one another; and

retrieving the graphic data from the drawing memory for each rectangular area.

10. The graphic data retrieving program according to claim 9, causing the computer to execute a process of using a bitmap memory which manages a distribution of the drawing area in the graphic plane by a set of a predetermined number of pixels, to arrange flags in the bitmap memory in accordance with arrangement of a portion of the drawing area obtained for each graphic object.

11. The graphic data retrieving program according to claim 10, causing the computer to execute a process of searching the bitmap memory for a set of flags consecutively arranged in a vertical and horizontal directions in order to partition the drawing area into the plurality of rectangular areas and obtaining coordinate information on the plurality of rectangular areas on the basis of search results.

12. The graphic data retrieving program according to claim 11, causing the computer to execute a process of minimizing the number of rectangular areas in the search for the set of flags.