Media Action Script Acceleration Method

• US 20100149091A1
• Filed: 02/14/2009
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LeoNovus USA, Inc. (LeoNovus, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PersonalPath Systems, Inc. (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Master, Paul L., Satyavolu, Lakshmikanth Surya Naga, Kota, Bhaskar, Bollam, Praveen Kumar, Sambaraju, Sairam, Puppala, Ganapathi Venkata
• Granted Patent: US 8,432,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/06 Use of more than one graphics processor to process data before displaying to one or more screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/363 Graphics controllers

Abstract

Exemplary apparatus, method, and system embodiments provide for accelerated hardware processing of an action script for a graphical image for visual display. An exemplary method comprises: converting a plurality of descriptive elements into a plurality of operational codes which at least partially control at least one processor circuit; and using at least one processor circuit, performing one or more operations corresponding to an operational code to generate pixel data for the graphical image. Another exemplary method for processing a data file which has not been fully compiled to a machine code and comprising interpretable descriptions of the graphical image in a non-pixel-bitmap form, comprises: separating the data file from other data; parsing and converting the data file to a plurality of hardware-level operational codes and corresponding data; and performing a plurality of operations in response to at least some hardware-level operational codes to generate pixel data for the graphical image. Exemplary embodiments also may be performed automatically by a system comprising one or more computing devices.

Claims

1. A hardware-implemented method of processing an action script for visual display of a graphical image, the method comprising:

converting a plurality of descriptive elements of the action script into a plurality of operational codes which at least partially control at least one processor circuit of a plurality of processor circuits; and

using at least one processor circuit of the plurality of processor circuits, performing one or more operations corresponding to an operational code of the plurality of operational codes to generate pixel data for the graphical image.

2. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

separating the action script from other data.

3. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

parsing the action script into the plurality of descriptive elements.

4. The hardware-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the parsing step further comprises parsing the action script into corresponding data, and wherein the performing step further comprises performing the one or more operations using the corresponding data.

5. The hardware-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the parsing step further comprises:

determining a type of descriptive element;

determining or selecting a number of bits to parse to form a number of bits to parse parameter; and

shifting out of a memory a number of bits designated by the number of bits to parse parameter.

6. The hardware-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the parsing step further comprises:

extracting data from the action script and storing the extracted data in a hardware memory in the form of a plurality of control words having corresponding data in predetermined fields.

7. The hardware-implemented method of claim 6, wherein each control word of the plurality of control words comprises a starting or an ending x-coordinate and y-coordinate for a corresponding line or curve segment for the graphical image.

8. The hardware-implemented method of claim 7, wherein each control word of the plurality of control words further comprises a control x-coordinate and control y-coordinate for a corresponding curve segment for the graphical image.

9. The hardware-implemented method of claim 6, wherein each control word of the plurality of control words comprises a first memory address for line style array for a corresponding line or curve segment for the graphical image and a second memory address for fill style array for a plurality of line or curve segments comprising the graphical image.

10. The hardware-implemented method of claim 6, wherein each control word of the plurality of control words comprises a line style array for a corresponding line or curve segment for the graphical image and a fill style array for a plurality of line or curve segments comprising the graphical image.

11. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

decoding a descriptive element of the plurality of descriptive elements to determine a corresponding parsing operational code of the plurality of operational codes to control the parsing of the action script.

12. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the converting step further comprises:

performing a deterministic operation on each descriptive element of the plurality of descriptive elements to generate a corresponding result; and

using the corresponding result to determine a corresponding operational code of the plurality of operational codes.

13. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the converting step further comprises:

performing a hash operation on each descriptive element of the plurality of descriptive elements to generate a corresponding hash result; and

using the hash result to determine a corresponding operational code of the plurality of operational codes.

14. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of descriptive elements are a plurality of tags, or bytecodes, or a plurality of control tags, or a plurality of definition tags, or a plurality of dictionary tags, or a plurality of dictionary repositories.

15. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the performing step further comprises:

decoding a selected operational code of the plurality of operational codes to generate a corresponding plurality of control signals to at least partially control at least one processor circuit of the plurality of processor circuits to perform a selected operation, of a plurality of operations, corresponding to the selected operational code of the plurality of operational codes.

16. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

matching a plurality of line or curve segments of a boundary of the graphical image; and

determining a sequential ordering of the plurality of line or curve segments to form boundary coordinates of the graphical image.

17. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a fill style to generate pixel data for an area of the graphical image.

18. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a line style by forming a second graphical image from a boundary of the graphical image; and

applying a fill style to the second graphical image to generate pixel data for the line style.

19. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a Transmission Control Protocol (“

TCP”

), or Internet Protocol (“

IP”

), or both TCP and IP, for reception of a data file.

20. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a hypertext transfer protocol (“

HTTP”

) for reception of a data file.

21. The hardware-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising:

pre-fetching referenced data of the data file.

22. The hardware-implemented method of claim 20, further comprising:

generating pixel data for hypertext markup language (“

HTML”

) data, or extensible markup language (“

XML”

) data, or both HTML and XML data.

23. The hardware-implemented method of claim 22, further comprising:

merging the pixel data for the graphical image with pixel data for the hypertext markup language (“

HTML”

) or extensible markup language (“

XML”

) data.

24. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a first processor circuit of the plurality of processor circuits to convert at least some descriptive elements of the plurality of descriptive elements of the action script into at least some operational codes and corresponding data; and

using a second processor circuit of the plurality of processor circuits to perform at least one operation corresponding to an operational code of the plurality of operational codes using corresponding data to generate pixel data for the graphical image.

25. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a first processor circuit of the plurality of processor circuits to convert at least some descriptive elements of the plurality of descriptive elements of the action script into at least some operational codes and corresponding data;

using the first processor circuit of the plurality of processor circuits to transfer at least some operational codes of the plurality of operational codes to a second processor circuit and to a third processor circuit of the plurality of processor circuits;

using the second processor circuit to perform a first operation corresponding to a first operational code of the plurality of operational codes using corresponding data to generate pixel data for the graphical image; and

using the third processor circuit to perform a second operation corresponding to a second operational code of the plurality of operational codes using corresponding data to generate pixel data for the graphical image.

26. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, wherein each operational code of the plurality of operational codes comprises at least one of the following:

a hardware-level instruction, or a hardware-level sub-instruction, or a hardware-level control code, or a hardware-level binary instruction, or hardware-level configuration, or a hardware-level control signal, or hardware-level microcode.

27. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the action script is a data file which has not been fully compiled to machine code and which comprises at least one descriptive element specifying the graphical image at least partially in a form which is not pixel-based.

28. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the action script is a data file specifying the graphical image at least partially using non-pixel data and which comprises an ASCII-encoded scripting language or bytecode.

29. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the graphical image is an image of any kind for visual display which has been specified at least partially in a form in the action script which is not a pixel bitmap and is not a pixel matrix.

30. The hardware-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one processor circuit of the plurality of processor circuits is at least one of the following:

a field programmable gate array, an application-specific integrated circuit, a microprocessor, a processor core, a cell processor, a plurality of processor cores, a digital signal processor, a reduced instruction set processor, a reconfigurable processing element, a graphics processing unit, or a computing grid.

31. A hardware-implemented method of processing an action script for visual display of a graphical image, the method comprising:

using a first processor circuit, separating the action script from other data; and

using a second processor circuit, parsing the action script into a plurality of descriptive elements;

converting the plurality of descriptive elements into a plurality of operational codes which at least partially control the second processor circuit; and

performing one or more operations corresponding to an operational code of the plurality of operational codes to generate pixel data for the graphical image.

32. The hardware-implemented method of claim 31, wherein the parsing step further comprises parsing the action script into corresponding data, and wherein the performing step further comprises performing the one or more operations using the corresponding data.

33. The hardware-implemented method of claim 31, further comprising:

decoding a descriptive element of the action script to determine a corresponding parsing operational code of the plurality of operational codes to control the parsing of the action script.

34. The hardware-implemented method of claim 31, wherein the converting step further comprises:

performing a hash operation on each descriptive element of the plurality of descriptive elements to generate a corresponding hash result; and

using the hash result to determine a corresponding operational code of the plurality of operational codes.

35. The hardware-implemented method of claim 31, wherein the parsing step further comprises:

determining a type of descriptive element;

determining or selecting a number of bits to parse to form a number of bits to parse parameter; and

shifting out of a memory a number of bits designated by the number of bits to parse parameter.

36. The hardware-implemented method of claim 31, wherein the parsing step further comprises:

extracting data from the action script and storing the extracted data in a hardware memory in the form of a plurality of control words having corresponding data in predetermined fields.

37. The hardware-implemented method of claim 31, wherein the plurality of descriptive elements are a plurality of tags, or bytecodes, or a plurality of control tags, or a plurality of definition tags, or a plurality of dictionary tags, or a plurality of dictionary repositories.

38. The hardware-implemented method of claim 31, wherein the performing step further comprises:

decoding a selected operational code of the plurality of operational codes to generate a corresponding plurality of control signals to at least partially control the second processor circuit to perform a selected operation, of a plurality of operations, corresponding to the selected operational code of the plurality of operational codes.

39. The hardware-implemented method of claim 31, further comprising:

matching a plurality of line or curve segments of a boundary of the graphical image; and

determining a sequential ordering of the plurality of line or curve segments to form boundary coordinates of the graphical image.

40. The hardware-implemented method of claim 31, further comprising:

applying a fill style to generate pixel data for an area of the graphical image.

41. The hardware-implemented method of claim 31, further comprising:

applying a line style by forming a second graphical image from a boundary of the graphical image; and

applying a fill style to the second graphical image to generate pixel data for the line style.

42. The hardware-implemented method of claim 31, further comprising:

generating pixel data for hypertext markup language (“

HTML”

) data, or extensible markup language (“

XML”

) data, or both HTML and XML data.

43. The hardware-implemented method of claim 42, further comprising:

merging the pixel data for the graphical image with pixel data for the hypertext markup language (“

HTML”

) or extensible markup language (“

XML”

) data.

44. A method of processing an action script for visual display of a graphical image, the method comprising:

converting a plurality of descriptive elements of the action script into a plurality of hardware operational codes; and

performing one or more operations corresponding to a hardware operational code of the plurality of hardware operational codes to generate pixel data for the graphical image;

wherein the method is performed automatically by a system comprising one or more computing devices.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

separating the action script from other data.

46. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

parsing the action script into the plurality of descriptive elements.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the parsing step further comprises parsing the action script into corresponding data, and wherein the performing step further comprises performing the one or more operations using the corresponding data.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the parsing step further comprises:

determining a type of descriptive element;

determining or selecting a number of bits to parse to form a number of bits to parse parameter; and

shifting out of a memory a number of bits designated by the number of bits to parse parameter.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein the parsing step further comprises:

extracting data from the action script and storing the extracted data in a hardware memory in the form of a plurality of control words having corresponding data in predetermined fields.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein each control word of the plurality of control words comprises:

a starting or an ending x-coordinate and y-coordinate for a corresponding line or curve segment for the graphical image;

a first memory address for line style array for a corresponding line or curve segment for the graphical image; and

a second memory address for fill style array for a plurality of line or curve segments comprising the graphical image.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein each control word of the plurality of control words comprises:

a starting or an ending x-coordinate and y-coordinate for a corresponding line or curve segment for the graphical image;

a line style array for a corresponding line or curve segment for the graphical image; and

a fill style array for a plurality of line or curve segments comprising the graphical image.

52. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

decoding a descriptive element of the plurality of descriptive elements to determine a corresponding parsing operational code of the plurality of hardware operational codes to control the parsing of the action script.

53. The method of claim 44, wherein the converting step further comprises:

performing a deterministic operation on each descriptive element of the plurality of descriptive elements to generate a corresponding result; and

using the corresponding result to determine a corresponding hardware operational code of the plurality of hardware operational codes.

54. The method of claim 44, wherein the converting step further comprises:

performing a hash operation on each descriptive element of the plurality of descriptive elements to generate a corresponding hash result; and

using the hash result to determine a corresponding hardware operational code of the plurality of hardware operational codes.

55. The method of claim 44, wherein the plurality of descriptive elements are a plurality of tags, or bytecodes, or a plurality of control tags, or a plurality of definition tags, or a plurality of dictionary tags, or a plurality of dictionary repositories.

56. The method of claim 44, wherein the performing step further comprises:

decoding a selected hardware operational code of the plurality of hardware operational codes to generate a corresponding plurality of control signals to at least partially control at least one processor circuit to perform one or more operations corresponding to the selected hardware operational code of the plurality of operational codes.

57. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

matching a plurality of line or curve segments of a boundary of the graphical image; and

determining a sequential ordering of the plurality of line or curve segments to form boundary coordinates of the graphical image.

58. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

applying a fill style to generate pixel data for an area of the graphical image.

59. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

applying a line style by forming a second graphical image from a boundary of the graphical image; and

applying a fill style to the second graphical image to generate pixel data for the line style.

60. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

generating pixel data for hypertext markup language (“

HTML”

) data, or extensible markup language (“

XML”

) data, or both HTML and XML data; and

merging the pixel data for the graphical image with pixel data for the hypertext markup language (“

HTML”

) or extensible markup language (“

XML”

) data.

61. The method of claim 44, wherein each hardware operational code of the plurality of hardware operational codes comprises at least one of the following:

a hardware-level instruction, or a hardware-level sub-instruction, or a hardware-level control code, or a hardware-level binary instruction, or hardware-level configuration, or a hardware-level control signal, or hardware-level microcode.

62. The method of claim 44, wherein the action script is a data file which has not been fully compiled to machine code and which comprises at least one descriptive element specifying the graphical image at least partially in a form which is not pixel-based.

63. The method of claim 44, wherein the one or more computing devices comprises at least one of the following:

a field programmable gate array, an application-specific integrated circuit, a microprocessor, a processor core, a cell processor, a plurality of processor cores, a digital signal processor, a reduced instruction set processor, a reconfigurable processing element, a graphics processing unit, a computer, a server, or a computing grid.

64. A method for processing a data file for visual display of a graphical image, the data file comprising interpretable descriptions of the graphical image in a non-pixel-bitmap form, the data file not having been fully compiled to a machine code, the method comprising:

separating the data file from other data;

parsing and converting the data file to a plurality of hardware-level operational codes and corresponding data; and

performing a plurality of operations in response to at least some hardware-level operational codes of the plurality of hardware-level operational codes to generate pixel data for the graphical image;

wherein the method is performed automatically by a system comprising one or more computing devices.

65. The method of claim 64, further comprising:

using a first computing device, parsing the data file into a plurality of descriptive elements and corresponding data;

using a first computing device or a second computing device, converting at least some descriptive elements of the plurality of descriptive elements into the plurality of hardware-level operational codes; and

using a second computing device or a third computing device, performing at least one operation, of the plurality of operations, corresponding to a hardware-level operational code of the plurality of hardware-level operational codes using corresponding data to generate pixel data for the graphical image.

66. The method of claim 64, further comprising:

decoding at least some of the data file to determine a corresponding parsing operational code of the plurality of hardware-level operational codes to control the parsing of the data file.

67. The method of claim 64, wherein the parsing step further comprises:

determining a type of descriptive element;

determining or selecting a number of bits to parse to form a number of bits to parse parameter; and

shifting out of a memory a number of bits designated by the number of bits to parse parameter.

68. The method of claim 64, further comprising:

extracting data from the data file; and

storing the extracted data in a memory circuit as a plurality of control words having corresponding data in predetermined fields.

69. The method of claim 64, wherein the converting step further comprises:

performing a hash function on each descriptive element of a plurality of descriptive elements to generate a corresponding hash result; and

use the hash result as an index or entry into a look up table storing the plurality of hardware-level operational codes to determine a corresponding hardware-level operational code of the plurality of hardware-level operational codes.

70. The method of claim 64, further comprising:

generating pixel data for hypertext markup language (“

HTML”

) data, or extensible markup language (“

XML”

) data, or both HTML and XML data; and

merging the pixel data for the graphical image with pixel data for the hypertext markup language (“

HTML”

) or extensible markup language (“

XML”

) data.

71. The method of claim 64, further comprising:

matching a plurality of line or curve segments of a boundary of the graphical image; and

determining a sequential ordering of the plurality of line or curve segments to form boundary coordinates of the graphical image.

72. The method of claim 64, further comprising:

applying a fill style to generate pixel data for an area of the graphical image.

73. The method of claim 64, further comprising:

applying a line style by forming a second graphical image from a boundary of the graphical image; and

applying a fill style to the second graphical image to generate pixel data for the line style.

74. The method of claim 64, wherein each hardware-level operational code of the plurality of hardware-level operational codes comprises at least one of the following:

a hardware-level instruction, or a hardware-level sub-instruction, or a hardware-level control code, or a hardware-level binary instruction, or hardware-level configuration, or a hardware-level control signal, or hardware-level microcode.

75. The method of claim 64, wherein the one or more computing devices comprises at least one of the following:

a field programmable gate array, an application-specific integrated circuit, a microprocessor, a processor core, a cell processor, a plurality of processor cores, a digital signal processor, a reduced instruction set processor, a reconfigurable processing element, a graphics processing unit, a computer, a server, or a computing grid.