Raster memory manipulation apparatus
First Claim
1. A memory apparatus for use in computer controlled display systems, which is responsive to memory location data and display data supplied by the computer during a memory access cycle, comprisingmemory means for storing the display data, wherein the stored display data are arranged in a plurality of groups of bit locations which form a bit map and in which each group of locations is designated by a row and column address and further wherein bit locations within each designated group are enabled for access by row and column address strobes applied during the memory access cycle;
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for manipulating and displaying raster images stored in a memory system under computer control, wherein a function unit combines new display data presented to the apparatus with display data already stored in memory, to form a new display that is stored in memory system, all in a single read/modify/write cycle.
493 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A memory apparatus for use in computer controlled display systems, which is responsive to memory location data and display data supplied by the computer during a memory access cycle, comprising
memory means for storing the display data, wherein the stored display data are arranged in a plurality of groups of bit locations which form a bit map and in which each group of locations is designated by a row and column address and further wherein bit locations within each designated group are enabled for access by row and column address strobes applied during the memory access cycle; - and
addressing means coupled to the memory means and responsive to the memory location data for sequentially generating a plurality of row and column addresses and a plurality of row and column address strobes during each memory access cycle, which strobes are specified by the memory location data and correlated to the plurality of row and column addresses, so that specified bit locations in a plurality of groups of bit locations can be accessed during the memory access cycle to permit any desired portion of the bit map to be accessed during a single memory access cycle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A bit-wise modifiable memory apparatus for use in computer controlled display systems in which a computer supplies display data, memory location data and function control signals, for storing the display data and for modifying the stored data and in which a display device receives the stored data for display, the apparatus comprising
memory means for storing a plurality of binary words having a predetermined length, each word being stored at a location which is defined by a row and column address, wherein data are stored during a write cycle memory access and the stored data are read out during a read cycle memory access and further wherein row and column address strobes enable the memory to store data at specific bits within the word addressed; -
multiplexer means, responsive to the display data, to the stored data, and to the function control signals, wherein the multiplexer has a plurality of data input lines and a plurality of control lines, and further wherein the function control signals are applied to the plurality of data lines, and the display data and the stored data are applied to the plurality of control lines, for providing modified data which result from a selected Boolean operation upon the display data and the stored data, the selected Boolean function being specified by the function control signals; and addressing means, responsive to the memory location data, for providing the row address and a first and second column address which specify the location of the words being modified, and for providing the row address strobe and a first and second set of column address strobes for enabling the bits within the addressed words which are to be modified, wherein the first column address is generated simultaneously with the first set of column address strobes, and the second column address is generated simultaneously with the second set of column address strobes, all during a single memory access cycle, so that at least two words of data can be accessed and modified in the single memory access cycle.
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18. A Boolean modifiable memory apparatus in which data stored within memory are modified in accordance with input data and function data, comprising
memory means for supplying stored data from a specified location during a memory read cycle and responsive to modified data for storing modified data at a specified location during a memory write cycle; - and
multiplexer means, responsive to the modified data supplied from the memory means, to the input data, and to the function data, for supplying the modified data to the memory means for storage, wherein the multiplexer means have a plurality of data lines and a plurality of control lines and are operable to supply, as an output, data which are present on one of the plurality of data lines, in accordance with the combination of data present on the plurality of control lines, and furtherwherein the function data are supplied to the data lines of the multiplexer means, the stored data are applied to ones of the plurality of control lines, and the input data are supplied to different ones of the plurality of control lines, so that the output of the multiplexer means corresponds to a Boolean function of the stored data and the input data, the Boolean function being specified by the function data; whereby the stored data and the input data are supplied to the control lines and the function data are supplied to the data lines all during the memory read cycle, and the modified data, which is the result of the specified Boolean operation upon the stored data and input data, are supplied to the memory means for storage during the memory write cycle. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification