Video display control

• US 5,493,315 A
• Filed: 07/07/1994
• Issued: 02/20/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Atchley, Hans B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAO, LUNYI
• Application Number:
  US08/271,553
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 345/115, 345/200, 345/185, 345/133, 345/192, 345/116, 345/162, 340/825.35, 364/405, 364/406, 395/164, 395/166, 395/160, 395/600, 348/719, 186/35, 186/36, 235/425, 235/381, 235/378, 235/432
• US Class Current: 345/547
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10

Abstract

An apparatus for displaying video information includes a video display screen, a screen buffer, a frame buffer, and a video image data assembly module. The module assembles data from linked lists of screen objects, segment objects and field objects which identify images stored in the frame buffer into video image data to store in the screen buffer to be displayed on said screen. Data elements in the lists are linked in a hierarchical arrangement of most-significant to least-significant data elements, with significance denoted by the usual size of the data element as displayed on said screen, so that selecting data from an upper one of the members of a hierarchical list thereby selects data from a lower member by virtue of the linking of the lower member to the upper member. A television signal source supplies television signals to the video image data assembly module as data for one of the linked lists, A communication link to the video image data assembly module receives data to be listed in a linked list for display and data indicative of which of the linked lists is to be selected for assembly into the video image.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying video information, comprising:

a video display screen,

a storage device for holding a collection of output addressable image element lists linked to one another by a data structure including pointers between image element lists of the collection so that combinations of output addresses from first-pointed-to command responsive image element lists can be grouped with later-pointed-to command responsive image elements to define at least a portion of a display on said video display screen,

a video image data assembly module adapted for responding to data commands by applying data commands to output addressable image element lists in said storage device and peripheral audio/video sources, said video image data assembly module further adapted for assembling output addresses representing at least three image element lists in order to compile a video image suitable for display on said video display screen, and

a video image command module for transmitting data commands to said video image data assembly module to be applied over the data structure of output addressable image element lists in said storage device.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said video image data assembly module assembles the image data from identification of stored images in a frame buffer.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said video image data assembly module assembles responsive output addresses from a plurality of levels and branches in the data structure of output addressable image element lists.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said video image data assembly module further includes a screen buffer adapted for outputting chosen display elements from a frame buffer to said video display screen.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said video image data assembly module includes a communication link to receive data to be listed in a linked list for display.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said video image data assembly module assembles the image data from a plurality of groups of linked lists, one group defining the sizes and arrangements of screens, screen segments and fields within segments, a second group defining data to be displayed in a field or segment, and a third group defining fonts of typefaces for alphanumeric characters of the data to be displayed in the respective fields or segments.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a television signal source supplying television signals to a portion of said video screen as directed by said image data assembly module.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said video image data assembly module includes a communication link to receive data indicative of which of the linked lists is to be selected for assembly into the video image and acts on such received data to assemble the video image.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a frame buffer and wherein said video image data assembly module includes a communication link to receive font and graphic image data to be placed in said frame buffer and referenced by a linked list for display.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said video image data assembly module further includes a frame buffer having various display elements to be depicted on said video display screen, said frame buffer adapted for receiving grouped output addresses from responsive image element lists.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said video image data assembly module applies data commands received from said video command module over a plurality of levels and branches in the collection of output addressable image element lists.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said video image command module is a CRIND, said CRIND transmitting a terse data command having a header specifying the type of action to be completed as well as terse data commands specifications for the plurality of levels and branches within the data structure.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said video image data assembly module assembles responsive output addresses from image element lists linked in a hierarchical arrangement of most-significant to least-significant data elements.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein said video image data assembly module selects data from an upper one of the members of a hierarchical list, and thereby selects data from a lower member by virtue of the linking of the lower member to the upper member.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein said video image data assembly module selects data from a lower one of the members of a hierarchical list, and thereby selects data from an upper member by virtue of the linking of the lower member to the upper member.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein said video image data assembly module may select data from one of the members of a hierarchical list without selecting other members of the hierarchical list.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein said video image data assembly module assembles the image data from references in a plurality of groups of linked lists, one group defining the sizes and arrangements of screens, screen segments and fields within segments, a second group defining data to be displayed in a field or segment, and a third group defining fonts of typefaces for alphanumeric characters of the data to be displayed in the respective fields or segments.

17. An apparatus for displaying video information comprising

a video display screen,

a screen buffer,

a frame buffer for holding a collection of output addressable image element lists linked to one another by a data structure including pointers between image element lists of the collection so that combinations of output addresses from first-pointed-to command responsive image element lists can be grouped with later-pointed-to command responsive image elements in order to define, at least a portion of a display on said video display screen

a video image data assembly module adapted for responding to data commands by applying data commands to the output addressable image element lists in said storage device, said video image data assembly module further adapted for assembling output addresses representing at least three image element lists in order to compile a video image suitable for display on said video display screen, and assembling responsive output addresses from said image element lists linked in a hierarchical arrangement of most-significant to least-significant data elements, with significance dented by the usual size of the image element as displayed on said screen, so that selecting data elements located at any one of the output addresses of one the hierarchical arranged image element lists thereby selects data elements located at the output addresses of another of the image element lists by virtue of the linking the one output address to the other output address,

a television signal source supplying television signals to a portion of said video screen as directed by said image data assembly module, and

a communication link to said video image data assembly module to receive data to be listed in a linked list for display and to receive data indicative of which of the linked lists are to be selected for assembly into the video image.

19. An apparatus for displaying video information comprising:

a video display screen,

a storage device for holding a collection of output addressable image element lists linked to one another by a data structure including pointers between image element lists of the collection so that combinations of output addresses from first-pointed-to command responsive image element lists can be grouped with later-pointed-to command responsive image elements in order to define at least a portion of a display on said video display screen,

a video image data assembly module adapted for responding to data commands by applying data commands to the output addressable image element lists in said storage device, said video image data assembly module further adapted for assembling output addresses representing at least three image element lists in order to compile a video image suitable for display on said video display screen, and

a video image command module for transmitting data commands to said video image data assembly module to be applied over the data structure of output addressable image element lists in said storage device.

20. A fuel dispenser for dispensing fuel, comprising:

fuel delivery mechanism,

a transaction computer, and

apparatus for displaying video information to a fuel customer including a video display screen.

a storage device for holding a collection of output addressable image element lists linked to one another by a data structure including pointers between image element lists of the collection so that combinations of output addresses from first-pointed-to command responsive image element lists can be grouped with later;

pointed-to command responsive image element in order to define at least a portion of a display on said video display screen, and

a video image data assembly module adapted for responding to data commands by applying data commands to the output addressable image element lists in said storage device, said video image data assembly module further adapted for assembling output addresses representing at least three image element lists in order to compile a video image suitable for display on said video display screen.

21. A method of displaying video information, comprising:

providing a video display screen, and

electronically assembling data from a collection of output addressable image element lists linked to one another by a data structure including pointers between image element lists of the collection so that combinations of output addresses from first pointed to command responsive image element lists can be grouped with later pointed to command responsive image element in order to simultaneously display responsive image element lists on respective portions of said video display screen, and

displaying the assembled data on the video display screen.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein said assembling step includes assembling the image data from identification of stored images in a frame buffer.

23. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein said assembling step includes assembling the image data from linked lists of screen objects, segment objects and field objects.

24. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein said assembling step includes storing the assembled image data in a screen buffer.

25. A method as claimed in claim 21 further comprising the preliminary step of receiving font and graphic image data and placing such font and graphic image data in a frame buffer referenced by a linked list for display.

26. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein said assembling step includes assembling the image data from references in linked lists in which the data elements in the lists are linked in a hierarchical arrangement of most-significant to least-significant data elements.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26 wherein said assembling step includes selecting data from a lower one of the members of a hierarchical list, and thereby selecting data from an upper member by virtue of the linking of the lower member to the upper member.

28. A method as claimed in claim 26 wherein said assembling step includes selecting data from one of the members of a hierarchical list without selecting other members of the hierarchical list.

29. A method as claimed in claim 26 wherein the assembling step includes selecting data from an upper one of the members of a hierarchical list, and thereby selecting data from a lower member by virtue of the linking of the lower member to the upper member.

30. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein said assembling step includes receiving data to be listed in a linked list for display.

31. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein said assembling step includes assembling the image data from a plurality of groups of linked lists, one group defining the sizes and arrangements of screens, screen segments and fields within segments, a second group defining data to be displayed in a field or segment, and a third group defining fonts of typefaces for alphanumeric characters of the data to be displayed in the respective fields or segments.

32. A method as claimed in claim 21 further comprising supplying television signals as data for one of the linked lists.

33. A method as claimed in claim 21 wherein said assembling step includes receiving data indicative of which of the linked lists is to be selected for assembly into the video image and acting on such received data to assemble the video image.

34. A method of displaying video information comprising

receiving, arranging and storing data to be listed in a collection of output addressable image element lists linked to one another by a data structure including pointers between image element lists of the collection so that combinations of output addresses from first pointed to command responsive image element lists can be grouped with later pointed to command responsive image element in order to simultaneously display the responsive image element lists on respective portions of a video display screen

receiving control data indicative of which of the output addressable image element lists is to be selected for assembly into a video image,

acting on such received control data to electronically assemble a video image by applying the output addresses of the output addressable image element lists to actuate images stored in a frame buffer,

writing the assembled video image data from a frame buffer to a screen butter, and

outputting and displaying the assembled video image data from the screen buffer to the video display screen.

35. A method as claimed in claim 34 wherein said acting step includes assembling the image data from references in a plurality of groups of linked lists, one group defining the sizes and arrangements of screens, screen segments and fields within segments, a second group defining data to be displayed in a field or segment, and a third group defining fonts of typefaces for alphanumeric characters of the data to be displayed in the respective fields or segments.

36. A method of displaying video information, comprising:

organizing data in a collection of output addressable image element lists linked to one another by a data structure including pointers between image element lists of the collection so that combinations of output addresses from first pointed to command responsive image element lists can be grouped with later pointed to command responsive image element in order to simultaneously display the responsive image element lists on respective portions of a video display screen,

providing a video display screen, and

electronically assembling video images by applying responsive output addresses from the plurality of levels and branches of output addressable image element lists to trigger images stored in a frame buffer to be displayed on the screen.

37. A method of dispensing fuel comprising

organizing and storing data in a collection of output addressable image element lists linked to one another by a data structure including pointers between image element lists of the collection so that combinations of output addresses from first-pointed-to command responsive image element lists can be grouped with later-pointed-to command responsive image elements in order to simultaneously display the responsive image element lists on respective portions of a video display screen,

delivering fuel through a fuel delivery mechanism,

computing the amount of fuel dispensed on a transaction computer, and

displaying video information to a fuel customer on a video display screen by applying command data to a plurality of levels and branches of output addressable image element lists,

applying the output addresses from responsive output addressable image element list to activate images stored in a frame buffer as well as from peripheral audio/video sources

assembling responsive images to simultaneously display on respective portions of a display screen,

writing the assembled video image data from the frame buffer to the screen buffer, and

outputting the assembled video data from the screen buffer to a video display screen.