Method of creating transparent graphics
First Claim
1. In a system having an output frame buffer to store pixels of display output data for the system, a method of creating transparent graphics comprising:
- color mixing selected pixels of a first frame buffer with pixels of the output frame buffer to produce color mixed pixels;
interleaving pixels of the output frame buffer and the color mixed pixels and storing the interleaved pixels in a second frame buffer; and
displaying the pixels of the second frame buffer.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of creating transparent graphics for display in a computer system. A first frame buffer is provided to store display components to be displayed transparently on a computer monitor, the display components having a plurality of pixels. A second frame buffer is provided as a new output frame buffer. Pixels of the first frame buffer are color mixed with pixels of the computer system'"'"'s original output frame buffer to produce color mixed pixels. The pixels of the output frame buffer are interleaved with the color mixed pixels, the interleaved pixels are stored in the second frame buffer, and the pixels of the second frame buffer are displayed. The color mixing is accomplished by a weighted average of the color components of the pixels of the first frame buffer and the output frame buffer. The interleaving is adjustable such that every second pixel, or every fourth pixel, or every eighth pixel, and so on, of the color mixed pixels is selected for inclusion in the second frame buffer, thereby changing the level of transparency of the displayed data.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. In a system having an output frame buffer to store pixels of display output data for the system, a method of creating transparent graphics comprising:
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color mixing selected pixels of a first frame buffer with pixels of the output frame buffer to produce color mixed pixels; interleaving pixels of the output frame buffer and the color mixed pixels and storing the interleaved pixels in a second frame buffer; and displaying the pixels of the second frame buffer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. In a system having a video memory and a main memory, the system executing instructions of an operating system controlling an output frame buffer to store display output data for the system, a method of creating transparent graphics comprising:
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providing a first frame buffer to store pixels of display components to be displayed transparently; allocating second and third frame buffers in video memory; selecting one of the second and third frame buffers; copying pixels of the output frame buffer to the selected frame buffer; color mixing selected pixels of the first frame buffer with pixels of the selected frame buffer to produce color mixed pixels; storing the color mixed pixels in selected locations of the selected frame buffer; and displaying the pixels of the selected frame buffer. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for creating transparent graphics comprising:
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a processor for executing programming instructions; and a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions to be executed by the processor, wherein when executed, the plurality of programming instructions color mix selected pixels of a first frame buffer with pixels of a output frame buffer to produce color mixed pixels, interleave pixels of the output frame buffer and the color mixed pixels, store the interleaved pixels in a second frame buffer, and display the pixels of the second frame buffer. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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19. A machine readable medium having stored therein a plurality of machine readable instructions executable by a processor, the machine readable instructions comprising instructions to color mix selected pixels of a first frame buffer with pixels of an output frame buffer to produce color mixed pixels, to interleave pixels of the output frame buffer and the color mixed pixels, to store the interleaved pixels in a second frame buffer;
- and to display the pixels of the second frame buffer.
- View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. An apparatus for creating transparent graphics comprising:
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means for mixing selected pixels of a first frame buffer with pixels of an output frame buffer to produce color mixed pixels; means for interleaving pixels of the output frame buffer and the color mixed pixels and storing the interleaved pixels in a second frame buffer; and means for displaying the pixels of the second frame buffer. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A machine readable medium having stored therein a plurality of machine readable instructions executable by a processor, the machine readable instructions comprising instructions to allocate a first frame buffer to store pixels of display components to be displayed transparently, to allocate second and third frame buffers in a video memory, to select one of the second and third frame buffers, to copy pixels of an output frame buffer to the selected frame buffer, to mix selected pixels of the first frame buffer with pixels of the selected frame buffer to produce color mixed pixels, to store the color mixed pixels in selected locations of the selected frame buffer;
- and to display the pixels of the selected frame buffer.
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26. In a system having an output frame buffer to store pixels of display data to be displayed on a monitor of the system, a method of creating transparent graphics comprising:
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providing a first frame buffer to store display components to be displayed transparently on the monitor, the display components comprising a plurality of pixels; providing a second frame buffer; displaying pixels of the output frame buffer on the monitor; copying pixels of the first frame buffer to the second frame buffer; and displaying the pixels of the second frame buffer on the monitor. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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Specification