Method and apparatus for presenting information in a display system using transparent windows

• US 6,384,840 B1
• Filed: 09/17/1999
• Issued: 05/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Frank, Edward H., Liu, John C., Naughton, Patrick J., Gosling, James Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Stephen S.
• Application Number:
  US09/398,183
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 345/435, 345/339, 345/344, 345/345, 345/432, 345/340, 345/343, 345/431, 345/426, 345/420, 345/422, 345/634, 345/629, 345/788
• US Class Current: 345/634
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/02 Addressing, scanning or driving the display screen or processing steps related thereto
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A central processing unit (CPU) is provided and is coupled to a display for displaying graphic and other data in multiple overlapping windows. The CPU is further coupled to one or more input devices which permits a user to selectively position a cursor and input and manipulate data within each of the windows on the display. The windows include defined areas having window features such as text, icons and buttons corresponding to functions to be executed by the CPU. Multiple applications may be executed concurrently by the CPU such that each application is associated with one or more windows. Each display element (“pixel”) comprising the display is represented by multiple bits in a computer frame buffer memory coupled to the CPU. An alpha value (α) is associated with the intensity of each pixel of the display, such that multiple images may be blended in accordance with a predefined formula utilizing the alpha values. By setting the alpha values appropriately, transparency may be accomplished such that data associated with underlying windows may be rendered visible to the user. Effectively, the present invention merges multiple images through alpha “blending” such that several images appear transparently on top of one another. The present invention, through the selective use of alpha blending, permits underlying windows to display data visible to the user through windows which are overlaid above an underlying window.

Claims

1. An apparatus for selectively displaying objects on a display, comprising:

means for storing a first display object and at least one corresponding transparency value;

means for storing a second display object and at least two corresponding transparency values, each of which is associated with a different portion of said second display object; and

means for displaying the first and second display objects on the display such that at least a portion of said first display object and at least a portion of said second display object are simultaneously visible in an overlapping area based on the transparency value of the first object and two or more transparency values of the second display object.

2. A method for selectively operating on data within at least one of a plurality of objects on a display, the plurality of objects including a first display object having a first depth value and at least one corresponding transparency value, and a second display object having a second depth value and at least two corresponding transparency values, each of which is associated with a different portion of said second display object, said method comprising:

displaying the first display object based on the first depth value and second display object based on the second depth value, wherein at least a portion of said first display object and at least a portion of said second display object are simultaneously visible in an overlapping area based on the transparency value of the first object and the two or more transparency values of the second display object;

selecting one of the first and second display objects; and

operating on data within the selected one of the first and second display objects without altering the transparency of the first and second display object.

3. An apparatus for selectively operating on data within at least one of a plurality of objects on a display, the plurality of objects including a first display object having a first depth value and at least one corresponding transparency value, and a second display object having a second depth value and at least two corresponding transparency values, each of which is associated with a different portion of said second display object, said apparatus comprising:

means for displaying the first display object based on the first depth value and second display object based on the second depth value, wherein at least a portion of said first display object and at least a portion of said second display object are simultaneously visible in an overlapping area based on the transparency value of the first object and the two or more transparency values of the transparency values of the second display object;

means for selecting one of the first and second display objects; and

means for operating on data within the selected one of the first and second display objects without altering the transparency of the first and second display object.

4. A computer readable medium for selectively operating on data within at least one of a plurality of objects on a display, the plurality of objects including a first display object having a first depth value and at least one corresponding transparency value, and a second display object having a second depth value and at least two corresponding transparency values, each of which is associated with a different portion of said second display object, said medium comprising:

code for displaying the first display object based on the first depth value and second display object based on the second depth value, wherein at least a portion of said first display object and at least a portion of said second display object are simultaneously visible in an overlapping area based on the transparency value of the first object and the two or more transparency values of the transparency values of the second display object;

code for selecting one of the first and second display objects; and

code for operating on data within the selected one of the first and second display objects without altering the transparency of the first and second display object.

5. A method for selectively operating on data within at least one of a plurality of objects on a display, the plurality of objects including a first display object having a first depth value and at least one corresponding transparency value, and a second display object having a second depth value and at least two corresponding transparency values, each of which is associated with a different portion of said second display object, said method comprising:

displaying the first display object based on the first depth value and second display object based on the second depth value, wherein at least a portion of said first display object and at least a portion of said second display object are simultaneously visible in an overlapping area based on the transparency value of the first object and the two or more transparency values of the transparency values of the second display object;

selecting one of the first and second display objects; and

operating on data within the selected one of the first and second display objects without altering the first and second depth values.

6. An apparatus for selectively operating on data within at least one of a plurality of objects on a display, the plurality of objects including a first display object having a first depth value and at least one corresponding transparency value, and a second display object having a second depth value and at least two corresponding transparency values, each of which is associated with a different portion of said second display object, said apparatus comprising:

means for displaying the first display object based on the first depth value and second display object based on the second depth value, wherein at least a portion of said first display object and at least a portion of said second display object are simultaneously visible in an overlapping area based on the transparency value of the first object and the two or more transparency values of the second display object;

means for selecting one of the first and second display objects; and

means for operating on data within the selected one of the first and second display objects without altering the first and second depth values.

7. A computer readable medium for selectively operating on data within at least one of a plurality of objects on a display, the plurality of objects including a first display object having a first depth value and at least one corresponding transparency value, and a second display object having a second depth value and at least two corresponding transparency values, each of which is associated with a different portion of said second display object, said medium comprising:

code for displaying the first display object based on the first depth value and second display object based on the second depth value, wherein at least a portion of said first display object and at least a portion of said second display object are simultaneously visible in an overlapping area based on the transparency value of the first object and the two or more transparency values of the second display object;

code for selecting one of the first and second display objects; and

code for operating on data within the selected one of the first and second display objects without altering the first and second depth values.