Methods and arrangements for allowing independent program modules to access shared display device resources

• US 6,683,630 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2000
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Jun, Shoff, Daniel J., Gibson, Robert S. T., Cooper, John T. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US09/560,857
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 345/629, 345/722, 345/723, 345/625, 345/630, 345/700, 345/790-797, 345/802-807
• US Class Current: 715/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/06 using controlled light sources

Abstract

Virtual display layers are associated with each process within a programmable set top box requiring access to a shared front panel display therein. An ordered set of virtual display layers is used to determine the information that is ultimately displayed on the shared display device. The shared display device includes a plurality of selectively controllable light emitting diode (LED) elements located on the front panel of the set top box. These LED elements correspond to data defined in the virtual display layers. The data includes flag data that associates certain properties with an element, mask data that identifies if the element is visible (e.g., opaque) or not visible (e.g., transparent) to the process, and context data that sets the state or status of the element (e.g., ON/OFF). A composite display layer is created using applicable data from the ordered set of virtual display layers. The resulting composite display layer provides the data that defines the information displayed via the display device.

Claims

1. A method for sharing a physical display device between a plurality of processes, the method comprising:

associating a first process with a first virtual display layer, wherein the first virtual display layer is represented by first layer data including first content data defining at least one desired state for at least one controllable element in a display device, the first content data including at least one type of data selected from a group comprising flag data and mask data;

associating a second process with a second virtual display layer, wherein the second virtual display layer is represented by second layer data including second content data defining at least one further desired state for the at least one controllable element in the display device, the second content data including at least one type of data selected from the group comprising flag data and mask data;

combining the first and second virtual display layers to produce a composite virtual display layer based on the at least one type of data selected from the group comprising flag data and mask data within the first and second content data; and

displaying data associated with the composite virtual display layer on the display device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first virtual display layer and the second virtual display layer are ordered with respect to one another.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the first virtual display layer and the second virtual display layer are ordered with respect to a priority scheme.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the desired state and the further desired state are each defined by binary bit values.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the flag data defines at least one desired associated property for the at least one controllable element in the display device.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the at least one desired associated property is selected from a set of associated properties comprising selectively dimmed, selectively brightened, selectively flashed, selectively blinked, selectively colored, selectively toned, and selectively patterned.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the mask data selectively defines a visible characteristic of the at least one controllable element in the display device.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the mask data selectively defines the visible characteristic of the at least one controllable element in the display device by defining the controllable element as being opaque.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the mask data selectively defines the visible characteristic of the at least one controllable element in the display device by not defining the controllable element as being transparent.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the composite virtual display layer corresponds to a composite layer data.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein combining the first and second virtual display layers to produce the composite virtual layer further includes logically combining at least the first layer data and the second layer data to form the composite layer data.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the composite layer data further includes additional layer data associated with at least one additional virtual display layer.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first layer data and the second layer data are maintained in a data structure in a computer readable medium.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the computer readable medium includes memory within a set top box.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the set top box further includes at least one processor that is operatively configured to combine at least the first layer data and the second layer data to produce a composite layer data and to display the composite layer data on the display device.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the processor is operatively responsive to at least one application programming interface (API) and a plurality of program modules including at least a first program module associated with the first process and a second program module associated with the second process.

17. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

associating a first process with a first virtual display layer that corresponds to at least a portion of a physical display device, wherein the first virtual display layer is represented by first layer data including first content data defining at least one desired state for at least one controllable user-visible element in a display device, the first content data including at least one type of data selected from a group comprising flag data and mask data;

associating a second process with a second virtual display layer that corresponds to at least the portion of the physical display device, wherein the second virtual display layer is represented by second layer data including second content data defining at least one further desired state for the at least one controllable element in the display device, the second content data including at least one type of data selected from the group comprising flag data and mask data;

combining the first and second virtual display layers to produce a composite virtual display layer that corresponds to at least the portion of the physical display device based on the at least one type of data selected from the group comprising flag data and mask data within the first and second content data; and

displaying data associated with the composite virtual display layer on the portion of the physical display device.

18. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the first virtual display layer and the second virtual display layer are ordered with respect to one another.

19. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18, wherein the first virtual display layer and the second virtual display layer are ordered with respect to a priority scheme.

20. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the desired state and the further desired state are each defined by binary bit values.

21. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the flag data defines at least one desired associated property for the at least one controllable element in the display device.

22. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 21, wherein the at least one desired associated property is selected from a set of associated properties comprising selectively dimmed, selectively brightened, selectively flashed, selectively blinked, selectively colored, selectively toned, and selectively patterned.

23. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the mask data selectively defines a visible characteristic of the at least one controllable element in the display device.

24. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the mask data selectively defines the visible characteristic of the at least one controllable element in the display device by defining the controllable element as being opaque.

25. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the mask data selectively defines the visible characteristic of the at least one controllable element in the display device by not defining the controllable element as being transparent.

26. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the composite virtual display layer corresponds to a composite layer data.

27. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein combining the first and second virtual display layers to produce the composite virtual layer further includes logically combining at least the first layer data and the second layer data to form the composite layer data.

28. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 26, wherein the composite layer data further includes additional layer data associated with at least one additional virtual display layer.

29. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein the first layer data and the second layer data are maintained in a data structure.

30. An arrangement for use in a multiple tasking computer environment, the arrangement comprising:

at least one processor;

memory operatively coupled to the processor; and

at least one shared display device operatively coupled to the processor and configured to display composite information as output by the processor after the processor has completed associating a first process with a first virtual display layer and associating at least a second process with a second virtual display layer, and then logically combining layer data corresponding to each of the first virtual display layer and the second virtual display layer to form the composite information, and wherein the first virtual display layer is represented by first layer data including first content data defining at least one desired state for at least one controllable element in a display device, the first content data including at least one type of data selected from a group comprising flag data and mask data, the second virtual display layer is represented by second layer data including second content data defining at least one further desired state for the at least one controllable element in the display device, the second content data including at least one type of data selected from the group comprising flag data and mask data and the processor is operatively configured to combine the first and second virtual display layers to produce the composite virtual display layer based on the at least one type of data selected from the group comprising flag data and mask data within the first and second content data.

31. The arrangement as recited in claim 30, wherein the first virtual display layer and the second virtual display layer are ordered with respect to one another by the processor.

32. The arrangement as recited in claim 31, wherein the first virtual display layer and the second virtual display layer are ordered with respect to a priority scheme.

33. The arrangement as recited in claim 30, wherein the desired state and the further desired state are each defined by binary bit values.

34. The arrangement as recited in claim 30, wherein the flag data defines at least one desired associated property for the at least one controllable element in the display device.

35. The arrangement as recited in claim 34, wherein the at least one desired associated property is selected from a set of associated properties comprising selectively dimmed, selectively brightened, selectively flashed, selectively blinked, selectively colored, selectively toned, and selectively patterned.

36. The arrangement as recited in claim 30, wherein the mask data selectively defines a visible characteristic of the at least one controllable element in the display device.

37. The arrangement as recited in claim 36, wherein the mask data selectively defines the visible characteristic of the at least one controllable element in the display device by defining the controllable element as being opaque.

38. The arrangement as recited in claim 36, wherein the mask data selectively defines the visible characteristic of the at least one controllable element in the display device by not defining the controllable element as being transparent.

39. The arrangement as recited in claim 30, wherein the composite virtual display layer corresponds to a composite layer data.

40. The arrangement as recited in claim 30, wherein the arrangement includes a set top box.

41. The arrangement as recited in claim 40, wherein the set top box further includes a multiple element light emitting diode (LED) front panel display device.