Method and structure for implementing a layered object windows

• US 7,168,048 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2000
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Goossen, J. Andrew, Gorokhovsky, Vadim
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cao (Kevin)
• Application Number:
  US09/535,096
• Time in Patent Office: 2,496 Days
• Field of Search: 715/765, 715/766, 715/768, 715/803, 715/805, 715/797, 715/796, 715/794, 715/790, 345/419, 345/429
• US Class Current: 715/797
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/42 characterised by the display of patterns using a display memory without fixed position correspondence between the display memory contents and the display position on the screen

Abstract

A display window is attributed a layering attribute such that underlying display windows are blended with the layered display window and displayed on the display screen. In a first embodiment, the layered window and the underlying window are represented as bitmaps. Any overlapping portions of the underlying window bitmap are redirected to an underlay buffer and composited with the layered window bitmap according to a display order and an opacity level. In a second embodiment, the layered window and the underlying window are represented as hardware sprites. Graphics device hardware stores copies of each sprite and composites each sprite according to a display order and an opacity level. In either embodiment or in a combination of both, as the layered window is moved or resized, the stored data allows for updating the composite display without requiring system expensive display regenerations.

Claims

1. In a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a user interface selection device, a method of animating window objects on the display, the method comprising:

obtaining a window object to be displayed on the display;

attributing the window object a variable translucency;

compositing the window object with any underlying objects; and

varying the translucency of the window object to create an animation of the window object.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the window object is representative of a menu, the method further comprising the steps of:

retrieving a set of menu entries for the menu;

displaying the set of menu entries;

receiving a menu entry selection signal indicative of the user interface selection device pointing at one of the menu entries;

displaying a visual indication of the menu entry selection;

blending the visual indication of the menu entry selection and any underlying graphics such that the visual indication of the menu entry selection progressively fades until it is no longer visible.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the step of displaying the visual indication includes highlighting the menu entry selection with a solid color.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the blending step includes progressively displaying the highlighted menu entry selection in a faded manner.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the step of displaying the visual indication includes attributing an opaqueness value to the visual indication.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the opaqueness value is an integer having values between approximately 0 and 255.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the blending step includes reducing the opaqueness value attributed to the visual indication of the menu entry selection.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying a visual indication of the window object, wherein the varying step includes adjusting the translucency of the window object such that the visual indication of the window object progressively fades in until it is fully non-translucent.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the step recited in claim 1.

10. A computer system having a memory, an operating system and a central processor, the computer system operable to carry out the steps recited in claim 1.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of animating window objects on a display in a computer system having a graphical user interface including the display and a user interface selection device, the method comprising:

obtaining a window object to be displayed on the display;

attributing the window object a variable translucency;

compositing the window object with any underlying objects; and

varying the translucency of the window object to create an animation of the window object.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the window object is representative of a menu, the method further comprising the steps of:

retrieving a set of menu entries for the menu;

displaying the set of menu entries;

receiving a menu entry selection signal indicative of the user interface selection device pointing at one of the menu entries;

displaying a visual indication of the menu entry selection; and

blending the visual indication of the menu entry selection and any underlying graphics such that the visual indication of the menu entry selection progressively fades until it is no longer visible.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the step of displaying the visual indication includes highlighting the menu entry selection with a solid color.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the blending step includes progressively displaying the highlighted menu entry selection in a faded manner.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the step of displaying the visual indication includes attributing an opaqueness value to the visual indication.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the opaqueness value is an integer having values between approximately 0 and 255.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the blending step includes reducing the opaqueness value attributed to the visual indication of the menu entry selection.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 further comprising the step of displaying a visual indication of the window object, wherein the varying step includes adjusting the translucency of the window object such that the visual indication of the window object progressively fades in until it is fully non-translucent.