System and method of converting edge record based graphics to polygon based graphics

• US 8,194,070 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2011
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Whatmough, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): BROOME, SAID A
• Application Number:
  US13/180,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20110267336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 330 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/420
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/00 Image coding bandwidth or redundancy reduction for static pictures H04N1/41; coding or decoding of static colour picture signals H04N1/64; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00

Abstract

A method and graphics converter for converting edge record based graphics to polygon based graphics is provided. In accordance with one embodiment, there is provided a method for converting graphic object data that defines a graphic object for delivery to wireless devices connected to a wireless communications network, the method comprising: converting the graphic object data from a path format to a second format, the path format including path elements that are each associated with a fill style and define one or more polygon shapes at least partially filled with the associated fill style, the path elements collectively defining the graphic object; converting the graphic object data from the path format to a second format, the converting including: redefining the polygon shapes defined by the path elements as groups of triangles; and combining at least some triangles in the groups of triangles into further polygon shapes that fall within complexity thresholds based on predetermined capabilities of a wireless device to which the converted graphic object data will be delivered.

Claims

1. A method for rendering a graphics object on a display of a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving, at a receiver of the wireless device, graphics object data defining the graphics object in a binary format, the graphics object data in the binary format being created by converting the graphics object data from a path format, the path format including path elements that are each associated with a fill style and define one or more polygon shapes, each polygon shape at least partially filled with the associated fill style, the path elements collectively defining the graphics object, the conversion from the path format to the binary format including redefining the polygon shapes defined by the path elements as groups of triangles and combining at least some triangles in the groups of triangles into further polygon shapes that fall within complexity thresholds based on resources available on the wireless device;

interpreting, by a processor of the wireless device, the graphics object data in the binary format to generate an image representative of the graphics object; and

rendering the generated image representative of the graphics object on the display of the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, prior to the conversion from the path format to the binary format, the graphics object data in the path format being created by converting the graphics object data from an edge record based format, the edge record based format including a plurality of edge records each defining an edge of the graphic object, the edge records including information associating the defined edges with fill styles that the edges border against.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the conversion from the edge record based format to the path format includes:

for each fill style, identifying from the edge records each unique vertex that borders on the fill style and identifying each of the outgoing edges from the identified vertices that border on the fill style; and

for each fill style, creating the associated path element, based on the identified vertices and outgoing edges.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the path format is a Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) compatible format.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the edge record based format is an edge record based flash file format.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the edge record based format is SWF and the path format is Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphics object data in the binary format includes information defining the further polygon shapes.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the complexity thresholds are selected so that the further polygon shapes each have a continuous interior fill style region without internal island contours.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the complexity thresholds are selected so that the further polygon shapes each have only convex vertices.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the complexity thresholds are selected so that the further polygon shapes each have under a predetermined number of sides.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the complexity thresholds are selected so that the further polygon shapes are each simple polygons.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the complexity thresholds are selected based on processing or memory resources available on the wireless device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the complexity thresholds are selected based on requirements of an application being executed on the wireless device.

14. A tangible computer program product having a non-transient computer-readable medium storing computer executable instructions for executing a method for rendering a graphics object on a display of a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving, at a receiver of the wireless device, graphics object data defining the graphics object in a binary format, the graphics object data in the binary format being created by converting the graphics object data from a path format, the path format including path elements that are each associated with a fill style and define one or more polygon shapes, each polygon shape at least partially filled with the associated fill style, the path elements collectively defining the graphics object, the conversion from the path format to the binary format including redefining the polygon shapes defined by the path elements as groups of triangles and combining at least some triangles in the groups of triangles into further polygon shapes that fall within complexity thresholds based on resources available on the wireless device;

interpreting, by a processor of the wireless device, the graphics object data in the binary format to generate an image representative of the graphics object; and

rendering the generated image representative of the graphics object on the display of the wireless device.

15. A wireless device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive graphics object data defining the graphics object in a binary format, the graphics object data in the binary format being created by converting the graphics object data from a path format, the path format including path elements that are each associated with a fill style and define one or more polygon shapes, each polygon shape at least partially filled with the associated fill style, the path elements collectively defining the graphics object, the conversion from the path format to the binary format including redefining the polygon shapes defined by the path elements as groups of triangles and combining at least some triangles in the groups of triangles into further polygon shapes that fall within complexity thresholds based on resources available on the wireless device;

a processor, having associated memory, configured to interpret the graphics object data in the binary format to generate an image representative of the graphics object and to render the generated image representative of the graphics object on the display of the wireless device.