Applying different transport mechanisms for user interface and image portions of a remotely rendered image

• US 9,117,288 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2014
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silicon Graphics International Corporation (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Chalfin, Alexander, Kaulgud, Alpana, Peercy, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): BILGRAMI, ASGHAR H
• Application Number:
  US14/528,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20150054840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 299 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/20 Processor architectures; Processor configuration, e.g. pipelining
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/16 involving adaptation to the client's capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor

Abstract

A system and method for remote rendering of computer graphics wherein user transactions are reliable and the transmission of rendered graphics is relatively fast. The invention is implemented in a client server context, where a computer graphics application and rendering resources are located at a server. A user controls the graphics application through a client machine connected to the server through a computer network. The user'"'"'s commands are sent from the client to the server, while rendered computer graphics are transmitted from the server to a display at the client. Different transport protocols are used, depending on the requirements of a particular transmission. Data related to user interactions is transmitted using a relatively reliable transport protocol, such as TCP. Rendered subject graphics data is transmitted from the server to the client using a less reliable but faster transport protocol, such UDP.

Claims

1. A method for remote rendering of graphics data, the method comprising:

transmitting a rendering command from a client to a server, wherein the server renders graphical user interface (GUI) graphics data in a first rendering pipeline, and renders subject graphics data in a second rendering pipeline;

receiving the rendered graphical user interface (GUI) graphics data using a reliable transport protocol; and

receiving the rendered subject graphics data using an unreliable transport protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rendering command is transmitted using a reliable transport protocol.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the reliable transport protocol used to transmit the rendering command is a TCP transport protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reliable transport protocol used to receive the graphical user interface (GUI) graphics data is TCP.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the unreliable transport protocol is a UDP transport protocol.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the server obtains at least one of a texture and an image when rendering the graphical user interface (GUI) graphics data, and when rendering the subject graphics data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

compositing the rendered graphical user interface (GUI) graphics data and the rendered subject graphics data into a composited image; and

displaying the composited image on a display.

8. A system for receiving a remotely rendered graphics data, the system comprising:

a memory;

a processor; and

a network interface, wherein the network interface;

transmits a rendering command from a client to a server through the network interface, wherein the server renders graphical user interface (GUI) graphics data in a first rendering pipeline, and renders subject graphics data in a second rendering pipeline;

receives the rendered graphical user interface (GUI) graphics data using a reliable transport protocol through the network interface; and

receives the rendered subject graphics data using an unreliable transport protocol through the network interface.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a compositor that composites the rendered graphical user interface (GUI) graphics data and the rendered subject graphics data into a composited image; and

a display that displays the composited image.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for remote rendering of graphics data, the method comprising:

transmitting a rendering command from a client to a server, wherein the server renders graphical user interface (GUI) graphics data in a first rendering pipeline, and renders subject graphics data in a second rendering pipeline;

receiving the rendered graphical user interface (GUI) graphics data using a reliable transport protocol; and

receiving the rendered subject graphics data using an unreliable transport protocol.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the rendering command is transmitted using a reliable transport protocol.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium claim 11, wherein the reliable transport protocol used to transmit the rendering command is a TCP transport protocol.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the reliable transport protocol used to receive the graphical user interface (GUI) graphics data is TCP.

14. The computer-readable storage medium claim 10, wherein the unreliable transport protocol is a UDP transport protocol.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, the program further executable to obtain at least one of a texture and an image when rendering the graphical user interface (GUI) graphics data, and when rendering the subject graphics data.