System and method for providing an inter-application overlay to communicate information between users and tools in the EDA design flow
First Claim
1. A method for applying an inter-application image overlay generated by an overlay application to visually annotate an image display of a plurality of design objects generated by a design application, the method comprising:
- executing in a processor both an overlay application to generate an inter-application image overlay and a design application to generate a design image, the design application having executable code to perform at least one stage of an automated design workflow, the overlay application being executable independently of the design application;
executing the design application to operate independent of the overlay application to generate the design image, the design image including a graphic representation of a plurality of design objects;
executing the overlay application to retrieve data of the design application, wherein the overlay application extracts, from the data of the design application, an identifier of each design object and arrangement of the design objects contained in the design image;
executing the overlay application to generate the inter-application image overlay, selectively incorporating into the inter-application image overlay one or more visual annotations of information extrinsic to the design image during the at least one stage of the automated design workflow, each visual annotation corresponding to one or more of the identified design objects of the design image; and
,concurrently displaying the inter-application image overlay and the design image, the inter-application image overlay rendered in an overlay application window of the overlay application, the design image rendered in a design application window of the design application separate from the overlay application window, the overlay application window being superimposed over the design application window to visually merge therewith, the design application window being visible through at least a portion of the overlay application window, the inter-application image overlay and design image thereby visually forming a composite display such that each visual annotation of the inter-application image overlay is arranged with respect to at least one design object according to a location thereof.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system are provided for utilizing inter-application image overlays or virtual transparent overlays (VTOs) to communicate information between users and tools along the EDA tool chain in an EDA design flow. VTOs remain divorced from an underlying design file and are able to be manipulated by a plurality of different users in a plurality of different EDA applications or tools, all meant to operate in different stages of the design flow and perform different functions along the design path towards actual physical circuit realization and fabrication.
13 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method for applying an inter-application image overlay generated by an overlay application to visually annotate an image display of a plurality of design objects generated by a design application, the method comprising:
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executing in a processor both an overlay application to generate an inter-application image overlay and a design application to generate a design image, the design application having executable code to perform at least one stage of an automated design workflow, the overlay application being executable independently of the design application; executing the design application to operate independent of the overlay application to generate the design image, the design image including a graphic representation of a plurality of design objects; executing the overlay application to retrieve data of the design application, wherein the overlay application extracts, from the data of the design application, an identifier of each design object and arrangement of the design objects contained in the design image; executing the overlay application to generate the inter-application image overlay, selectively incorporating into the inter-application image overlay one or more visual annotations of information extrinsic to the design image during the at least one stage of the automated design workflow, each visual annotation corresponding to one or more of the identified design objects of the design image; and
,concurrently displaying the inter-application image overlay and the design image, the inter-application image overlay rendered in an overlay application window of the overlay application, the design image rendered in a design application window of the design application separate from the overlay application window, the overlay application window being superimposed over the design application window to visually merge therewith, the design application window being visible through at least a portion of the overlay application window, the inter-application image overlay and design image thereby visually forming a composite display such that each visual annotation of the inter-application image overlay is arranged with respect to at least one design object according to a location thereof. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for providing an inter-application image overlay to transfer visual annotations between a plurality of distinct design applications for display with images respectively generated by the design applications, the method comprising:
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establishing first and second design applications on a storage medium, the first design application including executable code operable to perform at least one stage of an automated design workflow for a design having a plurality of design objects, the second design application including a different executable code operable to perform a different stage of the automated design workflow; establishing an overlay application on a storage medium, the overlay application being executable independently of the first and second design applications; executing the first design application in a processor to generate a first design image including a graphic representation of a set of the plurality of design objects; executing the overlay application in a processor to establish an inter-application image overlay including visual annotations of information extrinsic to both the first design image and a second design image of the second design application, wherein the inter-application image overlay is modifiable in correspondence with execution of both the first and second design applications, each visual annotation corresponding to one or more of the plurality of design objects; concurrently displaying the visual annotations of the inter-application image overlay in correspondence with the design objects of the first design image, the inter-application image overlay rendered in an overlay application window of the overlay application, the first design image rendered in a first design application window of the first design application separate from the overlay application window, the overlay application window being superimposed over the first design application window to visually form a first composite display therewith, the first design application window being visible through at least a portion of the overlay application window, such that each visual annotation of the inter-application image overlay is arranged with respect to at least one design object of the first design image according to a location thereof; executing the second design application in the processor to generate the second design image including an alternate graphic representation of at least a subset of the plurality of design objects; executing the overlay application in a processor to adapt display of the inter-application image overlay responsive to the alternate graphic representation of the design objects to maintain a correspondence therebetween; and
,concurrently displaying the adapted inter-application image overlay over the second design image, the inter-application image overlay rendered in the overlay application window of the overlay application, the second design image rendered in a second design application window of the second design application separate from the overlay application window, the overlay application window being superimposed over the second design application window to visually form a second composite display therewith, the second design application window being visible through at least a portion of the overlay application window, such that each visual annotation of the inter-application image overlay is arranged with respect to at least one design object of the second design image according to a location thereof. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A system for providing an inter-application image overlay to transfer visual annotations between a plurality of distinct computer executable design applications for display with design images respectively generated by the design applications, the system comprising:
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a storage medium storing at least one design including a plurality of interconnected design objects; a computer processor operably coupled to the storage medium, the processor executing; a first design application module operable to generate and display, in a first design application window, a first design image including a graphic representation of a plurality of design objects of the design retrieved from the storage medium, the first design application module having executable code to perform at least a first stage of an automated design workflow; a second design application module operable to generate and display, in a second design application window separate from the first design application window, a second design image including an alternate graphic representation of at least a subset of the plurality of design objects of the design retrieved from the storage medium, the second design application module having executable code to perform at least a second stage of the automated design workflow different from the first stage; an overlay application module being executable independently of the first and second design application modules and operable; to generate an inter-application image overlay including visual annotations of information extrinsic to both the first and second design images, to selectively display the visual annotations of the inter-application image overlay in an overlay application window of the overlay application while said overlay application window is superimposed over the first design image in the first design application window of the first design application module during operation thereof, thereby visually forming a first composite display, the overlay application window separate from the first and second design application windows, the first design application window being visible through at least a portion of the overlay application window, to selectively display the visual annotations of the inter-application image overlay in the overlay application window of the overlay application while said overlay application window is superimposed over the second design image in the second design application window of the second design application module during operation thereof, thereby visually forming a second composite display, the second design application window being visible through at least a portion of the overlay application window, and to adaptively configure the display of the visual annotations of the inter-application image overlay to correspond to locations of the design objects between the graphic representation and the alternate graphical representations of the respective first and second design application modules, such that each displayed visual annotation of the inter-application image overlay is arranged with respect to at least one design object according to the location thereof; and
,a display unit operably coupled to the processor, the display unit operable to receive and display both the first composite display and the second composite display including the respectively corresponding adaptively configured visual annotations of extrinsic information. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification