Method and system for controlling the presentation of nested overlays utilizing image area mixing attributes

• US 5,271,097 A
• Filed: 08/25/1992
• Issued: 12/14/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stark, Jeffrey A., Edel, Thomas R., Barker, Barbara A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US07/935,676
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 395/118, 395/135, 395/159, 395/162, 340/734, 340/721, 340/723
• US Class Current: 345/641
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/30 Control of display attribute

Abstract

A method is disclosed for controlling the presentation of nested overlays on a display medium. An overlay function resource is provided which includes its own environment specification which is independent of the space and data environment specifications. Mixing attributes are associated with each overlay and are utilized to determine which overlay space and data are to take precedence and be visible when the overlayed spaces are combined and imaged on a display medium. In a preferred mode of the present invention, the foreground and background of each overlay are separately controlled by the mixing attributes which define the mixing rules for the layered presentation of multiple overlays. Additionally, the order of precedence for displaying multiple overlays may be selectively or varied to provide multiple displays and to permit an individual overlay to be repetitively utilized.

Claims

1. A method in a date processing system of controlling a presentation of a plurality of nested overlay images on a display medium, wherein each of said plurality of nested overlay images includes a background image and a foreground image, said method comprising the steps of:

defining at least one selected area within said display medium;

permitting a user to selectively and graphically characterize said background image and said foreground image of each of said plurality of nested overlay images which is imaged within said selected area within said display medium as either transparent or opaque; and

combining portions of said background image and said foreground image of each of said plurality of nested overlay images which are imaged within said selected area within said display medium in accordance with said graphic characterization to form a composite image within said selected area within said display medium.

2. The method in a data processing system of controlling a presentation of a plurality of nested overlay images on a display medium according to claim 1, further including the step of presenting a display of said composite image on said display medium.

3. The method in a data processing system of controlling a presentation of a plurality of nested overlay images on a display medium according to claim 1, further including the step of selectively altering an order of precedence of displaying said plurality of nested overlays.

4. A data processing system for controlling a presentation of a plurality of nested overlay images on a display medium within said data processing system, wherein each of said plurality of nested overlay images includes a background image and a foreground image, said data processing system comprising:

means for defining at least one selected area within said display medium;

means for permitting a user to selectively and graphically characterize said background image and said foreground image of each of said plurality of nested overlay images which is imaged within said selected area within said display medium as either transparent or opaque; and

means for combining portions of said background image and said foreground image of each of said plurality of nested overlay images which are imaged within said selected area within said display medium in accordance with said graphic characterization to form a composite image within said selected area within said display medium.

5. The data processing system for controlling a presentation of a plurality of nested overlay images on a display medium according to claim 4, further including means for selectively altering an order of precedence of display said plurality of nested overlays.