Planar mapping of graphical elements

• US 7,519,899 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2004
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Foehr, Oliver H., Ternasky, Joseph D.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US10/935,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20050243346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,680 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/234, 715/255, 345/22, 345/24
• US Class Current: 715/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/122 with regard to computing resources, e.g. memory, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1246 by handling markup languages, e.g. XSL, XML, HTML
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1276 within a printer driver, e.g. driver resides either on a server or on a client

Abstract

Planar rendering is described. In an implementation, a method includes approximating a shape that corresponds to an overlapping portion of at least one graphical element that is translucent with another graphical element. A color is computed for the approximated shape from respective colors of each of the graphical elements and the translucence of the at least one graphical element. The approximated shape having the computed color is formed into a communication for output to a printer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

approximating a shape that corresponds to an overlapping portion of at least one graphical element that is translucent with another graphical element;

computing a color for the approximated shape from;

respective colors of each graphical element; and

the translucence of the at least one graphical element;

forming the approximated shape having the computed color into a communication for output to a printer; and

presenting graphical elements in a hierarchical structure having a plurality of levels, wherein;

at least one level specifies a job for printing on the printer;

at least one level specifies one or more documents associated with the job;

at least one level specifies one or more renditions associated with the one or more documents;

at least one level specifies one or more pages associated with the one or more renditions; and

each graphical element is associated with the one or more pages.

2. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising configuring the approximated shape to form a vector image.

3. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising formatting the communication in a print description language (PDL) that is readable by the printer.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the printer is incapable of printing the at least one graphical element that is translucent.

5. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

walking a display list of graphical elements that, when rendered, forms an image; and

forming a tree from the display list that describes a z order in which each graphical element is to be displayed, one to another, to form the image.

6. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

computing a color for one or more of a plurality of graphical elements,

wherein the one or more graphical elements is translucent and does not overlap another graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements;

computing the color based on a color of the one or more graphical elements and a color representing a printable medium; and

printing the one or more graphical elements with the printer.

7. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

adding the approximated shape to a display list;

determining if the approximated shape obscures one or more other graphical elements included in the display list; and

removing any of the one or more other graphical elements that are obscured from the display list.

8. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising removing an area corresponding to the overlapping portion from one or more graphical elements.

9. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, direct the computer to perform the method as described in claim 1.

10. A method, comprising:

walking a display list having a plurality of graphical elements that, when rendered, form an image;

forming a tree from the display list that describes a hierarchical order in which each graphical element is to be displayed, one to another, to form the image;

selecting a current graphical element based on the hierarchical order;

determining whether the current graphical element overlaps another graphical element;

for each current graphical element that overlaps another graphical element and that has at least one translucent portion;

determining an overlapping portion of the current graphical element with the another graphical element;

computing a color for the overlapping portion based on;

respective colors of the current and the other graphical elements; and

the at least one translucent portion;

including the overlapping portion having the computed color in a result tree; and

presenting the graphical elements in a hierarchical structure having a plurality of levels, wherein;

at least one level specifies a job;

at least one level specifies one or more documents associated with the job;

at least one level specifies one or more renditions associated with the one or more documents;

at least one level specifies one or more pages associated with the one or more renditions; and

the plurality of graphical elements are associated with the one or more pages.

11. The method as described in claim 10, further comprising configuring the plurality of graphical elements such that the image is a vector image.

12. The method as described in claim 10, further comprising translating the result tree into a print description language (PDL) that is readable by a printer.

13. The method as described in claim 10, further comprising determining whether the current graphical element is opaque, and if so, adding the current graphical element to the result tree.

14. The method as described in claim 10, further comprising:

formatting the result tree in a print description language (PDL) that is readable by a printer;

wherein the printer is incapable of printing the at least one graphical element that is translucent.

15. The method as described in claim 10, further comprising:

determining if the overlapping portion obscures one or more graphical elements included in the result tree; and

removing any obscured one or more graphical elements from the result tree.

16. The method as described in claim 10, further comprising;

computing a color for at least one graphical element;

wherein the at least one graphical element is translucent and does not overlap another graphical element;

computing the color from a color of the at least one graphical element and a color representing a printable medium; and

printing the at least one graphical element.

17. The method as described in claim 10, further comprising removing an area corresponding to the overlapping portion from either the current graphical element or the other graphical element.

18. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, direct the computer to perform the method as described in claim 10.

19. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, direct the computer to:

walk a hierarchical structure of graphical elements that form an image when rendered; and

for each graphical element that is translucent;

determine an overlapping portion of the graphical element with another graphical element;

compute a color for the overlapping portion based on the graphical element and the other graphical element; and

store the overlapping portion having the computed color in a display list for output in a graphics environment that does not support transparency;

wherein the hierarchical structure has a plurality of levels, wherein;

at least one level specifies a job;

at least one level specifies one or more documents associated with the job;

at least one level specifies one or more renditions associated with the one or more documents;

at least one level specifies one or more pages associated with the one or more renditions; and

the graphical elements are associated with the one or more pages.

20. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 19, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed on the computer, direct the computer to translate the display list into a print description language (PDL) that is readable by a printer.

21. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 19, wherein the graphics environment includes a printer that is incapable of printing the overlapping portion having the at least one graphical element that is translucent.

22. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 19, wherein the display list forms a tree having a level that contains each graphical element.

23. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 19, wherein:

the computer executable instructions, when executed on the computer, direct the computer to compute a color for one or more graphical elements that is translucent and does not overlap another graphical element;

computing the color based on a color of the one or more graphical elements and a color representing a printable medium; and

printing, at least one graphical element.

24. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 19, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed on the computer, direct the computer to:

determine if the overlapping portion obscures one or more other graphical elements included in the display list; and

remove any of the one or more other graphical elements that are obscured from the display list.

25. The one or more computer readable media as described in claim 19, wherein the computer executable instructions, when executed on the computer, direct the computer to remove an area corresponding to the overlapping portion from either the graphical element or the other graphical element.

26. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a printer interface for communicatively coupling the processor with a printer;

memory configured to maintain;

an image stored as a plurality of graphical elements; and

a converter module that is executed on the processor to;

approximate a shape that corresponds to an overlapping portion formed by the plurality of graphical elements, wherein at least one graphical element is translucent;

compute a color for the approximated shape based on respective colors of the plurality of graphical elements and the translucence of the at least one graphical element; and

form a communication for output via the printer interface to the printer that includes the approximated shape having the computed color;

the computing device presenting the image in a hierarchical structure having a plurality of levels, wherein;

at least one level specifies a job for printing by the printer;

at least one level specifies one or more documents associated with the job;

at least one level specifies one or more renditions associated with the one or more documents;

at least one level specifies one or more pages associated with the one or more renditions; and

the image is associated with the one or more pages.

27. The computing device as described in claim 26, wherein the image is a vector image.

28. The computing device as described in claim 26, further comprising formatting the communication in a print description language (PDL) that is readable by the printer.

29. The computing device as described in claim 26, wherein the printer interface is a printer adapter.

30. The computing device as described in claim 26, wherein the converter module is executable to determine whether the graphical element is opaque, and if so, add the opaque graphical element to the communication.

31. The computing device as described in claim 26, wherein the printer is incapable of printing the at least one graphical element that is translucent.

32. The computing device as described in claim 26, wherein the converter module is further executable on the processor to form a tree that describes a hierarchical order in which each graphical element is displayed, one to another, to form the image.

33. The computing device as described in claim 26, wherein:

the converter module is further executable on the processor to compute a color for one or more graphical elements;

wherein the one or more graphical elements are translucent and do not overlap another graphical element;

computing the color based on a color of the one or more graphical elements and a color representing a printable medium; and

printing at least one graphical element.

34. The computing device as described in claim 26, wherein the converter module is further executable on the processor to:

add the approximated shape to a display list;

determine if the approximated shape obscures one or more graphical elements included in the display list; and

remove any of the one or more graphical elements that are obscured from the display list.

35. The computing device as described in claim 26, wherein the converter module is further executable on the processor to remove an area corresponding to the overlapping portion from one of the plurality of graphical elements.

36. An apparatus, comprising:

means for forming an image from an arrangement of a plurality of graphical elements at least one of which has a translucent alpha value;

means for converting the arrangement into a planar map of renderable graphical elements each having a color that is independent of other renderable graphical elements; and

means for outputting at least part of the planar map to a printing device.