# US 12,190,849 B2 · Display control apparatus, display control method, and program for displaying an image overlaying a target image in a safe area of a display > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,190,849 B2 - Document ID: US12190849B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/627,135 - Filed: 2020-07-21 - Published: 2022-08-11 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-01 - Assignees: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. - Applicants: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. - Inventors: Toru Ogiso; Masato Mitsutake; Sachiyo Aoki; Michiko Matsumura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12190849B2 ## CPC - G09G 5/14: Display of multiple viewports - G09G 5/377: for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns (G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence) - A63F 13/52: involving aspects of the displayed game scene - A63F 13/53: involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game - G09G 5/395: Arrangements specially adapted for transferring the contents of the bit-mapped memory to the screen (G09G5/399 takes precedence) - G09G 5/397: Arrangements specially adapted for transferring the contents of two or more bit-mapped memories to the screen simultaneously, e.g. for mixing or overlay (G09G5/02 takes precedence) - G09G 2320/0261: in the context of movement of objects on the screen or movement of the observer relative to the screen - G09G 2340/0464: Positioning - G09G 2340/125: wherein one of the images is motion video - G09G 2360/18: Use of a frame buffer in a display terminal, inclusive of the display panel - G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00) - A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Provided are a display control apparatus, a display control method, and a program that enable developers to implement application programs without needing to be aware of a safe area. An image acquisition section (42) acquires an image that is drawn in a frame buffer by an application program. A safe area setting specification section (44) specifies the setting of a safe area in a display section. An image generation section (48) generates a display target image including, as a part, the image sized according to the setting of the safe area. A display control section (50) causes the display section to display the display target image. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A display control apparatus comprising: circuitry configured to: acquire a first image in a first frame buffer drawn by an application program and a second image in a second frame buffer drawn by the application program; specify, for a display, a first setting of a first safe area for the first image based on a first setting instruction from the application program and a second setting of a second safe area for the second image based on a second setting instruction from the application program, the second setting being different from the first setting, wherein the first safe area is offset with respect to a center of the display; acquire, from the application program, an autoscaling setting for the first image that indicates whether or not an autoscaling process is to be applied to the first image based on a size of the first safe area; generate a display target image including superimposing the first image sized based on the first setting and the second image sized based on the second setting, wherein the first image having no autoscaling process is displayed in a placement region having a position and a size in the display target image and the first image having the autoscaling process and a non-content display region are displayed in the placement region having the position and the size in the display target image; and output the display target image to the display. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to: generate the display target image that is obtained by superimposing the first image and the second image, the first image being drawn in the first frame buffer by a first application program as the application program, the second image being drawn in the second frame buffer by a second application program different than the first application program, as the application program, and change a region where pixels of the first image in the display target image are displayed within the placement region. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of the first setting and second settings maintains a size of a corresponding image. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein circuitry is configured to generate a non-display region outside the first safe area and the second safe area to be output with the display target image. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The display control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein pixels in the non-display region are set to a predetermined value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The display control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the non-display region surrounds the display target image on at least two sides. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The display control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the non-display region surrounds the display target image on all sides. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second safe area includes a region outside the first safe area. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The display control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the second image is positioned at a predetermined location in the region outside the first safe area relative to the first safe area. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein pixels in the non-content display region are set to a predetermined value. ### Claim 11 A display control method comprising: acquiring a first image that is in a first frame buffer drawn by an application program and a second image in a second frame buffer drawn by the application program; specifying, for a display, a first setting of a first safe area for the first image based on a first setting instruction from the application program and a second setting of a second safe area for the second image based on a second setting instruction from the application program, the second setting being different from the first setting, wherein the first safe area is offset with respect to a center of the display; acquiring, from the application program, an autoscaling setting for the first image that indicates whether or not an autoscaling process is to be applied to the first image; generating a display target image by superimposing the first image sized according to the first setting and the second image sized according to the second setting, wherein the first image having no autoscaling process is displayed in a placement region having a position and a size in the display target image and the first image having the autoscaling process and a non-content display region are displayed in the placement region having the position and the size in the display target image; and outputting the display target image to the display. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The display control method according to claim 11, further comprising: generating the display target image that is obtained by superimposing the first image and the second image, the first image being drawn in the first frame buffer by a first application program as the application program, the second image being drawn in the second frame buffer by a second application program different than the first application program, as the application program, and changing a region where pixels of the first image in the display target image are displayed with the placement region. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The display control method according to claim 11, wherein one of the first setting and second settings maintains a size of a corresponding image. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The display control method according to claim 11, further comprising generating a non-display region outside the first safe area and the second safe area to be output with the display target image. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The display control method according to claim 14, further comprising setting pixels in the non-display region to a predetermined value. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The display control method according to claim 14, wherein the non-display region surrounds the display target image on at least two sides. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The display control method according to claim 16, wherein the non-display region surrounds the display target image on all sides. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The display control method according to claim 11, wherein the second safe area includes a region outside the first safe area. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The display control method according to claim 18, wherein the second image is positioned at a predetermined location in the region outside the first safe area relative to the first safe area. ### Claim 20 A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a program executable by a computer, when executed by the computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising: acquiring a first image that is in a first frame buffer drawn by an application program and a second image in a second frame buffer drawn by the application program; acquiring, from the application program, an autoscaling setting for the first image that indicates whether or not an autoscaling process is to be applied to the first image; specifying, for a display, a first setting of a first safe area for the first image based on a first setting instruction from the application program and a second setting of a second safe area for the second image based on a second setting instruction from the application program, the second setting being different from the first setting, wherein the first safe area and the second safe area are spaced apart on the display; generating a display target image by superimposing the first image sized based on the first setting and the second image sized based on the second setting, wherein the first image having no autoscaling process is displayed in a placement region having a position and a size in the display target image and the first image having the autoscaling process and a non-content display region are displayed in the placement region having the position and the size in the display target image; and outputting the display target image to the display.