Method and system for providing three-dimensional graphics over computer networks
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorBENGT-OLAF SCHNEIDER
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Client-server graphics transmission system wherein component capabilities are provided at the server and client locations for the following: to gather three dimensional graphics transmission performance parameters, including client rendering capabilities, server load, network bandwidth and optionally-provided user preferences; to evaluate the potential performance of different transmission methods which could be used to communicate a graphics data set from the server to the client; to choose and request a transmission method based upon the evaluating; to format the requested data set for transmission; and to provide the formatted data set for rendering at the display hardware associated with the client.
Claims26
A method for evaluating the performance of at least one of a plurality of methods for transmitting three dimensional graphics comprises estimating the elapsed time for each transmission method from said request to rendering of said graphics at the client.
A method for providing for transmission of a representation of three dimensional computer graphics information from a server location along a network to a client location in response to a client request comprising the steps of:
- evaluating the performance of a plurality of transmission methods;
- choosing one of said plurality of transmission methods based upon said evaluating;
- and
- transmitting said graphics information by the chosen one of said plurality of transmission methods.
A system for providing three dimensional computer graphics from a server computer location for display at a client computer location comprising:
- a performance evaluator for assigning a plurality of performance values to each of a plurality of transmission methods;
- a selector for choosing one of said plurality of transmission methods based upon said performance values;
- and
- transmitter means for transmitting said graphics information by the chosen one of said plurality of transmission methods.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.