Color conversion apparatus and method
AssigneeHercules Computer Technology
InventorSakarin Suwannukul
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method in which a color graphics display system can run software written for either a color graphics system or a monochrome system, and in which a monochrome graphics system can run software written for either a monochrome system or a color graphics system, in which color image data is separated into monochrome image data and color control information so that a central processing unit can operate upon the image data as if running a monochrome program, yet continue to provide a color visual display by use of color control information which designates the colors to be displayed as part of a control operation.
Claims7
An apparatus for converting monochrome data from a CPU into color data for display on a color monitor as a function of color control information which is specified by a user and supplied through the CPU comprising
- memory means addressed by the CPU for storing the color data, wherein the memory means includes N planes of memory each of which is addressed by the CPU;
- and
- means, responsive to the color control information and the monochrome data, and coupled to the CPU;
- and to the memory means, for converting the monochrome data into the color data as a function of the color control information and for converting the color data from the memory means into monochrome data for supply to the CPU, so that the CPU can perform logical operations upon monochrome data, independently of the color by which the data is to be displayed on the color monitor and further wherein the converting means include
- register means for storing the color control information;
- N coloring means each of which is associated with one of the N planes of memory and each of which is responsive to the monochrome data and to the color control information for providing color data corresponding to the monochrome data to each of the associated planes of memory;
- and
- N-decoloring means responsive to the color information and to color data from memory means each of which is associated with one of the N planes of memory for collectively determining a corresponding monochrome value for the color data received from the memory means, and for providing the monochrome values to the CPU.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.