Pipeline structures for full-color computer graphics
AssigneesCanon Kabushiki Kaisha, Canon Information Systems Research Australia Pty. Ltd.
InventorKia Silverbrook
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A full-color desk top publishinbg (DTP) system is disclosed that includes a general purpose computer system, a full-color high resolution graphics system and peripheral devices such as a color laser copier including a scanner and a printer, a workscreen display and user inputs such as a digitizer and a keyboard. The DTP system can generate graphics images in bands across a page image with the images being stored in DRAM as compressed images using ADCT compession and the JPEG standard. The DTP system includes various pipeline structures which are used in image creation and realization.
Claims62
A pipeline processing system for computer graphics to manipulate compressed image data, relating to a displayable image, received from a source or sent to a destination, said system comprising:
- a data source;
- a data destination;
- a data compressor/expander to convert image pixel data into compressed image data, and to convert compressed image data into image pixel data, said data compressor/expander being located between said data source and said data destination to modify the form of data passed from said data source to said data destination;
- and
- a pixel data manipulator to manipulate the image pixel data,
- said manipulator being connected to said compressor/expander to receive therefrom and send thereto, image pixel data, and said manipulator being sized to retain a band of all the image pixel data from which the displayable image is formed, the image pixel data including bitmap data and rendered graphics data, and to permit manipulation of individual ones of the image pixel data, at least one of the bands of the image pixel data being manipulated in turn by said manipulator and then forwarded to said data destination.
A pipeline processing system for computer graphics for creating color page images, said system comprising:
- means for creating bands of pixel image data of an image, the pixel image data including bitmap data and rendered graphics data;
- means for compressing the bands and storing compressed image information;
- means for expanding the compressed information into bands of pixel information;
- and
- means for compositing the bands of pixel information with further bands of created pixel image data to vary the image, at least one of the bands of the pixel information being composited by said means for compositing.
An image system for creating color page images from a page description language, said system comprising:
- computing means for compiling from the page description language a display list of objects of an image to be created;
- creating means for creating bands of pixel image data of the image from the display list, the pixel image data including bitmap data and rendered graphics data;
- compression means for compressing the bands of the image;
- storage means for storing compressed bands of the image as compressed band data;
- expansion means for expanding the compressed band data into bands of pixel image data;
- and
- compositing means for compositing additional created bands of pixel image data with existing bands of pixel image data to create edited pixel image data, at least one of the bands of the pixel image data being composited by said compositing means.
A processing system for computer graphics to manipulate compressed image data, relating to a displayable image, received from a source or sent to a destination, said system comprising:
- a data source;
- a data destination;
- a data expander to convert compressed image data into image pixel data, said data expander being located between said data source and said data destination to modify the form of data passed from said data source to said data destination;
- and
- a pixel data manipulator to manipulate the image pixel data relating to a predetermined portion of the displayable image,
- said manipulator being connected to said data expander to receive therefrom and send thereto image pixel data, and said manipulator is sized to retain a band of the image pixel data from which the displayable image is formed, the image pixel data including bitmap data and rendered graphics data, and to permit manipulation of individual ones of the image pixel data, at least one of the bands of the image pixel data being manipulated in turn by said manipulator and then forwarded to said data destination.
A processing system for computer graphics for creating color page images, said system comprising:
- means for creating bands of pixel image data of an image, the image pixel data including bitmap data and rendered graphics data;
- means for compressing the bands and storing compressed image information;
- means for expanding the compressed information into bands of pixel information;
- and
- means for compositing the bands of pixel information with further bands of created pixel image data to vary the image, at least one of the bands of the pixel information being composited by said means for compositing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.