Method and system for providing three-dimensional graphics over computer networks
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorBengt-Olaf Schneider
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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 different methods for transmitting graphics information for supplying three dimensional graphics, comprising time variant and spatially variant data streams in at least one of a plurality of modalities, from a server to a client comprising the steps of:
- estimating the elapsed time for each of a plurality of different transmission methods for each of said modalities from said request to rendering of said graphics at the client based on a performance function utilizing a set of performance parameters for characterizing the performance comprising transmitting and receiving the graphics information in time variant and spatially variant data streams and rendering of the graphics at the client;
- and
- selecting one of said different transmission methods for one of said modalities based on said estimating.
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 at least one of a plurality of different transmission methods for transmitting graphics information to supply three dimensional graphics, comprising time variant and spatially variant data streams in at least one of a plurality of modalities, from a server to a client from said request to rendering of said graphics at the client based on a performance function utilizing a set of performance parameters for characterizing the performance comprising transmitting and receiving the graphics information in time variant and spatially variant data streams and rendering of the graphics at the client;
- and
- choosing one of said plurality of different transmission methods for one of said modalities based upon said evaluating;
- and
- transmitting said graphics information by the chosen one of said plurality of transmission methods.
A system for providing graphics information for supplying three dimensional computer graphics, comprising time variant and spatially variant data streams in at least one of a plurality of modalities, 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 different transmission methods for each of said modalities based on a performance function for performance comprising transmitting and receiving said graphics information in time variant and spatially variant data streams in at least one of said plurality of modalities and rendering of the graphics at the client;
- a selector for choosing one of said plurality of transmission methods and modalities based upon said performance values;
- and
- transmitter means for transmitting said graphics information in time variant and spatially variant data streams by the chosen one of said plurality of transmission methods and modalities.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.