Discarding idle graphical display components from memory and processing

A computer-implemented method of conserving computer processing resources associated with displayed content, comprising:

• generating and rendering a display component to a computer-generated display frame in association with a first software application;
• tracking activity associated with the display component rendered to the display frame by tracking activity directed to the display frame containing the display component;
• and
• if the display frame is idle for a prescribed duration, maintaining a display of the display component on the display frame, terminating any additional rendering processing of the display frame, and discarding from a memory space data representing the display component,
• wherein the display component maintains a reference count for a number of layer hosts associated with the display component such that when a given layer host associated with the display component is active, incrementing the reference count for the display component, and wherein when the given layer host associated with the display component is idle for the prescribed duration, decrementing the reference count for the display component.

A system for conserving computer processing resources associated with displayed content, comprising:

• a processing unit;
• and
• a memory including executable instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, provides a display compositor application operative
• to generate and render a display component to a computer-generated display frame in association with a first software application;
• a layer host operative
• to manage a display frame provided by the first software application wherein the display component is displayed in the display frame and wherein the layer host is operative to track user or system activity associated with the display frame;
• to map the display component to a display component atlas for storing the display component at the display component atlas along with one or more other display components utilized by one or more software applications;
• the display component atlas being operative
• to discard data representing any display component contained in the display component atlas having a reference count of zero;
• and
• to move any remaining display components contained in the display component atlas to another display component atlas so that the display component atlas from which the any remaining display components are moved may be discarded.