Method and apparatus for constructing a frame buffer with a fast copy means
US5959638A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 22, 1996 |
| Grant date | Sep 28, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 22, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG09G5/393
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for quickly copying a first frame region into a second frame region. A video memory array comprising a plurality of video random access memory devices is divided into at least two frame regions. A background image is rendered by a central processing unit into a background frame region within the video memory array. The central processing unit then requests the background image in the background frame region to be copied into a new frame region in the video memory array. A dedicated circuit copies the entire background image in the background frame region into the new frame region. The dedicated circuit operates by using a serial data register within each video random access memory device during the vertical retrace period of a video timing signal. The dedicated circuit performs the background frame copy without requiring any processing resources from the central processing unit.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.