Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing
Reexamination Certificate
2007-05-15
2007-05-15
Shalwala, Bipin (Department: 2629)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
C345S421000, C345S422000, C345S501000, C345S619000, C381S324000
Reexamination Certificate
active
10648496
ABSTRACT:
Z buffer traffic experienced during graphics processing is reduced by using a compression mechanism to reduce the amount of information stored in the z buffer. The compression mechanism may be a delta-based z compression mechanism, which stores deltas in the z buffer rather than actual z values. These deltas may be used at a later time to compute the z values. By storing deltas instead of actual z values, the compression mechanism makes it possible to store significantly less information in the z buffer. By reducing the amount of information stored in the z buffer, less information will be read from and written to the z buffer, which in turn, reduces z buffer traffic. To further reduce z buffer traffic, selected deltas may be stored not in the z buffer but rather in a storage local to a graphics processing mechanism (GPM). Storing selected deltas in local storage obviates the need to read from or write to the z buffer for those deltas. As a result, z buffer traffic is even further reduced.
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Hong Michael
Liao Fred
Hickman Palermo & Truong & Becker LLP
Kovalck Vincent E.
Shalwala Bipin
Truong Bobby K.
Via Technologies Inc.
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