Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Acer Cloud Technology, Inc.

Broadon Communications Corp.

Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.

Silicon Graphics, Incorporated

Igware, Inc.

David R Blythe

Wei Yen

John Princen

Pramila Srinivasan

Charles Neil Boyd

Michael A Toelle

Amar Dinesh Patel

Stephen Harry Wright

Jeff M J Noyle

Paul Jeffrey Ungar

Marc Schafer

David Yu

Kirt A Debique

Kenneth S Reneris

Steven J White

William Alan Saperstein

David J Marsh

Frank Berndt

Michael Dean Stokes

Glenn Frederick Evans

Denis Demandolx

Stephen Estrop

Steve Pronovost

Mark S Peercy

Anuj Bharat Gosalia

Gregory David Swedberg

Tomasz S M Kasperkiewicz

Joseph Cox Ballantyne

Mahmood Gulam Qadir

Anantha Rao Kancherla

Bradley Phillip Gibson

Jay Senior

Donald M Marsh

Kan Qiu

Sharon Rose Clay

Donald Scott MacDonald

Benjamin Ellett

John (Mingtzong) Lee

Bradley A Grantham

P Jeffrey Ungar

William Saperstein

A technique for maintaining encrypted content received over a network in a secure processor without exposing a key used to decrypt the content in the clear is disclosed.

Ensuring authenticity in a closed content distribution system

An enhanced graphics pipeline is provided that enables common core hardware to perform as different components of the graphics pipeline, programmability of primitives including lines and triangles by a component in the pipeline, and a stream output before or simultaneously with the rendering a graphical display with the data in the pipeline. The programmer does not have to optimize the code, as the common core will balance the load of functions necessary and dynamically allocate those instructions on the common core hardware. The programmer may program primitives using algorithms to simplify all vertex calculations by substituting with topology made with lines and triangles. The programmer takes the calculated output data and can read it before or while it is being rendered. Thus, a programmer has greater flexibility in programming. By using the enhanced graphics pipeline, the programmer can optimize the usage of the hardware in the pipeline, program vertex, line or triangle topologies altogether rather than each vertex alone, and read any calculated data from memory where the pipeline can output the calculated information.

Systems and methods for providing an enhanced graphics pipeline

Methods for mapping color data having at least one color associated therewith to an output device based on an input-device profile and an output-device profile, each profile having a tone curve and a color matrix, are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving color data from an input device and determining whether the color data is in a linear space. If it is determined that the color data is not in a linear space, the method further includes applying the tone curve of the input device profile to the color data to convert it into a linear space. The method further includes converting the color(s) associated with the color data from the input linear space to an output linear space by applying the color matrix of the input device profile and the inverse color matrix of the output device profile to create color-converted image data.

Hardware-accelerated color data processing

Systems and methods for applying virtual machines to graphics hardware are provided. In various embodiments of the invention, while supervisory code runs on the CPU, the actual graphics work items are run directly on the graphics hardware and the supervisory code is structured as a graphics virtual machine monitor. Application compatibility is retained using virtual machine monitor (VMM) technology to run a first operating system (OS), such as an original OS version, simultaneously with a second OS, such as a new version OS, in separate virtual machines (VMs). VMM technology applied to host processors is extended to graphics processing units (GPUs) to allow hardware access to graphics accelerators, ensuring that legacy applications operate at full performance. The invention also provides methods to make the user experience cosmetically seamless while running multiple applications in different VMs. In other aspects of the invention, by employing VMM technology, the virtualized graphics architecture of the invention is extended to provide trusted services and content protection.

Systems and methods for virtualizing graphics subsystems

A method and system for minimizing an amount of data needed to test data against subarea boundaries in spatially composited digital video is provided. Graphics data for a frame is composed of geometry chunks. Each geometry chunk is defined by its own bounding region, where the bounding region defines the space the geometry chunk occupies on the compositing window. Only the parameters that define the bounding region are communicated to each graphics unit in conjunction with the determination of which graphics unit will render the geometry chunk defined by the bounding region. The actual graphics data that comprises the geometry chunk is communicated only to those geometry units that will actually render the geometry chunk. This reduces the amount of data needed to communicate graphics data information in spatially composited digital video.

Method and system for minimizing an amount of data needed to test data against subarea boundaries in spatially composited digital video

Computer-readable media, computerized methods, and computer systems for protecting secure data by writing content of the secure data to a protected memory segment are provided. Initially, streaming media is received from a media-reading device and portions of the streaming media are identified as secure data. A data-management process to protect content within the secure data is executed. During execution, the protected memory segment is instantiated, a region of memory is dynamically allocated to hold the protected memory segment, and content of the secure data is written thereto. The protected memory segment is generally a data store that conditionally limits access thereto utilizing hardware-based rules, thereby guarding the content against exposure to unauthorized systems and to attackers. The region of memory may be allocated on CPU hardware, GPU hardware, or a combination thereof. The content may then be encrypted and released for conveyance to one or more presentation devices.

Hardware-based protection of secure data

Dynamic assignment of rights to content, such as in a closed distribution system. Noting state information generated by an item of current content, and modifying state or rights of new content in response. Pre-loading or dynamically sending new content to the owner of the current content, with rights being enabled only at a later time, in the playback device, with predetermined conditions. In response to current state information, dynamically sending a license for new content from a server. Conditional or dynamic licenses to new content, including a set of rights associated with a class of possible sets of state information. Assignment of limited rights to a content, with support in a secure player to enforce them; for purposes of rental, bonus content, trials and other business models.

Static-or-dynamic and limited-or-unlimited content rights

A method of chip authentication is presented. The method includes verifying a driver identity. The method also includes establishing a Diffie Hellman key. Further, the method includes hashing the Diffie Hellman key. The method also includes picking a seed. Further, the method includes performing a hardware functional scan with the seed.

Linking Diffie Hellman with HFS authentication by using a seed

A method and system for minimizing an amount of data needed to test data against subarea boundaries in spatially composited digital video. Spatial compositing uses a graphics unit or pipeline to render a portion (subarea) of each overall frame of digital video images. This reduces the amount of data that each processor must act on and increases the rate at which an overall frame is rendered. Optimization of spatial compositing depends on balancing the processing load among the different pipelines. The processing load typically is a direct function of the size of a given subarea and a function of the rendering complexity for objects within this subarea. Load balancing strives to measure these variables and adjust, from frame to frame, the number, sizes, and positions of the subareas. The cost of this approach is the necessity to communicate, in conjunction with each frame, the graphics data that will be rendered. Graphics data for a frame is composed of geometry chunks. Each geometry chunk is defined by its own bounding region, where the bounding region defines the space the geometry chunk occupies on the compositing window. Only the parameters that define the bounding region are communicated to each graphics unit in conjunction with the determination of which graphics unit will render the geometry chunk defined by the bounding region. The actual graphics data that comprises the geometry chunk is communicated only to those geometry units that will actually render the geometry chunk. This reduces the amount of data needed to communicate graphics data information in spatially composited digital video.

Video frame buffers are controlled using a sequence of new-frame-indicators (e.g., FLIP) and no-new-frame-indicators (e.g., NOFLIP) in a frame indicator queue that is accessed with each display refresh. Video samples are loaded into a chain of video frame buffers that is 'rotated' during the vertical blanking signal of the display to swap an old frame buffer out for a new frame buffer. The rotations of the frame buffer chain are controlled based on the frame indicators in the frame indicator queue to present new video samples to the display in a regular pattern, thereby providing smooth video playback.

Frame buffer control for smooth video display

Systems and methods for verifying the authenticity of a graphics chip or other hardware chips or hardware devices by performing a hardware functionality scan.

Hardware functionality scan for device authentication

Growing community of inventors

San Carlos, CA, United States of America

David R Blythe