Atari Corporation

Steven T Mayer

Joseph C Decuir

Douglas G Neubauer

Jay G Miner

Ronald E Milner

Lawrence D Emmons

Stephen D Bristow

A microprocessor based data processing system including a microprocessor, a memory unit, and a display unit is provided with a programmable graphics generator that transfers graphics information from the memory unit to the display unit in response to and control of a set of display instructions also stored in the memory unit. The graphics generator includes a first addressing unit for sequentially accessing the display instructions from the memory unit; a control unit for receiving, storing and decoding such instruction and for issuing supervisory and control signals in response to the binary state of each instruction; a second addressing unit for accessing graphics information from the memory unit in response to the supervisory signals from the control unit; and a third addressing unit for accessing movable object graphics stored in the memory unit.

Data processing system with programmable graphics generator

Video display system with multicolor graphics selection

In a word processing system that includes a printer for printing text material and a display screen for viewing portions of the display material, a graphical representation of a page of text is displayed for editing purposes, the graphical representation including a plurality of identically formed display elements each corresponding to one of the characters of the text.

Method and apparatus for text editing display

Apparatus for producing a plurality of audio sound effects such as shots, explosions, and airplane and car sounds, used in electronic games utilizes a variable clock driving a variable digital noise generator whose audio output amplitude is shaped by either of two types of control units. In one type the density or duty cycle is varied by selectively ANDing together outputs from a polynomial counter. In a second embodiment a digital to analog converter utilizing gated resistive summing provides the amplitude control the gates being driven by a four bit data register which in turn is driven by the game control means.

Apparatus for producing a plurality of audio sound effects

A microprocessor based data processing system including a microprocessor, a memory unit, and display unit is provided with a programmable graphics generator that transfers graphics information from the memory unit to the display unit in response to and control of a set of display instructions also stored in the memory unit. The graphics generator includes a first addressing unit for sequentially accessing the display instructions from the memory unit; a control unit for receiving, storing and decoding such instruction and for issuing supervisory and control signals in response to the binary state of each instruction; a second addressing unit for accessing graphics information from the memory unit in response to the supervisory signals from the control unit; and a third addressing unit for accessing movable object graphics stored in the memory unit.

A method for generating a plurality of moving objects on a video display screen in, for example, a video amusement game which utilizes a system of time shared hardware to provide for a change in position of the moving objects on the video screen. The method includes an object storage memory which may be updated during each vertical retrace interval and is scanned during each horizontal retrace interval to provide information for a horizontal memory which generates the next horizontal video display line. The horizontal memory contains an object identification code in the proper horizontal location and the actual video image is generated by an associated graphics generator and picture memory which respond to the object code.

Method for generating a plurality of moving objects on a video display

A method and apparatus for generating moving objects for a video game display. Common apparatus including a microprocessor with RAM provides vertical motion for all objects and separate horizontal position counting hardware horizontal motion for each object. The microprocessor operating on a horizontal line pair basis drives a parallel to serial converter which stores one eight bit line portion of the object to be displayed which in turn is connected to a shift register. When the converted data is read out to the video display by action of the appropriate horizontal position hardware, it is recirculated to provide a repeat on the next horizontal line of the identical data. An effective one line moving resolution is obtained by utilizing another shift register for a one line delay by means of a switch which is set by a latch driven by the microprocessor.

Method and apparatus for generating moving objects on a video display

Apparatus for continuous variation of object size on a raster type video screen in a television game. The input of a voltage controlled oscillator is varied by a game controller. The output of the oscillator drives horizontal and vertical counters at rates corresponding to the object size. These counters provide respectively horizontal and vertical addresses to a picture generator read only memory. The faster the counters are incremented the smaller the object; and with regard to the vertical address, horizontal lines of the picture are actually skipped in order to reduce the size of the object.

Apparatus for continuous variation of object size on a raster type video

A system and method utilizing a single motion control circuit or comparator for controlling the display of a plurality of moving images on a video screen. At the outset of each frame, position data for the images is arranged according to the order at which the images are to appear in that frame. In one embodiment, numbers corresponding to the distance between successive images along the path of the beam are stored, and pulses corresponding to the position of the beam are counted to determine when the position of the beam corresponds to the locations at which the images are to be displayed. In a second embodiment, the image location data is compared with signals corresponding to the position of the beam to determine when it reaches the locations at which the images are to be displayed.

Growing community of inventors

Auburn, CA, United States of America

Steven T Mayer