The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 10, 2003
Filed:
Nov. 13, 1998
William Hill, Carnation, WA (US);
Michael Duggan, Kirkland, WA (US);
Leroy B. Keely, Jr., Portola Valley, CA (US);
Gregory C. Hitchcock, Woodinville, WA (US);
J. Turner Whitted, Pittsboro, NC (US);
Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA (US);
Abstract
Display apparatus, and methods for displaying images, e.g., text, on gray scale and color monitors are described. Gray scale displays implemented in accordance with the present invention include displays having a resolution in a first dimension, e.g., the horizontal dimension, which is several time the resolution in a second dimension, e.g., the vertical dimension. Various other displays of the present invention are capable of operating as both gray scale and color display devices. In one such display, the color filter used to implement a color portion of the display is omitted from another, e.g., gray scale portion of the same display. In such an embodiment, text, e.g., captions, are displayed using the gray scale portion of the display while color images, e.g., graphics, are displayed on the color portion of the display. In another display of the present invention, a color filter with filter cells that can be switched between a color and a clear mode of operation are employed. When images, e.g., text, are to be displayed as gray scale images, the filter cells, corresponding to the portion of the display to be used to display the gray scale images, are switched to the clear mode of operation. In such an embodiment, the remaining portion or portions of the display may be used to display color images. Methods and apparatus for reducing and/or eliminating color distortions in images resulting from treating pixel sub-components as independent luminous intensity sources are also described.