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. 24, 2003
Filed:
Jun. 06, 2000
Gunawan Ali-Santosa, Milpitas, CA (US);
Sun Microsystems, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
A method for rendering a line segment extending in the positive-x direction and positive-y direction on a computer display given a starting point and an ending point, the starting point having the form (x , y ) and the ending point having the form (x , y ). In this method, &Dgr;x and &Dgr;y are computed using the formula &Dgr;x=|x −x | and &Dgr;y=|y −y |, respectively. Then dt(0)=(y *&Dgr;x)−(x *&Dgr;y) is computed, where x is the fractional portion of x and y is the fractional portion of y , which allows for more precision. If the line segment extends in the postive-x and positive-y directions, then for each column n containing a portion of said line segment the process: plots said current pixel if dt(n)<=0.5*&Dgr;x and plotting the pixel above said current pixel if dt(n)>0.5*&Dgr;x; moves said current pixel to the right one pixel if dt(n)<=0.5*&Dgr;x and moves said pixel to the right and up one pixel if dt(n)>0.5*&Dgr;x; and corrects dt(n) by computing dt(n)=dt(n)−&Dgr;x if dt(n)>0.5*&Dgr;x. After all of these computations have been performed, the process may iterate to the next column by computing dt(n+1)=dt(n)+&Dgr;y. This method greatly reduces the number of calculations required by the prior art methods, thus producing a faster and more efficient process by which to draw line segments on a computer display.