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Donham

Christopher Donham, San Mateo, CA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20080246764Early Z scoreboard tracking system and method - Early Z scoreboard tracking systems and methods in accordance with the present invention are described. Multiple pixels are received and a pixel depth raster operation is performed on the pixels. The pixel depth raster operation comprises discarding a pixel that is occluded. In one exemplary implementation, the depth raster operation is done at a faster rate than a color raster operation. Pixels that pass the depth raster operation are checked for screen coincidence. Pixels with screen coincidence are stalled and pixels without screen coincidence are forwarded to lower stages of the pipeline. The lower stages of the pipeline are programmable and pixel flight time can vary (e.g., can include multiple passes through the lower stages). Execution through the lower stages is directed by a program sequencer which also directs notification to the pixel flight tracking when a pixel is done processing.10-09-2008

Christopher D.s. Donham, San Mateo, CA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20080211827FILTERING UNIT FOR FLOATING-POINT TEXTURE DATA - Floating-point texture filtering units leverage existing fixed-point filter circuits. Groups of floating-point texture values are converted to products of a fixed-point mantissa and a scaling factor that is the same for each texture value in the group. The fixed-point mantissas are filtered using a fixed-point filter circuit, and the filtered mantissa is combined with the scaling factor to determine a floating-point filtered value. Multiple floating-point filter results may be combined in a floating-point accumulator circuit. The same fixed-point filter circuit may also be used to filter fixed-point texture data by providing fixed-point input path that bypasses the format conversion and a fixed-point accumulator.09-04-2008
20090147012Parallelogram unified primitive description for rasterization - In a graphics pipeline of a graphics processor, a method for a unified primitive description for rasterization. The method includes receiving a group of primitives from a graphics application, wherein the group includes different types of primitives and the types of primitives include line primitives, point primitives and triangle primitives. For each of the types of primitives, the method includes generating a corresponding parallelogram, wherein the parallelogram has four sides disposed along an x-axis and a y-axis, and computing an inside y-axis mid point and an outside y-axis mid point based on the four sides. The parallelogram is controlled to represent to each of the primitive types respectively by adjusting a location of the inside y-axis mid point or the outside y-axis mid point.06-11-2009

Patent applications by Christopher D.s. Donham, San Mateo, CA US

John Donham, San Diego, CA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20090077158System and method for embedding a view of a virtual space in a banner ad and enabling user interaction with the virtual space within the banner ad - A system and method for providing a view of a virtual space to a user in a banner ad of a webpage. This enables an advertiser to provide content that is not merely static or scripted, but instead enabled provision of content through a web ad that represents activity within a virtual space (e.g., interactions of other users with the virtual space, content that changes based on current or recent events, etc.) in real time (or near real time). The provision of a virtual space in a web ad may be more effective than conventional web ad content.03-19-2009
20090307226SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENABLING CHARACTERS TO BE MANIFESTED WITHIN A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT VIRTUAL SPACES - A system and method for providing virtual spaces, where a character associated with a user can be manifested within instances of a plurality of the different virtual spaces. Since a single character can be manifested within instances of different virtual spaces, the character can be transferred by the corresponding user between instances of different virtual spaces and controlled by the user to interact with the different virtual spaces. When the user transfers the character between instances of different virtual spaces (and/or different types of virtual spaces), various aspects of the character may persist between the different virtual spaces (and/or the different types of virtual spaces). This may provide an enhanced continuity to the character between the different virtual spaces.12-10-2009
20100095213SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING VIRTUAL SPACES FOR ACCESS BY USERS VIA THE WEB - A system configured to provide one or more virtual spaces that are accessible to users. The virtual spaces may be provided such that an enhanced level of interactivity between the virtual spaces and the Web, including resources that communicate with the system via the Internet (e.g., via users, websites, webpages, other web resources, etc.) and/or other networks. To provide this enhanced level of interactivity, the system may enable interactions between an instance of a virtual space and the Web (e.g., queries, commands, communication, administrative controls, etc.) via a standard web protocol, such as a HyperText Transfer Protocol (e.g., http, https, etc.) and/or other standard web protocols. Since interactions take place between the instance of the virtual space and the Web via a standard web protocol, the instance of the virtual space may interact directly with Web resources such as web servers, web browsers, websites, webpages, and/or other Web resources.04-15-2010

Matthew Edward Donham, Colorado Springs, CO US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20110107664Nutrient System and Methods - A nutrient system for automatically supplying growth medium to an algae growth system comprises a tank for mixing nutrients, together with a plurality of computer-controlled pumps for supplying metered amounts of selected constituents to the tank. The nutrient mix is heated to a preselected temperature under computer control, and recirculated until the desired uniformity is achieved. The nutrient mix is then supplied to the algae growth system.05-12-2011
20110113682BUBBLER - A bubble column for facilitating algae growth comprised a tank adapted to contain a volume of growth medium with algae growing therein, with a light pipe disposed centrally therein and extending from near the top surface of the growth medium in the tank to near the bottom of the tank. The light pipe illuminates substantially the entire volume of the growth medium. A diffuser is positioned at or near the bottom of the tank and receives a gas stream, and converts the gas stream to a stream of bubbles that agitate the algae without creating a fluid flow within the tank.05-19-2011
20110114556Soft Fail Algae Growth System and Method - Methods and systems for preventing or minimizing the death of algae in algae growth systems in the event of a loss of power comprise automated selective alteration of operating parameters of the growth system to minimize the impact of the loss of power.05-19-2011
20110117638PHOTOBIOREACTOR - A photobioreactor for growing algae comprises a tank for holding a volume of growth medium. A plurality of light sources are disposed either within the tank or externally to it in a manner to illuminate substantially uniformly the entire volume of growth medium when the tank is in operation. At least one draft tube is disposed within the tank, above the floor or bottom of the tank, and a diffuser for diffusing a gas stream is disposed near the bottom of the tank so that gas bubbles released from the diffuser rise to the surface of the liquid within the draft tube, thus causing fluid flow upward within the draft tube and downward outside of it, imparting a mixing or agitating motion to algae strains growing within the tank.05-19-2011
20110120944Bioremediation System and Methods - Algae-based bioremediation systems and methods in which algae is grown in a photobioreactor with nutrients supplied from a nutrient system. An effluent stream in need of remediation is ported to a pond or lagoon and the lagoon is inoculated repetitively with algae grown in the photobioreactor. In an embodiment, a first stage comprises an anaerobic digester which generates combustible gas that can be burned to generate at least a portion of the gas and electricity needed to operate some or all of the nutrient system, the photobioreactor and the lagoon or pond. In some embodiments, the pond or lagoon is multiphasic, and comprises anaerobic and aerobic remediation zones.05-26-2011
20110122645Light Rod for Accelerating Algae Growth - A light pipe for use in aqueous environments comprising an optical rod capable of total internal reflection, and disposed in the optical path of a light source such as a light emitting diode or other source. The optical rod has frosted and unfrosted portions, such that the light is propagated distally along the rod at the unfrosted portions, but a portion of the light is coupled out of the rod into the aqueous environment at each of the frosted portions. The relative sizes of the frosted portions are arranged so that substantially the same light power is coupled out of the rod at each frosted section, thus facilitating rapid and uniform growth of algae in the aqueous environment.05-26-2011

Patricia Ann Donham, Santa Paula, CA US