Patent ID: 7362339

Claim:
An image processing method comprising the steps of: storing a layer that describes plural sets of attribute data for defining a plurality of images to be displayed on a screen of a display device and alpha data indicative of one blending value; generating a plurality of display data in accordance with the layer describing the plural sets of attribute data in a predetermined order; receiving each of the plurality of display data generated by the generating step; if the receiving step receives display data that has been generated in accordance with a first order of a set of attribute data from among the plural sets of attribute data described in the layer, performing alpha-blending on the received display data and color data, corresponding to regions of the received display data and stored in a buffer memory, on the basis of the alpha data, so as to generate blended color data, and writing the blended color data into the buffer memory; if the receiving step receives display data that has been generated in accordance with a second or greater order of a set of attribute data from among the plural sets of attribute data described in the layer, performing alpha-blending on the received display data and color data, corresponding to non-overlapping regions that have not been written yet by any of the plurality of display data generated in accordance with the layer from among regions of the received display data and stored in the buffer memory, on the basis of the alpha data, so as to generate blended color data while inhibiting the performing of alpha-blending on the received display data and color data, corresponding to overlapping regions that have been written by any of the plurality of display data generated in accordance with the layer from among regions of the received display data and stored in the buffer memory, and writing the blended color data into the buffer memory; reading out the blended color data from the buffer memory; and outputting the read-out blended color data to the display device for displaying images in accordance with the read-out blended color data on the screen of the display device.