Patent ID: 7038690

Claim:
A system for displaying information from a first display source and from a second display source on a display device, the system comprising: a presentation surface set associated with the display device, wherein the presentation surface set comprises a presentation flipping chain, the presentation flipping chain comprising a primary presentation surface and a presentation back buffer; a first display memory surface set associated with the first display source; a second display memory surface set associated with the second display source; a graphics arbiter, distinct from the first display source and from the second display source, for transferring display information from the first display memory surface set and from the second display memory surface set to the presentation surface set, wherein the graphics arbiter transfers display information to the presentation back buffer; and a comparator for comparing contents of the presentation back buffer with contents of a buffer immediately preceding the presentation back buffer in the presentation flipping chain and, if the contents match, for inhibiting a flip in the presentation flipping chain.