Patent ID: 6873335

Claim:
A graphics memory system for a volumetric display that displays volumetric images, said system comprising: a first buffer memory for holding data for a three-dimensional image; a second buffer memory for holding data for a three-dimensional image; a voxel router in communication with both the first and second buffer memories, said voxel router being configured to use a selectable one of said first and second buffer memories as an active memory out of which stored image data is to be read for display on the volumetric display and to use the other of said first and second buffer memories as an inactive memory into which image data is to be written; and an address generator in communication with the voxel router and the first and second buffer memories, said address generator during operation generating addresses identifying locations within the predefined address spaces of the first and second buffer memories and being configured to respond to receiving a write block command by causing the voxel router to write new data to a 32-bit block within the inactive memory at a location that is identified by an address supplied by the address generator; wherein the address generator is further configured to respond to receiving said write block command by causing the voxel router to retrieve data that is stored in the identified block of inactive memory, to modify the retrieved data, and to write the modified data back to said inactive memory as said new data.