Importance

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for rapidly locating a desired object in a bit-mapped or vector display listed object space, wherein additional information is appended to or stored with the object information. This additional information relates to the relative coordinate position of that object or object element within a larger, more coarsely defined object space grid, such as an 8.times.8 grid. The apparatus and method of the present invention reduces the processing time necessary to locate the desired object within the object space by comparing the object and display area information relative to the grid for rapid preliminary acceptance or rejection prior to further detail search for the object or object elements. Thus, if no coincidence is found between the elements of the grid having at least a portion of the desired object and a second set of a grid elements corresponding to the desired display area, then the object is not located in the display area and further search in the corresponding grid portion of the object area is avoided. Similarly, signals relating cumulative object grid information are stored in linked memory lists, wherein comparisons between the display area grid information and the cumulative grid information contained in the linked display lists memory will eliminate the need to search that portion of memory should there be no coincidence, thereby enhancing the speed of object search.

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First Claim