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A system and method of adding hyperlinked information to a television broadcast. The broadcast material is analyzed and one or more regions within a frame are identified. Additional information can be associated with a region, and can be transmitted in encoded form, using timing information to identify the frame with which the information is associated. The system comprising a video source and an encoder that produces a transport stream in communication with the video source, an annotation source, a data packet stream generator that produces encoded annotation data packets in communication with the annotation source and the encoder, and a multiplexer system in communication with the encoder and the data packet stream generator. The encoder provides timestamp information to the data packet stream generator and the data packet stream generator synchronizes annotation data from the annotation source with a video signal from the video source in response to the timestamp information. The multiplexer generates a digital broadcast signal that includes an augmented transport stream from the transport stream and the encoded data packets. A receiver displays the annotation information associated with the video signal in response to a viewer request on a frame by frame basis. A viewer can respond interactively to the material, including performing commercial transactions, by using a backchannel that is provided for interactive communication.
1. A method of encoding at least a portion of an image, comprising the steps of:
(a) defining a region of an image having pixels at locations identifiable by two non-collinear axes, each pixel having an appearance;
(b) analyzing axis-wise said pixels to determine sequences of pixels having substantially identical appearance;
(c) comparing a sequence of pixels occurring along a first axis-wise traverse with a sequence of pixels occurring along a successive axis-wise traverse;
(d) in the event that said comparison discloses two or more successive traverses having an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression, recording a number corresponding to the number of such successive traverses, recording for said first traverse a series of ordered pairs comprising a first value representing the appearance and a second value representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance, and recording for each successive traverse a series of values corresponding to said second value of each ordered pair;
(e) in the event that said comparison fails to disclose two or more successive traverses having an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression, recording the number one and recording for said traverse a series of ordered pairs comprising a first value representing the appearance and a second value representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance; and
(f) repeating steps (c), (d) and (e) until said pixels of said region are completely encoded,
wherein the recording of each successive traverse includes recording the series of values corresponding to said second value of each ordered pair without recording the first value representing the appearance.
2. The method of
3. The method of
4. A method of decoding an image encoded according to the method of
(a) reading from a memory a location of a region within an image, said region defined by one or more pixels at locations identifiable by two non-collinear axes, each pixel having an appearance;
(b) reading from said memory a number corresponding to the number of successive traverses along one of said two non-collinear axes, said traverses having an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression;
(c) reading a series of ordered pairs comprising a first value representing an appearance and a second value representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance
(d) rendering pixels along said traverse according to said series of ordered pairs;
(e) in the event that said number read in step (b) is greater than one, repeating a number of times equal to said number read in step (b) reduced by one the steps of:
(1) reading from memory a series of values corresponding to said second value of each ordered pair read in step (c); and
(2) for each such value read in step (e) (1), rendering a sequences of pixels corresponding to said second value, each pixel having an appearance corresponding to said first value of said ordered pair read in step (c); and
(f) repeating steps (b) through (e) until said pixels of said region are completely rendered.
5. The method of
6. The method of
7. The method of
8. A method of encoding at least a portion of an image, comprising the steps of:
(a) defining a region of an image having pixels at locations identifiable by two non-collinear axes, each pixel having an appearance;
(b) defining pixels in said image that represent a background, said background having a characteristic background appearance;
(d) comparing a sequence of pixels occurring along a first axis-wise traverse with a sequence of pixels occurring along a successive axis-wise traverse;
(e) in the event that said comparison discloses two or more successive traverses having an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression:
(i) recording a number N corresponding to the number of such successive traverses;
(ii) for the first of such successive traverses, recording for each sequence of pixels having a distinct appearance different from said characteristic background appearance an ordered triple comprising a first value representing said appearance, a second value representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance, and a third value representing an offset defining a starting position of said two or more successive pixels with respect to a pixel at a known position;
(iii) for the following of said N minus one traverses, recording for each sequence of pixels having a distinct appearance different from said characteristic background appearance an ordered double comprising a first quantity representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance indicated by the first value of the ordered triple recorded for the corresponding sequence of pixels in the first traverse, and a second quantity representing an offset defining a starting position of said two or more successive pixels with respect to a pixel at a known position;
(f) in the event that said comparison fails to discloses two or more successive traverses having an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression, recording the number one and recording for said traverse a series of ordered triples comprising a first value representing an appearance different from said characteristic background appearance, a second value representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance, and a third value representing an offset defining a starting position of said two or more successive pixels with respect to a pixel at a known position; and
(g) repeating steps (c), (d), (e) and (f) until said pixels of said region having an appearance different from said characteristic background appearance are completely encoded.
9. The method of
10. The method of
11. A method of decoding at least a portion of an image encoded according to the method of
(a) defining a region of an image having pixels at locations identifiable by two non-collinear axes, each pixel having an appearance;
(b) defining a characteristic background appearance;
(c) reading from a record a number N corresponding to a number of successive traverses having an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression;
(d) if the number N is one:
(1) reading for said traverse a series of ordered triples comprising a first value representing an appearance different from said characteristic background appearance, a second value representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance, and a third value representing an offset defining a starting position of said two or more successive pixels with respect to a pixel at a known position; and
(2) for each ordered triple, rendering with said appearance said number of successive pixels having said appearance beginning at said starting position with respect to a pixel at a known position;
(e) if the number N is greater than one, for the first traverse, performing steps (d)(1) and (d)(2), and for each traverse of the further N minus one traverses;
(1) reading for each traverse a series of ordered doubles comprising a first quantity representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance indicated by the first value of the ordered triple recorded for the corresponding sequence of pixels in the first traverse, and a second quantity representing an offset defining a starting position of said two or more successive pixels with respect to a pixel at a known position; and
(2) for each ordered double, rendering with said appearance said number of successive pixels having said appearance beginning at said starting position with respect to a pixel at a known position;
(f) repeating steps (c), (d) and (e) until said pixels of said region having an appearance different from said characteristic background appearance are completely encoded; and
(g) for any pixel in said region of said image that has not been rendered in steps (d), (e) and (f), rendering said pixel using a characteristic background appearance.
12. The method of
13. The method of
14. The method of
This application is a Continuation of a U.S. Ser No. 09/694,079, entitled "A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HYPERLINKING IN A TELEVISION BROADCAST," filed Oct. 20, 2000, which application is assignable to the same entity that holds assignment rights to this application.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent applications Ser. No. 60/185,668, filed Feb. 29, 2000, entitled "Interactive Hyperlinked Video System"; Ser. No. 60/229,241, filed Aug. 30, 2000, entitled "A Method and Apparatus for Hyperlinking in a Television Broadcast"; and Ser. No. 60/233,340, filed Sep. 18, 2000, entitled "A Method and Apparatus for Hyperlinking in a Television Broadcast." The entirety of each of said provisional patent applications is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to the field of broadcast television and more specifically to the field of hyperlinking in a television broadcast.
Broadcasts of information via television signals are well known in the prior art. Television broadcasts are unidirectional, and do not afford a viewer an opportunity to interact with the material that appears on a television display. Viewer response to material displayed using a remote control is known but is generally limited to selecting a program for viewing from a listing of available broadcasts. In particular, it has proven difficult to create hyperlinked television programs in which information is associated with one or more regions of a screen. The present invention addresses this need.
The invention provides methods and systems for augmenting television broadcast material with information that is presented to a viewer in an interactive manner.
In one aspect, the invention features a hyperlinked broadcast system. The hyperlinked broadcast system includes a video source and a data packet stream generator that produces a transport stream in communication with the video source. The system includes an annotation source, a data packet stream generator that produces encoded annotation data packets in communication with the annotation source and the generator, and a multiplexer system in communication with the encoder and a data packet stream generator. The multiplexer generates a digital broadcast signal that includes an augmented transport stream from the transport stream from the video source and the encoded data packets. The encoder provides timing information to the data packet stream generator and the data packet stream generator synchronizes annotation data from the annotation source with a video signal from the video source in response to the timing information.
In one embodiment, the annotation information includes mask data and at least one of textual data and graphics data. In one embodiment, the mask data includes location and shape information of an object in an annotated video frame.
In another aspect, the invention features a hyperlinked broadcast and reception system. The hyperlinked broadcast and reception system includes a video source, an encoder that produces a transport stream in communication with the video source, an annotation source, and a data packet stream generator that produces encoded annotation data packets in communication with the annotation source and the generator. The system also includes a multiplexer system in communication with the encoder and the data packet stream generator. The multiplexer generates a digital broadcast signal comprising an augmented transport stream from the transport stream and the encoded data packets. The system additionally includes a broadcast channel in communication with the multiplexer system, a receiver in communication with the broadcast channel, and a display device in communication with the receiver. The encoder provides timing information to the data packet stream generator and the data packet stream generator synchronizes annotation data from the annotation source with a video signal from the video source in response to the timing information. The receiver displays the annotation information associated with the video signal in response to a viewer request on a frame by frame basis.
In still another aspect, the invention features a hyperlinked reception system that includes a receiver in communication with a broadcast channel, and a display device in communication with the receiver, wherein said receiver displays said annotation information associated with a video signal, in response to a user request, on a frame by frame basis, said annotation information being associated with said video signal in response to timing information.
The foregoing and other objects, aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following description and from the claims.
In brief overview, the invention provides a way for annotation information to be associated with objects displayed in the frames of a broadcast video and displayed upon command of a viewer. For example, referring to
When the show is broadcast to a viewer by the transmission portion of the system, not only is the video broadcast, but also the mask which outlines the shirt 2 and the annotation data which accompanies the shirt 2. The receiver portion of the system at the viewer's location receives this data and displays the video frames along with masks that outline the objects which have associated annotation data. In this example the shirt 2 in the video frame is outlined. If the viewer of the broadcast video wishes to see the annotation data, he or she simply uses the control buttons on a standard remote control handset to notify the receiver portion of the system that the display of annotation data is desired. The system then displays the annotation data 5 on the screen along with the object (FIG. 1D). In this way denoted objects act as hyperlinks to additional information.
Referring to
The transmitter 32 includes a video encoder 36, a data packet stream generator 40, and a multiplexer (mux) 44 which combines the signals from the video encoder 36 and the data packet stream generator 40 for transmission over the communications channel 12. The video encoder 36 may be any encoder, such as an MPEG or MPEG2 encoder, for producing a transport stream, as is known to one skilled in the art. The data packet stream generator 40 encodes additional data, as described below, which is to accompany the video data when it is transmitted to the viewer. The data packet stream generator 40 generates encoded data packets. The mux 44 produces an augmented transport stream.
The communications channel portion 12 includes not only the transmission medium such as cable, terrestrial broadcast infrastructure, microwave link, or satellite link, but also any intermediate storage which holds the video data until received by the reception portion 14. Such intermediate broadcast storage may include video disk, tape or cassette, memory or other storage devices known to one skilled in the art. The communications channel portion also includes the headend transmitter 50, supplied by a multiple services operator.
The reception portion 14 includes a digital receiver 54, such as a digital settop box, which decodes the signals for display on the television display 58. The digital receiver hardware 54 is any digital receiver hardware 54 known to one skilled in the art.
In operation and referring also to
Once a designer has authored a given program, the authoring tool determines the range over which objects appear and data structures are utilized in the annotated program. This information is used by the current inventive system to ensure that the data enabling viewer interactions with an object is transmitted before the object is presented to the viewer. This information is also used by the current inventive system to determine when data is no longer required by a program and can be erased from the memory 128 discussed below.
As described above, this annotation data is also sent to the data packet stream generator 40 for conversion into an encoded data packet stream 27. Time stamp data in the transport stream 29 from the video encoder 36 is also an input signal into the data packet stream generator 40 and is used to synchronize the mask and the annotation data with the image data. The data packet stream generator 40 achieves the synchronization by stepping through a program and associating the timing information of each frame of video with the corresponding mask. Timing information can be any kind of information that allows the synchronization of video and mask information. For example, timing information can be timestamp information as generated by an MPEG encoder, timecode information such as is provided by the SMPTE timecode standard for video, frame numbering information such as a unique identifier for a frame or a sequential number for a frame, the global time of day, and the like. In the present illustration of the invention, timestamp information will be used as an exemplary embodiment.
The encoded video data from the video encoder 36 is combined with the encoded data packet stream 27 from the data packet stream generator 40 in a multiplexer 44 and the resulting augmented transport stream 46 is an input to a multiplexer system 48. In this illustrative embodiment the multiplexer system 48 is capable of receiving additional transport 29′ and augmented transport 46″ streams. The transport 29′and augmented transport 46′ streams include digitally encoded video, audio, and data streams generated by the system or by other methods known in the art. The output from the multiplexer system 48 is sent to the communications channel 12 for storage and/or broadcast. The broadcast signal is sent to and received by the digital receiver 54. The digital receiver 54 sends the encoded video portion of the multiplexed signal to the television 58 for display. The digital receiver 54 also accepts commands from a viewer, using a handheld remote control unit, to display any annotations that accompany the video images. In one embodiment the digital receiver 54 is also directly in communication with an alternative network connection 56 (FIG. 2).
In an alternative embodiment, information from the object database 28 is transferred to a second database 30 in
In more detail with respect to the encoded data packet stream 27, and referring to
Lastly, the data packet stream generator 40 generates the final encoded data packet stream 27″ by adding the object data. The data packet stream generator 40 does this by determining, from information provided by the authoring tool 24, the first occurrence that a given object has in a program. Data corresponding to that object is then inserted into the initial encoded data packet stream 27′ starting at some point before the first occurrence of that object. The data packet stream generator 40 steps backwards through the initial encoded data packet stream 27′ replacing null packets with object data as necessary. For example, in
To facilitate the process of extracting data from the transport stream in one embodiment, the multiplexer 44 associates the mask data and the object data with different packet identifiers (PIDs) as are used to identify elementary streams in the MPEG2 standard. In this way the digital receiver 54 can route mask and object data to different computing threads based solely on their PIDs, thereby eliminating the need to perform an initial analysis of the contents of the packets. In reassembling the masks and object data, the digital receiver 54 is able to extract the appropriate number of packets from the stream because this information is provided by the data packet stream generator 40 as part of the encoding process. For example referring to
As shown in an enlarged view of the mask header 38 in
Referring to
Referring to
The annotation data is separated by the video decoder 108 and is transmitted to a CPU 124 for processing. The data is stored in memory 128. The memory also stores a computer program for processing annotation data and instructions from a viewer. When the digital receiver 54 receives instructions from the viewer to display the annotated material, the annotation data is rendered as computer graphic images overlaying some or all of the frame buffer 112. The decoder 108 then transmits the corresponding video signal 114 to the television display 58.
For broadcasts carried by media which can carry signals bi-directionally, such as cable or optical fiber, a connection can be made from the digital receiver 54 to the headend 50 of the broadcast system. In an alternative embodiment for broadcasts carried by unidirectional media, such as conventional television broadcasting or television satellite transmissions, a connection can be made from the digital receiver 54 to the alternative network connection 56 that communicates with a broadcaster or with another entity, without using the broadcast medium. Communication channels for communication with a broadcaster or another entity that are not part of the broadcast medium can be telephone, an internet or similar computer connection, and the like. It should be understood that such non-broadcast communication channels can be used even if bi-directional broadcast media are available. Such communication connections, that carry messages sent from the viewer's location to the broadcaster or to another entity, such as an advertiser, are collectively referred to as backchannels.
Backchannel communications can be used for a variety of purposes, including gathering information that may be valuable to the broadcaster or to the advertiser, as well as allowing the viewer to interact with the broadcaster, the advertiser or others.
In one embodiment the digital receiver 54 generates reports that relate to the viewer's interaction with the annotation information via the remote control device. The reports transmitted to the broadcaster via the backchannel can include reports relating to operation of the remote, such as error reports that include information relating to use of the remote that is inappropriate with regard to the choices available to the viewer, such as an attempt to perform an "illegal" or undefined action, or an activity report that includes actions taken by the viewer that are tagged to show the timestamp of the material that was then being displayed on the television display. The information that can be recognized and transmitted includes a report of a viewers' actions when advertiser-supplied material is available, such as actions by the viewer to access such material, as well as actions by the viewer terminating such accession of the material, for example, recognizing the point at which a viewer cancels an accession attempt. In some embodiments, the backchannel can be a store-and-forward channel.
The information that can be recognized and transmitted further includes information relating to a transaction that a viewer wishes to engage in, for example, the placing of an order for an item advertised on a broadcast (e.g., a shirt) including the quantity of units, the size, the color, the viewer's credit information and/or Personal Identification Number (PIN), and shipping information. The information that can be recognized and transmitted additionally includes information relating to a request for a service, for example a request to be shown a pay-per-view broadcast, including identification of the service, its time and place of delivery, payment information, and the like. The information that can be recognized and transmitted moreover includes information relating to non-commercial information, such as political information, public broadcasting information such as is provided by National Public Radio, and requests to access data repositories, such as the United States Patent and Trademark Office patent and trademark databases, and the like.
The backchannel can also be used for interactive communications, as where a potential purchaser selects an item that is out of stock, and a series of communications ensues regarding the possibility of making an alternative selection, or whether and for how long the viewer is willing to wait for the item to be restocked. Other illustrative examples of interactive communication are the display of a then current price, availability of a particular good or service (such as the location of seating available in a stadium at a specific sporting event, for example, the third game of the 2000 World Series), and confirmation of a purchase.
When a viewer begins to interact with the annotation system, the receiver 54 can set a flag that preserves the data required to carry out the interaction with the viewer for so long as the viewer continues the interaction, irrespective of the programmatic material that may be displayed on the video display, and irrespective of a time that the data would be discarded in the absence of the interaction by the viewer. In one embodiment, the receiver 54 sets an "in use bit" for each datum or data structure that appears in a data structure that is providing information to the viewer. A set "in use bit" prevents the receiver 54 from discarding the datum or data structure. When the viewer terminates the interaction, the "in use bit" is reset to zero and the datum or data structure can be discarded when its period of valid use expires. Also present in the data structures of the system but not shown in
In the course of interacting with the annotation system, a viewer can create and modify a catalog. The catalog can include items that the viewer can decide to purchase as well as descriptions of information that the viewer wishes to obtain. The viewer can make selections for inclusion in the catalog from one or more broadcasts. The viewer can modify the contents of the catalog, and can initiate a commercial transaction immediately upon adding an item to the catalog, or at a later time.
The catalog can include entry information about a program that the viewer was watching, and the number of items that were added to the catalog. At a highest level, the viewer can interact with the system by using a device such as a remote control to identify the item of interest, the ordering particulars of interest, such as quantity, price, model, size, color and the like, and the status of an order, such as immediately placing the order or merely adding the item selected to a list of items of interest in the catalog.
At a further level of detail, the viewer can select the entry for the program, and can review the individual entries in the catalog list, including the status of the entry, such as "saved" or "ordered." The entry "saved" means that the item was entered on the list but was not ordered (i.e., the data pertaining to the item have been locked), while "ordered," as the name indicates, implies that an actual order for the item on the list was placed via the backchannel. The viewer can interrogate the list at a still lower level of detail, to see the particulars of an item (e.g., make, model, description, price, quantity ordered, color, and so forth). If the item is not a commercial product, but rather information of interest to the viewer, for example, biographical information about an actor who appears in a scene, an inquiry at the lowest level will display the information. In one embodiment, navigation through the catalog is performed by using the remote control.
The viewer can set up an account for use in conducting transactions such as described above. In one embodiment, the viewer can enter information such as his name, a delivery address, and financial information such as a credit card or debit card number. This permits a viewer to place an order from any receiver that operates according to the system, such as a receiver in the home of a friend or in a hotel room. In another embodiment, the viewer can use an identifier such as a subscription account number and a password, for example the subscription account number associated with the provision of the service by the broadcaster. In such a situation, the broadcaster already has the home address and other delivery information for the viewer, as well as an open financial account with the viewer. In such an instance, the viewer simply places an order and confirms his or her desires by use of the password. In still another embodiment, the viewer can set up a personalized catalog. As an example of such a situation, members of a family can be given a personal catalog and can order goods and services up to spending limits and according to rules that are pre-arranged with the financially responsible individual in the family.
Depending on the location of the viewer and of the broadcast system, the format of the information conveyed over the backchannel can be one of QPSK modulation (as is used in the United States), DVB modulation (as is used in Europe), or other formats. Depending on the need for security in the transmission, the messages transmitted over the backchannel can be encrypted in whole or in part, using any encryption method. The information communicated over the backchannel can include information relating to authentication of the sender (for example, a unique identifier or a digital signature), integrity of the communication (e.g., an error correction method or system such as CRC), information relating to non-repudiation of a transaction, systems and methods relating to prevention of denial of service, and other similar information relating to the privacy, authenticity, and legally binding nature of the communication.
Depending on the kind of information that is being communicated, the information can be directed to the broadcaster, for example, information relating to viewer responses to broadcast material and requests for pay-per-view material; information can be directed to an advertiser, for example, an order for a shirt; and information can be directed to third parties, for example, a request to access a database controlled by a third party.
In particular,
The illustrative set of data structures shown in
The object mapping table 217 includes a region number for each of the identified regions 212, 213, 214, 215 in the mask 210 and a corresponding UID 216 for each region of interest. For example, in the object mapping table 217, the shirt region 213 is stored as the integer value "one" and has associated the UID 01234. The UID 01234 points to the object properties table 220. Also in object mapping table 217, the hat region 214 is stored as the integer value two and has associated the UID 10324. The UID 10324 points to the object properties table 220′. The object mapping table begins with the integer one because the default value for the background is zero.
In general, object properties tables store references to the information about a particular object that is used by the system to facilitate viewer interactions with that object. For example, the object properties table 220 includes a title field 221 with the UID 5678, a price field 222 with the UID 910112, and a primary dialog field 223 with the UID 13141516. The second object properties table 220′ includes a title field 221′ with the UID 232323, a primary dialog field 223′ with the same UID as the primary dialog field 223, and a price field 222′ with the UID 910113. The UIDs of the title field 221 and the price field 222 of object properties table 220 point respectively to strings 235, 235′ that contain information about the name of the shirt, "crew polo shirt," and its price, "$14.95." The title field 221′ of object properties table 220′ points the string 235″ that contains information about name of the hat, "Sport Cap." The price field of object properties table 220′ points to the string 235′″. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that for a given section of authored video numerous object properties tables will exist corresponding to the objects identified by the authoring tool 24.
The UID of the primary dialog field 223 of object properties table 220 points to a primary dialog table 230. The dialog table 230 is also referenced by the UID of the primary dialog field 223′ of the second object properties table 220′. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the second object properties table 220′ corresponds to another object identified within the program containing the video frame 200. In general, dialog tables 230 structure the text and graphics boxes that are used by the system in interacting with the viewer. Dialog tables 230 act as the data model in a model-view-controller programming paradigm. The view seen by a viewer is described by a stylesheet table 240 with the UID 13579, and the controller component is supplied by software on the digital receiver 54. The illustrative primary dialog table 230 is used to initiate interaction with a viewer. Additional examples of dialog tables include boxes for indicating to the colors 250 or sizes 250′ that available for a particular item, the number of items he or she would like to purchase, for confirming a purchase 250″, and for thanking a viewer for his or her purchase. Those skilled in the art will be aware that this list is not exhaustive and that the range of possible dialog tables is extensive.
The look and feel of a particular dialog table displayed on the viewer's screen is controlled by a stylesheet. The stylesheet controls the view parameters in the model-view-controller programming paradigm, a software development paradigm well-known to those skilled in the art. The stylesheet field 232 of dialog table 230 contains a UID 13579 that points to the stylesheet table 240. The stylesheet table 240 includes a font field 241, a shape field 242, and graphics field 243. In operation, each of these fields have a UID that points to the appropriate data structure resource. The font field 241 points to a font object, the shape field 242 points to an integer, and the graphics field 243 points to an image object, discussed below. By having different stylesheets, the present system is easily able to tailor the presentation of information to a particular program. For example, a retailer wishing to advertise a shirt on two programs targeted to different demographic audiences would only need to enter the product information once. The viewer interactions supported by these programs would reference the same data except that different stylesheets would be used.
The name-UID pair organization of many of the data structures of the current embodiment provides compatibility advantages to the system. In particular, by using name-UID pairs rather than fixed fields, the data types and protocols can be extended without affecting older digital receiver software and allows multiple uses of the same annotated television program.
The flexibility of the current inventive system is enhanced by the system's requirement that the UIDs be globally unique. In the illustrative embodiment, the UIDs are defined as numbers where the first set of bits represents a particular database license and the second set of bits represents a particular data structure element. Those skilled in the art will recognize that this is a particular embodiment and that multiple ways exist to ensure that the UIDs are globally unique.
The global uniqueness of the UIDs has the advantage that, for example, two broadcast networks broadcasting on the same cable system can be certain that the items identified in their programs can be distinguished. It also means that the headend receiver 50 is able to retrieve data from databases 30, 33 over the network 31 for a particular object because that object has an identifier that is unique across all components of the system. While the global nature of the UIDs means that the system can ensure that different objects are distinguishable, it also means that users of the current inventive system can choose not to distinguish items when such operation is more efficient. For example, a seller selling the same shirt on multiple programs only needs to enter the relevant object data once, and, further, the seller can use the UID and referenced data with its supplier thereby eliminating additional data entry overhead.
In the present embodiment of the current system, there are four defined classes of UIDs: null UIDs; resource UIDs; non-resource UIDs; and extended UIDs. The null UID is a particular value used by the system to indicate that the UID does not point to any resource. Resource UIDs can identify nine distinct types of resources: object mapping tables; object property tables; dialog tables; selectors; stylesheets; images; fonts; strings; and vectors. Selector data structures and vector resources are discussed below. Image resources reference graphics used by the system. The non-resource UIDs include four kinds of values: color values; action identifiers; integer values; and symbols. The action identifiers include "save/bookmark," "cancel," "next item," "previous item," "submit order," and "exit," among other actions that are taken by the viewer. Symbols can represent names in a name-UID pair; the system looks up the name in the stack and substitutes the associated UID. Non-resource UIDs contain a literal value. Extended UIDs provide a mechanism by which the system is able increase the size of a UID. An extended UID indicates to the system that the current UID is the prefix of a longer UID.
When the system requires an input from the viewer it employs a selector 290 data structure. The selector 290 data structure is a table of pairs of UIDs where a first column includes UIDs of items to be displayed to the viewer and a second column includes UIDs of actions associated with each item. When software in the digital receiver 54 encounters a selector 290 data structure it renders on the viewer's screen all of the items in the first column, generally choices to be made by the viewer. These items could be strings, images, or any combination of non-resource UIDs. Once on the screen, the viewer is able to scroll up and down through the items. If the viewer chooses one of the items, the software in the digital receiver 54 performs the action associated with that item. These actions include rendering a dialog box, performing a non-resource action identifier, or rendering another selector 290′data structure. Selectors are referenced by menu1 fields 253, 253′, 253″, 253′″.
In operation, when a viewer selects an object and navigates through a series of data structures, the system places each successive data structure used to display information to a viewer on a stack in the memory 128. For example consider the following viewer interaction supported by the data structures shown in FIG. 5. First a viewer selects the hat 214 causing the system to locate the object properties table 220′ via the object mapping table 217 and to place the object properties table 220′ on the stack. It is implicit in the following discussion that each data structure referenced by the viewer is placed on the stack.
Next the system displays a primary dialog table that includes the title 235″and price 235″ of the hat and where the style of the information presented to the viewer is controlled by the stylesheet 240. In addition the initial display to the viewer includes a series of choices that are rendered based on the information contained in the selector 290. Based on the selector 290, the system presents the viewer with the choices represented by the strings "Exit" 256, "Buy" 256′, and "Save" 256″ each of which is respectively referenced by the UIDs 9999, 8888, and 7777. The action identifiers Exit 257′ and Save 257 are referenced to the system by the UIDs 1012 and 1020 respectively.
When the viewer selects the "Buy" string 256′, the system uses the dialog table 250, UID 1011 to display the color options to the viewer. In particular, the selector 290′ directs the system to display to the viewer the strings "Red" 292, "Blue" 292′, "Green" 292″, and "Yellow" 292′″, UIDs 1111, 2222, 3333, 4444 respectively: The title for the dialog table 250 is located by the system through the variable Symbol 1266. When the object properties table 220′ was placed on the stack, the Symbol1 266 was associated with the UID 2001. Therefore, when the system encounters the Symbol1 266′ it traces up through the stack until it locates the Symbol1 266 which in turn directs the system to display the string "Pick Color " 259 via the UID 2001.
When the viewer selects the "Blue" 2222 string 292′, the system executes the action identifier associated with the UID 5555 and displays a dialog table labeled by the string "Pick Size" 259 located through Symbol2, UID 2002. Based on the selector 290″ located by the UID 2004, the system renders the string "Large" 259″, UID 1122, as the only size available. If the viewer had selected another color, he would have been directed to the same dialog table, UID 5555, as the hat is only available in large. After the viewer selects the string "Large" 259″, the systems presents the viewer with the dialog table 250″, UID 6666, to confirm the purchase. The dialog table 250″ use the selector 290″, UID 2003, to present to the viewer the strings "Yes" and "No", UIDs 1113 and 1114 respectively. After the viewer selects the "Yes" string 259″, the system transmits the transaction as directed by the action identifier submit order 257″, UID 1013. Had the viewer chosen the "No" strong 259′″ in response to the confirmation request, the system would have exited the particular viewer interaction by executing the action identifier exit 257′. As part of the exit operation, the system would have dumped from the stack the object properties table 220′ and all of the subsequent data structures placed on the stack based on this particular interaction with the system by the viewer. Similarly, after the execution of the purchase request by the system, it would have dumped the data structures from the stack.
If an action requires more then one step, the system employs a vector resource which is an ordered set of UIDs. For example, if a viewer wishes to save a reference to an item that he or she has located, the system has to perform two operations: first it must perform the actual save operation indicated by the non-resource save UID and second it must present the viewer with a dialog box indicating that the item has been saved. Therefore the vector UID that is capable of saving a reference would include the non-resource save UID and a dialog table UID that points to a dialog table referencing the appropriate text.
A particular advantage of the current inventive system is that the data structures are designed to be operationally efficient and flexible. For example, the distributed nature of the data structures means that only a minimum amount of data needs to be transmitted. Multiple data structure elements, for example the object properties tables 220, 220′, can point to the same data structure element, for example the dialog table 230, and this data structure element only needs to be transmitted once. The stack operation described functions in concert with the distributed nature of the data structure in that, for example, the hat 214 does not have its own selector 290 but the selector 290 can still be particularized to the hat 214 when displayed. The distributed nature of the data structures also has the advantage that individual pieces of data can be independently modified without disturbing the information stored in the other data structures.
Another aspect of the current inventive system that provides flexibility is an additional use of symbols as a variable datatype. In addition to having a value supplied by a reference on the stack, a symbol can reference a resource that can be supplied at some time after the initial authoring process. For example, a symbol can direct the DTV Broadcast Infrastructure 12 to supply a price at broadcast time. This allows, for example, a seller to price an object differently depending on the particular transmitting cable system.
A further aspect of the flexibility provided by the distributed data structure of the current invention is that it supports multiple viewer interaction paradigms. For example, the extensive variation in dialog tables and the ordering of their linkage means that the structure of the viewer's interaction is malleable and easily controlled by the author.
Another example of the variation in a viewer's experience supported by the system is its ability to switch between multiple video streams. This feature exploits the structure of a MPEG2 transport stream which is made up of multiple program streams, where each program stream can consist of video, audio and data information. In a MPEG2 transport stream, a single transmission at a particular frequency can yield multiple digital television programs in parallel. As those skilled in the art would be aware, this is achieved by associating a program mapping table, referred to as a PMT, with each program in the stream. The PMT identifies the packet identifiers (PIDs) of the packets in the stream that correspond to the particular program. These packets include the video, audio, and data packets for each program.
Referring to
In order to display mask information, a thread called decompress 528 decodes and expands a mask, maintained for example in (320 by 240) pixel resolution, to appropriate size for display on a video screen 530, for example using (640 by 480) pixel resolution. The decompress thread 528 synchronizes the display of mask overlays to the video by examining a timestamp that is encoded in the mask information and comparing it to the timestamp of the current video frame. If the mask overlay frame is ahead of the video frame, the decompress thread sleeps for a calculated amount of time representing the difference between the video and mask timestamps. This mechanism keeps the masks in exact synchronization with the video so that masks appear to overlay video objects.
A second stream 516 of data for annotations is provided for a second software thread called objects 518. The objects data stream 516 is analyzed and decoded by the objects 518 thread, which decodes each object and incorporates it into the object hierarchy. The output of the objects 518 thread is a stream of objects 519 that have varying characteristics, such as shape, size, and the like.
A thread called model 520 combines the masks 508 and the objects 519 to form a model of the system. The mask information includes a unique ID for every object that is represented in the mask overlay. The unique IDs correspond to objects that are stored in the model. The model 520 thread uses these unique IDs to synchronize, or match, the corresponding information.
The model 520 thread includes such housekeeping structures as a stack, a hash table, and a queue, all of which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the software arts. For example, the stack can be used to retain in memory a temporary indication of a state that can be reinstituted or a memory location that can be recalled. A hash table can be used to store data of a particular type, or pointers to the data. A queue can be used to store a sequence of bits, bytes, data or the like. The model 520 interacts with a thread called view 526 that controls the information that is displayed on a screen 530 such as a television screen. The view 526 thread uses the information contained in the model 520 thread, which keeps track of the information needed to display a particular image, with or without interactive content. The view 526 thread also interacts with the mask 514 thread, to insure that the proper information is made available to the display screen 530 at the correct time.
A thread called soft 522 controls the functions of a state machine called state 524. The details of state 524 are discussed more fully with regard to FIG. 7. State 524 interacts with the thread view 526.
A garbage collector 532 is provided to collect and dispose of data and other information that becomes outdated, for example data that has a timestamp for latest use that corresponds to a time that has already passed. The garbage collector 532 can periodically sweep the memory of the system to remove such unnecessary data and information and to recover memory space for storing new data and information. Such garbage collector software is known in the software arts.
Interactive content icon 604 is a state in which a visual image, similar to a logo, appears in a defined region of the television display 58. The visual image is referred to as an "icon," hence the name interactive content icon for a visual image that is active. The icon is capable of changing appearance or changing or enhancing a visual effect with which the icon is displayed, for example by changing color, changing transparency, changing luminosity, flashing or blinking, or appearing to move, or the like, when there is interactive information available.
The viewer of the system can respond to an indication that there is information by pressing a key on a hand-held device. For example, in one embodiment, pressing a right-pointing arrow or a left-pointing arrow (analogous to the arrows on a computer keyboard, or the volume buttons on a hand-held TV remote device) causes the state of the state state machine 524 to change from interactive content icon 604 to mask highlight (MH) 606. The state transition from interactive content icon 604 to MH 606 is indicated by the arrow 622.
In the state MH 606, if one or more regions of an image correspond to material that is available for presentation to the viewer, one such region is highlighted, for example by having a circumscribing line that outlines the region that appears on the video display (see FIG. 1D), or by having the region or a portion thereof change appearance. In one embodiment, if a shirt worn by a man is the object that is highlighted, a visually distinct outline of the shirt appears in response to the key press, or the shirt changes appearance in response to the key press. Repeating the key press, or pressing the other arrow key, causes another object, such as a wine bottle standing on a table, to be highlighted in a similar manner. In general, the objects capable of being highlighted are successively highlighted by successive key presses.
If the viewer takes no action for a predetermined period of time, for example ten seconds, the state of the state state machine 524 reverts to the interactive content icon 604 state, as denoted by the arrow 624. Alternatively, if the viewer activates a button other than a sideways-pointing arrow, such as the "select" button which often appears in the center of navigational arrows on remote controls, the state proceeds from the state MH 606 to a state called info box 608. Info box 608 is a condition wherein information appears in a pop-up box (i.e., an information box). The state transition from MH 606 to info box 608 is indicated by the arrow 626. The information that appears is specified by an advertiser or promoter of the information, and can, for example, include the brand name, model, price, local vendor, and specifications of the object that is highlighted. As an example, in the case of the man's shirt, the information might include the brand of shirt, the price, the range of sizes that are available, examples of the colors that are available, information about one or more vendors, information about special sale offers, information about telephone numbers or email addresses to contact to place an order, and the like.
There are many possible responses that a viewer might make, and these responses lead, via multiple paths, back to the state interactive content icon 604, as indicated generally by the arrow 628. The responses can, for example, include the viewer expressing an indication of interest in the information provided, as by making a purchase of the item described, inquiring about additional information, or by declining to make such a purchase.
While the system is in the interactive content icon 604 state, the viewer can press a burst button, which activates a state called burst 610, causing a transition 630 from interactive content icon 604 to burst 610. In the burst 610 state, the video display automatically highlights in succession all of the objects that currently have associated information that can be presented to a viewer. The highlight period of any one object is brief, of the order of 0.03 to 5 seconds, so that the viewer can assess in a short time which objects may have associated information for presentation. A preferred highlight period is in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 seconds. The burst 610 state is analogous to a scan state for scanning radio receivers, in which signals that can be received at a suitable signal strength are successively tuned in for brief times.
The burst 610 state automatically reverts 632 to the interactive content icon 604 state once the various objects that have associated information have been highlighted. Once the system has returned to the interactive content icon 604 state, the viewer is free to activate an object of interest that has associated information, as described above.
In another embodiment, the burst 610 state can be invoked by a command embedded within a communication. In yet another embodiment, the burst 610 state can be invoked periodically to inform a viewer of the regions that can be active, or the burst 610 state can be invoked when a new shot begins that includes regions that have set visibility bits.
The interactive content icon can be used to provide visual clues to a viewer. In one embodiment, the interactive content icon appears only when there is material for display to the viewer in connection with one or more regions of an image.
In one embodiment, the interactive content icon is active when the burst 610 state is invoked. The interactive content icon can take on a shape that signals that the burst 610 state is beginning, for example, by displaying the interactive content icon itself in enhanced visual effect, similar in appearance to the enhanced visual effect that each visible region assumes. In different embodiments, an enhanced visual effect can be a change in color, a change in luminosity, a change in the icon itself, a blinking or flashing of a region of a display, or the like.
In one embodiment, the interactive content icon is augmented with additional regions, which may be shaped like pointers to points on the compass or like keys of the digital receiver remote control. The augmented regions are displayed, either simultaneously or successively, with an enhanced visual effect. An illustrative example of various embodiments are depicted schematically in
As discussed earlier, the information that appears on the video display 58, including the television program and any annotation information that may be made available, is transmitted from a headend 50 to the digital receiver 54. Video images generally contain much information. In modern high definition television formats, a single video frame may include more than 1000 lines. Each line can comprise more than 1000 pixels. In some formats, a 24-bit integer is required for the representation of each pixel. The transmission of such large amounts of information is burdensome. Compression methods that can reduce the amount of data that needs to be transmitted play a useful role in television communication technology. Compression of data files in general is well known in the computer arts. However, new forms of file compression are used in the invention, which are of particular use in the field of image compression.
One traditional compression process is called "run-length encoding." In this process, each pixel or group of identical pixels that appear in succession in a video line is encoded as an ordered pair comprising a first number that indicates how many identical pixels are to be rendered and a second number that defines the appearance of each such identical pixel. If there are long runs of identical pixels, such a coding process can reduce the total number of bits that must be transmitted. However, in pathological instances, for example where every pixel differs from the pixel that precedes it and the pixel that follows it, the coding scheme can actually require more bits that the number of bits required to represent the pixel sequence itself.
In one embodiment, an improvement on run-length encoding, called "Section Run-Length Encoding," is obtained if two or more successive lines can be categorized as having the same sequence of run lengths with the same sequence of appearance or color. The two or more lines are treated as a section of the video image. An example of such a section is a person viewed against a monochrome background. A transmitter encodes the section by providing a single sequence of colors that is valid for all lines in the section, and then encodes the numbers of pixels per line that have each successive color. This method obviates the repeated transmission of redundant color information which requires a lengthy bit pattern per color.
In this embodiment of "Section Run-Length Encoding," the encoder scans each row 752, 754, 762, 764, and records the color value and length of each run. If the number of runs and the sequence of colors of the first row 752 of a video frame does not match that of the succeeding row 754, the first row 752 is encoded as being a section of length 1, and the succeeding row 754 is compared to the next succeeding row. When two or more rows do contain the same sequence of colors, the section is encoded as a number of rows having the same sequence of colors, followed by a series of ordered pairs representing the colors and run lengths for the first row of the section. As shown in
As an example expressed with regard to
In another embodiment, a process that reduces the information that needs to be encoded, called "X-Run-Length Encoding," involves encoding only the information within objects that have been identified. In this embodiment, the encoded pixels are only those that appear within the defined object, or within an outline of the object. An encoder in a transmitter represents the pixels as an ordered triple comprising a value, a run length and an offset defining the starting position of the run with respect to a known pixel, such as the start of the line. In a receiver, a decoder recovers the encoded information by reading the ordered triple and rendering the pixels according to the encoded information.
Referring again to
In yet another embodiment, a process called "X-Section-Run-Length Encoding," that combines features of the Section Run-Length and X-Run-Length encoding processes is employed. The X-Section-Run-Length Encoding process uses color values and run lengths as coding parameters, but ignores the encoding of background. Each entry in this encoding scheme is an ordered triple of color, run length, and offset values as in X-Run-Length Encoding.
The illustrative lines 762 and 764 are part of a section of successive lines that can be described as follows: the illustrative lines 762, 764 include, in order, segments of blue background 710, an arm of purple shirt 730, blue background 710, the body of purple shirt 730, blue background 710, the other arm of purple shirt 730, and a final segment of blue background. Illustrative lines 762, 764 and the other adjacent lines that have the same pattern of colors are encoded as follows: an integer defining the number of lines in the section; the first line is encoded as three triples of numbers indicating a color, a run length and an offset; and the remaining lines in the section are encoded as three ordered doubles of numbers indicating a run length and an offset. The color values are decoded from the sets of triples, and are used thereafter for the remaining lines of the section.
Pixels which are not defined by the ordered doubles or triples are rendered in the background color. An illustrative example is shown in
Other embodiments of encoding schemes may be employed. One embodiment that may be employed involves computing an offset of the pixels of one line from the preceding line, for example shifting a subsequent line, such as one in the vicinity of the neck of the person depicted in
Another embodiment involves encoding run values within the confines of an outline as ordered pairs, beginning at one edge of the outline. Other combinations of such encoding schemes will be apparent to those skilled in the data compression arts.
In order to carry out the objectives of the invention, an ability to perform analysis of the content of images is useful in addition to representing the content of images efficiently. Television images comprising a plurality of pixels can be analyzed to determine the presence or absence of persons, objects and features, so that annotations can be assigned to selected persons, objects and features. The motions of persons, objects and features can also be analyzed. An assignment of pixels in an image or a frame to one or more persons, objects, and/or features is carried out before such analysis is performed.
The analysis is useful in manipulating images to produce a smooth image, or one which is pleasing to the observer, rather than an image that has jagged or rough edges. The analysis can also be used to define a region of the image that is circumscribed by an outline having a defined thickness in pixels. In addition, the ability to define a region using mathematical relationships makes possible the visual modification of such a region by use of a visibility bit that indicates whether the region is visible or invisible, and by use of techniques that allow the rendering of all the pixels in a region in a specific color or visual effect. An image is examined for regions that define matter that is of interest. For example, in
In one embodiment, the pixels in an image or frame are classified as belonging to a region. The classification can be based on the observations of a viewer, who can interact with an image presented in digital form on a digital display device, such as the monitor of a computer. In one embodiment, the author/annotator can mark regions of an image using an input device such as a mouse or other computer pointing device, a touch screen, a light pen, or the like. In another embodiment, the regions can be determined by a computing device such as a digital computer or a digital signal processor, in conjunction with software. In either instance, there can be pixels that are difficult to classify as belonging to a region, for example when a plurality of regions abut one another.
In one embodiment, a pixel that is difficult to classify, or whose classification is ambiguous, can be classified by a process that involves several steps. First, the classification of the pixel is eliminated, or canceled. This declassified pixel is used as the point of origin of a classification shape that extends to cover a plurality of pixels (i.e., a neighborhood) in the vicinity of the declassified pixel. The pixels so covered are examined for their classification, and the ambiguous pixel is assigned to the class having the largest representation in the neighborhood. In one embodiment, the neighborhood comprises next nearest neighbors of the ambiguous pixel. In one embodiment, a rule is applied to make an assignment in the case of ties in representation. In one embodiment, the rule can be to assign the class of a pixel in a particular position relative to the pixel, such as the class of the nearest neighbor closest to the upper left hand corner of the image belonging to a most heavily represented class.
In another embodiment, a pixel that is difficult to classify, or whose classification is ambiguous, can be classified by a process which features a novel implementation of principles of mathematical morphology. Mathematical morphology represents the pixels of an image in mathematical terms, and allows the algorithmic computation of properties and transformations of images, for example, using a digital computer or digital signal processor and appropriate software. The principles of mathematical morphology can be used to create various image processing applications. A very brief discussion of some of the principles will be presented here. In particular, the methods known as dilation and erosion will be described and explained. In general, dilation and erosion can be used to change the shape, the size and some features of regions In addition, some illustrative examples of applications of the principles of mathematical morphology to image processing will be described.
Dilation and erosion are fundamental mathematical operations that act on sets of pixels. As an exemplary description in terms of an image in two-dimensional space, consider the set of points of a region R, and a two-dimensional morphological mask M. The illustrative discussion, presented in terms of binary mathematical morphology, is given with respect to
The morphological mask M moves across the image in
For binary erosion, the mathematical rule, expressed in terms of set theory, can be that the intersection of one or more pixels of the morphological mask M with the region R defines the condition of the pixel to be stored in an array or to be plotted at the position in
Binary dilation can have as a mathematical rule, expressed in terms of set theory, that the union of the morphological mask M with the region R defines the condition of the pixel to be plotted at the position in
The operations of erosion and dilation, and other operations based upon these fundamental operations, can be applied to sets of pixels defined in space, as are found in a two-dimensional image, as has just been explained. The same operations can be applied equally well for sets of pixels in a time sequence of images, as is shown in
The operations of erosion and dilation in two-dimensional space used a morphological mask, such as the five-pixel "plus" sign, which is oriented in the plane of the image or frame. An operation in the time dimension that uses the two-dimensional five-pixel "plus" sign as a morphological mask can be understood as in the discussion that follows, recognizing that one dimension of the "plus" sign lies along the time axis, and the other lies along a spatial axis. In other embodiments, one could use a one dimensional morphological mask along only the time axis, or a three-dimensional morphological mask having dimensions in two non-collinear spatial directions and one dimension along the time axis.
Let the "test" pixel of the two-imensional five-pixel "plus" sign morphological mask be situated at row r, column c, or location (r,c), of frame N in FIG. 11A. The pixels in the vertical line of the "plus" sign is at column c of row r−1 (the row above row r) of frame N and column c of row r+1 (the row below row r) of frame N. The pixel to the "left" of the "test" pixel is at row r, column c of frame N−1 of
In this inventive system, a novel form of erosion and dilation is applied in which all regions are eroded and dilated in one pass, rather than working on a single region at a time (where the region is labeled '1' and the non-region is '0'), and repeating the process multiple times in the event that there are multiple regions to treat. In the case of erosion, if the input image contains R regions, the pixels of which are labeled 1, 2, . . . r, respectively, then the test pixel is labeled, for example, '3', if and only if all the pixels under the set pixels in the morphological mask are labeled 3. Otherwise, the test pixel is assigned 0, or "unclassified." In the case of dilation, if the input image contains R regions, the pixels of which are labeled 1, 2, . . . r, respectively, then the test pixel is labeled, for example, '3', if and only if the region with the greatest number of pixels is the one with label 3. Otherwise, the test pixel is assigned 0, or "unclassified."
Two dimensional floodfill is a technique well known in the art that causes a characteristic of a two-dimensional surface to be changed to a defined characteristic. For example, two-dimensional floodfill can be used to change the visual effect of a connected region of an image to change in a defined way, for example changing all the pixels of the region to red color. Three-dimensional floodfill can be used to change all the elements of a volume to a defined characteristic. For example, a volume can be used to represent a region that appears in a series of sequential two-dimensional images that differ in sequence number or in time of display as the third dimension.
An efficient novel algorithm has been devised to floodfill a connected three-dimensional volume starting with an image that includes a region that is part of the volume. In overview, the method allows the selection of an element at a two-dimensional surface within the volume, and performs a two-dimensional floodfill on the region containing that selected element. The method selects a direction along the third dimension, determines if a successive surface contains an element within the volume, and if so, performs a two-dimensional floodfill of the region containing such an element. The method repeats the process until no further elements are found, and returns to the region first floodfilled and repeats the process while moving along the third dimension in the opposite direction.
An algorithmic image processing technique has been devised using a three-dimensional flood-fill operator in which the author selects a point within a group of incorrectly classified points. The selected point can be reclassified using a classification method as described earlier. The entire group of pixels contiguous with the selected point is then reclassified to the classification of the selected point. Pixels that neighbor the reclassified pixels in preceding and following frames can also be reclassified.
In one embodiment, the three-dimensional volume to be reclassified comprises two dimensions representing the image plane, and a third dimension representing time. In this embodiment, for every pixel (r, c) in frame N of
In step 1156, the process operator defines a plurality of regions in at least one of the two-dimensional sections, each region comprising at least one location. From this point forward in the process, the process is carried out using a machine such as a computer that can perform a series of instructions such as may be encoded in software. The computer can record information corresponding to the definitions for later use, for example in a machine-readable memory. For example, in an image, an operator can define a background and an object of interest, such as shirt 2.
In step 1158, the computer selects a first region in one of the two-dimensional sections, the region included within the volume to be filled with a selected symbol. In one embodiment, the symbol can be a visual effect when rendered on a display, such as a color, a highlighting, a change in luminosity, or the like, or it can be a character such as an alphanumeric character or another such symbol that can be rendered on a display.
In step 1160, the computer that runs the display fills the first region with the selected symbol. There are many different well-known graphics routines for filling a two-dimensional region with a symbol, such as turning a defines region of a display screen to a defined color. Any such well-known two-dimensional graphics routine can be implemented to carry out the two-dimensional filling step.
In step 1162, the computer moves in a first direction along the third dimension to the successive two-dimensional section. In one embodiment, the process operator moves to the image immediately before or after the first image selected, thus defining a direction in time, or in the image sequence.
In step 1164, the computer determines whether a location in the successive two-dimensional section corresponding to a filled location in the two-dimensional section of the previous two-dimensional section belongs to the volume. The process operator looks up information recorded in the definitions of the two dimensional regions accomplished instep 1156.
In step 1166, the computer makes a selection based on the outcome of the determination performed in step 1164. If there is a positive outcome of the determination step 1164, the computer fills a region that includes the location in the successive two-dimensional section with the selected symbol, as indicated at step 1168. As indicated at step 1170, beginning with the newly-filled region in the successive two-dimensional section, the computer repeats the moving step 1162, the determining step 1164 and the filling step 1168 (that is, the steps recited immediately heretofore) until the determining step results in a negative outcome.
Upon a negative outcome of any determining step 1164 heretofore, the computer returns to the first region identified in step 1158 (which has already been filled), and, moving along the third dimension in a direction opposite to the first direction, repeating the steps of moving (e.g., a step similar to step 1162 but going on the opposite direction), determining (e.g., a step such as step 1164) and filling (e.g., a step such as step 1168) as stated above until a negative outcome results for a determining step. This sequence is indicated in summary form at step 1172. At step 1174, the process ends upon a negative outcome of a determining step.
Another application involves creating outlines of regions, for example to allow a region to be highlighted either in its entirety, or to be highlighted by changing the visual effect associated with the outline of the region, or some combination of the two effects. In one embodiment, a method to construct outlines from labeled regions is implemented as depicted in
It will be understood that those of ordinary skill in using the principles of mathematical morphology may construct the foregoing examples of applications by use of alternative morphological masks, and alternative rules, and will recognize many other similar applications based on such principles.
In a series of related images, or a shot as described previously, such as a sequence of images showing a person sitting on a bench in the park, one or more of the selected objects may persist for a number of frames. In other situations, such as an abrupt change in the image, as where the scene changes to the view perceived by the person sitting on the park bench, some or all of the regions identified in the first scene or shot may be absent in the second scene or shot. The system and method of the invention can determine both that the scene has changed (e.g., a new shot begins) and that one or more regions present in the first scene are not present in the second scene.
In one embodiment, the system and method determines that the scene or shot has changed by computing a histogram of pixels that have changed from one image to a successive image and comparing the slope of the successive instances (or time evolution) of the histogram to a predefined slope value.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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How To: Free Up Resources on Your iPhone With Force Quit
UPDATE: Force Quit has changed in iPhone 3.0. Check out our new how-to!
Those of us who rock Mac OS X know all about the "Force Quit". For Windows users, think killing an application via Task Manager. They're both ways to shut down non-responsive or otherwise rogue applications from freezing us out or just slowing us down. For iPhone users, well, we don't have to worry about that, do we? (Remember Apple mocking Windows Mobile for multitask management?)
Well, since MobileSafari, MobileMail, and other Apple apps do multitask and run in the background, it turns out we iPhone owners do still need to worry about it. And with the App Store providing all sorts of new and potentially greedy applications to strain the more limited resources of Mobile OS X, it's certainly important functionality to have.
So what can we do? Luckily, Apple built in an solution.
Hold down the "Home" button for about 6 seconds. Your resources will then be freed up, and you'll be dropped back to the Home Screen ready for a fresh, clean start.
Faster and easier than a full reset, it can get you out of an App jam or improve the "snappiness" of your iPhone in general.
Note: if you have tabs open in MobileSafari, the cached pages will be cleared, but fret not, MobileSafari will re-load the pages off the net for you as soon as you relaunch it.
(Thanks to Antony for the screen shots)
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Reader comments
How To: Free Up Resources on Your iPhone With Force Quit
I believe any app that can notify or interrupt other apps has to be in memory (or at least have a daemon/service running in memory), i.e. SMS, Phone, iPod, Calendar, Clock.
Sure, but by whom and when? Since Apple doesn't document a lot of their functionality, I know I find it useful to share as much info as possible, in case it helps someone who doesn't yet know.
Before iPhone came out, we have been promised and we have expected a quality product and good service. After the device saw daylight, we have been assured that all the issues will be taken care of. Now, after a second generation of the iPhone, many months later all we get is terrible service, low product quality and no explanation, no excuse, no credit.
Please, post your comments about your iPhone & iphone 3G experience. Let's hope that we can finally attract enough attention to get Apple to do what they promised!
One thing I would like would be some kind of 'force everything to quit'. Like if you could hold the home button down at the home screen for a few seconds, as you can when running a program.
Multitasking is a pain. It's a pain on WM devices, I'm not sure about Blackberry and how it's handled there (whether it's actual multitasking or preemptive multitasking like in the multi-finder days)... it's a pain on your computer! Look at how people complain about their computer being slow because it's full of 'tray icons' (people = Windows users)!
It's like sync. It's a pain.
This is not an apologist comment. I'm not saying Apple's excused from poor software quality. I'm just kind of wondering if it's really something we can 'fix' that easily in general.
Sorry, I'll edit the post for clarity, but doing a "force quit" is supposed to drop you back to the home screen. The difference from just tapping the home button is, when you hold it down for 6 sec. it clears the resources before dropping you back to the home screen.
does not clear a thing. open safari, get on a web page, then hold the button for 6 seconds. the screen goes black, then back to home screen. open safair again, and it will show your tabs clear......for about a second. then they will all come back. great tip. should have put this in the apps store with all the other junk.
Yeah, looks I made a mistake with the tab clearing. The memory cache gets flushed, but the tabs get reloaded over the network if you go back to the browser after force quit. Mea culpa. Updating again...
I'm happy others' phones are kicking back to the home screen too. Everytime I held my home button down for 6-7 seconds I was waiting for that pop up window to show up like in that screenshot. What is that screenshot?
The screenshot is an app telling you how to do a force quit to free up resources for that app. Doing the force quit, of course, drops you back to the home screen when you do it :)
Doesnt work , it truly is a urban myth, completely false thing
Why is the world populated by idiots? Logic, people. Safari and Mail take up lots of resources by not quitting completely, that is obviously true. You can force-quit them that is also obviously true. Ergo this hint has value but only for the Very Few Apps that don't quit completely, and they are listed by Apple. This is not a fake hint, you people are obviously fake geeks cuz this is really simple logic try to follow.
This is so frustrating too read that I had too comment. If the complainers would read the WHOLE article it tells you where it dumps you and that the tabs come back. The screen shot at the beginning of the article is just an explanation of what happens! dah (sorry about that) For the non believers, do some reading ANYWHERE about OSX. Knowledge is valuable in the correct hands. OR you can just not use the tip and go on in your little closed world. Just stop complaining about something you don't completely understand.And too Rene, sorry for the rant, but good job keeping your cool during this one.
Yes you can see that this force quit works. Purchase the app "free memory" and it shows all the apps that are loaded. You can FQ your apps and watch your free memory expand. Closing Safari with 8 tabs freed up nearly 30mb. It works.
Too bad there are so many conspiracy theorists in this world, we might actually get things done without them.


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Looks like the Disney and Lucasfilm families are already beginning to blend.
Michael Arndt, who penned Disney-Pixar's "Toy Story 3," has been tapped to write the screenplay for "Stars Wars: Episode VII," Lucasfilm confirmed Friday.
Arndt, whose screenplay for 2006's "Little Miss Sunshine" earned him an Academy Award, also wrote the highly anticipated "Hunger Games" sequel, "Catching Fire" (currently in production).
Fellow Hollywood scribe Damon Lindelof ("World War Z," "Prometheus," "Star Trek Into Darkness"), Tweeted his excitement over the "Stars Wars" news on Friday, writing, "Michael Arndt is the perfect choice. We're in good hands, fellow nerds."
As for who will direct the film, many top-notch names have been rumored to be in the mix (including J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau), but Steven Spielberg will definitely not be signing on.
As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Access caught up with Spielberg on Thursday night at the premiere of his latest film, "Lincoln," where we asked the longtime friend and collaborator of George Lucas about the possibility of directing the upcoming "Episode 7."
"No! No! It's not my genre," he explained. "It's my best friend George's genre."
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9 Customer Reviews
9 Item(s)
By: Dday
Super piece of equipment
I travel a lot on my sport bike so space is a premium and luggage is minimal. This vest makes up for all the shortcomings of riding jackets, distributes the weight perfectly and best of all keeps everything (including my riding gear) in place when I open up my jacket for ventilation. Super gear and great price!
By: Mike Heffern
I'm a type 1 diabetic so when I go on long trail rides and the Ogio vest is amazing. I carry tools, food, and the water hydration system is very good. The most important thing this vest does is (Evenly distribute the weight over your shoulders!) I'm a 240lbs. Guy and love the one size fits all. It fits over my plastic body armour just fine. I don't even realize I have it on while I'm riding. Only when we stop do I realize it's on. The one down side to it is that there are so many functional pockets on it, your buddies will always ask you if you can carry stuff for them. I usually say "OK." And then I tell them to buy a "Flight" vest. You won't be dissapoined in any way! As Marvelous Marvin Hagler would say "It's Simply Marvelous."
By: Hi.#5-0
What I've been looking for without a high cost
As a trail rider & maker, this is what I've been looking for. I happen to bump into a mannequin at the motorsports store. It's as if it said, "Look no further!" I said, if it fits over a chest protector, I'm buying it. It now hangs on my chest protector in my garage. ....Thanks!
By: Allen
Best Ever
First saw it used by a native in the Great Bear Rain Forest Canada, So I got one, just returned from following the Viking Trail from Scotland to Iceland to Greenland, it worked great, gear easier to access, weight more evenly distributed, not as bulky as a backpack. It becomes part of you and you forget that you're carrying 5-10 k of gear.
By: MJ
Store All !!
I love this vest. I have owned mine now for 4 years and it has held up fairly well. Best thing: It holds everything I need while riding atvs. I agree it could use some high visibility reflective strips to aid at night. Lastly, I am a skinny guy so even tightened to the max still left it flopping around while riding. Even so, I can't imagine riding without it. Would highly recommend to anyone.
By: Jet News Magazine
Top !
Pro photographer : very functional ! easy and fast to catch accessories. My best article to work.
By: Iwan
Very functional!
My searching for functional vest is stopped here! Found it at Thredbo.
By: Seth T.
05/30/11 A great alternative to a back pack.
The back pockets including the water reservoir pocket are placed a bit to low on the back. I'm not sure why this is? It could be all sewn higher on the back. Maybe the next generation could be made in two sizes small/medium & large/x-large. Water proof zippers with a fleece lined pocket and a reflective logo or strips on the back pockets would be an improvement. The one size fits all was a bit to loose fitting for me. I've been using it for mountain biking, hiking and skiing. I still like it enough to keep it.
By: Ray
This thing is Great. Just like wearing my Army Flight vest. I can keep all my stuff in it and always have pockets to spare incase I stop and pick something up there is always more room.
I wish they made this thing in the NEON Orange with Black and had some reflective trimming on the front and back. I would wear it all the time as I have to have "Highly Visible Outer Garment" while riding. (military regulation)
OGIO has nailed this one, 98% only because it is all black.
9 Item(s)


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|Birth Date:
|Honolulu, HI
|Previous College:
|Hartnell College
|Previous School:
|Kalani HS
Ridge Carpenter finished his senior season with the third highest batting average on the team at .304, finished first on the team and tied for second in the conference with four triples, tied for third in the conference with 16 steals and seventh with 244 plate appearances. He scored 37 runs and led the team with 63 hits, drove in 21 runs and tied for the team lead with four homers. He ended the year with a team-high 19 multi-hit games and went 3-for-3 in the Game 2 victory in a doubleheader vs. Seattle University (2/19) and scored 3 runs. Carpenter recorded his first RBI of the season vs. Seattle (2/20) and hit in back-to-back games vs. Valparaiso (2/27 Gm. 2 and 2/28) and went 0-for-3 with an RBI and two walks in the victory at Lamar (3/6). He went 2-for-4 and scored three runs against San Diego State (3/8) and set a career high with four RBI against UNLV (3/15) and had a triple and three-run home run against the Rebels. Carpenter had seven hits in the series vs. LMU (3/25 - 3/27) and went 2-for-4 with two triples at UNLV (4/5), the first Matador with two triples in a game since 1998. He led off the game against Bakersfield (4/10) with a home run in a 2-1 victory and had three hits in five at-bats with three runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base against Pacific (4/21). He hit his third home run at UC Davis (4/29), a solo shot in the fifth inning and went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base in a win against UC Santa Barbara (5/6). Carpenter had five hits in the series against UC Riverside (5/13 - 5/15), including a 2-for-4 day in the 9-8 extra-inning victory (5/15) and had a career-high four hits against Long Beach State (5/21) and added an RBI triple, his fourth of the season the next day for the Matadors (5/22). He went 2-for-4 with a double, stolen base, run scored and an RBI in a victory over No. 9 Cal State Fullerton (5/27) and hit a home run in his final collegiate at-bat (5/29). For his career, Carpenter racked up 405 at-bats, 122 hits, a .301 batting average, 20 doubles, six triples, six home runs, 52 RBI, 39 walks, 36 stolen bases, 172 total bases, and 36 multiple hit performances in 108 games, and his 36 career steals rank ninth in school history.
Baseball America ranked Ridge Carpenter as one of the top ten recruits competing in the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League this past summer due to his success as a member of the Kauai Menehunes. In his first season as a Matador, Ridge Carpenter started in 49 of the 53 games he competed in, finished with a .298 batting average, drove in 31 runs, scored 37 times, had 59 hits, ten doubles, two triples, and hit two home runs. He accumulated 79 total bases, drew 18 walks, and had one sacrifice hit. Carpenter successfully stole 20 bases out of 24 attempts, the second-highest total on the team and third-most bases stolen by anyone in the conference, and is now tied for tenth place with three other Matadors for the highest number of bases stolen in one season. He tied for the fourth-highest amount of multiple hit games with 17, and possessed the fourth-highest total of multiple RBI games with nine. He went 3-for-3 and stole a team-high three bases at UCLA (2/21) and had three hits and drove in three runs at San Diego (2/23). He batted 3-for-5 vs. Connecticut (3/5) amd hit his first double as a Matador vs. Connecticut (3/7), stole two bases vs. Connecticut (3/8), drove in a run and hit his second double of the season at LMU (3/12) and drove in another run at LMU (3/13). Carpenter batted 3-for-5 and drove in a run vs. UNLV (3/16) and went 1-for-3 and scored twice, drove in two runs, stole two bases, and hit his first home run of the season at. Seattle (3/20, Gm. 1). He scored three runs, belted two hits, drove in two runs, stole a base, and was one of two players to draw a team-high three walks at Seattle (3/21) and went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and a stolen base vs. Sacramento State (3/27). Carpenter batted a perfect 2-for-2, stole another base, drove in a run, and drew a team-high three walks for the second time this season vs. Sacramento State (3/28), went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and scored once vs. UC Irvine (4/3) and hit a double with 2 RBI vs. San Diego State (4/13). He hit a double and drove in two runs vs. SDSU (4/13), had three hits, including his second home run of the season, and scored two runs vs. Cal Poly (4/16), went 2-for-4 with a double and triple, drove in two runs, and scored a run at Pacific (4/23), went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs at UC Santa Barbara (5/8) and had two hits, a double, a RBI, drew a walk, and scored a run at UC Riverside (5/14). He batted 2-for-3, scored on three occasions, and stole a base vs. Long Beach State (5/22), hit 3-for-4, scored three runs, and stole another base vs. Long Beach State (5/23), hit a double at Cal State Fullerton (5/28) and drove in a run and scored once at Cal State Fullerton (5/30).
Ridge Carpenter graduated in 2009 with a 3.2 GPA and A.A. Degree in Liberal Studies. He was an outfielder for coach Dan Teresa for two seasons and was named team captain in 2009. He was named to the All-League First Team both seasons and earned All-American honors during his sophomore season. As a freshman, he batted .382 and finished with 50 runs, 65 hits, 45 RBI's, and stole 27 bases out of 30 attempts. His final statistics as a sophomore increased nearly across the board as he hit .399, scored 51 times, collected 67 hits, 39 RBI's and stole 36 bases in 37 attempts.
Carpenter competed during all four seasons for coach Shannon Hirai as an outfielder for the Falcon's baseball team. He earned four letters as an outfielder and was elected team captain. Carpenter named to the All-State First Team during his junior and senior years and batted .654 as a junior and .590 as a senior.
Born April 8, 1989 ... Has both a younger brother, Marcus, and sister Kayla ... Competed for the Menehunes of the Hawaii Collegiate League ... Favorite professional team is the Boston Red Sox ... Favorite professional athlete is Jacoby Ellsbury ... Other favorites include actress Jessica Alba, the television show "Entourage", the movie "SuperBad", and Hawaiian food ... Chose to attend CSUN because of the competitive conference and educational opportunity that the school provides ... Feels that the competition and feeling of camaraderie as a member of a team is the best thing about being an athlete ... Juggling his school and sports schedule is the most difficult thing about being a student-athlete ... As a pre-game ritual he has to eat some kind of candy before every game ... Whenever he has time to relax he likes to sleep ... Superstitions include putting pine tar on his bat before every at-bat ... The one person who he would like to meet is Manny Ramirez ... Would like to switch places for a day with Lil Wayne ... Would love to have dinner with Jessica Alba and Megan Fox ... The best advice he has been given is, "The harder you work, the luckier you will get" ... Very few people know that he does not eat vegetables ... Cannot imagine going a week without candy ... Could not live without his iPod ... The biggest obstacle he has had to overcome is moving away from home to attend college ... His greatest hero is Willie Mays and respects the way he plays the game of baseball.


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These sterling silver drop earrings are not your typical drop earrings. The 1/2 inch sterling silver circle that dangles from these earrings hang from a 1.5 inch sweep of sterling silver. These unique silver earrings are ideal to wear with any casual outfit and can be paired up with any style of sterling silver jewelry.
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