Embedding a pattern design onto a liquid crystal display

• US 20070001950A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Qiang, Wang, Jian, Zhang, Chunhui
• Granted Patent: US 7,619,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/88
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/037 using the raster scan of a cathode-ray tube [CRT] for detecting the position of the member, e.g. light pens cooperating with CRT monitors

Abstract

A method and system for presenting data on a medium for capture by an input device is described. The method embeds a symbol design, such as an embedded interaction code (EIC), in an image on a display screen, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). A grid with a plurality of pixels defines a size of an EIC pattern on an LCD. An area of the grid is used to embed position data and/or metadata information. The area may be defined by a sub-pixel of the plurality of pixels and/or the edges of the grid itself. The sub-pixel with the EIC pattern may be configured to have a grey value based upon a color of an underlying image associated with an application program being displayed on the LCD. The method also allows for decoding of the position data and/or metadata information in the EIC pattern on the LCD.

Claims

1. A method for creating an embedded interactive code (EIC) pattern on a liquid crystal display (LCD), the method comprising steps of:

defining a size of the EIC pattern on an LCD by a grid with a plurality of pixels;

determining an area of the grid for embedding position data; and

embedding the position data in the determined area of the grid.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined area of the grid includes a pixel of the plurality of pixels and the step of embedding includes embedding the position data in a sub-pixel of the pixel.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the pixel includes three sub-pixels including a red channel sub-pixel, a green channel sub-pixel, and a blue channel sub-pixel.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of embedding the position data in the sub-pixel includes embedding the position data in the red channel sub-pixel.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the grey value of the red channel sub-pixel equals zero and the grey value of the green channel sub-pixel and the blue channel sub-pixel equals 255.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the grey value of the red channel sub-pixel is based upon a color of an underlying image displayed on the LCD.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising a step of decoding the position data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of decoding includes a step of determining the orientation of the EIC pattern.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the EIC pattern is defined by columns 1 to M and rows 1 to N, M and N being integers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein M and N are equal in value.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of embedding includes embedding the position data in one of columns 1 to M−

1 and in one of rows 1 to N−

1.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the position data includes two bits of data to define a position along an x axis and a y axis.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of displaying the EIC pattern on the LCD by intermittently flashing the EIC pattern.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of displaying the EIC pattern on the LCD by watermarking an image on the LCD with the EIC pattern.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined area of the grid includes first and second pixels of the plurality of pixels and the step of embedding includes embedding the position data in a sub-pixel of the first pixel and a sub-pixel of the second pixel, wherein the grey value of the first sub-pixel is different from the grey value of the second sub-pixel and is based upon a color of an underlying image displayed on the LCD.

16. A system for creating an embedded interaction code (EIC) pattern on a liquid crystal display (LCD), the system comprising:

a design component configured to define a size of the EIC pattern for display on the LCD, the size defined by a grid with a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows;

a processor component configured to determine an area of the grid for embedding position data associated with the dimensions of the LCD;

an embedding component configured to embed the position data in the determined area of the grid; and

an LCD configured to display the position data in the EIC pattern.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a decoder component configured to decode the embedded position data.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the decoder component includes a camera configured to capture an image of the EIC pattern and an extracting component configured to extract the embedded position data from the captured image of the EIC pattern.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the LCD is further configured to display the position data in the EIC pattern by intermittently flashing the EIC pattern on the LCD.

20. A computer-readable medium including computer-readable instructions for watermarking an image with an embedded interaction code (EIC) pattern on a liquid crystal display (LCD), comprising:

associating the image with an application program displayed on the LCD; and

displaying the embedded EIC pattern within the image, the EIC pattern including position data to allow a camera to determine a location within the image in the LCD, the grey value of sub-pixels of the EIC pattern being based upon a color of the image associated with the application program.