METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSOCIATING THE COLOR OF AN OBJECT WITH AN EVENT

• US 20090235151A1
• Filed: 05/27/2009
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Creative Frontier, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Creative Frontier, Inc.
• Inventors: Geaga, Jorge, Bates, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/472,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20090235151A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/24 Aligning, centring, orientation detection or correction of the image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8583 by creating hot-spots

Abstract

Method and apparatus for associating the color of an object with an event preferably provides linked information for the object in any one of a plurality of succeeding video frames based only on the color value of the object. Preferably, at least one computer is coupled to a GUI and to a pointing structure, and is configured to: (i) identify coordinates of the object in a first video frame where the pointing structure has pointed; (ii) determine the color values of the identified object; (iii) store the color values of the identified object; (iv) detect an action of the object being selected in any one of the plurality of succeeding video frames; (v) determine the color values of the selected object; (vi) determine whether the selected object color values correspond to the stored color values; and (vii) automatically provide the linked information to the GUI only when the color values correspond.

Claims

1. A method for automatically identifying an object in a plurality of video frames and associating the object with a link action, comprising:

determining a location in one of said video frames where an action by a pointing device on the object has occurred;

determining a color value of the determined location on the object; and

automatically associating a link action with said color value of said determined location on the object in said one video frame, and automatically associating said link action with said color value on the object in succeeding video frames.

2. A method for automatically identifying an object in a plurality of video frames and associating the object with a URL, comprising:

determining the x-y coordinates of the object in a video frame that is selected by a pointing device;

determining a color value range for the determined object; and

automatically associating a URL with said color value range of said determined object in said one video frame, and automatically associating the URL with said color value range of said determined object in succeeding video frames.

3. A method for automatically identifying an object in a plurality of video frames and associating the object with an link decision, comprising:

determining the coordinates of an object in one of said video frames selected by a pointing device;

determining a color value pattern for the selected object; and

automatically associating the link decision with said color value pattern of the selected object in said one video frame, and automatically associating the link decision with said color value pattern in succeeding video frames.

4. A method for providing linked information for an object in any one of a plurality of succeeding video frames based only on the color value of the object, comprising:

using a pointing device to identify coordinates of the object in a first video frame;

determining the color values of the identified object in the first video frame;

storing the color values of the identified object in the first video frame;

detecting an action of the object being selected in any one of the plurality of video frames succeeding the first video frame;

determining the color values of the selected object in the any one of the plurality of video frames succeeding the first video frame;

determining whether the determined color values correspond to the stored color values; and

automatically providing the linked information only when the determined color values correspond to the stored color values.

5. Apparatus for automatically identifying an object in a plurality of video frames and associating the object with a link action, comprising:

a graphical user interface (GUI);

user pointing structure; and

at least one computer coupled to the graphical user interface and to said user pointing structure, said at least one computer being configured to;

(i) determine a location in one of said video frames displayed on said GUI where said user pointing structure has identified the object;

(ii) determine a color value of the object in said one video frame displayed on said GUI;

(iii) automatically associate a link action with said color value of said determined location on the object in said one video frame; and

(iv) automatically associate said link action with said color value on the object in succeeding video frames.

6. Apparatus for automatically identifying an object in a plurality of video frames and associating the object with a URL, comprising:

a graphical user interface (GUI);

user pointing structure; and

at least one computer coupled to the graphical user interface and to said user pointing structure, said at least one computer being configured to;

(i) determine the x-y coordinates of the object in a video frame displayed on said GUI that is selected by said user pointing structure;

(ii) determine a color value range for the determined object;

(iii) automatically associate a URL with said color value range of said determined object in said one video frame; and

(iv) automatically associate the URL with said color value range of said determined object in succeeding video frames.

7. Apparatus for automatically identifying an object in a plurality of video frames and associating the object with an link decision, comprising:

a graphical user interface (GUI);

user pointing structure; and

at least one computer coupled to the graphical user interface and to said user pointing structure, said at least one computer being configured to;

(i) determine the coordinates of an object in one of said video frames displayed on said GUI selected by said user pointing structure;

(ii) determining a color value pattern for the selected object;

(iii) automatically associate the link decision with said color value pattern of the selected object in said one video frame; and

(iv) automatically associate the link decision with said color value pattern in succeeding video frames.

8. Apparatus for providing linked information for an object in any one of a plurality of succeeding video frames based only on the color value of the object, comprising:

a graphical user interface (GUI);

user pointing structure; and

at least one computer coupled to the graphical user interface and to said user pointing structure, said at least one computer being configured to;

(i) identify coordinates of the object in a first video frame displayed on said GUI where said pointing structure has pointed;

(ii) determine the color values of the identified object in the first video frame displayed on said GUI;

(iii) store the color values of the identified object in the first video frame displayed on said GUI;

(iv) detect an action of the object being selected by said pointing structure in any one of the plurality of video frames displayed on said GUI succeeding the first video frame;

(v) determine the color values of the selected object in the any one of the plurality of video frames succeeding the first video frame;

(vi) determine whether the determined color values correspond to the stored color values; and

(vii) automatically provide the linked information to said GUI only when the determined color values correspond to the stored color values.