OVERLAID IMAGES ON TV

• US 20090262135A1
• Filed: 04/18/2008
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: HUSTON, JAMES, NISHIKAWA, YUKO, SUBHERWAL, MONISH, SALISBURY, JOHN
• Granted Patent: US 8,144,251 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits

Abstract

An ambient, beautiful, entertaining visual experience that can be displayed on a TV requiring little or no user interaction beyond initiation. Multiple image layers that may be still or moving video, photos, etc, or a combination thereof can be overlaid on each other.

Claims

1. A TV system, comprising:

a TV display; and

a processor receiving a user signal to enter a special mode in which a first semi-transparent image layer is superimposed onto a solid base image layer and both layers are presented simultaneously on the TV display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a second semi-transparent image layer is overlaid onto the first semi-transparent image layer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first semi-transparent image layer is characterized by an alpha blend.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the alpha blend is dynamic such that the transparency of the first semi-transparent image layer changes over time.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the alpha blend depends on at least one attribute of the base layer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one image layer includes a photographic image.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one image layer includes a still video image.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one image layer includes a moving video image.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one image layer includes an image received from a non-TV input of the TV.

10. A TV system, comprising:

a TV display;

a TV tuner; and

a processor simultaneously presenting on the TV display a solid base image layer and superimposed on the solid base image layer at least a first semi- transparent image layer with an alpha blend established to achieve semi-transparency, such that both the solid base image layer and first semi-transparent image layer are simultaneously visible.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein a second semi-transparent image layer is overlaid onto the first semi-transparent image layer.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the alpha blend is dynamic such that the transparency of the first semi-transparent image layer changes over time.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one image layer includes a photographic image.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one image layer includes a still video image.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one image layer includes a moving video image.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one image layer includes an image received from a non-TV input of the TV.

17. A method, comprising:

establishing a solid base image layer on a TV display using one of;

TV signal input, digital photograph input, video disk input;

superimposing over the solid base image layer such that at least a portion of the laser image layer remains visible a semi-transparent image layer, where

the semi-transparent image layer is derived from a video stream and/or a photograph.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising alpha blending the semi-transparent image layer with the base layer to achieve a semi-transparency of the semi-transparent image layer.