APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PREPARING, STORING, TRANSMITTING AND DISPLAYING IMAGES

• US 20130069998A1
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fergason Patent Properties
• Original Assignee: Fergason Patent Properties
• Inventors: Fergason, James L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,847,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0673 for control of gamma adjustment, e.g. selecting another gamma curve
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

An imaging and display apparatus for passive displays evaluates the illumination of an input scene and incorporates data representative of such input scene within a transfer media. The transfer media may be a storage medium storing image data, illumination data and gamma information for delivery to a passive display system. The data controls the optical characteristics of the illumination source for the passive display and the gamma and tends to minimize energy requirements, to maximize contrast or shades of gray in the displayed image, and to optimize light source operation for color fidelity. The data provided the media and/or display as a video signal, modulated video signal, s-video signal, digital signal, or other signal that can be used by a passive display system to display images.

Claims

1-48. -48. (canceled)

49. A storage medium, comprising:

a material able to retain data representative of images,

image data stored in the material, said image data representative of respective images,

brightness control data stored in the material, the brightness control data being representative of brightness of respective images, and

wherein the storage locations at which the brightness control data is stored is different from the storage locations at which the image data is stored.

50. The storage medium of claim 49, the image data representing light transmission of respective pixels of an image provided by the effect of a light modulating display modulating incident light to the light modulating display, and said brightness data being stored in the material at a place that does not represent light transmission of a respective pixel.

51. The storage medium of claim 49, the brightness control data being multiplexed with respect to the image data.

52. A method of data storage for a sequence of images, the method comprising:

storing in a storage medium image data representative of a sequence of images,

storing at a different location in the storage medium brightness control data representative of brightness of respective images.

53. The method of claim 52, the storing brightness control data comprising storing brightness data representative of a number of images.

54. The method of claim 53, the storing brightness control data comprising storing for one image brightness information representative of brightness of a number of images.

55. The method of claim 52, the storing steps comprising storing data in a DVD, CD, tape or memory device.

56. The method of claim 52, the storing brightness control data comprising storing brightness information including gamma correction.

57. The method of claim 52, the storing brightness control data comprising storing brightness information representative of brightness of one image based on brightness of a number of images.

58. A method of storing image data, comprising

storing in a storage medium image information representing respective images, and

storing image brightness control information in the storage medium at a separate location from the location at which image information is stored.

59. The method of claim 58, the storing image brightness control information comprising multiplexing the image brightness information with the image information, said multiplexing comprising storing brightness control information and storing image information in time sequence relation in the storage medium.

60. The method of claim 58, the storing image brightness control information comprising storing for at least one image, image brightness representative of image brightness of a number of images.

61. For use with a passive display operable to be illuminated by light from a light source to provide images, a transfer medium providing separately encoded image data representing respective images of an input scene and separately encoded illumination control data representative of an evaluation of the illumination of an input scene to control optical characteristics of such a light source.

62. The transfer medium of claim 61, wherein the image data includes information indicating light transmitting or reflecting characteristics of respective pixels of an image formed by a passive display.

63. The transfer medium of claim 62, wherein the image data for every pixel does not require brightness information, whereby the brightness information of a scene is substantially exclusively provided by the brightness control data.

64. The transfer medium of claim 63, the transfer medium comprising at least one of (a) a signal storage medium or (b) one of dvd, cd, tape, hard drive, electronic memory, optical memory, or magnetic memory.

65. For use with a passive display operable to be illuminated by light from a light source to provide images, a transfer medium providing separately encoded image data representing respective images of an input scene and separately encoded gamma data representative of an evaluation of the illumination and/or colors of an input scene to control optical characteristics of such a light source.

66. A storage medium, comprising:

a material able to retain data representative of images,

separately encoded image data stored in the material, said separately encoded image data representative of respective images, and

separately encoded brightness control data stored in the material, said brightness control data representative of brightness of respective images.

67. A storage medium, comprising:

a material able to retain data representative of images;

separately encoded image data stored in the material, the image data representative of respective images; and

separately encoded display control data stored in the material, the display control data comprising illumination control data for use in controlling optical characteristics of incident light to a display and image control data for controlling processing of the image data in the display to control characteristics of displayed images.

68. A storage medium, comprising:

a material configured to retain data representative of images;

separately encoded image data stored in the material, the image data representative of respective images; and

separately encoded display control data stored in the material, the display control data controlling optical characteristics of incident light to a display and controlling optical characteristics of displayed images.