OPTIMIZED IMAGE DELIVERY OVER LIMITED BANDWIDTH COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

• US 20180084083A1
• Filed: 08/29/2017
• Published: 03/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bradium Technologies LLC (General Patent Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bradium Technologies LLC (General Patent Corporation)
• Inventors: Levanon, Isaac, Lavi, Yonatan
• Granted Patent: US 10,367,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10032 Satellite or aerial image; Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4092 Image resolution transcoding, e.g. by using client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/02 Handling of images in compressed format, e.g. JPEG, MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2350/00 Solving problems of bandwidth in display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/02 Networking aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• 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: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Large-scale images are retrieved over network communications channels for display on a client device by selecting an update image parcel relative to an operator controlled image viewpoint to display via the client device. A request is prepared for the update image parcel and associated with a request queue for subsequent issuance over a communications channel. The update image parcel is received from the communications channel and displayed as a discrete portion of the predetermined image. The update image parcel optimally has a fixed pixel array size, is received in a single and or plurality of network data packets, and were the fixed pixel array may be constrained to a resolution less than or equal to the resolution of the client device display.

Claims

1. A method of retrieving large-scale images over network communications channels for display on an internet-capable digital phone, the method comprising:

issuing a first request for a first update data parcel from the internet-capable digital phone to a remote computer, wherein the first update data parcel is selected based on an operator controlled image viewpoint on the internet-capable digital phone relative to a predetermined image and the first update data parcel contains data that is used to generate a display on the internet-capable digital phone;

processing source image data of the predetermined image to obtain a series K_1-N of derivative image data parcels of progressively lower detail level, wherein series data parcel K₀ of the series is subdivided into a regular array wherein each resulting image data parcel of the regular array has a predetermined detail level and detail levels of sequential image data parcels of the regular array are related by a factor of two such that each image data parcel of the regular array is of a fixed byte size, and wherein the regular array comprises the first update data parcel and a second update data parcel, the step of processing being performed on the remote computer;

receiving the first update data parcel from the remote computer over the network communications channels, the step of receiving the first update data parcel being performed by the internet-capable digital phone, the first update data parcel being sent by the remote computer in response to the first request;

storing the first update data parcel received by the internet-capable digital phone in a local store at the internet-capable digital phone, the local store being configured as an embedded server; and

displaying on the internet-capable digital phone at least part of the predetermined image using the first update data parcel received by the internet-capable digital phone, wherein the first update data parcel uniquely forms a discrete portion of the predetermined image;

issuing a second request for the second update data parcel from the internet-capable digital phone to the remote computer; and

receiving the second update data parcel from the remote computer over the network communications channel, the step of receiving the second update data parcel being performed by the internet-capable digital phone, the second update data parcel being sent by the remote computer in response to the second request;

wherein the steps of receiving the first update data parcel and receiving the second update data parcel are performed at least in part concurrently; and

wherein number of concurrently pending requests for data parcels for display on the internet-capable digital phone is limited to a predetermined number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the internet-capable digital phone issues requests for data parcels according to assigned priority values of the requests for data parcels, the assigned priority values being based on image detail level of data parcels corresponding to the requests for data parcels.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of processing the source image data is performed in real-time on-demand based on the first request.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising streaming the first update data parcel over the network communications channels from the remote computer to the internet-capable digital phone.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of storing the first update data parcel received by the internet-capable digital phone is performed so that size of the first update data parcel on the remote computer is different from size of the first update data parcel stored in the local store of the internet-capable digital phone.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of processing the source image data comprises queuing the image data parcels of the regular array on the remote computer based on importance of the image data parcels of the regular array as determined by the remote computer.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of processing comprises compressing each image data parcel of the regular array, and storing the image data parcels of the regular array on the remote computer in a file of defined configuration such that any image data parcel of the regular array can be located by specification of K_D, X, and Y values that represent a data set resolution index and image array coordinates.

8. An internet-capable digital phone for displaying large-scale images retrieved over a limited bandwidth communications channel, the internet-capable digital phone comprising:

a display of defined screen resolution for displaying a defined image;

a memory configured to store a plurality of image data parcels displayable over respective portions of a mesh corresponding to the defined image;

a communications channel interface supporting retrieval of a first defined data parcel of the defined image and a second defined data parcel of the defined image over the limited bandwidth communications channel;

a processor coupled to the display, the memory, and the communications channel interface, the processor being configured to select the first defined data parcel, retrieve the first defined data parcel via the communications channel interface, store the first defined data parcel retrieved via the communications channel interface in the memory, render the first defined data parcel over a discrete portion of the mesh to provide for resolution enhancement of the defined image on the display, and retrieve the second defined data parcel; and

a local store configured as an embedded server, the local store being further configured to store at least some data parcels of the defined image;

wherein the internet-capable digital phone is coupled over the limited bandwidth communications channel to a remote computer, the remote computer being configured to perform processing of source image data of a predetermined image to obtain a series K_1-N of derivative images of progressively lower detail level, wherein the processing of the source image data comprises subdividing image K₀ of the series into a regular array of data parcels, the regular array of data parcels comprising the first defined data parcel and the second defined data parcel;

wherein retrieval of the first defined data parcel and retrieval of the second defined data parcel by the processor occur at least in part concurrently, thereby enabling efficient use of network bandwidth in conditions of network latency; and

wherein number of concurrently pending retrievals of data parcels by the processor from the remote computer for the display is limited to a predetermined number.

9. The internet-capable digital phone of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to issue requests for data parcels according to assigned priority values of the requests for data parcels, the assigned priority values being based on image detail level of data parcels corresponding to the requests for data parcels.

10. The internet-capable digital phone of claim 8, wherein the processing of the source image data is performed in real-time on-demand based on a request for the first defined data parcel.

11. The internet-capable digital phone of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to receive the first defined data parcel that is streamed over the communications channel from the remote computer to the internet-capable digital phone.

12. The internet-capable digital phone of claim 8, wherein size of the first defined data parcel on the remote computer is different from size of the first defined data parcel stored in the local store of the internet-capable digital phone.

13. The internet-capable digital phone of claim 8, wherein the processing of the source image data further comprises queuing the data parcels of the regular array on the remote computer based on importance of the data parcels of the regular array as determined by the remote computer.

14. The internet-capable digital phone of claim 8, wherein the processing of the source image data further comprises compressing each data parcel of the regular array and storing said each data parcel of the regular array on the remote computer in a file of defined configuration such that any data parcel of the regular array can be located by specification of a K_D, X, Y values that represent the data set resolution index and corresponding image array coordinates.

15. A remote computer for delivering large-scale images over limited bandwidth network communications channel for display on an internet-capable digital phone that has a display of defined screen resolution for displaying a defined image, a memory operative to store a plurality of image parcels displayable over respective portions of a mesh corresponding to the defined image, a communications channel interface supporting retrieval of a defined data parcel over the limited bandwidth network communications channel, and a processor coupled to the display, to the memory, and to the communications channel interface, the processor being operative to select the defined data parcel, retrieve the defined data parcel from the remote computer via the communications channel interface for storage in the memory, and render the defined data parcel over a discrete portion of the mesh to provide for a progressive resolution enhancement of the defined image on the display, the remote computer comprising:

a parcel processing unit that processes source image data and delivers the defined data parcel to the internet-capable digital phone; and

a parcel processing control coupled to the parcel processing unit, the parcel processing control operative to process the source image data to obtain a series K_1-N of derivative images of progressively lower detail level and wherein series image K₀ is subdivided into a regular array.

16. The remote computer of claim 15, wherein processing of the source image data by at least one of the parcel processing unit and the parcel processing control comprises processing the source image data in real-time on-demand based on a request for an updated data parcel.

17. The remote computer of claim 16, wherein the remote computer is configured to deliver the update data parcel to the internet-capable digital phone by streaming the update data parcel over the limited bandwidth network communications channel to the internet-capable digital phone.

18. The remote computer of claim 15, wherein the internet-capable digital phone is a cellular phone.

19. The remote computer of claim 15, wherein size of the defined data parcel on the remote computer is different from size of the defined data parcel on the internet-capable digital phone.

20. The remote computer of claim 15, wherein processing of the source image data by at least one of the parcel processing unit and the parcel processing control comprises queuing data parcels of the regular array on the remote computer based on importance of the data parcels of the regular array as determined by the remote computer.

21. The remote computer of claim 15, wherein processing of the source image data by at least one of the parcel processing unit and the parcel processing control comprises compressing each data parcel of the regular array and storing said each data parcel of the regular array on the remote computer in a file of defined configuration such that said each data parcel of the regular array can be located by specification of data set resolution index and corresponding image array coordinates of said each data parcel.