Interleaved video system, method and apparatus
First Claim
1. A method of formatting a composite video signal for selectably displaying the fields of at least three displayable programs, the method of comprising the steps of:
- forming a first video signal for displaying a first field of a first one of the plurality of displayable programs;
forming a second video signal for displaying a second field of a second one of the plurality of displayable programs after said first video signal;
forming a third video signal for displaying a third field of a third one of the plurality of displayable programs after said second video signal;
forming a fourth video signal for displaying a subsequent field of one of the plurality of displayable programs after said third video signal; and
recurringly forming successive video signals for selectably displaying subsequent fields of said plurality of displayable programs.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved system, apparatus and method are disclosed for interleaving selected video fields of multiple displayable programs to facilitate viewer selection of which programs to display. Selected video fields are stored and continuously displayed until a new, successive video field is selected to update the currently stored video field. In this manner, a sequence of rapidly updated, fixed or frozen video fields provides the appearance of continuous movement of displayed images. Audio signals are included in the video fields of displayable programs to provide audio signals in synchronism with selected video fields. The sequence of interleaved video fields may be assembled in real time or stored as a video tape recording, and the information needed to re-assemble correlated video fields of a selector displayable program from the sequence of interleaved video fields is included in the horizontal scans or traces of each video field in the sequence.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of formatting a composite video signal for selectably displaying the fields of at least three displayable programs, the method of comprising the steps of:
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forming a first video signal for displaying a first field of a first one of the plurality of displayable programs; forming a second video signal for displaying a second field of a second one of the plurality of displayable programs after said first video signal; forming a third video signal for displaying a third field of a third one of the plurality of displayable programs after said second video signal; forming a fourth video signal for displaying a subsequent field of one of the plurality of displayable programs after said third video signal; and recurringly forming successive video signals for selectably displaying subsequent fields of said plurality of displayable programs.
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2. A method of formatting a composite video signal for selectably displaying the fields of at least three displayable programs, the method comprising the steps of:
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forming a first video signal for displaying a first field of a first one of the plurality of displayable programs; forming a second video signal for displaying a second field of a second one of the plurality of displayable programs after said first video signal; forming a third video signal for displaying a subsequent field of said first displayable program after said second video signal; forming a fourth video signal for displaying a subsequent field of said second displayable program after said third video signal; forming a fifth video signal for displaying a third field of a third one of the plurality of displayable programs after said second video signal; interposing said fifth video signal after said second video signal and before said third video signal; forming a sixth video signal for displaying a subsequent field of said third program after said fourth video signal; interposing said sixth video signal after said fourth video signal, and recurringly forming successive video signals for displaying subsequent fields of said plurality of displayable programs. - View Dependent Claims (3)
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4. A method of formatting a composite video signal for selectably displaying the fields of at least three displayable programs, the method comprising the steps of:
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forming a first video signal for displaying a first field of a first one of the plurality of displayable programs; forming a second video signal for displaying a second field of a second one of the plurality of displayable programs after said first video signal; forming a third video signal for displaying a subsequent field of said first displayable program after said second video signal, said subsequent field appearing after an arbitrary number of successive fields of said first program; wherein in the step of forming a fourth video forming a fourth video signal for displaying a subsequent field of said second displayable program after said third video signal, said subsequent field appearing after an arbitrary number of successive fields of said second program; and recurringly forming successive video signals for displaying subsequent fields of said plurality of displayable programs.
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5. A method of formatting video signals for displaying successive fields of a plurality of displayable programs, the method comprising the steps of;
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assembling a plurality of horizontal traces of video information for selectably displaying successive fields of the plurality of displayable programs; and interposing audio signal information associated with each of the plurality of displayable programs on selected horizontal traces of said video information in successive fields of each of the displayable programs. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. The method of translating a succession of video signal information for displaying selectable video fields of different ones of a plurality of displayable programs, comprising the steps of;
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detecting selected video signal information in the succession thereof for displaying subsequent video fields of a selected one of the plurality of displayable programs; storing the detected video signal information for displaying one video field of the selected one program; and updating the stored video signal information with detected subsequent video signal information for displaying a subsequent video field of the selected one program. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. Apparatus for forming multi-program composite video display signal from the video display signals from at least three sources of displayable programs, the apparatus comprising;
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switch means having an output and having inputs coupled to receive the video signals from each of the sources for displaying subsequent fields of the individual displayable programs, said switch means being operable in at least three operating states for selecting in each operating state a video signal for displaying a field of the displayable program from one of said sources; and control means coupled to control the operating state of the switch means for altering the operating state thereof to couple said output to each of said inputs in selected succession to receive at each selected input the video signal for displaying one field of a displayable program from the source coupled to such selected input for producing at said output a composite video signal which includes a succession of interleaved selected video signals from separate ones of said sources, each such video signal for displaying one field of one displayable program. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. Apparatus for selectively displaying video images from a composite multi-program video signal including a sequence of video field information for displaying selectable video fields of a plurality of displayable programs, the apparatus comprising:
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means coupled to receive the composite video signal for segregating the selectable video fields associated with one of the plurality of displayable programs; buffer means coupled to receive the segregated video fields to store video field information for displaying a selected video field; signalling means coupled to the buffer means for producing a video output therefrom capable of continuously displaying a selected video field of a selected one of the plurality of displayable programs; and circuit means coupled to the buffer means for successively and selectively storing therein successive segregated video field information associated with selected video fields of said selected one of the plurality of displayable programs. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. Apparatus for selectively displaying video images from a composite multi-program video signal including a sequence of video field information for displaying selectable video fields of a plurality of displayable programs, wherein the video field information in the sequence includes horizontal trace signals and audio information on the horizontal trace signals, the apparatus comprising:
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means coupled to receive the composite video signal for segregating the selectable video fields associated with one of the plurality of displayable programs; buffer means coupled to receive the segregated video fields to store video field information for displaying a selected video field; signalling means coupled to the buffer means for producing a video output therefrom capable of continuously displaying a selected video field of a selected one of the plurality of displayable programs; circuit means coupled to the buffer means for successively and selectively storing therein successive segregated video field information associated with selected video fields of said selected one of the plurality of displayable programs; and detector means responsive to audio information on the horizontal trace signals for producing an audio output associated with the selected video fields of the selected displayable program. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. Apparatus for producing a composite video signal for displaying successive fields of a displayable program, the apparatus comprising;
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means producing a plurality of horizontal traces of video field information including white video reference pulse following a horizontal synchronizing pulse for displaying successive video fields of the displayable program; and circuit means coupled to said means for interposing audio signal information within sample intervals immediately following the white video reference pulse on selected horizontal traces of said video field information in successive video fields of the displayable program. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification