Apparatus and method for non-sequential image data transmission and display

• US 6,292,837 B1
• Filed: 10/30/1998
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Daniel Miller, David M. Silver, Gerry Rossi, Michael Stenzler, Neil Radisch
• Inventors: Miller, Daniel, Silver, David, Rossi, Gerry, Stenzler, Michael, Radisch, Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Application Number:
  US09/182,996
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/231, 709/232, 709/236, 345/121, 345/126, 345/149, 345/157, 345/302, 345/145, 345/328, 345/341, 345/501, 345/974, 707/526, 370/506
• US Class Current: 709/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An apparatus and method for image display and transmission, including display and transmission of data over the Internet. Image transmission is effected by non-sequential streaming of sequential images or of multiple views of a scene or object. The present invention sends image frames from server to browser out of order. Wherever the cursor is positioned, the browser displays the nearest frame which is received from the server. The viewer, therefore, is able to see more sides of the image without waiting for the entire image to be transmitted.

Claims

1. A method for transmission of image data over telecommunications lines, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing image data, said image data comprising a sequential stream of image frames;

(b) selecting a first image frame out of said sequential stream of image frames;

(c) selecting further image frames from said sequential stream of image frames to form a non-sequential stream of image frames for transmission to a viewer, wherein the majority of the image frames transmitted in said non-sequential stream of image frames are non-sequential to the previously transmitted image;

(d) transmitting said non-sequential stream of image frames over telecommunications lines;

(e) selecting a proximal image from said non-sequential stream of image frames transmitted to the user, said proximal image being the image nearest to a frame position selected by the viewer, and

(f) displaying said proximal image on a viewer'"'"'s terminal.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-sequential stream of image frames comprises at least 5 frames.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-sequential stream of image frames comprises at least 10 frames.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-sequential stream of image frames comprises at least 20 frames.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-sequential stream of image frames comprises at least 50 frames.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-sequential stream of image frames comprises at least 100 frames.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-sequential stream of image frames comprises at least 1000 frames.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-sequential stream of image frames comprises at least 10,000 frames.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said non-sequential stream of image frames is transmitted through a low bandwidth medium.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first image frame to be transmitted of said non-sequential stream of image frames is the first image frame in said sequential stream of image frames.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second image frame to be transmitted of said non-sequential stream of image frames is the last image frame in said sequential stream of image frames.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sequential stream of image frames corresponds to a sequential series of views of a three dimensional object.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sequential stream of image frames corresponds to a sequence of video.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said telecommunications lines are telephone lines, and wherein said image data is transmitted to a viewer over the Internet.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sequential stream of image frames is divided into slices, each of said slices being a subset of said sequential stream of image frames, and further comprising the step of transmitting a frame from each of said slices in said non-sequential stream of image frames before transmitting a second frame from any of said slices.

16. An apparatus for transmission and display of an image, presented as a sequential stream of image frames, transmitted through a low bandwidth medium, comprising:

(a) means for non-sequentially selecting a series of images frame out of a sequential stream of image frames,

(b) means for transmitting said non-sequentially selected image frames to the viewer;

(c) means for locating one of said non-sequentially selected and transmitted images frames nearest to a frame position selected by the viewer; and

,

(d) means for displaying said one located frame on the viewer'"'"'s terminal.

17. A method for transmission and display of an image, presented as a sequential stream of image frames, transmitted through a low bandwidth medium, comprising the steps of:

(a) non-sequentially selecting a series of images frame out of a sequential stream of image frames,

(b) transmitting said non-sequentially selected image frames to the viewer;

(c) locating one of said non-sequentially selected and transmitted images frames nearest to a frame position selected by the viewer; and

,

(d) displaying said one located frame on the viewer'"'"'s terminal.