Method and system for providing object information within frames of moving image data

• US 6,573,908 B1
• Filed: 04/07/2000
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Korea Firstec Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Korea Firstec Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jang, Young Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECKER, SHAWN M
• Application Number:
  US09/545,790
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 345/716, 345/719, 345/723, 345/724, 345/726, 725/61, 725/136, 725/60, 705/26, 705/27, 707/501.1
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations

Abstract

In a method for editing moving image data (MID) and providing object information (OI) based on the MID for use in an OI system, the system includes a server, user interfaces (UIs) and a communication network connecting the UIs to the server. The method comprises the steps of: (a) compressing the MID having frames, thereby supplying compressed moving image frames (CMIFs); (b) storing the CMIFs; (c) extracting frames from the CMIF, thereby obtaining extracted frames (EFs) and location information (LI) thereof; (d) inserting one or more events at corresponding predetermined positions in each of the EFs to thereby supply modified frames (MFs), wherein each event is an image of predetermined shape indicating a corresponding object in each of the MFs; (e) storing the MFs; (f) at the server'"'"'s end, offering an initial information page (IIP) to a user through a corresponding UI; (g) at the user'"'"'s end, based on the IIP, choosing a desired program (DP) having the CMIF through the corresponding UI; (h) at the server'"'"'s end, providing the DP the user; and (i) at the server'"'"'s end, when the user selects a desired frame among frames of the CMIFs, supplying one or more matched MFs corresponding to the selected desired frame based on the LI thereof, wherein the matched MF is a closest MF in view of sequence of the CMIFs.

Claims

1. A method for editing moving image data and providing object information based on the moving image data for use in an object information providing system, the system including a server, a plurality of user interfaces and a communication network connecting the user interfaces to the server, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) compressing the moving image data having a plurality of frames, thereby supplying compressed moving image frames;

(b) storing the compressed moving image frames;

(c) extracting frames from the compressed moving image frames in a preset extraction ratio by employing a predetermined technique, thereby obtaining extracted frames and location information thereof within the compressed moving image frames;

(d) inserting one or more events at corresponding predetermined positions in each of the extracted frames to thereby supply modified frames, wherein each event is an image of predetermined shape indicating a corresponding object in each of the modified frames;

(e) storing the modified frames;

(f) at the server'"'"'s end, offering an initial information page to a user through a corresponding user interface;

(g) at the user'"'"'s end, based on the initial information page, choosing a desired program having the compressed moving image frames through the corresponding user interface;

(h) at the server'"'"'s end, providing the desired program to the user; and

(i) at the server'"'"'s end, when the user selects a desired frame among the compressed moving image frames, supplying a matched modified frame corresponding to the selected desired frame based on the location information thereof, wherein the matched modified frame is a closest modified frame to the desired frame.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(j) at the server'"'"'s end, when the user selects a desired event in the matched modified frame, providing corresponding object information of the desired event to the user, wherein the object information is previously stored in an object information database of the system.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said object information includes product and vendor related information for the object.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said communication network is an internet.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the user interfaces are personal computers, respectively.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said communication network is a broadcast transmission network.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the user interfaces are wireless mobile phones, respectively.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the user interfaces are digital TV'"'"'s, respectively.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein said all the steps (f) to (j) are performed in real-time.

10. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of:

(k) at the server'"'"'s end, when the user selects the desired event in the matched modified frames, connecting the corresponding user interface to a corresponding shopping-mall site over the internet.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step (i) includes the steps of:

(i1) at the server'"'"'s end, when the user selects the desired frame among the compressed moving image frames, searching for a closest modified frame to the desired frame; and

(i2) supplying the closest modified frame as the matched modified frame corresponding to the desired frame based on the location information thereof.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step (c) includes the steps of:

(c1) searching for candidate extracting frames in a preset extraction ratio from the compressed moving image frames;

(c2) estimating a degree of similarity between adjacent candidate extracting frames by employing a motion estimation technique; and

(c3) selecting, based on the result of the estimated degree of similarity obtained, the extracting frames among the candidate extracting frames, thereby obtaining the extracted frames and the location information thereof within the compressed moving image frames, wherein the extracted frames are the candidate extracting frames in which the similarity obtained is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein an object of said object information represents a corresponding product or item in a corresponding modified frame appearing as a predetermined shape or image viewed on a screen of the corresponding user interface.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein in said step (i), previous and following modified frames of the matched modified frame are further supplied.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein in said step (c), the preset extraction ratio is expressed as F1/F2, wherein F1 and F2 represent the number of frames in the original compressed moving image frames and the number of the extracted frames, respectively.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein in said step (c), the predetermined technique is a decimation technique.