Streaming content associated with a portion of a TV screen to a companion device

• US 6,940,558 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2001
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Lu, Jin, Freeman, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US10/011,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20030107677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 348/553, 348565-568, 348/576, 348/561, 348/552, 348/734, 348/559, 725/133, 725/141, 725/153, 715/723
• US Class Current: 348/553
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4183 providing its own processing capabilities, e.g. external module for video decoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4728 for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI], e.g. for requesting a higher resolution version of a selected region

Abstract

A television system allows extraction of a sub-image and streaming of the sub-image contents to an external device during a sequence of successive screen refresh intervals.

Claims

1. A television system comprising:

an image memory comprising addressable pixel storage locations;

a display for displaying pixels from the pixel storage locations;

an input for receiving positional signals related to the display;

a processing unit adapted to perform the following operations;

defining a sub image section of the image memory, responsive to the positional signals; and

reading a multiplicity of successive contents from the sub image section, during a respective multiplicity of successive screen refresh intervals;

an output device for streaming the multiplicity of successive contents to an external device; and

a remote controller for selecting a first point on said display by activation of a key and selecting a second point on said display by deactivation said key, said first and second points defining said sub image section.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the defining operation comprises

interpreting the positional signals to specify first and second points within the image memory;

and

identifying a portion of the image memory corresponding to the first and second points.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the output device comprises a network card.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising

a remote control device for supplying the positional signals;

and

a second display device adapted to receive and display the streamed multiplicity of successive contents.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising

a remote control device for supplying the positional signals;

and

an external memory device adapted to receive and store the streamed multiplicity of successive contents.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the images are included on a television signal broadcast from a signal source.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the images are received from a broadcast signal source.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the broadcast signal source includes a television broadcasting station.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said first and second points define one of diagonally opposite corners of a rectangle that defines said sub image section and end points of a diameter of a circle that defines said sub image section.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said multiplicity of successive contents from the sub image section continue to be streamed to said external device until new positional signals are received by said input.

6. A method of image processing comprising, executing the following operations in a television set:

displaying at least one displayed image;

receiving image location specification signals related to the displayed image;

recognizing a sub-image of the displayed image;

streaming contents of the sub-image to an external device during a multiplicity of successive screen refresh intervals;

activating a key of a remote controller to select a first point on a display of said television set that displays said displayed image; and

deactivation said key to select a second point on said display, said first and second points defining said sub-image.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one displayed image is included on a television signal broadcast from a signal source.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one displayed image is received from a broadcast signal source.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the broadcast signal source includes a television broadcasting station.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein said first and second points define one of diagonally opposite corners or a rectangle that defines said sub-image and end points of a diameter of a circle that defines said sub-image.

16. A method of image processing comprising:

displaying at least one displayed image on a display;

receiving image location specification signals related to the displayed image;

recognizing a sub-image of the displayed image;

streaming contents of the sub-image to an external device during a multiplicity of successive screen refresh intervals;

wherein said recognizing operation includes receiving positional signals from a remote controller to define a sub-image section of said display for displaying said sub-image.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said contents of the sub-image continue to be streamed to said external device until new positional signals are received by said remote controller.

18. An image processing system comprising:

means for displaying at least one displayed image on a display;

means for receiving image location specification signals related to the displayed image;

means for recognizing a sub-image of the displayed image; and

means for streaming contents of the sub-image to an external device during a multiplicity of successive screen refresh intervals;

wherein said recognizing operation includes receiving positional signals from a remote controller to define a sub-image section of said display for displaying said sub-image.