Method and apparatus for encoding video hyperlinks

• US 6,944,228 B1
• Filed: 10/26/2000
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MK Systems USA Inc.
• Original Assignee: GoldPocket Interactive, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Dakss, Jon, Bove, V. Michael Jr., Katcher, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): REKSTAD, ERICK J
• Application Number:
  US09/697,483
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: 382/232, 382/233, 382/239, 382/244, 382/245, 382/123, 375/240.23, 375/249, 375/240.08, 375/240.04
• US Class Current: 375/240.24
• 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 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/64 Systems for the transmission or the storage of the colour picture signal; Details therefor, e.g. coding or decoding means therefor H04N19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/93 Run-length coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4725 using interactive regions of the image, e.g. hot spots details of information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8583 by creating hot-spots
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A system and method of adding hyperlinked information to a television broadcast. The broadcast material is analyzed and one or more regions within a frame are identified. Additional information can be associated with a region, and can be transmitted in encoded form, using timing information to identify the frame with which the information is associated. The system comprising a video source and an encoder that produces a transport stream in communication with the video source, an annotation source, a data packet stream generator that produces encoded annotation data packets in communication with the annotation source and the encoder, and a multiplexer system in communication with the encoder and the data packet stream generator. The encoder provides timestamp information to the data packet stream generator and the data packet stream generator synchronizes annotation data from the annotation source with a video signal from the video source in response to the timestamp information. The multiplexer generates a digital broadcast signal that includes an augmented transport stream from the transport stream and the encoded data packets. A receiver displays the annotation information associated with the video signal in response to a viewer request on a frame by frame basis. A viewer can respond interactively to the material, including performing commercial transactions, by using a backchannel that is provided for interactive communication.

Claims

1. A method of encoding at least a portion of an image, comprising the steps of:

(a) defining a region of an image having pixels at locations identifiable by two non-collinear axes, each pixel having an appearance;

(b) analyzing axis-wise said pixels to determine sequences of pixels having substantially identical appearance;

(c) comparing a sequence of pixels occurring along a first axis-wise traverse with a sequence of pixels occurring along a successive axis-wise traverse;

(d) in the event that said comparison discloses two or more successive traverses having an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression, recording a number corresponding to the number of such successive traverses, recording for said first traverse a series of ordered pairs comprising a first value representing the appearance and a second value representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance, and recording for each successive traverse a series of values corresponding to said second value of each ordered pair;

(e) in the event that said comparison fails to disclose two or more successive traverses having an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression, recording the number one and recording for said traverse a series of ordered pairs comprising a first value representing the appearance and a second value representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance; and

(f) repeating steps (c), (d) and (e) until said pixels of said region are completely encoded,

wherein the recording of each successive traverse includes recording the series of values corresponding to said second value of each ordered pair without recording the first value representing the appearance.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said axis-wise traverse comprises traversing a selected one of a row and a column.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein two successive traverses are determined to have an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression even when a first second value associated with a particular appearance in a first traverse is different from a second value associated with an identical appearance in a corresponding second traverse.

4. A method of decoding an image encoded according to the method of claim 1, the method of decoding comprising the steps of:

(a) reading from a memory a location of a region within an image, said region defined by one or more pixels at locations identifiable by two non-collinear axes, each pixel having an appearance;

(b) reading from said memory a number corresponding to the number of successive traverses along one of said two non-collinear axes, said traverses having an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression;

(c) reading a series of ordered pairs comprising a first value representing an appearance and a second value representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance

(d) rendering pixels along said traverse according to said series of ordered pairs;

(e) in the event that said number read in step (b) is greater than one, repeating a number of times equal to said number read in step (b) reduced by one the steps of;

(1) reading from memory a series of values corresponding to said second value of each ordered pair read in step (c); and

(2) for each such value read in step (e) (1), rendering a sequences of pixels corresponding to said second value, each pixel having an appearance corresponding to said first value of said ordered pair read in step (c); and

(f) repeating steps (b) through (e) until said pixels of said region are completely rendered.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said axis-wise traverse comprises traversing a selected one of a row and a column.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein rendering a pixel comprises displaying said pixel using at least one of a color, a brightness, a blinking, a flashing, and a display mode.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of recording on a computer-readable medium a representation of said rendering of pixels in said region.

8. A method of encoding at least a portion of an image, comprising the steps of:

(a) defining a region of an image having pixels at locations identifiable by two non-collinear axes, each pixel having an appearance;

(b) defining pixels in said image that represent a background, said background having a characteristic background appearance;

(d) comparing a sequence of pixels occurring along a first axis-wise traverse with a sequence of pixels occurring along a successive axis-wise traverse;

(e) in the event that said comparison discloses two or more successive traverses having an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression;

(i) recording a number N corresponding to the number of such successive traverses;

(ii) for the first of such successive traverses, recording for each sequence of pixels having a distinct appearance different from said characteristic background appearance an ordered triple comprising a first value representing said appearance, a second value representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance, and a third value representing an offset defining a starting position of said two or more successive pixels with respect to a pixel at a known position;

(iii) for the following of said N minus one traverses, recording for each sequence of pixels having a distinct appearance different from said characteristic background appearance an ordered double comprising a first quantity representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance indicated by the first value of the ordered triple recorded for the corresponding sequence of pixels in the first traverse, and a second quantity representing an offset defining a starting position of said two or more successive pixels with respect to a pixel at a known position;

(f) in the event that said comparison fails to discloses two or more successive traverses having an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression, recording the number one and recording for said traverse a series of ordered triples comprising a first value representing an appearance different from said characteristic background appearance, a second value representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance, and a third value representing an offset defining a starting position of said two or more successive pixels with respect to a pixel at a known position; and

(g) repeating steps (c), (d), (e) and (f) until said pixels of said region having an appearance different from said characteristic background appearance are completely encoded.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein defining two non-collinear axes comprises defining a row and a column.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein analyzing a pixel to determine an appearance comprises analyzing for at least one of a color, a brightness, and a display mode.

11. A method of decoding at least a portion of an image encoded according to the method of claim 8, the method of decoding comprising the steps of:

(a) defining a region of an image having pixels at locations identifiable by two non-collinear axes, each pixel having an appearance;

(b) defining a characteristic background appearance;

(c) reading from a record a number N corresponding to a number of successive traverses having an identical number of distinct appearances in an identical progression;

(d) if the number N is one;

(1) reading for said traverse a series of ordered triples comprising a first value representing an appearance different from said characteristic background appearance, a second value representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance, and a third value representing an offset defining a starting position of said two or more successive pixels with respect to a pixel at a known position; and

(2) for each ordered triple, rendering with said appearance said number of successive pixels having said appearance beginning at said starting position with respect to a pixel at a known position;

(e) if the number N is greater than one, for the first traverse, performing steps (d)(1) and (d)(2), and for each traverse of the further N minus one traverses;

(1) reading for each traverse a series of ordered doubles comprising a first quantity representing the number of successive pixels having said appearance indicated by the first value of the ordered triple recorded for the corresponding sequence of pixels in the first traverse, and a second quantity representing an offset defining a starting position of said two or more successive pixels with respect to a pixel at a known position; and

(2) for each ordered double, rendering with said appearance said number of successive pixels having said appearance beginning at said starting position with respect to a pixel at a known position;

(f) repeating steps (c), (d) and (e) until said pixels of said region having an appearance different from said characteristic background appearance are completely encoded; and

(g) for any pixel in said region of said image that has not been rendered in steps (d), (e) and (f), rendering said pixel using a characteristic background appearance.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein defining two non-collinear axes comprises defining a row and a column.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein rendering a pixel comprises displaying said pixel using at least one of a color, a brightness, a blinking, a flashing, and a display mode.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of recording on a computer-readable medium a representation of said rendering of pixels in said region.