Method and apparatus for associating the color of an object with an event

• US 7,773,093 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2002
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Creatier Interactive LLC
• Original Assignee: Creatier Interactive LLC
• Inventors: Geaga, Jorge, Bates, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Chauhan, Ulka
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chow, Jeffrey J
• Application Number:
  US10/219,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20050162439A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,917 Days
• Field of Search: 345/589, 382/103
• US Class Current: 345/589
• 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: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/24 Aligning, centring, orientation detection or correction of the image
• 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 21/4725 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 21/854 Content authoring
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for associating the color of an object with an event. In one or more embodiments, the invention takes a streaming or static media and associates an active, dynamic, or static object with an event by its given color. The event may be, for instance the retrieval of a document at a specified URL in a web browser or the retrieval of other information in non-web browser implementations. In one embodiment, the invention defines the color by its mathematical properties. For instance, one embodiment uses the RGB standard which separates the red, green, and blue properties of the color as numerical values. Another embodiment also uses the HSV characteristics of the color, which define hue, saturation, and value as components of color. Another embodiment uses both RGB and HSV characteristics.

Claims

1. A computerized method for making a URL link/no-link determination based on the color range of each of a plurality of color values corresponding to a designated object of interest in one or more succeeding video frames, comprising:

receiving a predetermined color range having a plurality of continuous color values;

associating a first URL with the predetermined color range;

designating the location of the object of interest in the one or more succeeding video frames, with a pointing device;

determining a color value of the designated location of the object of interest in the one or more succeeding video frames;

defining a color boundary for the object of interest by determining edges of plural pixels defining the object of interest, where the edges are not visible; and

linking to the first URL when the determined color is within the predetermined color range and within the defined color boundary, but not linking to the first URL when the determined color value is not within the predetermined color range and not within the defined color boundary.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating a second predetermined color range having a second plurality of continuous color values with a second URL; and

linking to the second URL when the determined color value is within the second predetermined color range.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined color value comprises a color range.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving step further comprises receiving a second predetermined color range having a plurality of continuous second color values;

wherein said associating step further comprises the step of associating the first URL with the second predetermined color range;

wherein said determining step further comprises determining a second color value of the designated location of the object of interest in the one or more succeeding video frames; and

wherein said linking step further comprises linking to the first URL when both (i) the determined color value is within the predetermined color range and (ii) the determined second color value is within the second predetermined color range, but not linking to the first URL when either (i) the determined color value is not within the predetermined color range or (ii) the determined second color value is not within the second predetermined color range.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determined color value comprises at least one of a RGB or HSV characteristic.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving information from the first URL.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the object of interest comprises an image residing in a web browser.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the object of interest comprises an image residing in a streaming media.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving a web page at a specified URL when said first URL is linked.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving a data track when said first URL is linked.

11. A non-transitory computer readable product, comprising:

computer readable code configured to cause one or more computers to;

receive a predetermined color range having a plurality of continuous color values

associate a first URL with the predetermined color range,

receive from a pointing device the designation of the location of an object of interest in one or more succeeding video frames,

define a color boundary for the object of interest by determining edges of plural pixels defining the object of interest, where the edges are not visible,

determine a color value of the designated location of the object of interest in the one or more succeeding video frames, and

link to the first URL when the determined color value is within the predetermined color range and within the defined color boundary, but not link to the first URL when the determined color value is not within the predetermined color range and not within the defined color boundary.

12. A non-transitory computer readable product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable code is further configured to cause the one or more computers to associate a second predetermined color range having a second plurality of continuous color values with a second URL, and to link to the second URL when the determined color value is within the second predetermined color range.

13. A non-transitory computer readable product of claim 11, wherein the determined color value comprises a color range.

14. A non-transitory computer readable product of claim 11, wherein said receive step further comprises receiving a second predetermined color range having a plurality of continuous second color values;

wherein said associate step further comprises the step of associating the first URL with the second predetermined color range;

wherein said determine step further comprises determining a second color value of the designated location of the object of interest in the one or more succeeding video frames; and

wherein said link step further comprises linking to the first URL when both (i) the determined color value is within the predetermined color range and (ii) the determined second color value is within the second predetermined color range, but not linking to the first URL when either (i) the determined color value is not within the predetermined color range or (ii) the determined second color value is not within the second predetermined color range.

15. A non-transitory computer readable product of claim 11, wherein the determined color value comprises at least one of a RGB or HSV characteristic.

16. A non-transitory computer readable product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable code is further configured to cause the computer to retrieve information from the first URL.

17. A non-transitory computer readable product of claim 16, wherein the object of interest comprises an image residing in a web browser.

18. A non-transitory computer readable product of claim 16, wherein the object of interest comprises an image residing in a streaming media.

19. A non-transitory computer readable product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable code is further configured to cause the one or more computers to retrieve a web page at a specified URL when said first URL is linked.

20. A non-transitory computer readable product of claim 11, wherein the computer readable code is further configured to cause the one or more computers to retrieve a data track when said first URL is linked.

21. A system for making a URL link/no-link determination based on the color value of an object of interest in one or more succeeding video frames, comprising:

one or more computers configured to;

receive a predetermined color range having a plurality of continuous color values

associate a first URL event with the predetermined color range;

receive from a pointing device the designation of the location of an object of interest in the one or more succeeding video frames,

define a color boundary for the object of interest by determining edges of plural pixels defining the object of interest, where the edges are not visible,

determine a color value of the designated location of the object of interest in the one or more succeeding video frames; and

link to the first URL when the determined color value is within the predetermined color range and within the defined color boundary, but not linking to the first URL when the determined color value is not within the predetermined color range and not within the defined color boundary.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more computers is also configured to:

associate a second predetermined color range having a second plurality of continuous color values with a second URL; and

link to the second URL when the determined color value is within the second predetermined color range.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the determined color value comprises a color range.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more computers is also configured to:

receive a second predetermined color range having a plurality of continuous second color values;

associate the first URL with the second predetermined color range;

determine a second color value of the designated location of the object of interest in the one or more succeeding video frames; and

link to the first URL when both (i) the determined color value is within the predetermined color range and (ii) the determined second color value is within the second predetermined color range, but not linking to the first URL when either (i) the determined color value is not within the predetermined color range or (ii) the determined second color value is not within the second predetermined color range.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the determined color value comprises at least one of a RGB or HSV characteristic.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more computers is configured to retrieve information from the first URL.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the of interest comprises an image residing in a web browser.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the of interest comprises an image residing in a streaming media.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more computers is configured to retrieve a web page at a specified URL when said first URL is linked.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more computers is configured to retrieve a data track when said first URL is linked.

31. Apparatus configured to link a pointing device designation to an event, comprising:

an input configured to receive a pointing device designation of an object of interest in at least one video frame in a sequence of video frames; and

one or more computers coupled to said input and configured to;

store a plurality of predetermined color ranges, each color range comprising a continuous plurality of color values,

store an association of an event with the stored plurality of predetermined color ranges;

receive from said input the designated object of interest;

define a color boundary for the object of interest by determining edges of plural pixels defining the object of interest, where the edges are not visible;

compare plural color values of (i) each pixel of the received designated object of interest within the defined color boundary with (ii) the stored plurality of predetermined color ranges; and

link to the event when the plural color values of the received designated object of interest are respectively within the stored plurality of predetermined color ranges.

32. Apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the event comprises one or more of viewing media via a URL, television, DVD, media player, set-top device, web-TV, interactive TV, and video-games.

33. Apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the stored plurality of predetermined color ranges comprises two or more of ranges of R, G, B, H, S, V, R-B, and G-B.

34. Apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the one or more computers is also configured to:

form respective histograms of the plural color values of the received designated object of interest; and

compare the formed histograms with the stored plurality of predetermined color ranges.

35. Apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the plurality of predetermined color ranges comprises ranges for each of R,G,B and H,S,V.

36. Apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the plurality of predetermined color ranges comprises a plurality of color patterns, each color pattern comprising peaks and valleys of color values.

37. Apparatus according to claim 36, wherein at least one color pattern comprises a plaid color pattern.