Apparatus for tracking the flow of video signals by incorportating patterns of machine readable signals which will appear at predetermined locations of a television picture

• US RE37,991 E1
• Filed: 09/16/1998
• Issued: 02/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xl Transistors LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Visual Automation Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Legate, Kim R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lo, Linus H
• Application Number:
  US09/154,389
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: 348/460, 348/461, 348/463, 348/465, 348/466, 348/467, 348/722, 348/723, 348/727, 348/907, 348/578, 348/589, 348/476, 348/477, 348/569, 348/577, 348/182, 348/183, 725/9, 725/19, 725/20
• US Class Current: 348/473
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/14 for monitoring programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/00 Diagnosis, testing or measuring for television systems or their details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/268 Signal distribution or switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/08 Systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal, e.g. additional information signals, the signals occupying wholly or partially the same frequency band , e.g. by time division H04N7/007 takes precedence

Abstract

Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding video signals for identification, editing, modifying, cuing, routing, distributing, switching, activating and controlling the video signals. One of the many applications is a television program distribution system including a plurality of units through which the television programs flow, by operating a first signal processing unit connected within the system for adding signal elements to the video signal of a program in order to add patterns of symbols to the television picture such that the symbols are disposed at predetermined locations of the television picture and a plurality of successive patterns constituting a code uniquely identifying the program; and a second signal processing unit connected within the system for detecting signal elements previously added to a video signal and for producing, in response to such detection, an identification of the program which included the video signal.

Claims

1. Apparatus for tracking the flow of television programs within a program distribution system, each program including a video signal which contains information to generate a television picture composed of successive television picture frames, the distribution system including a plurality of units through which the television programs flow, said apparatus comprising:

first signal processing means connected within the system for adding signal elements to the video signal of a program in order to add a plurality of patterns of machine readable symbols to a plurality of frames of the television picture such that each of the symbols is disposed substantially at a respective one of a plurality of predetermined locations of a respective frame of the television picture, wherein the plurality of predetermined locations are composed of a reference location and a plurality of information locations, and symbols at the information locations contain information specific to the programs; and

second signal processing means connected within the system for detecting signal elements previously added to a video signal at the information locations of each frame when a given symbol is present at the reference location of that frame and for retrieving, in response to such detection, the information contained in the symbols, wherein

in each frame containing symbols, the information locations have fixed positions relative to the reference location, and said second signal processing means comprise reference position location means for detecting signal elements previously added to the video signal at the reference location and for determining the present location of those signal elements in each frame.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said second signal processing means further comprise means for identifying the present location of signal elements previously added to a video signal at information locations of a frame based on the determination of the present location of the signal elements added to the reference location of the frame.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the signal elements added to the video signal form a predetermined pattern at the reference location of each of the plurality of frames.

4. Apparatus for tracking the flow of television programs within a program distribution system, each program including a video signal which has at least one reference intensity level and which contains information to generate a television picture composed of lines of pixels forming successive television picture frames, each pixel having an intensity level, the distribution system including a plurality of units through which the television programs flow, said apparatus comprising:

first signal processing means connected within the system for adding signal elements to the video signal of a program in order to add a plurality of patterns of pixels constituting machine readable symbols to a plurality of frames of the television picture such that each of the nonbinary graphic symbols is disposed at a respective one of a plurality of predetermined locations of a respective frame of the television picture, wherein the plurality of predetermined locations include a reference location and at least one information location, and the symbol at the at least one information location contains information specific to the program, the symbol at each predetermined location of each of the plurality of frames being constituted by a predetermined pattern of pixels, each pixel having one of at least two predetermined different intensity levels and each of the two different intensity levels bearing a fixed relation to the at least one reference intensity level; and

second signal processing means connected within the system for detecting signal elements previously added to a video signal at the at least one information location of each frame and for retrieving, in response to such detection, the information contained in the symbols,

wherein said second signal processing means comprise intensity level detection means for detecting the intensity levels of the pixels of the symbol at the reference location of each of the plurality of frames.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said second signal processing means further comprise second detection means for detecting signal elements previously added to the video signal at the at least one information location of each frame with respect to the intensity levels determined by said intensity level detection means.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein, said first signal processing means are disposed at a first location;

said second signal processing means are disposed at a second location remote from said first location; and

said apparatus further comprises video signal level adjustment means coupled to said intensity level detection means for adjusting the video signal in order to eliminate any difference between the predetermined intensity levels and the intensity levels detected by said intensity level detection means.

7. A device for use with a television receiver which is tunable to a plurality of channels, each channel carrying a television program composed of a video signal that includes signal elements which form machine readable symbols identifying the program, said device comprising:

video signal receiving means connected to the receiver to receive the program on the channel to which the receiver is tuned;

decoding means connected to said video signal receiving means for reading the symbols and generating an identification of the program which contains the symbols;

clock means providing an indication of the current time; and

recording means for storing a record of programs which contained symbols read by said decoding means and the time of each reading;

wherein said video signal receiving means comprise symbol erasing means connected for processing the video signal of the program on the channel to which the receiver is tuned in order to replace the signal elements corresponding to the symbols with replacement signal elements which produce picture regions that blend with adjacent picture regions.

8. A device for use with a television receiver which is tunable to a plurality of channels, each channel carrying a television program composed of a video signal that includes signal elements which form machine readable symbols identifying the program, said device comprising:

video signal receiving means connected to the receiver to receive the program on the channel to which the receiver is tuned;

decoding means connected to said video signal receiving means for reading the symbols and generating an identification of the program which contains the symbols;

clock means providing an indication of the current time; and

transmitting means connected to said decoding means and said clock means for transmitting, to a central station remote from the television receiver, data corresponding to the identification generated by said decoding means and data representing the indication provided by said clock means, wherein

wherein said video signal receiving means comprise symbol erasing means connected for processing the video signal of the program on the channel to which the receiver is tuned in order to replace the signal elements corresponding to the symbols with replacement signal elements which produce picture regions that blend with adjacent picture regions.

9. A device as defined in claim 8 wherein said transmitting means are connected to the central station via a telephone system.

10. Apparatus for tracking the flow of television programs within a program distribution system, each program including a video signal which contains information to generate a television picture composed of successive television picture frames, the distribution system including a plurality of units through which the television programs flow, said apparatus comprising:

first signal processing means connected within the system for adding, to the video signal of a program, signal elements which form a plurality of sets of patterns of machine readable symbols in a plurality of frames of the television picture such that each set of patterns is added to a respective video frame, each set is composed of a plurality of patterns of the symbols, the symbols of each plurality of patterns are disposed at respective ones of a plurality of predetermined locations of a respective frame of the television picture, the symbols of each pattern are spaced from the symbols of every other pattern, and the symbols of each pattern contain a respective type of information associated with the program; and

second signal processing means connected within the system for detecting signal elements previously added to a video signal at the predetermined locations of each frame and for retrieving, in response to such detection, the information contained in the symbols.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein, in each frame of the plurality of frames, the predetermined locations are arranged in a plurality of groups of predetermined locations, with the groups of predetermined locations being spaced from one another, and each group of predetermined locations containing a respective one of the plurality of patterns of symbols.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein, in each frame of the plurality of frames, said predetermined locations of each group of locations are arranged in a vertical row.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said first signal processing means are controlled to add each set of patterns only to video frames which are separated from one another by intervening video frames.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein said first signal processing means are operative for adding only one set of patterns to any one video frame.

15. Apparatus for tracking the flow of television programs within a program distribution system, each program including a video signal which contains information to generate a television picture composed of a succession of video frames, the distribution system including a plurality of units through which the television programs flow, said apparatus comprising:

first signal processing means connected within the system for adding, to the video signal of a program, signal elements which form a plurality of patterns of nonbinary graphic symbols in a plurality of video frames of the television picture such that each pattern is added to a respective video frame and is composed of a plurality of nonbinary graphic symbols which are spaced apart from one another in the video frame and are disposed at predetermined locations of the video frame, and a plurality of successive patterns constitute a code uniquely identifying the program; and

second signal processing means connected within the system for detecting signal elements previously added to the video signal and for producing, in response to such detection, an identification of the program which included the video signal.

16. A method for tracking the flow of television programs within a program distribution system, each program including a video signal which contains information to generate a television picture composed of a succession of video frames, the distribution system including a plurality of units through which the television programs flow, said method comprising:

adding to the video signal of a program, in first signal processing means connected within the system, signal elements which form a plurality of patterns of nonbinary graphic symbols in a plurality of video frames of the television picture such that each pattern is added to a respective video frame and is composed of a plurality of nonbinary graphic symbols which are spaced apart from one another in the video frame and are disposed at predetermined locations of the video frame, and a plurality of successive patterns constitute a code uniquely identifying the program; and

detecting, in second signal processing means connected within the system, signal elements previously added to the video signal and producing, in response to such detection, an identification of the program which included the video signal.

17. A control apparatus for use in connection with one or more slave units and a video signal having signal elements representing icons, wherein the video signal contains information to generate a television picture composed of successive television picture frames, a plurality of the television picture frames each contains a plurality of icons which are spaced apart in the television picture frame and each icon is a nonbinary graphic symbol, said apparatus comprising:

means for reading the icons of the video signal; and

means for controlling a slave unit in response to the icons read from the video signal, and

wherein the slave unit is a router and the controlling means has means for activating the router to route the video signal in accordance with the icons read from the video signal.

18. A control apparatus for use in connection with one or more slave units and a video signal having signal elements representing icons, wherein the video signal contains information to generate a television picture composed of successive television picture frames, a plurality of the television picture frames each contains a plurality of icons which are spaced apart in the television picture frame and each icon is a nonbinary graphic symbol, said apparatus comprising:

means for reading the icons of the video signal; and

means for controlling a slave unit in response to the icons read from the video signal, and

wherein the slave unit comprises automatic commercial insertion equipment and the controlling means has means for activating the insertion equipment to insert a commercial into the video signal in response to the icons read from the video signal.

19. A control apparatus for use in connection with one or more slave units and a video signal having signal elements representing icons, wherein the video signal contains information to generate a television picture composed of successive television picture frames, a plurality of the television pictures frames each contains a plurality of icons which are spaced apart in the margin of the television picture frame outside of the safe title area of said picture frame and each icon is a nonbinary graphic symbol, said apparatus comprising:

means for reading the icons of the video signal; and

means for controlling a slave unit in response to the icons read from the video signal, and

wherein the slave unit comprises a video file server.

20. A control apparatus for use in connection with one or more slave units and a video signal having signal elements representing icons, wherein the video signal contains information to generate a television picture composed of successive television picture frames, a plurality of the television picture frames each contains a plurality of icons which are spaced apart in the margin of the television picture frame outside of the safe title area of said picture frame and each icon is a nonbinary graphic symbol, said apparatus comprising:

means for reading the icons of the video signal; and

means for controlling a slave unit in response to the icons read from the video signal, and

wherein each icon is a picture of a graphic symbol comprising a plurality of pixels of different colors.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein at least one icon is a reference icon which provides reference levels for different colors of the icons.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the icon colors include white, gray and black.

23. An information distribution system for distributing information to a plurality of television receivers by way of video signals, said system comprising, in combination,

24. A system as in claim 23 in which said encoder is adapted to insert a plurality of said code signals into a plurality of fields of said video signal, in which code signals produce a plurality of corresponding visible picture elements forming at least one visible icon extending over a plurality of horizontal lines and with multiple picture elements in each line forming a sequence, said icon being located entirely in the margins of said picture outside of the normal viewing area of said picture so that, said icon is substantially invisible to the viewer.

25. A system as in claim 23 in which said picture element includes a plurality of horizontal lines each made of individual picture elements variable in video signal characteristics along the length of each line to give said picture element a horizontally and vertically variable coded pattern.

26. A system as in claim 25 in which said encoder is adapted to give said picture element one of a plurality of different predetermined patterns.

27. A remote signaling system for sending from a first location to a remote location a coded signal embedded within video signals and for decoding said coded signal at said remote location, said system comprising a transmitter at said first location, an encoder for inserting a code signal into said video signals adjacent said transmitter, and thereby creating a corresponding picture element located in a margin of the video picture and dimensioned to be outside of the visible picture area and thus be substantially invisible in a video picture produced when said video signals are displayed on a receiver of said video signals, and

28. A system as in claim 27 in which said signal characteristics include gray level.

29. A method for distributing information to a plurality of television receivers by way of video signals, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting from a first location video signals containing at least one code signal representing said information and locating said code signal in said video signals so that the code signal creates a corresponding visible picture element in a picture displayed on a receiver of said video signals, with the picture element being located in the margin of said picture so as to be substantially invisible to the viewer,

(b) receiving said video signals in a plurality of receivers located remotely from said first location, said receivers being tunable to receive said video signals, and

(c) providing a decoder associated with each of said receivers for decoding said code signal and producing a corresponding information signal.

30. A method as in claim 29 in which said picture element comprises an array consisting of a plurality of horizontal line segments each having characteristics which can be varied along its length, and including the step of encoding said code signal to give said picture element one of a predetermined group of patterns.

31. A method of deleting a coded picture element from video picture signals, said coded picture element being positioned within the active picture area of a video screen, but being located outside of the picture area visible on a receiver screen and within a marginal area of said screen so as to be substantially invisible to a viewer, said method comprising replacing at least a portion of the coded picture element video signals with other video signals.

32. A method as in claim 31 in which said replacing step comprises replacing said coded picture element video signals with signals corresponding essentially to the video picture signals.

33. A method as in claim 32 in which said coded picture element is replaced by delaying one of an interleaved field or other frame of said video picture signals.

34. A method of controlling the transmission of video signals representing at least one icon in a video transmission system, said icon containing coded information which can be read by a decoder and appearing within the active picture area but outside of the picture area visible to a viewer of a receiver screen but within a picture margin where it is substantially invisible when displayed on a video screen, said method comprising the step of deleting at least a portion of said icon prior to transmission of said video signals to a remote video receiving location.

35. A method as in claim 34 in which the deleting step is performed prior to sending the video signals into a cable distribution system.

36. A method as in claim 34 in which the deleting step is performed prior to broadcasting said video signals.

37. A method as in claim 34 in which the deleting step comprises replacing at least a portion of the video signals forming said icon with other video signals.