System and method for providing enhanced graphics in a video environment

• US 9,143,725 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kanalakis, John M. Jr., Bean, Zachary R., Mackie, David J., Collins, Eddie, Dyer, Mark David
• Primary Examiner(s): Martello, Edward
• Application Number:
  US12/946,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20120120085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,772 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/026 Control of mixing and/or overlay of colours in general G09G5/022 and G09G5/024 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/75 Chroma key

Abstract

A method is provided in one example and includes receiving a video input from a video source coupled to a display configured for rendering a user interface thereon; generating a grayscale element associated with the user interface by evaluating alpha values related to pixels associated with the video input; generating an opacity mask; and setting red, green, blue (RGB) values equal to an alpha value of a source image for certain pixels in the source image.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a video input from a video source coupled to a display;

identifying a user interface to be displayed on the display and over the video input, wherein the user inference includes a stepped curved edge;

generating an opacity mask to mix the video input with the user interface by setting red, green, blue (RGB) values, for pixels in the user interface, equal to an alpha value; and

using a darkening parameter on a pixel in the user interface if a particular RGB value of the pixel matches a specifically-designated value for chroma-key operations, wherein a first group of pixels in the user interface have a first opacity level and a first chroma-key color, wherein the first opacity level is transparent or near transparent to allow the video input to be displayed on the display, and wherein a second group of pixels in the user interface have a second opacity level and a second chroma-key color, wherein the second group of pixels are located between steps of the stepped curved edge of the user interface, wherein the second opacity level is less than the first opacity level and the second opacity level darkens the video input to be displayed on the display but still allows the video input to be displayed on the display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a grayscale element associated with the user interface by evaluating alpha values related to pixels associated with the video input, wherein the grayscale element is generated by evaluating an alpha value for each pixel associated with the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein if a particular alpha value of a particular pixel is 0, then a portion of an associated grayscale image contains a black pixel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein if a particular alpha value of a particular pixel is 255, then a portion of an associated grayscale image contains a white pixel.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting a selected pixel to a certain color in red, green, blue, alpha (RGBA) values to indicate to a processor element a presence of the opacity mask.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

evaluating graphics associated with the user interface for a RGBA color to determine whether to render the graphics on the display.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein certain images are used as part of the opacity mask to mix source video with the user interface, and wherein pixels in the opacity mask determined to be black show passthrough video on the display, pixels in the opacity mask determined to be white show solid user interface pixel color on the display, and each pixel in the opacity mask that is not determined to be black or white is mixed with a corresponding pixel in the source video and a corresponding pixel in the user interface.

8. Logic encoded in one or more tangible non-transitory media that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor operable to perform operations comprising:

receiving a video input from a video source coupled to a display;

identifying a user interface to be displayed on the display and over the video input, wherein the user inference includes a stepped curved edge;

generating an opacity mask to mix the video input with the user interface by setting red, green, blue (RGB) values, for pixels in the user interface, equal to an alpha value of a source image for certain pixels in the source image; and

using a darkening parameter on a pixel in the user interface if a particular RGB value of the pixel matches a specifically-designated value for chroma-key operations, wherein a first group of pixels in the user interface have a first opacity level and a first chroma-key color, wherein the first opacity level is transparent or near transparent to allow the video input to be displayed on the display, and wherein a second group of pixels in the user interface have a second opacity level and a second chroma-key color, wherein the second group of pixels are located between steps of the stepped curved edge of the user interface, wherein the second opacity level is less than the first opacity level and the second opacity level darkens the video input to be displayed on the display but still allows the video input to be displayed on the display.

9. The logic of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

generating a grayscale element associated with the user interface by evaluating alpha values related to pixels associated with the video input, wherein the grayscale element is generated by evaluating an alpha value for each pixel associated with the user interface.

10. The logic of claim 8, wherein if a particular alpha value of a particular pixel is 0, then a portion of an associated grayscale image contains a black pixel.

11. The logic of claim 8, wherein if a particular alpha value of a particular pixel is 255, then a portion of an associated grayscale image contains a white pixel.

12. The logic of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

setting a selected pixel to a certain color in red, green, blue, alpha (RGBA) values to indicate to a processor element a presence of the opacity mask.

13. The logic of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

evaluating graphics associated with the user interface for a RGBA color to determine whether to render the graphics on the display.

14. The logic of claim 8, wherein certain images are used as part of the opacity mask to mix source video with the user interface, and wherein pixels determined to be black show passthrough video on the display, and pixels determined to be white show solid user interface pixel color on the display.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory element configured to store data; and

a processor operable to execute instructions associated with the data, wherein the processor and the memory element cooperate such that the apparatus is configured to;

receive a video input from a video source coupled to a display;

identify a user interface to be displayed on the display and over the video input, wherein the user inference includes a stepped curved edge;

generate an opacity mask by setting red, green, blue (RGB) values, for pixels in the user interface, equal to an alpha value of a source image for certain pixels in the source image; and

use a darkening parameter on a pixel in the user interface if a particular RGB value of the pixel matches a specifically-designated value for chroma-key operations, wherein a first group of pixels in the user interface have a first opacity level and a first chroma-key color, wherein the first opacity level is transparent or near transparent to allow the video input to be displayed on the display, and wherein a second group of pixels in the user interface have a second opacity level and a second chroma-key color, wherein the second group of pixels are located between steps of the stepped curved edge of the user interface, wherein the second opacity level is less than the first opacity level and the second opacity level darkens the video input to be displayed on the display but still allows the video input to be displayed on the display.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, the apparatus being further configured to:

generate a grayscale element associated with the user interface by evaluating alpha values related to pixels associated with the video input, wherein the grayscale element is generated by evaluating an alpha value for each pixel associated with the user interface.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein if a particular alpha value of a particular pixel is 0, then a portion of an associated grayscale image contains a black pixel.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein if a particular alpha value of a particular pixel is 255, then a portion of an associated grayscale image contains a white pixel.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, the apparatus being further configured to:

setting a selected pixel to a certain color in red, green, blue, alpha (RGBA) values to indicate to a processor element a presence of the opacity mask.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a handset configured to control the user interface during a video session.