The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 10, 1996
Filed:
Dec. 22, 1993
Glen Anderson, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Knowledge Media Inc., Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Abstract
A method enables an image to be displayed along with annotations in synchronization with separate, time-based program material as might be found in a computer-based multimedia system. The time-based program material may include audio or video information, or a combination of these, as in a digital movie with the annotated image and movie being accessed from a high-capacity storage means, such as a CD-ROM, and played in separate windows on the same display screen. The method provides smooth, real-time annotation of the on-screen image by synchronizing the movement of a pen image with very low flicker and with little overhead in terms of system performance and memory allocation. This improved performance stems from the inventive use of multiple off-screen buffers, and the processing of the previously stored annotations in the form of multiple data records including temporal and spatial information relating to the annotations as originally performed. The data records are processed during predetermined time periods, with image information being transferred into and out of these various off-screen buffers so as to facilitate real-time annotation in synchronization with the time-based program material.