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.

Date of Patent:
Jan. 14, 1997

Filed:

May. 27, 1994
Applicant:
Inventor:

W Leo Hoarty, Morgan Hill, CA (US);

Assignee:

ICTV, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
H04N / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
348584 ; 348598 ;
Abstract

A controller, in accordance with a preferred embodiment provides, in a specified region of first television picture generated by a first digitally compressed video signal, an overlay of a second picture embodied in a second video signal. The controller includes an I-frame buffer for storing updated macroblock pixel data in I-frame format derived from the second signal. The controller also has a matte mask storage register for storing data that identifies the specified region by means of macroblocks. A matte substitution processor is in communication with the matte mask storage register and has as an input the first signal and provides an overlayed output; the controller inhibits transmission to the output of any macroblock, of the first signal's data stream, lying in the specified region. It also functions to substitute for such macroblock a corresponding macroblock from the I-frame buffer. Further embodiments permit overlay of a graphic display for interactive television on a picture derived from a digitally compressed video signal.


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