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:
Mar. 06, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 16, 1998
P. Venkat Rangan, San Diego, CA (US);
Mehul Shah, Del Mar, CA (US);
Vijnan Shastri, San Diego, CA (US);
HoTV, Inc., San Diego, CA (US);
Abstract
A tracking software module for tracking a moving image entity in a video display has an interface for receiving and processing a video data stream while the video presentation provided by the data stream is presented on a display as a series of bitmapped images having a moving image entity to be tracked. There is in the module a graphical user interface usable by an editor for creating, selecting and centering a predefined matrix of signature pixel positions on the moving entity to be tracked in a first frame of the video presentation, and for initiating a tracking process. A determination function determines the color values of the signature pixels in the first frame and stores the values as an image signature. An estimation function assumes a next position for the moving entity, and a test function determines the color signature of the signature pixels at the assumed position and at a plurality of test positions in the immediate vicinity of the assumed position and tests the determined values against the color signature recorded for the entity. Finally a recording function accepts the position wherein the pixel signature most closely matches the image signature; in each frame, and a data stream synchronous with the input data stream and having centerpoint coordinates frame-by-frame for the moving entity is provided as a result.