US6014183A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for detecting scene changes in a digital video stream
Assignee: Imagine Products Inc
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Filing: 1997-08-06
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Granted: 2000-01-11
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Expires: 2017-08-06
Abstract
Abstract The present invention relates to a device which monitors a digitized video data stream and detects when scene changes occur in the video stream. The present invention detects scene changes by comparing from frame-to-frame each of the pixel colors within the frame. When a high degree of change in pixel color from one frame to the next is detected, this is identified as a scene change. The system of the present invention does not obtain the digitized video data stream by polling a hardware analog-to-digital converter. In order to ensure that the present invention is compatible with any input video source, the present invention does not request data directly from the hardware video digitizing card. Instead, the input video may be displayed upon a computer monitor in any manner, such as by the operating system of the computer. Because the computer must keep track of what is being displayed on the computer monitor, the video data used in the present invention may be downloaded from the operating system by identifying which portion of the screen contains the video data of interest.
Inventors
- 👤 Toan Q. Hoang
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 19:35
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N19/00; H04N19/10; H04N19/134; H04N19/142; H04N19/169; H04N19/179; H04N19/85; H04N19/87; H04N5/00; H04N5/14; H04N5/147; H04N7/00; H04N7/18; H04N7/181
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
222 words
A method for detecting scene changes in a digital video data stream, comprising the steps of: a) inputting the digital video data stream to a computer; b) providing an operating system executed by the computer, said operating system including a software display control program operative to control display of all information displayed upon a monitor coupled to the computer; c) displaying the digital video data stream upon the monitor, said displaying performed under control of said software display control program; d) providing a scene detection software program executed by the computer, wherein said scene detection software program and said software display control program are separate programs, said scene detection software program performing the following steps: e) retrieving color values for each first pixel in a first frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; f) adding the first pixel color values together in order to generate a first composite color value; g) retrieving color values for each second pixel in a second frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; h) adding the second pixel color values together in order to generate a second composite color value; and i) detecting a scene change if the second composite color value differs from the first composite color value by more than a predetermined amount.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
222 words
A method for detecting scene changes in a digital video data stream, comprising the steps of: a) inputting the digital video data stream to a computer; b) providing an operating system executed by the computer, said operating system including a software display control program operative to control display of all information displayed upon a monitor coupled to the computer; c) displaying the digital video data stream upon the monitor, said displaying performed under control of said software display control program; d) providing a scene detection software program executed by the computer, wherein said scene detection software program and said software display control program are separate programs, said scene detection software program performing the following steps: e) retrieving color values for each first pixel in a first frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; f) adding the first pixel color values together in order to generate a first composite color value; g) retrieving color values for each second pixel in a second frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; h) adding the second pixel color values together in order to generate a second composite color value; and i) detecting a scene change if the second composite color value differs from the first composite color value by more than a predetermined amount.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) comprises inputting an analog video signal to an analog-to-digital converter.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
252 words
A method for detecting scene changes in a digital video data stream, comprising the steps of: a) inputting the digital video data stream to a computer; b) providing an operating system executed by the computer, said operating system including a software display control program operative to control display of all information displayed upon a monitor coupled to the computer; c) displaying the digital video data stream upon the monitor, said displaying performed under control of said software display control program; d) providing a scene detection software program executed by the computer, wherein said scene detection software program and said software display control program are separate programs, said scene detection software program performing the following steps: e) retrieving color values for each first pixel in a first frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; f) adding the first pixel color values together in order to generate a first composite color value; g) retrieving color values for each second pixel in a second frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; h) adding the second pixel color values together in order to generate a second composite color value; i) detecting a scene change if the second composite color value differs from the first composite color value by more than a predetermined amount; j) recording an index representative of where the scene change occurred in the digital video data stream; and k) recording a representative frame of a scene bounded by the scene change.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
252 words
A method for detecting scene changes in a digital video data stream, comprising the steps of: a) inputting the digital video data stream to a computer; b) providing an operating system executed by the computer, said operating system including a software display control program operative to control display of all information displayed upon a monitor coupled to the computer; c) displaying the digital video data stream upon the monitor, said displaying performed under control of said software display control program; d) providing a scene detection software program executed by the computer, wherein said scene detection software program and said software display control program are separate programs, said scene detection software program performing the following steps: e) retrieving color values for each first pixel in a first frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; f) adding the first pixel color values together in order to generate a first composite color value; g) retrieving color values for each second pixel in a second frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; h) adding the second pixel color values together in order to generate a second composite color value; i) detecting a scene change if the second composite color value differs from the first composite color value by more than a predetermined amount; j) recording an index representative of where the scene change occurred in the digital video data stream; and k) recording a representative frame of a scene bounded by the scene change.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
203 words
A method for detecting scene changes in a digital video data stream, comprising the steps of: a) inputting the digital video data stream to a computer; b) providing an operating system executed by the computer, said operating system including a software display control program operative to control display of all information displayed upon a monitor coupled to the computer; c) displaying the digital video data stream upon the monitor, said displaying performed under control of said software display control program; d) providing a scene detection software program executed by the computer, wherein said scene detection software program and said software display control program are separate programs, said scene detection software program performing the following steps: e) retrieving color values for each first pixel in a first frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; f) retrieving color values for each second pixel in a second frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; g) comparing the second pixel color values to the first pixel color values in order to determine a pixel color value difference; and h) detecting a scene change if the pixel color value difference is greater than a predetermined amount.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
203 words
A method for detecting scene changes in a digital video data stream, comprising the steps of: a) inputting the digital video data stream to a computer; b) providing an operating system executed by the computer, said operating system including a software display control program operative to control display of all information displayed upon a monitor coupled to the computer; c) displaying the digital video data stream upon the monitor, said displaying performed under control of said software display control program; d) providing a scene detection software program executed by the computer, wherein said scene detection software program and said software display control program are separate programs, said scene detection software program performing the following steps: e) retrieving color values for each first pixel in a first frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; f) retrieving color values for each second pixel in a second frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; g) comparing the second pixel color values to the first pixel color values in order to determine a pixel color value difference; and h) detecting a scene change if the pixel color value difference is greater than a predetermined amount.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
60 words
The method of claim 4, wherein step (g) comprises: g.1) adding the first pixel color values together in order to generate a first composite color value; g.2) adding the second pixel color values together in order to generate a second composite color value; and g.3) determining the pixel color value difference by subtracting the first and second composite color values.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of: i) storing a timecode in, a timecode out, and a first frame of the detected scene.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of: i) storing a timecode in, a timecode out, and a first frame of the detected scene.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
233 words
A method for detecting scene changes in a digital video data stream, comprising the steps of: a) inputting the digital video data stream to a computer; b) providing an operating system executed by the computer, said operating system including a software display control program operative to control display of all information displayed upon a monitor coupled to the computer; c) displaying the digital video data stream upon the monitor, said displaying performed under control of said software display control program; d) providing a scene detection software program executed by the computer, wherein said scene detection software program and said software display control program are separate programs, said scene detection software program performing the following steps: e) retrieving color values for each first pixel in a first frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; f) retrieving color values for each second pixel in a second frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; g) comparing the second pixel color values to the first pixel color values in order to determine a pixel color value difference; h) detecting a scene change if the pixel color value difference is greater than a predetermined amount; i) recording an index representative of where the scene change occurred in the digital video data stream; and j) recording a representative frame of a scene bounded by the scene change.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
233 words
A method for detecting scene changes in a digital video data stream, comprising the steps of: a) inputting the digital video data stream to a computer; b) providing an operating system executed by the computer, said operating system including a software display control program operative to control display of all information displayed upon a monitor coupled to the computer; c) displaying the digital video data stream upon the monitor, said displaying performed under control of said software display control program; d) providing a scene detection software program executed by the computer, wherein said scene detection software program and said software display control program are separate programs, said scene detection software program performing the following steps: e) retrieving color values for each first pixel in a first frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; f) retrieving color values for each second pixel in a second frame of the digital video data stream from said software display control program; g) comparing the second pixel color values to the first pixel color values in order to determine a pixel color value difference; h) detecting a scene change if the pixel color value difference is greater than a predetermined amount; i) recording an index representative of where the scene change occurred in the digital video data stream; and j) recording a representative frame of a scene bounded by the scene change.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-01-10 | 2003-07-12 | 2004-01-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-01-10 | 2007-07-12 | 2008-01-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-01-10 | 2011-07-12 | 2012-01-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |