Television – Basic receiver with additional function – For display of additional information
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-30
2004-02-24
Kostak, Victor R. (Department: 2611)
Television
Basic receiver with additional function
For display of additional information
C348S567000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06697123
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to television receivers having the capable of displaying Picture-In-Picture (PIP).
2. Description of the Related Art
PIP is a feature in a television receiver in which the picture from a video signal in a main channel fills the display, while the picture from a video signal in an auxiliary channel is sub-sampled and overlays a portion of the main picture on the display. This enables a user of the television receiver to monitor the video signal from an alternate source, e.g., a television channel from a second tuner, the signal from a video cassette recorder or a video camera, etc.
However, when displaying the PIP signal, a portion of the main picture is lost. Depending on the content of the main picture, the area occupied by the PIP picture may obscure an important portion of the main picture, for example, in sports, this important portion may be that devoted to displaying the current score, while in a movie, this portion may be that devoted to displaying the faces of the leading characters.
In order to alleviate this problem, it is known to be able to move the PIP picture to various different positions under control of the user, to reposition the PIP picture such that it does not obscure an important information of the main picture.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,860 discloses circuitry with which the size of the PIP picture may be selectively reduced to further obscure less of the main picture.
In each of the above instances, the PIP picture is invariably a reduced-size image of a full picture frame, there being no consideration for varying the shape of the PIP picture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a television receiver having a PIP capability in which shape of the PIP image is adjusted automatically in dependence on the content of the PIP image.
The above object is achieved in a television receiver having a picture-in-picture (PIP) functionality, said television receiver comprising a main video path including an input for receiving a main video signal, and a main signal video processing circuit for processing the main video signal in the main video path; an auxiliary video path including an auxiliary input for receiving an auxiliary video signal, and an auxiliary signal video processing circuit for sub-sampling and processing the auxiliary video signal in the auxiliary video path; a display for displaying video signals; and means for selectively applying processed main video signal and the sub-sampled auxiliary video signal to the display such that an image from the sub-sampled auxiliary video signal overlies a portion of an image from the main video signal, wherein said selectively applying means comprises means for detecting and analyzing characteristics of the auxiliary video signal; and means for changing attributes of the PIP image in response to said detected and analyzed characteristics of the auxiliary video signal.
Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/822,456, filed concurrently with this application, discloses a television receiver having PIP capabilities, in which the size, shape, position and transparency of the PIP image is dependent on the content of the main video signal.
Applicants have determined that based on the content of the PIP image, the entire picture frame may not be needed and, instead of merely adapting the size, shape, transparency and position of the PIP image based on the content of the main video signal, an adapted shape of the PIP image based on the content of the PIP image may be used.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5455632 (1995-10-01), Ichihara
patent: 5555026 (1996-09-01), Lee
patent: 5574507 (1996-11-01), Baek
patent: 6008860 (1999-12-01), Patton et al.
patent: 19843919 (2000-03-01), None
patent: 05268543 (1993-10-01), None
patent: 07087392 (1995-03-01), None
patent: 07236100 (1995-09-01), None
“Omni-Face Detection for Video/Image Content Description” by Gang Wei and Ishwar K. Sethi.
Dimitrova Nevenka
Janevski Angel
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