A video surveillance system extracts video primitives and extracts event occurrences from the video primitives using event discriminators. The system can undertake a response, such as an alarm, based on extracted event occurrences.

Video surveillance system employing video primitives

The present invention utilizes an aggregator for searching, packaging and delivering content. The aggregator processes requests, searches, provides search results and acquires content. The aggregator, operating in a communications network, includes a request and results processing server, a search engine server coupled to the request and results processing server and a content acquisition server coupled to the request and results processing server. A request and results processing server receives a request for content, the search engine server searches for the content and the content acquisition program acquires content for delivery to the user. The request and results processing server includes a search request processor that receives information related to a user's search request and provides the information to a search results form builder that creates an electronic search request.

Video and digital multimedia aggregator

A method and an apparatus are used to target interactive virtual objects to subscribers in a television delivery system. Programs are selected and virtual object locations are defined in the selected programs. The virtual objects (1265) available for targeting categorized and categories are correlated to subscriber information (1210) to determine the optimum targeting of the virtual objects (1260). The virtual objects may be targeted (1220) based on individual subscriber information (1210) or on information related to a group of subscribers. When a frame of program includes a virtual object location, a default or an alternate virtual objects is displayed. The virtual object location may change over space or time. The virtual object may be interactive, and may be used to link a subscriber to a remote location, such as an Internet web site. The television terminals record which virtual objects were displayed and report this information back to the headends and the operations center. The reported information is used to generate billing for commercial advertisers and to analyze viewer watching habits.

Method and apparatus for targeting of interactive virtual objects

A program guide in which a video layer includes a plurality of video objects including title objects, each title object having associated with it a channel and at least one time slot, the video layer being formed in response to a received video stream; and a graphics layer comprising a plurality of graphics objects including title overlay objects, each of the title overlay objects selectively imparting at least a visual de-emphasis to a respective title object in the video layer, the visual de-emphasis being imparted to title objects not being associated with a desired time slot.

Data structure and methods for providing an interactive program guide

A method for segmenting video data into foreground and background (324) portions utilizes statistical modeling of the pixels Λ statistical model of the background is built for each pixel, and each pixel in an incoming video frame is compared (326) with the background statistical model for that pixel. Pixels are determined to be foreground or background based on the comparisons. The method for segmenting video data may be further incorporated into a method for implementing an intelligent video surveillance system The method for segmenting video data may be implemented in hardware.

Video segmentation using statistical pixel modeling

An automatic segmentation system distinguishes foreground and background objects by first encoding and decoding a first image at a first time reference. Macroblocks are extracted from a second image at a second time reference. The macroblocks are mapped to pixel arrays in the decoded first image. Frame residuals are derived that represent the difference between the macroblocks and the corresponding pixel arrays in the previously decoded image. A global vector representing camera motion between the first and second images is applied to the macroblocks in the second image. The global vectors map the macroblocks to a second pixel array in the first decoded image. Global residuals between the macroblocks and the second mapped image arrays in the first image are derived. When the global residuals are compared with the frame residuals to determine which macroblocks are classified as background and foreground. The macroblocks classified as foreground are then blended into a mosaic.

Mosaic generation and sprite-based coding with automatic foreground and background separation

A method and apparatus is provided for synchronizing display of HTML documents to the audio/video content of a digital television program. Documents are authored with a structure for receiving a presentation time stamp value. After the packetized data representing the document is received at the television receiver, the document is reconstructed, and the value of the presentation time stamp is inserted in the structure in the document. The broadcast HTML formatted document, including the time stamp value, can be read by a broadcast HTML cognizant browser which notifies the program viewer or displays the document at the time specified by the time stamp.

System for presenting synchronized HTML documents in digital television receivers

Automated summarization of digital video sequences is accomplished using a vector rank filter. The consecutive frames of a digital video sequence can be represented as feature vectors which are successively accumulated in a set of vectors. The distortion of the set by the addition of each successive vector or the cumulative distance from each successive vector to all other vectors in the set is determined by a vector rank filter. When the distortion exceeds a threshold value the end of a video segment is detected. Each frame in a video segment can be ranked according to its relative similarity to the other frames of the set by applying the vector rank filter to the feature vectors representing the video frames. To produce a summary of a video sequence which is most representative of the content of the sequence, frames are chosen that correspond to vectors that are the least distant to or produce the least distortion of the set of vectors representing the segment. The ranking of the relative distortion can be used as the basis for selecting more than one frame from each segment to produce a hierarchy of summaries containing greater numbers of the frames having the most representative content.

Video skimming system utilizing the vector rank filter

A data elementary buffer with underflow and overflow operational constraints is incorporated into a digital televison receiver to regulate the flow of data related to an ancillary data service to be presented in synchronization with a video or audio program element. The data elementary buffer ensures that data is received in time for decoding and presentation in synchronization with the video or audio element. The data elementary buffer also limits the amount of data that the receiver may be required to cache. The minimum size of the data elementary buffer is three times the size of a nominal data access unit or three times the quantity of data that the receiver can receive at the maximum rate in the period that a video element is displayed by the receiver.

Buffer system for controlled and timely delivery of MPEG-2 data services

A video system includes a plurality of frames of video each of which is defined by a plurality of scene elements. The scene elements for a respective frame together define an image of the frame. First auxiliary data is descriptive of a first scene element of the frame and second auxiliary data is descriptive of a second scene element of the frame. A sending device sends the frame of video, including its scene elements, the first auxiliary data, and the second auxiliary data, from the sending device to a receiving device.

Regis J. Crinon

Papers

Mosaic generation and sprite-based coding with automatic foreground and background separation

System for presenting synchronized HTML documents in digital television receivers

Video skimming system utilizing the vector rank filter

Buffer system for controlled and timely delivery of MPEG-2 data services

Audio/video system with auxiliary data