Interactive video method and apparatus

Claims

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In conjunction with a method for producing a composite video signal containing video program material and control data, and displaying the signal on a television and decoding such control data for ancillary use, an improvement comprising:

modulating at least one video field within the viewing area of a television in such manner that the modulation producing a video subcarrier component of the signal, the component containing the data; and

detecting the component to reproduce the data for the ancillary use.

2. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the detecting is performed opto-electronically.

3. The improvement of claim 2, wherein the detecting is performed by locally optically coupling the modulation to receiver electronics having means for discriminating the program material from the control data.

4. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the detecting is performed asynchronously relative to the raster scan timing of the television.

5. The improvement of claim 1, wherein the modulating is of alternate horizontal scan lines within each field.

6. The improvement of claim 1, which further comprises previewing the video program material, prior to the modulating, to select at least one field suitable for data encoding, wherein the modulating is performed selectively on such a selected field

7. The improvement of claim 5, which further comprises processing the video program material, prior to the modulating, to enhance the suitability of at least one field for modulating, the processing being performed in such manner that the enhancement is substantially invisible to the television viewer.

8. The improvement of claim 7, wherein said processing includes purging at least one field of video features which otherwise would be detectable as such video subcarrier component.

9. A method for producing a composite video signal containing pre-recorded video program material and control data for the display of the signal by a television for viewing thereon the program material and for the detection of the control data by external equipment for ancillary use, comprising:

identifying at least one sequence of consecutive fields of the program material wherein each field contains at least one included video subfield that is capable of being subliminally and detectably modulated with at least one bit of binary data;

formatting at least one binary data sequence containing the control data in such manner that the data sequence can be fitted within the field sequence;

generating synchronization signals defining a window that circumscribes the video subfields; and

mixing the program material and the data within the field sequence, and within the window in response to the signals, by modulating the material by the data in such manner that the modulating is substantially invisible to a viewer of the television and is detectable for the ancillary use.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mixing is performed by luminance modulating the material by the data in such manner that the overall luminance level within the window is preserved.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the mixing is performed by chrominance modulating the material by the data in such manner that the overall chrominance level within the window is preserved.

12. The method of claims 9, 10 or 11, wherein the mixing is performed by modulating the material by the data in such manner that the spatial relationship among picture elements within the window is preserved.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the mixing is performed by luminance modulating alternate horizontal scan lines within the window whereby, as between any two adjacent scan lines, the luminance level of a first is raised by a predetermined percentage and the luminance level of a second is lowered by substantially the same percentage, the modulation being detectable as an indication of the presence and sense of the control data.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the mixing is performed by chrominance modulating alternate horizontal scan lines within the window whereby, as between any two adjacent scan lines, the chrominance level of a first is raised by a predetermined percentage and the chrominance level of a second is lowered by substantially the same percentage, the modulation being detectable as an indication of the presence and sense of the control data.

15. A method for remotely controlling interactive devices by broadcasting composite video information to a television, comprising:

producing a composite video signal containing program material and control data by modulating selected viewing areas of the program material with the control data, thereby creating a video subcarrier component of the signal, the component containing the data;

broadcasting the signal to at least one television;

receiving the signal at at least one television;

detecting, adjacent at least one television, the component to reproduce the data; and

transmitting the data to enable interactive devices within range of the transmission to act, responsive to the program material, in a predetermined manner.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the producing is performed in such manner that the modulation is substantially invisible to a television viewer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the producing is performed by luminance modulating selected viewing areas of the program material with the control data.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the producing is performed by chrominance modulating selected viewing areas of the program material with the control data.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the detecting is performed opto-electronically.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the detecting is performed by locally optically coupling the modulation to receiver electronics having means for discriminating the program material from the control data.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the transmitting is performed wirelessly.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the transmitting is performed optically.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the transmitting is performed within the infrared spectrum.

24. Apparatus for the remote control of interactive devices by the broadcast of composite video information to televisions, comprising:

means for generating a program signal containing a video program;

means for generating a data signal containing control data;

means for subliminally modulating the program signal by the data signal in timed relation thereto, thereby producing a control data-modulated video subcarrier detectable as digital modulation in at least one predefined viewing area of at least one television;

means adjacent at least one television for detecting the modulation in at least one viewing area to produce a control data sequence; and

means for controlling, in predetermined response to the data sequence, the actions of at least one of the interactive devices

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the modulating means produces a video subcarrier that is substantially invisible to a television viewer.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the detecting means includes means for optically coupling the modulation to receiver electronics having means for discriminating the program signal from the data signal.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the coupling means includes a light sensitive device.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the controlling means includes means for wirelessly transmitting the data sequence to at least one of the interactive devices.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the transmitting means is optical.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the transmitting means operates within the infrared spectrum.

31. Apparatus for the remote control of at least one interactive device by the production of composite video information containing program material and control data, the video information having been produced by modulating selected viewing areas of the program material with the control data to produce a video subcarrier component, the component containing the data, for viewing the program material on television screens, comprising:

means adjacent at least one of the television screens for detecting the control data modulation-produced video subcarrier component to reproduce the data, and

means for communicating such reproduced control data to at least one interactive device.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising means for producing the composite video information in such manner that the control data are substantially invisible to a television viewer.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the communication means is wireless and includes an infrared transmitter.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, further including means for modulating a carrier to represent the control data, the carrier being of a frequency above the audible range.

35. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the data are binary, and are communicated bit-serially.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the data are transmitted in accordance with an asynchronous protocol.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising at least one interactive device, each including an infrared receiver capable of receiving the control data, and a controller capable of initiating a predefined action in response thereto.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the data include a command field and an address field, and wherein each of the controllers responds to the control data by comparing the address field to at least one predefined value, and selectively initiating the action defined by the command field when the address field is equal to at least one such predefined value.

39. For use with the production of a composite video signal containing video program material for display on a television, the composite video signal further containing a video subcarrier component that contains control data for the remote control of interactive devices located proximate to the television and for use with apparatus capable of detecting such component and decoding and communicating such control data, an interactive device comprising:

a receiver capable of receiving the control data communicated by such apparatus, and

a controller capable of initiating a predefined action in response to such received control data.

40. The device of claim 39, wherein the control data includes a command field and an address field, the device further comprising address responsive means for selectively initiating a predefined action only when the address field corresponds to at least one preassigned device-specific address.

41. The device of claim 39, wherein the communication of control data is performed by wireless optical transmission, and wherein the receiver includes light responsive means for detecting and validating the control data.

42. The device of claim 41, wherein the transmission is within the infrared spectrum and the light responsive means is selectively responsive to energy within the infrared spectrum.

43. The device of claim 42, wherein an infrared carrier at a frequency above the audible range is modulated by the control data, and wherein the light responsive means includes carrier detecting means for selectively responding to infrared energy generally at the frequency of the carrier.

44. The device of claim 43, wherein the communication of the control data is performed in accordance with an asynchronous protocol.

45. Apparatus for the control of at least one interactive device by the presentation of composite video information containing program material and control data to at least one television for viewing thereon the program material, the video information being produced by modulating the program material, within a viewing area of the television, with the control data to produce a video subcarrier capable of indicating the presence and sense of the control data, comprising:

means proximate to the television for detecting the subcarrier to reproduce the data, and

means responsive to such reproduced data for controlling at least one interactive device.

46. Apparatus for the remote control of at least one interactive device by the broadcast of composite video information containing program material and control data to television for viewing the program material on the screens thereof, the video information having been produced by modulating selected viewing areas of the program material with the control data to produce a video subcarrier component, the component containing the data, the modulating having been performed in such manner that the modulation is substantially invisible to the television viewer, comprising:

means adjacent the television for detecting the component to reproduce the data, and

means responsive to such reproduced data for controlling at least one interactive device.

47. In co