Digital video special effects system

Claim 2

In a video processing system of the type wherein video information is stored in a memory having a plurality of storage locations for storing respective predetermined portions of a video signal, each storage location having an associated memory address in the form of a memory address coordinate pair, a memory address coordinate manipulator arrangement comprising: function register means for receiving function data corresponding to a selected mathematical function representative of a desired displacement of a selected one of the predetermined portions of the video signal with respect to the associated storage location in the memory; input means for receiving the memory address coordinate pair corresponding to said selected one of the portions of the video signal which is desired to be displaced; arithmetic means for combining said function data and said memory address coordinate pair corresponding to said selected one of the portions of the video signal in accordance with a predetermined sequence of arithmetic steps for producing a solution to a generalized displacement equation; and offset register means for receiving offset data corresponding to a desired fixed displacement of said selected one of the predetermined portions of the video signal.

Claim 3

The memory address coordinate manipulator arrangement of claim 1 wherein there is further provided offset adder means for adding said offset data to said solution to said generalized displacement equation.

Claim 4

The memory address coordinate manipulator arrangement of claim 1 wherein there are further provided: at least first and second radix point register means for storing said solution to said generalized displacement equation in respective radix formats; and radix decoder means for selecting one of said first and second radix point register means.

Claim 5

The memory address coordinate manipulator arrangement of claim 3 wherein there is further provided switch means having at least first and second inputs connected to respective ones of said first and second radix point register means and a control input connected to said radix decoder means for producing at an output of said switch means said solution to said generalized displacement equation in a radix format selected in response to said radix decoder means.

Claim 6

The memory address coordinate manipulator arrangement of claim 1 wherein said arithmetic means comprises: first multiplication means connected to said function register means and said input means for producing a first product value corresponding to the product of said function data and a first half of said memory address coordinate pair; second multiplication means for producing a second product value corresponding to the product of said function data and a second half of said memory address coordinate pair; first adder means for forming a first sum value corresponding to the addition of said first and second product values; and second adder means for forming a second sum value corresponding to the addition of said first sum value and an offset value.

Claim 7

The memory address coordinate manipulator arrangement of claim 5 wherein there are further provided: positive and negative screen limit input means for receiving positive and negative numerical limit values, respectively; and comparator means for comparing said second sum value against said positive and negative numerical limit values.

Claim 10

The method of claim 7 wherein said step of arithmetically manipulating comprises the further step of displacing the video special effect on the video screen by adding an offset value to said manipulated coordinate pair data.

Claim 11

The method of claim 7 wherein there is provided the further step of storing said manipulated coordinate pair data in a plurality of registers which are adapted for respective sign and radix formats.

Claim 12

The method of claim 9 wherein there is further provided the step of selecting one of said registers to provide said manipulated coordinate pairs data in a selected radix format.

Claim 13

The method of claim 8 wherein there is provided the further step of comparing the sum of said offset value and said manipulated coordinate pairs data against predetermined positive and negative limits to determine whether the video special effect is presented within a predetermined area on the video screen.

Claim 14

In a video processing system of the type wherein video information is stored in a memory having a plurality of storage locations for storing respective predetermined portions of a video signal, each storage location having an associated memory address in the form of a memory address coordinate pair, a memory address coordinate manipulator arrangement comprising: function register means for receiving function data corresponding to a selected mathematical function representative of a desired displacement of a selected one of the predetermined portions of the video signal with respect to the associated storage location in the memory; input means for receiving the memory address coordinate pair corresponding to said selected one of the portions of the video signal which is desired to be displaced; arithmetic means for combining said function data and said memory address coordinate pair corresponding to said selected one of the portions of the video signal in accordance with a predetermined sequence of arithmetic steps for producing a solution to a generalized displacement equation; first and second radix point register means for storing said solution to said generalized displacement equation in respective radix formats; and radix decoder means for selecting one of said first and second radix point register means.

Claim 15

In a video processing system of the type wherein video information is stored in a memory having a plurality of storage locations for storing respective predetermined portions of a video signal, each storage location having an associated memory address in the form of a memory address coordinate pair, a memory address coordinate manipulator arrangement comprising: function register means for receiving function data corresponding to a selected mathematical function representative of a desired displacement of a selected one of the predetermined portions of the video signal with respect to the associated storage location in the memory; input means for receiving the memory address coordinate pair corresponding to said selected one of the portions of the video signal which is desired to be displaced; arithmetic means for combining said function data and said memory address coordinate pair corresponding to said selected one of the portions of the video signal in accordance with a predetermined sequence of arithmetic steps for producing a solution to a generalized displacement equation; first and second radix point register means for storing said solution to said generalized displacement equation in respective radix formats; and radix decoder means for selecting one of said first and second radix point register means.

Claim 16

The memory address coordinate manipulator arrangement of claim 12 wherein there is further provided switch means having at least first and second inputs connected to respective ones of said first and second radix point register means and a control input connected to said radix decoder means for producing at an output of said switch means said solution to said generalized displacement equation in a radix format selected in response to said radix decoder means.

Claim 17

In a video processing system of the type wherein video information is stored in a memory having a plurality of storage locations for storing respective predetermined portions of a video signal, each storage location having an associated memory address in the form of a memory address coordinate pair, a memory address coordinate manipulator arrangement comprising: function register means for receiving function data corresponding to a selected mathematical function representative of a desired displacement of a selected one of the predetermined portions of the video signal with respect to the associated storage location in the memory; input means for receiving the memory address coordinate pair corresponding to said selected one of the portions of the video signal which is desired to be displaced; and arithmetic means for combining said function data and said memory address coordinate pair corresponding to said selected one of the portions of the video signal in accordance with a predetermined sequence of arithmetic steps for producing a solution to a generalized displacement equation, said arithmetic means including (a) first multiplication means connected to said function register means and said input means for producing a first product value corresponding to the product of said function data and a first half of said memory address coordinate pair, (b) second multiplication means for producing a second product value corresponding to the product of said function data and a second half of said memory address coordinate pair, (c) first adder means for forming a first sum value corresponding to the addition of said first and second product values, and (d) second adder means for forming a second sum value corresponding to the addition of said first sum value and an offset value.

Claim 18

In a video processing system of the type wherein video information is stored in a memory having a plurality of storage locations for storing respective predetermined portions of a video signal, each storage location having an associated memory address in the form of a memory address coordinate pair, a memory address coordinate manipulator arrangement comprising: function register means for receiving function data corresponding to a selected mathematical function representative of a desired displacement of a selected one of the predetermined portions of the video signal with respect to the associated storage location in the memory; input means for receiving the memory address coordinate pair corresponding to said selected one of the portions of the video signal which is desired to be displaced; and arithmetic means for combining said function data and said memory address coordinate pair corresponding to said selected one of the portions of the video signal in accordance with a predetermined sequence of arithmetic steps for producing a solution to a generalized displacement equation, said arithmetic means including (a) first multiplication means connected to said function register means and said input means for producing a first product value corresponding to the product of said function data and a first half of said memory address coordinate pair, (b) second multiplication means for producing a second product value corresponding to the product of said function data and a second half of said memory address coordinate pair, (c) first adder means for forming a first sum value corresponding to the addition of said first and second product values, and (d) second adder means for forming a second sum value corresponding to the addition of said first sum value and an offset value.

Claim 19

The memory address coordinate manipulator arrangement of claim 14 wherein there are further provided: positive and negative screen limit input means for receiving positive and negative numerical limit values, respectively; and comparator means for comparing said second sum value against said positive and negative numerical limit values.

Claim 22

The method of claim 16 wherein there is further provided the step of selecting one of said registers to provide said manipulated coordinate pairs data in a selected radix format.