Vertical blanking insertion device

Claim 1

A device for extracting private data from an MPEG transport stream and inserting the private data on at least one line of a vertical blanking interval of a video signal, the device comprising: a) a processor operating under a stored control program; b) a bus coupled with the processor; c) a buffer having an input receiving the MPEG transport stream and an output; d) a transport demultiplexer having an input coupled with the output of the buffer, an input/output port coupled with the bus, an associated storage device having a plurality of queues, and an output, the transport demultiplexer adapted to i) separate the MPEG transport stream into elementary streams based on packetized identification numbers included in headers of the elementary streams, ii) route the elementary streams to the plurality of queues based on the packetized identification numbers, and iii) provide video elementary streams to its output; e) a video decoder having an input coupled with the output of the transport demultiplexer, having an input/output port coupled with the bus, having an associated storage device for storing frames of the video elementary stream, and having an output, the video decoder adapted to i) convert the MPEG video elementary streams to a digital video signal, and ii) provide the digital video signal to its output; f) a multiplexer having a first input coupled with the output of the video decoder, a second input, a control input, and an output; g) a video encoder having a first input coupled with the output of the multiplexer, a second input provided with video synchronization pulses, and a first output and a second output, the video encoder adapted to i) encode a digital video signal provided at its first input to a formatted video signal based on the video synchronization pulses provided at its second input, ii) converting the formatted video signal into an analog video signal, iii) providing the analog video signal to its first output, iv) determining a count indicative of a horizontal line of a video field of a video frame of the analog video signal, and v) providing the count to its second output; h) a vertical blanking interval data generator having a port coupled with the bus, and an output coupled with the second input of the multiplexer, the vertical blanking interval data generator adapted to i) format data provided at its port to form formatted data, and ii) provide the formatted data to its output; i) a multiplexer controller having an input coupled with the second output of the video encoder, and an output coupled with the control input of the multiplexer, the multiplexer controller adapted to i) determine an occurrence of the at least one line of a vertical blanking interval of the analog signal based on data provided at its input; and ii) providing a switching signal to the multiplexer based on the determined occurrence of the at least one line of the vertical blanking interval.

Claim 2

A device for extracting private data from an MPEG transport stream and inserting the private data on at least one line of a vertical blanking interval of a video signal, the device comprising: a) a processor operating under a stored control program; b) a bus coupled with the processor; c) a buffer having an input receiving the MPEG transport stream and an output; d) a transport demultiplexer having an input coupled with the output of the buffer, an input/output port coupled with the bus, an associated storage device having a plurality of queues, and an output, the transport demultiplexer adapted to i) separate the MPEG transport stream into elementary streams based on packetized identification numbers included in headers of the elementary streams, ii) route the elementary streams to the plurality of queues based on the packetized identification numbers, and iii) provide video elementary streams to its output; e) a video decoder having an input coupled with the output of the transport demultiplexer, having an input/output port coupled with the bus, having an associated storage device for storing frames of the video elementary stream, and having an output, the video decoder adapted to i) convert the MPEG video elementary streams to a digital video signal, and ii) provide the digital video signal to its output; f) a multiplexer having a first input coupled with the output of the video decoder, a second input, a control input, and an output; g) a video encoder having a first input coupled with the output of the multiplexer, a second input provided with video synchronization pulses, and a first output and a second output, the video encoder adapted to i) encode a digital video signal provided at its first input to a formatted video signal based on the video synchronization pulses provided at its second input, ii) converting the formatted video signal into an analog video signal, iii) providing the analog video signal to its first output, iv) determining a count indicative of a horizontal line of a video field of a video frame of the analog video signal, and v) providing the count to its second output; h) a vertical blanking interval data generator having a port coupled with the bus, and an output coupled with the second input of the multiplexer, the vertical blanking interval data generator adapted to i) format data provided at its port to form formatted data, and ii) provide the formatted data to its output; i) a multiplexer controller having an input coupled with the second output of the video encoder, and an output coupled with the control input of the multiplexer, the multiplexer controller adapted to i) determine an occurrence of the at least one line of a vertical blanking interval of the analog signal based on data provided at its input; and ii) providing a switching signal to the multiplexer based on the determined occurrence of the at least one line of the vertical blanking interval.