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US6300983B1 Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus capable of forming kaleidoscopic image containing in situ image of observer himself

Assignee: Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International
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Filing: 1997-11-06
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Granted: 2001-10-09
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Expires: 2017-11-06
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Abstract

Abstract In an electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus, a kaleidoscopic image forming unit extracts an initial image fragment of a specified region on the basis of image information picked up by a video camera. In response to the shape of the initial image fragment, the kaleidoscopic image forming unit regards the initial image fragment as an original image and repeatedly inverts/duplicates an image signal in this shape for every obtained reflection pattern, thereby forming a kaleidoscopic image and outputting the same to a display unit.

Inventors

  • 👤 Sidney Sol Fels
  • 👤 Kenji Mase

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 16:56
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06T; G06T11/00

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim 196 words
An electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus comprising: image pickup means for converting a picked-up optical image to a pickup signal; kaleidoscopic image forming means for receiving said pickup signal and forming an image signal of a kaleidoscopic pattern, said kaleidoscopic image forming means including: image extracting means for receiving said pickup signal and cutting a partial pickup signal corresponding to a specific polygonal region in the picked-up scene out of said pickup signal in accordance with an external instruction, and image processing means for successively repeating a step of forming a mirror image by inverting/duplicating an original image of said partial pickup signal along each edge, defining a mirror image symmetry axis, of said polygonal region with respect to said mirror image formed in each said step thereby forming said image signal of said kaleidoscopic pattern filling up a screen; and display means for outputting a corresponding image in response to an output of said kaleidoscopic image forming means, further comprising sound means for receiving said partial pickup signal and successively forming and outputting a sound of a corresponding tone color and a corresponding volume on the basis of the brightness and the hue of said pickup signal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 196 words
An electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus comprising: image pickup means for converting a picked-up optical image to a pickup signal; kaleidoscopic image forming means for receiving said pickup signal and forming an image signal of a kaleidoscopic pattern, said kaleidoscopic image forming means including: image extracting means for receiving said pickup signal and cutting a partial pickup signal corresponding to a specific polygonal region in the picked-up scene out of said pickup signal in accordance with an external instruction, and image processing means for successively repeating a step of forming a mirror image by inverting/duplicating an original image of said partial pickup signal along each edge, defining a mirror image symmetry axis, of said polygonal region with respect to said mirror image formed in each said step thereby forming said image signal of said kaleidoscopic pattern filling up a screen; and display means for outputting a corresponding image in response to an output of said kaleidoscopic image forming means, further comprising sound means for receiving said partial pickup signal and successively forming and outputting a sound of a corresponding tone color and a corresponding volume on the basis of the brightness and the hue of said pickup signal.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 71 words
The electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said image processing means substitutes said mirror image formed in each said step of forming said mirror image by inversion/duplication along each said edge, defining said mirror image symmetry axis, of said polygonal region with respect to said mirror image formed at a step preceding said step thereby forming said image signal of said kaleidoscopic pattern filling up said screen.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 76 words
The electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said image processing means successively repeats a step of forming a mirror image by inversion/duplication along each edge, defining a mirror image symmetry axis, of said polygonal region with respect to said mirror image formed in each said step through boundaries between mirrors decided by only initial arrangement of said polygonal region thereby forming said image signal of said kaleidoscopic pattern filling up said screen.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 233 words
An electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus comprising: image pickup means for converting a picked-up optical image to a pickup signal; kaleidoscopic image forming means for receiving said pickup signal and forming an image signal of a kaleidoscopic pattern said kaleidoscopic image forming means including: image extracting means for receiving said pickup signal and cutting a partial pickup signal corresponding to a specific polygonal region in the picked-up scene out of said pickup signal in accordance with an external instruction, and image processing means for successively repeating a step of forming a mirror image by inverting/duplicating an original image of said partial pickup signal along each edge, defining a mirror image symmetry axis, of said polygonal region with respect to said mirror image formed in each said step thereby forming said image signal of said kaleidoscopic pattern filling up a screen; and display means for outputting a corresponding image in response to an output of said kaleidoscopic image forming means, wherein said image extracting means includes: partial image specifying means for receiving said pickup signal and cutting out said partial pickup signal corresponding to said specified polygonal region in the picked-up scene in accordance with said external instructions, and image synthesis means for receiving an output of said partial image specifying means and forming a partial pickup signal by synthesizing a graphics image formed in response to an external instruction with said cut-out partial pickup signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 233 words
An electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus comprising: image pickup means for converting a picked-up optical image to a pickup signal; kaleidoscopic image forming means for receiving said pickup signal and forming an image signal of a kaleidoscopic pattern said kaleidoscopic image forming means including: image extracting means for receiving said pickup signal and cutting a partial pickup signal corresponding to a specific polygonal region in the picked-up scene out of said pickup signal in accordance with an external instruction, and image processing means for successively repeating a step of forming a mirror image by inverting/duplicating an original image of said partial pickup signal along each edge, defining a mirror image symmetry axis, of said polygonal region with respect to said mirror image formed in each said step thereby forming said image signal of said kaleidoscopic pattern filling up a screen; and display means for outputting a corresponding image in response to an output of said kaleidoscopic image forming means, wherein said image extracting means includes: partial image specifying means for receiving said pickup signal and cutting out said partial pickup signal corresponding to said specified polygonal region in the picked-up scene in accordance with said external instructions, and image synthesis means for receiving an output of said partial image specifying means and forming a partial pickup signal by synthesizing a graphics image formed in response to an external instruction with said cut-out partial pickup signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 71 words
The electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus in accordance with claim 4 , wherein said image processing means substitutes said mirror image formed in each said step of forming said mirror image by inversion/duplication along each said edge, defining said mirror image symmetry axis, of said polygonal region with respect to said mirror image formed at a step preceding said step thereby forming said image signal of said kaleidoscopic pattern filling up said screen.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 77 words
The electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus in accordance with claim 4 , wherein said image processing means successively repeats a step of forming a mirror image by inversion/duplication along each edge, defining a mirror image symmetry axis, of said polygonal region through only a boundary between mirrors decided by initial arrangement of said polygonal region with respect to said mirror image formed in each said step thereby forming said image signal of said kaleidoscopic pattern filling up said screen.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 49 words
The electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus in accordance with claim 4 , further comprising sound means for receiving said partial pickup signal and successively forming and outputting a sound of a corresponding tone color and a corresponding volume on the basis of the brightness and the hue of said pickup signal.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 232 words
An electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus comprising: image pickup means for converting a picked-up optical image to a pickup signal; kaleidoscopic image forming means for receiving said pickup signal and forming an image signal of a kaleidoscopic pattern, said kaleidoscopic image forming means including: image extracting means for receiving said pickup signal and cutting a partial pickup signal corresponding to a specified angle region about a specified central point in the picked-up scene out of said pickup signal in accordance with an external instruction, and image processing means for successively inverting/duplicating an original image of said partial pickup signal along an edge, defining a mirror image symmetry axis, in a prescribed rotational direction about said central point along said prescribed rotational direction thereby forming said image signal of said kaleidoscopic pattern filling up a screen; and display means for outputting a corresponding image in response to an output of said kaleidoscopic image forming means, wherein said image extracting means includes: partial image specifying means for receiving said pickup signal and cutting out said partial pickup signal corresponding to said specified angle region about said specified central point in the picked-up scene in accordance with said external instructions, and image synthesis means for receiving an output of said image extracting means and synthesizing a graphic image formed in response to an external instruction with said cut-out partial pickup signal for forming a partial pickup signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 232 words
An electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus comprising: image pickup means for converting a picked-up optical image to a pickup signal; kaleidoscopic image forming means for receiving said pickup signal and forming an image signal of a kaleidoscopic pattern, said kaleidoscopic image forming means including: image extracting means for receiving said pickup signal and cutting a partial pickup signal corresponding to a specified angle region about a specified central point in the picked-up scene out of said pickup signal in accordance with an external instruction, and image processing means for successively inverting/duplicating an original image of said partial pickup signal along an edge, defining a mirror image symmetry axis, in a prescribed rotational direction about said central point along said prescribed rotational direction thereby forming said image signal of said kaleidoscopic pattern filling up a screen; and display means for outputting a corresponding image in response to an output of said kaleidoscopic image forming means, wherein said image extracting means includes: partial image specifying means for receiving said pickup signal and cutting out said partial pickup signal corresponding to said specified angle region about said specified central point in the picked-up scene in accordance with said external instructions, and image synthesis means for receiving an output of said image extracting means and synthesizing a graphic image formed in response to an external instruction with said cut-out partial pickup signal for forming a partial pickup signal.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 191 words
An electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus comprising: image pickup means for converting a picked-up optical image to a pickup signal; kaleidoscopic image forming means for receiving said pickup signal and forming an image signal of a kaleidoscopic pattern, said kaleidoscopic image forming means including: image extracting means for receiving said pickup signal and cutting a partial pickup signal corresponding to a specified angle region about a specified central point in the picked-up scene out of said pickup signal in accordance with an external instruction, and image processing means for successively inverting/duplicating an original image of said partial pickup signal along an edge, defining a mirror image symmetry axis, in a prescribed rotational direction about said central point along said prescribed rotational direction thereby forming said image signal of said kaleidoscopic pattern filling up a screen; and display means for outputting a corresponding image in response to an output of said kaleidoscopic image forming means, further comprising sound means for receiving said partial pickup signal and successively forming and outputting a sound of a corresponding tone color and a corresponding volume on he basis of the brightness and the hue of said pickup signal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 191 words
An electronic kaleidoscopic apparatus comprising: image pickup means for converting a picked-up optical image to a pickup signal; kaleidoscopic image forming means for receiving said pickup signal and forming an image signal of a kaleidoscopic pattern, said kaleidoscopic image forming means including: image extracting means for receiving said pickup signal and cutting a partial pickup signal corresponding to a specified angle region about a specified central point in the picked-up scene out of said pickup signal in accordance with an external instruction, and image processing means for successively inverting/duplicating an original image of said partial pickup signal along an edge, defining a mirror image symmetry axis, in a prescribed rotational direction about said central point along said prescribed rotational direction thereby forming said image signal of said kaleidoscopic pattern filling up a screen; and display means for outputting a corresponding image in response to an output of said kaleidoscopic image forming means, further comprising sound means for receiving said partial pickup signal and successively forming and outputting a sound of a corresponding tone color and a corresponding volume on he basis of the brightness and the hue of said pickup signal.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US4247181A Cited
EP0437074A2 Cited
GB2277226A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 2004-10-08 2005-04-09 2005-10-09 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 2008-10-08 2009-04-09 2009-10-09 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2012-10-08 2013-04-09 2013-10-09 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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