US6380933B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Graphical video system
Assignee: Orad Hi Tec Systems Ltd
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Filing: 1997-10-14
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Granted: 2002-04-30
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Expires: 2017-10-14
Abstract
Abstract The position of players which may be persons or other objects such as racing cars, sail boats etc. in a sports event is identified and this data is used to create a 3-D image of the event enabling the event to be viewed from any desired angle and also enabling the data to be transmitted to remote viewers enabling the viewers to view the event in 3-D and also to introduce virtual players to compete with real players in the event and to compete with other viewers.
Inventors
- 👤 Avi Sharir
- 👤 Michael Tamir
- 👤 Zion Azar
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 19:23
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63F; A63F13/00; A63F13/30; A63F13/33; A63F13/335; A63F13/50; A63F13/52; A63F13/525; A63F13/60; A63F13/65; A63F13/80; A63F13/803; A63F13/812; G; G06; G06T; G06T15/00; G06T15/10; H; H04; H04N; H04N13/00; H04N13/20; H04N13/204; H04N13/239; H04N13/246; H04N13/275; H04N13/279; A63F13/5258; A63F2300/00; A63F2300/40; A63F2300/407; A63F2300/60; A63F2300/66; A63F2300/6661; A63F2300/69; A63F2300/80; A63F2300/8011; A63F2300/8017; H04N13/10; H04N13/189; H04N13/194; H04N13/286; H04N13/289; H04N13/296; H04N13/30; H04N13/324; H04N13/332; H04N13/341; H04N13/398; H04N5/00; H04N5/222; H04N5/262
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
253 words
Apparatus for generating live remote video display of 3-dimensional graphical representations of a football match between first and second teams on a football pitch at a first location, comprising: player determination means situated at the first location for determining the positions of at least the football players on the football pitch, a memory disposed at a second location remote from said first location for storing downloaded three-dimensional (3D) graphical representations of said football players, apparatus disposed at said first location, or at a third location remote from both said first and second locations, including storage for storing 3D graphical representations of the players of the first team and the players of the second team, and means for downloading said 3D graphical representations of the players of the first team and the players of the second team to said memory at the second location over a low bandwidth transmission link prior to commencement of the football match, means for transmitting the positions of said football players from the first location to the second location over a low bandwidth transmission link in real time during the match, combination means situated at said second location for combining the positions of said football players transmitted over the low bandwidth transmission link with the 3D graphical representations of the players downloaded into said memory to produce a real time 3D graphical representation of the football match, and display means at the second location for displaying the 3-D graphical representation of the football match produced by the combination means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
253 words
Apparatus for generating live remote video display of 3-dimensional graphical representations of a football match between first and second teams on a football pitch at a first location, comprising: player determination means situated at the first location for determining the positions of at least the football players on the football pitch, a memory disposed at a second location remote from said first location for storing downloaded three-dimensional (3D) graphical representations of said football players, apparatus disposed at said first location, or at a third location remote from both said first and second locations, including storage for storing 3D graphical representations of the players of the first team and the players of the second team, and means for downloading said 3D graphical representations of the players of the first team and the players of the second team to said memory at the second location over a low bandwidth transmission link prior to commencement of the football match, means for transmitting the positions of said football players from the first location to the second location over a low bandwidth transmission link in real time during the match, combination means situated at said second location for combining the positions of said football players transmitted over the low bandwidth transmission link with the 3D graphical representations of the players downloaded into said memory to produce a real time 3D graphical representation of the football match, and display means at the second location for displaying the 3-D graphical representation of the football match produced by the combination means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
63 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a video camera at the first location for videoing the football match, and in which the apparatus at said second location comprises manipulation means operative by a viewer and enabling said viewer to select a different angle from which to view the football pitch from the angle of the pitch viewed by the video camera.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
43 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 including means for enabling a viewer to introduce 3D graphical representations of further players from said memory, and comprising means for controlling said further players to compete with the players whose positions are transmitted from said game.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which said further players comprise racing cars.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 including transmitter means enabling each viewer to communicate with other viewers to enable each viewer to compete with other viewers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
69 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 and 5 to further comprising a video camera at the first location for videoing the football match, and in which the apparatus at the first location comprises means for measuring the camera field of view (FOV) and in which the player determination means comprises manual means for manually identifying the position of the players and a ball on the match.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
49 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of claimed 1 to 4 further comprising a video camera at the first location for videoing the football match, and in which the apparatus at the first location includes pan/tilt/zoom and focus encoders for said video camera for automatic measurement of the FOV.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
46 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the apparatus at the first location includes cooperative means for identifying the position and/or identity of each player, the apparatus including thermal imaging means fro identification of the player's position on the pitch.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 further comprising a video camera at the first location for videoing the football match, and in which the thermal imaging means is mounted on the camera and bore-sighted to the FOV of the camera.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
49 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 in which the cooperative means also includes a laser scanner cooperating with the thermal imaging means to scan each player and to receive from each player an identification signal generated by cooperative means on each player to identify each player on the pitch.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for transmitting includes means for transmitting the players' positions and identities to the second location.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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Cited
US5363297A
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EP0669758A1
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EP0773514A1
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2005-04-29 | 2005-10-29 | 2006-04-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2009-04-29 | 2009-10-29 | 2010-04-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2013-04-29 | 2013-10-29 | 2014-04-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |