Patent US6535629B2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6535629B2
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US
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Stereoscopic image encoding
Assignee: De Montfort University
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Filing: 1996-09-13
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Granted: 2003-03-18
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Expires: 2016-09-13
Abstract
Abstract There is disclosed a method for storing and/or transmitting 3D image information comprising the steps of: producing an image to be stored and/or transmitted comprising an array of strongly correlated neighbouring sub-images; casting the sub-images on to a pixel screen capturing the sub-images as electronic data; compressing the electronic data by eliminating redundancies associated with the sub-images; storing and/or transmitting the compressed data; the compression being reversible so as to expand the data to re-create the sub-images for viewing as a 3D image through an optical viewing system comprising a microlens or lenticular array.
Inventors
- 👤 Malcolm McCormick
- 👤 Neil Davies
- 👤 Amar Aggoun
- 👤 Matthew Charles Forman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 20:17
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N19/00; H04N13/00; H04N13/20; H04N13/204; H04N13/207; H04N13/225; H04N13/229; H04N13/232; H04N13/30; H04N13/302; H04N13/305; H04N13/307; H04N13/31; H04N19/50; H04N19/597
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
140 words
A method for storing and/or transmitting 3D image information comprising the steps of: producing an image to be stored and/or transmitted comprising an array of strongly correlated neighboring sub-images; casting the sub-images on to a pixel screen capturing the sub-images as electronic data; compressing the electronic data by eliminating redundancies associated with the sub-images; storing and/or transmitting the compressed data; the compression being reversible in a decorrelating technique so as to expand the data to re-create the sub-images for viewing as a 3D image through an optical viewing system comprising a microlens or lenticular array; wherein the microlens or lenticular array is adapted for integral image recording during compression and a 3D-DCT coding scheme is applied directly to groups of neighboring sub-images, where for each group, the first two dimensions removing intra-sub-image redundancies and the third dimension eliminating inter-sub-image redundancies.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
140 words
A method for storing and/or transmitting 3D image information comprising the steps of: producing an image to be stored and/or transmitted comprising an array of strongly correlated neighboring sub-images; casting the sub-images on to a pixel screen capturing the sub-images as electronic data; compressing the electronic data by eliminating redundancies associated with the sub-images; storing and/or transmitting the compressed data; the compression being reversible in a decorrelating technique so as to expand the data to re-create the sub-images for viewing as a 3D image through an optical viewing system comprising a microlens or lenticular array; wherein the microlens or lenticular array is adapted for integral image recording during compression and a 3D-DCT coding scheme is applied directly to groups of neighboring sub-images, where for each group, the first two dimensions removing intra-sub-image redundancies and the third dimension eliminating inter-sub-image redundancies.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
44 words
A method according to claim 1 , in which the image is of a scene produced using an optical imaging system comprising a microlens or lenticular array of small spherical or cylindrical lenses each of which images the scene from a slightly different viewpoint.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method according to claim 1 , in which the image is electronically generated or partially electronically generated.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 1 , in which photographic images are electronically scanned and captured as electronic data.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
A method according to claim 1 , in which redundancies between sub-images are eliminated.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
14 words
A method according to claim 1 , in which redundancies within sub-images are eliminated.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method according to claim 1 , in which small sub-image data sectors generated by the optical system are fed successively into an encoder where a previously coded sub-image is subtracted from the most-recently fed-in sub-image by a differential pulse code modulation (DPCM) coding technique.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 7 , in which redundancies are eliminated within the sub-images themselves.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
A method according to claim 8 , in which the intra-sub-image redundancies are eliminated using a discrete cosine transform (DCT) coding scheme.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method according to claim 1 , in which a quantisation function is applied to the coded data that sets small values to zero and transforms all other non-zero values to nearest values in a set of preferred values.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 1 , in which the coded data are further entropy encoded.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 1 , for storing and/or transmitting moving 3D image information using a DPCM coding technique decorrelating image data in the temporal domain and 3D-DCT eliminating spatial redundancies.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 1 , in which a 2D-DCT scheme correlates intra-sub-image spatial redundancies and a DPCM technique decorrelates inter-sub-image data both in the spatial and temporal domains.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2006-03-17 | 2006-09-16 | 2007-03-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2010-03-17 | 2010-09-16 | 2011-03-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2014-03-17 | 2014-09-16 | 2015-03-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |