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DisneyGranted patentAR, VR & displaysInterest 6/10

Disney patents 3D video captions that stay in place without blocking the view

This patent describes a method for placing subtitles in 3D videos so they do not jump around or cover important parts of the scene. The system checks the depth of the video before and after a specific frame to adjust where the text appears, ensuring the captions remain stable and visible to the viewer.

Why it mattersIt improves the viewing experience for 3D content by solving a common annoyance where floating text can obscure the action or flicker as the scene changes.

In the filing’s own words

In some embodiments, a method determines a disparity value from a plurality of disparity values in a current frame of a stereoscopic video. The disparity value is based on a difference of a value for a pixel between a first video and a second video of the stereoscopic video. A location is determined in a current frame that include the disparity value. The method analyzes first frames prior to the current frame to adjust disparity values in the first frames to generate one or more adjusted first disparity values. Also, the method analyzes second frames after the current frame to adjust disparity values in the second frames to generate one or more adjusted second disparity values. The one or more adjusted first disparity values and the one or more adjusted second disparity values are output for use in displaying captions in the first video or the second video.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. A method comprising: determining a disparity value from a plurality of disparity values in a current frame of a stereoscopic video, wherein the disparity value is based on a difference of a value for a pixel between a first video and a second video of the stereoscopic video; determining a location in a current frame that includes the disparity value; analyzing one or more first frames prior to the current frame to adjust disparity values in the one or more first frames to generate one or more adjusted first disparity values, wherein analyzing one or more first frames prior to the current frame comprises: determining a first frame; determining whether a disparity value for the first frame is less than a disparity value for the current frame, wherein less than indicates closer to a viewer of the stereoscopic video; when the disparity value for the first frame is not less than the disparity value for the current frame, determining whether the disparity value for the first frame is greater than the disparity value for the current frame and a difference value, wherein greater than indicates farther away from the viewer of the stereoscopic video; adjusting the disparity value for the first frame to an adjusted first disparity value that is equal to or less than the disparity value and the difference value; determining another first frame that is previous to the first frame that was determined; and analyzing a disparity value of the another first frame and the adjusted first disparity value of the first frame to determine whether to adjust the disparity value of the another first frame to generate an adjusted first disparity value for the another first frame; analyzing one or more second frames after the current frame to adjust disparity values in the one or more second frames to generate one or more adjusted second disparity values; and outputting the one or more adjusted first disparity values and the one or more adjusted second disparity values for use in displaying captions in the first video or the second video.

Facts

Company
Disney (Disney Enterprises, Inc.)
Official title
Temporally stable occlusion free caption rendering position in Z-plane for stereoscopic video
Patent number
US12744873B2
Application number
18765216
Filed
Jul 6, 2024
Granted
Sep 22, 2026
Inventors
5
Claims
20

Classified under

H04N 13/128 Electricity & electronicsG06T 7/74 Physics & computingG06T 2207/10021 Physics & computingG06T 2207/20228 Physics & computingH04N 2013/0081 Electricity & electronics

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.