# US 6,496,601 B1 · System and method for asynchronous, adaptive moving picture compression, and decompression > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 6,496,601 B1 - Document ID: US6496601B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 09/521,377 - Filed: 2000-03-08 - Granted: 2002-12-17 - Earliest claimed: 1997-06-23 - Assignees: Viewpoint Corporation - Inventors: Alexander A. Migdal; Blaise Aguera-Arcas - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6496601B1 ## CPC - G06T 9/001: {Model-based coding, e.g. wire frame} - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract System and method for asynchronous transmission of video images such as from a sending to a receiving terminal or from a sending processor to a storage medium like videotape. The system receives moving picture image information such as analog video digitized into 2D bitmap data and employs a modeling system such as a triangulated mesh modeling system to create an initial image consisting of a compact set of N elements (such as the data points of a triangulated mesh) where the number of elements is less than the number of elements necessary to display the image. In the exemplary embodiment the model elements are bitmap pixel assignments, however other elements such as wavelets, or Fourier component elements, or iterated function system (IFS maps) could also be used. As the images of the moving picture change, the sending computer compares data for each new image against the current model elements and will add elements to or remove elements from the model to update the model to make it current with the new image. The sending computer outputs a sequence of commands to replicate the model building and subsequent updating either to a receiving terminal (which displays the moving image in real time) or to a digital or analog storage medium such as a disk or analog tape. This entire video sequence can be compressed into a sequence of add and remove commands. These commands can be output across communication systems or stored for later playback. In creating each add or remove command, the present invention employs an encoding technique which indexes the spatial coordinate data and color pixel assignment data, so that an instruction can be encoded with an index rather than specifying a full longhand command. A decompress function of the present invention is comprised to decode each encoded command and execute the instruction. The modeling system presented is also adaptive to allow greater clarity or resolution in the images transmitted depending on the amount of bandwidth available in the communications or storage system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A transmitting station for transmitting moving picture images, comprising: a processor coupled to a memory and program elements adapted to accept as input a two-dimensional moving picture image or containing a moving picture in memory, the processor generating a mesh model of the image, the mesh model containing mesh elements, where a mesh element is a discrete portion of the entire image such that the plurality of mesh elements in the model can approximate the entire image, but is smaller than the number of pixels in the entire image, the processor continuously altering the mesh model based on changes to the moving picture image; and a communication element coupled to the processor and transmitting the mesh elements to a remote receiving station, the communication element further continuously transmitting indications of at least one of i) mesh elements to add to the mesh, and ii) mesh elements to delete from the mesh to the remote receiving station. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the mesh elements include at least one of: i) triangular faces, and ii) vertices. ### Claim 3 A transmission system, comprising: a processor generating a mesh model of at least a first one of a sequence of images, the mesh model including mesh elements, the processor determining at least one of: i) mesh elements to add to the mesh model, and ii) mesh elements to delete from the mesh model, to represent changes to the mesh model as a function of at least a second one of the sequence of images, the second one being subsequent in the sequence to the first one; and a communication element transmitting the mesh elements to a remote receiving station, the communication element further transmitting indications of the at least one of mesh elements to add to the mesh model and mesh elements to delete from the mesh model to the remote receiving station. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The transmission system according to claim 3, wherein the sequence of images forms a moving picture image. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The transmitting system according to claim 3, wherein the mesh model is a triangulated mesh model. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The transmitting system according to claim 3, wherein the remote receiving station renders a local mesh model using the received mesh elements. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The transmitting system according to claim 6, wherein the indications are transmitted to the remote receiving station in the form of commands, the remote receiving station changing the local mesh model as a function of the commands. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The transmitting system according to claim 7, wherein the commands include at least one of an ADD command and a REMOVE command. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The transmitting system according to claim 3, wherein the mesh elements include at least one of: i) vertices, and ii) triangles. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The transmitting system according to claim 3, wherein the communication element continuously transmits to the remote receiving station further indications of at least one of: i) further mesh elements to add to the mesh model, and ii) further mesh elements to delete from the mesh model, the processor determining the at least one of the further mesh elements to add to the mesh model and further mesh elements to delete from the mesh model, as a function of further images of the sequence of the images subsequent to the second one. ### Claim 11 A transmission method, comprising: generating a mesh model of at least a first one of a sequence of images, the mesh model including mesh elements; determining at least one of: i) mesh elements to add to the mesh model, and ii) mesh elements to delete from the mesh model as a function of at least a second one of the sequence of images, the second one being subsequent in the sequence to the first one; transmitting the mesh elements to a remote receiving station; and transmitting indications of the determined at least one of the mesh elements to add to the mesh model and mesh elements to delete from the mesh model, to the remote receiving station. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The transmission method according to claim 11, wherein the sequence of images forms a moving picture image. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The transmission method claim 11, wherein mesh model is a triangulated mesh model. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The transmission method according to claim 11, further comprising: rendering, at the remote receiving station, a local mesh model using the received mesh elements. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The transmission method according to claim 11, wherein the transmitting the indications includes transmitting the indications to the remote receiving station in the form of commands, the remote receiving station changing the rendered mesh model as a function of the commands. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The transmission method according to claim 15, wherein the commands include at least one of an ADD command and a REMOVE command. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The transmission method according to claim 11, wherein the mesh elements include at least one of: i) vertices, and ii) triangles. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The transmission method according to claim 14, further comprising: determining at least one of: i) further mesh elements to add to the mesh model, and ii) further mesh elements to delete from the mesh model as a function of further images of the sequence of images subsequent the second one; continuously transmitting to the remote receiving station indications of the determined at least one of the further mesh elements to add to the mesh model and further mesh elements to delete from the mesh model. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The transmission method according to claim 18, further comprising: continuously changing the local mesh model as a function of the the indications of the determined at least one of the further mesh elements to add to the mesh model and further mesh elements to delete from the mesh model. ### Claim 20 A receiving system, comprising: a processor configured to receive mesh elements from a remote transmitting station, the processor rendering a local mesh model using the mesh elements, the processor further configured to change the local mesh model as a function of commands received from the remote transmitting station; and a display device, the processor displaying the local mesh model on the display device, and continuously applying the received changes to local mesh model so that a moving picture image is displayed on the display device. ### Claim 21 A method of displaying a moving picture image, comprising: receiving from a remote transmitting station mesh elements; locally rendering a mesh model using the mesh elements; continuously receiving from a remote transmitting station commands; and continuously changing the locally rendered mesh model using the received commands so that a moving picture image is displayed. ### Claim 22 A transmission system, comprising: a storage device storing mesh elements, the mesh elements forming a mesh model of at least a first one of a sequence of images, the mesh model including mesh elements, the storage device further storing indications of at least one of: i) mesh elements to add to the mesh model, and ii) mesh elements to delete from the mesh model, the at least one of the mesh elements to add to the mesh model and the mesh elements to delete from the mesh model determined as a function of at least a second one of the sequence of images, the second one being subsequent in the sequence to the first one; and a communication element transmitting the mesh elements to a remote receiving station, the communication element further transmitting the determined at least one of the mesh elements to add to the mesh model and mesh elements to delete from the mesh model, to the remote receiving station. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The transmission system according to claim 22, wherein the sequence of images forms a moving picture image. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The transmitting system according to claim 22, wherein the mesh model is a triangulated mesh model. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) The transmitting system according to claim 22, wherein the remote receiving station renders a local mesh model using the received mesh elements. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The transmitting system according to claim 25, wherein the determined at least one of the mesh elements to add to the mesh model and mesh elements to delete from the mesh model, are transmitted to the remote receiving station in the form of commands, the remote receiving station changing the local mesh model as a function of the commands. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The transmitting system according to claim 26, wherein the commands include at least one of an ADD command and a REMOVE command. ### Claim 28 (depends on 22) The transmitting system according to claim 22, wherein the mesh elements include at least one of: i) vertices, and ii) triangles. ### Claim 29 (depends on 22) The transmitting system according to claim 22, wherein the communication element continuously transmits to the remote receiving station at least one of: i)further mesh elements to add to the mesh model, and ii) further mesh elements to delete from the mesh model, the at least one of the further mesh elements to add to the mesh model and further elements to delete from the mesh model being stored on the storage device and being determined as a function of further images of the sequence of the images subsequent to the second one. ### Claim 30 A receiving system, comprising: a processor configured to receive mesh elements from a remote transmitting station, the processor rendering a local mesh model using the mesh elements, the processor further configured to change the local mesh model as a function of commands received from the remote transmitting station, the commands providing an indication of at least one of: i) additional mesh elements to add to the local mesh model, and ii) additional mesh elements to delete from the local mesh model; and a display device, the processor displaying the local mesh model on the display device, and processor configured to continuously change the local mesh model as a function of the commands so that a moving picture image is displayed on the display device. ### Claim 31 (depends on 30) The receiving system according to claim 30, wherein the mesh elements include at least one of: i) triangular faces, and ii) vertices. ### Claim 32 A method of displaying a moving picture image, comprising: receiving from a remote transmitting station mesh elements; locally rendering a mesh model using the mesh elements; continuously receiving from a remote transmitting station commands, the commands including an indication of at least one of: mesh elements to add to the mesh and mesh elements to delete from the mesh; and continuously changing the locally rendered mesh model using the received commands so that a moving picture image is displayed. ### Claim 33 A transmission system, comprising: a processor generating a mesh model of at least a first one of a sequence of images, the mesh model including mesh elements, the processor determining changes to the mesh model as a function of at least a second one of the sequence of images, the second one being subsequent in the sequence to the first one; and a communication element transmitting the mesh elements to a remote receiving station, the communication element further transmitting the determined changes to the remote receiving station in the form of commands, the remote receiving station rendering a local mesh model using the received mesh elements, the remote receiving station changing the local mesh model as a function of the commands. ### Claim 34 A transmission method, comprising: generating a mesh model of at least a first one of a sequence of images, the mesh model including mesh elements; determining changes to the mesh model as a function of at least a second one of the sequence of images, the second one being subsequent in the sequence to the first one; transmitting the mesh elements to a remote receiving station in the form of commands; transmitting the determined changes to the remote receiving station; rendering, at the remote receiving station, a local mesh model using the received mesh elements; and changing the rendered mesh model as a function of the commands. ### Claim 35 A transmission system, comprising: a storage device storing mesh elements, the mesh elements forming a mesh model of at least a first one of a sequence of images, the mesh model including mesh elements, the storage device further storing changes to the mesh model, the changes representing changes to the mesh model determined as a function of at least a second one of the sequence of images, the second one being subsequent in the sequence to the first one; and a communication element transmitting the mesh elements to a remote receiving station, the remote receiving station rendering a local mesh model using the mesh elements, the communication element further transmitting the determined changes to the remote receiving station in the form of commands, the remote receiving station changing the local mesh model as a function of the commands. ### Claim 36 (depends on 1) The transmitting station according to claim 1, wherein the processor determines the at least one of mesh elements to add to the mesh, and mesh elements to delete from the mesh as a function of the changes to the moving picture.