# US 7,466,340 B1 · Method and apparatus for protection against pixel burn-in > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,466,340 B1 - Document ID: US7466340B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 11/054,913 - Filed: 2005-02-09 - Granted: 2008-12-16 - Earliest claimed: 2005-02-09 - Inventors: William Herz - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7466340B1 ## CPC - H04N 3/20: Prevention of damage to cathode-ray tubes in the event of failure of scanning - G09G 3/20: for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix {no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters} - G09G 2320/046: Dealing with screen burn-in prevention or compensation of the effects thereof - G09G 2320/0606: Manual adjustment - G09G 2320/103: Detection of image changes, e.g. determination of an index representative of the image change - G09G 2360/16: Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00) ## Abstract Embodiments for protecting against pixel burn-in are disclosed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus, comprising: a static display region detection unit; and a pixel compensation unit to modulate one or more pixel values corresponding to a first subset of pixels within a detected static display region, wherein the first subset of pixels comprises at least one pixel fewer than the total number of pixels of the detected static display region. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the static display region detection unit is adapted to receive an input from a user identifying the static display region. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the input from the user comprises a user-defined static region identified by the user by drawing a box around the user-defined static region with a cursor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the static display region detection unit comprises a black bar region detection unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the static display region detection unit comprises a static pattern detection unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, the pixel compensation unit to modulate the one or more pixel values corresponding to the first subset of pixels within the detected static display region by determining one or more current pixel values for the one or more pixels for a current frame and calculating a subsequent one or more pixel values for the one or more pixels for a subsequent frame. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6, the pixel compensation unit to calculate the one or more subsequent pixel values by determining a difference between the one or more current pixel values and a neutral value and subtracting the respective difference from the one or more current pixel values. ### Claim 8 A method, comprising: detecting a static display region; and modulating one or more pixel values corresponding to a first subset of pixels within the detected static display region, wherein the first subset of pixels comprises at least one pixel fewer than the total number of pixels of the detected static display region. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein said detecting the static display region comprises receiving an input from a user identifying the static display region. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein said receiving the input from the user comprises receiving an input from the user defining a user-defined static region identified by the user by drawing a box around the user-defined static region with a cursor. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein said detecting the static display region comprises a detecting a black bar region. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein said detecting the static display region comprises detecting a static pattern. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein said modulating the one or more pixel values corresponding to the first subset of pixels within the detected static display region comprises determining one or more current pixel values for the one or more pixels for a current frame and calculating one or more subsequent pixel values for the one or more pixels for a subsequent frame. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein said calculating the one or more subsequent pixel values comprises determining a difference between the one or more current pixel values and a neutral value and subtracting the respective difference from the one or more current pixel values. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising subsequently modulating a second subset of pixel values of a corresponding second subset of pixels within the detected static display region, wherein the second subset of pixels comprises one or more pixels that are not included in the first subset of pixels. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the static display region detection unit comprises a black bar region detection unit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the static display region detection unit comprises a static pattern detection unit. ### Claim 18 An article, comprising: a machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, if executed, direct a display data processor to: detect a static display region; and modulate one or more pixel values corresponding to a first subset of pixels within the detected static display region, wherein the first subset of pixels comprises at least one pixel fewer than the total number of pixels in the detected static display region. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The article of claim 18, wherein the machine-readable medium has stored thereon further instructions that, if executed, direct the display data processor to detect the static display region by detecting a black bar region. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The system of claim 17, the pixel compensation unit to subsequently modulate one or more pixels values corresponding to a second subset of pixels within the detected static display region, wherein the second subset of pixels comprises one or more pixels that are not included in the first plurality of pixels. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The article of claim 18, wherein the machine-readable medium has stored thereon further instructions that, if executed, direct the display data processor to detect the static display region by detecting a static pattern. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The article of claim 18, wherein the machine-readable medium has stored thereon further instructions that, if executed, direct the display data processor to modulate the one or more pixel values corresponding to the first subset of pixels by determining one or more current pixel values for the first subset of pixels for a current frame and calculating one or more subsequent pixel values for the first subset of pixels for a subsequent frame, wherein said calculating the one or more subsequent pixel values comprises determining a difference between each of the one or more current pixel values and a neutral value and subtracting the respective difference from the one or more current pixel values. ### Claim 23 (depends on 18) The article of claim 18, wherein the machine-readable medium has stored thereon further instructions that, if executed, direct the display data processor to subsequently modulate a second subset of pixel values for a corresponding second subset of pixels within the detected static display region, wherein the second subset of pixels comprises one or more pixels that are not included in the first subset of pixels. ### Claim 24 (depends on 21) The system of claim 21, the pixel compensation unit to subsequently modulate one or more pixels values corresponding to a second subset of pixels within the detected static display region, wherein the second subset of pixels comprises one or more pixels that are not included in the first plurality of pixels. ### Claim 25 (depends on 21) The article of claim 21, wherein the machine-readable medium has stored thereon further instructions that, if executed, direct the display data processor to subsequently modulate a second subset of pixel values for a corresponding second subset of pixels within the detected static displayregion, wherein the second subset of pixels comprises one ormore pixels that are not included in the first subset of pixels.