Method and apparatus for associating the color of an object with an event

Abstract

Method and apparatus for associating the color of an object with an event preferably provides linked information for the object in any one of a plurality of succeeding video frames based only on the color value of the object. Preferably, at least one computer is coupled to a GUI and to a pointing structure, and is configured to: (i) identify coordinates of the object in a first video frame where the pointing structure has pointed; (ii) determine the color values of the identified object; (iii) store the color values of the identified object; (iv) detect an action of the object being selected in any one of the plurality of succeeding video frames; (v) determine the color values of the selected object; (vi) determine whether the selected object color values correspond to the stored color values; and (vii) automatically provide the linked information to the GUI only when the color values correspond.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A processor-implemented method for automatically identifying an object in a plurality of Internet video frames and associating the object with a link action, comprising:
 providing at least one processor which executes the steps of:
 determining a location in one of said Internet video frames where an action by a pointing device on the object has occurred on a display device; 
 determining a color value of the determined location on the object, including the step of determining a color boundary of the object by providing color pixels on the boundary with an edge which is not visible to a user, the edge comprising a portion of an invisible wire frame in which color values of the determined object pixels define the invisible wire frame edges, the color values of the invisible wire frame varying from frame to frame, the color value comprising a combination of color values for first, second, and third different colors; 
 determining a color value range for each of the color values for the first, second, and third different colors of the determined object, each color value range including a continuous series of integer color values, the step of determining each color value range including the steps of (i) determining a histogram for each of the color values for the first, second, and third different colors of the determined object, (ii) determining the peak color value of the histogram for each of the first, second, and third different colors, (iii) determining a variance of the peak color value of the histogram for each of the first, second, and third different colors, and (iv) for each of the first, second, and third different colors, assigning color range values corresponding to at least one standard deviation of the determined variance, the peak color value of each histogram consisting essentially of the highest number of data values for each color value for each of the first, second, and third different colors; and 
 automatically associating a link action with the combined color value of said determined location on the object in said one video frame, and automatically associating said link action with said combined color value on the object in succeeding video frames, without pre-processing the invisible wire frame of said succeeding video frames. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor executes the step of determining a color value pattern for the selected object, including the step of locating plural alternating peaks and valleys in the color pattern. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the at least one processor executes the steps of automatically associating a link decision with said color value pattern of the selected object in said one video frame, and automatically associating said color value pattern peaks and valleys in succeeding video frames. 
     
     
         4 . Computer apparatus for automatically identifying an object in a plurality of Internet video frames, and associating the object with a link action, comprising:
 a graphical user interface (GUI);   user pointing structure; and   at least one computer coupled to the graphical user interface and to said user pointing structure, said at least one computer executing the steps of:
 determine a location in one of said Internet video frames displayed on said GUI where said user pointing structure has identified the object; 
 determine a color value of the object in said one video frame displayed on said GUI, including determining a color boundary of the object by providing color pixels on the boundary with an edge which is not visible to a user, the edge comprising a portion of an invisible wire frame in which color values of the determined object pixels define the invisible wire frame edges, the color values of the invisible wire frame varying from frame to frame, the color value comprising a combination of color values for first, second, and third different colors; 
 determine a color value range for each of the color values for the first, second, and third different colors of the determined object, each color value range including a continuous series of integer color values, the step of determining each color value range including the steps of (i) determining a histogram for each of the color values for the first, second, and third different colors of the determined object, (ii) determining the peak color value of the histogram for each of the first, second, and third different colors, (iii) determining a variance of the peak color value of the histogram for each of the first, second, and third different colors, and (iv) for each of the first, second, and third different colors, assigning color range values corresponding to at least one standard deviation of the determined variance, the peak color value of each histogram consisting essentially of the highest number of data values for each color value for each of the first, second, and third different colors; 
 automatically associate a link action with the combined color value of said determined location on the object in said one video frame; and 
 automatically associate said link action with the combined color value on the object in succeeding video frames, without pre-processing the invisible wire frame of said succeeding video frames. 
   
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one computer executes the step of determining a color value pattern for the object, including the step of locating plural alternating peaks and valleys in the color pattern. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the at least one computer processor executes the steps of automatically associating a link decision with decision with said color value pattern of the object in said one video frame, and automatically associating said color value pattern peaks and valleys in succeeding video frames.