Abstract:
A method for editing images by inserting information therein in an interactive system provided with a mutual communication structure between a client equipment and a server equipment, is provided. The information includes index data, subscriber data, video data and WB data. The edited images including the information inserted are stored in storage media, such as hard disks or optical disks, included in the server equipment employed in the interactive system. And, a method for playing back edited images information in response to a playback instruction for the edited images information requested by an interactive system subscriber by using the interactive system provided with a mutual communication structure between a client equipment and a server equipment is also provided.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an interactive system; and, more particularly, to a method for editing images by inserting information therein and for playing back the edited images including the information in the interactive system. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     A conventional interactive system such as a video on demand(VOD) system comprises a server equipment, a client equipment, and a communication network. The server equipment typically includes a communication module, a subscriber management module and a video management module. The communication module communicates with the client equipment and the subscriber management module manages and stores subscriber information. The video management module manages and stores video information and images to be provided to the client equipment. The subscriber management module and the video management module are equipped with storage media, such as hard disks or optical disks, respectively. The server equipment stores the images along with the subscriber and the video information in the storage media in the form of digital signals and provides the client equipment with the stored images and video information through the communication module upon the request from an interactive system subscriber, wherein the stored images are motion or still pictures. 
     The client equipment typically includes an input device, an output device, a video interface module, a communication module, and a decoding module. The input device, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a tablet or a touch screen, serves to accept an instruction from a user or a subscriber. The decoding module decodes the encoded video information and images transmitted thereto from the server equipment via the communication module. The video interface module processes the decoded video information and the images to provide processed data to the output device. The output device, e.g., a flat panel display, displays the processed data. Up to now, however, the conventional interactive systems are provided with only basic functions such as a normal playback and fast playback mode, a rewind mode, a pause mode, and a jumping mode to skip from one point to another point. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method, for use in an interactive system, capable of editing images by inserting information therein and playing back the edited images. 
     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for editing images by inserting information therein in an interactive system provided with a mutual communication structure between a client equipment and a server equipment, wherein the edited images including the information inserted are stored in storage media employed in the server equipment, comprising the steps of: 
     a) establishing a whiteboard (WB) mode in the client equipment in response to a WB selection instruction requested by the interactive system subscriber; 
     (b) displaying a WB picture over the images to receive WB data generated by the subscriber, wherein the WB picture informs the subscriber that the WB mode is initiated and the images are being displayed on a screen via an output device employed in the client equipment; 
     (c) creating edited images information by using the WB data generated by the subscriber, data generated by the client equipment and the corresponding images; 
     (d) transmitting the edited images information created from the client equipment to the server equipment, in response to a storage instruction requested by the subscriber; 
     (e) determining whether the subscriber requesting the storage instruction is an authorized subscriber by using a subscriber list in the server equipment; and 
     (f) storing the edited images information transmitted from the client equipment in the storage media employed in the server equipment based on the result of the step (e). 
     Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for playing back edited images information in response to a playback instruction for the edited images information requested by an interactive system subscriber by using the interactive system provided with a mutual communication structure between a client equipment and a server equipment, comprising the steps of: 
     (i) determining whether the subscriber requesting the playback instruction is an authorized subscriber; 
     (ii) transmitting the playback instruction to the server equipment and converting the playback instruction into a retrieval instruction based on the result of the step (i); 
     (iii) retrieving the requested edited images information in response to the retrieval instruction from storage media employed in the server equipment; 
     (iv) transmitting the retrieved edited images information from the server equipment to the client equipment; 
     (v) checking whether the retrieved edited images information transmitted from the server equipment is identical to the requested edited images information; and 
     (vi) displaying the retrieved edited images information on a screen via an output device included in the client equipment based on the result of the step (v). 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an interactive system capable of editing an image and playing back the edited image information in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart of the client equipment operation for editing the still image by inserting the WB information therein through a WB picture in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIGS. 3A and 3B present the WB picture displayed on a screen and the scheme of the edited still image information, respectively; 
     FIG. 4 depicts a flow chart of the server equipment operation for storing the edited still image information therein by an instruction of the interactive system subscriber; 
     FIGS. 5A and 5B denote a flow chart of the client equipment operation for playing back the edited still image information stored in the server equipment; and 
     FIG. 6 represents a flow chart of the server equipment operation for playing back the edited still image information by an instruction of the interactive system subscriber. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic block diagram of an interactive system capable of editing an image by inserting whiteboard (WB) information and playing back the edited image in accordance with the present invention. The interactive system comprises a client equipment  100 , a server equipment  110 , and a communication network  120 . Through the communication network  120 , the client equipment  100  is interconnected with the server equipment  110 . As shown in FIG. 1, the client equipment  100  includes an input device  101 , a video interface module  102 , a communication module  103 , an output device  105 , a decoding module  106  same as the ones in the prior art, and a whiteboard (WB) interface module  104 . And, the server equipment  110  includes a communication module  112 , a subscriber management module  114 , a video management module  116  same as in the prior art, and a WB management module  118 . 
     Now, the operation of the client equipment  100  will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to  4 . If a subscriber or a user inputs an instruction via the input device  101  while he watches an image via the output device  105 , the video interface module  102  determines whether the inputted instruction corresponds to a whiteboard (WB) selection signal at step  202 , the WB selection signal representing a start of a WB mode. If the determination result is negative, the process proceeds to step  204 . At step  204 , the video interface module  102  performs a conventional function such as a playback, a fast forward, a rewind or a slow, a stop, or a still mode, in response to the inputted instruction and the process terminates. 
     On the other hand, if the determination result is positive at step  202 , the process goes to step  206 . At step  206 , the video interface module  102  sets the output image as the still mode to provide a still image and transfers the control over the client equipment  100  to the WB interface module  104 . Thereafter, at step  208 , the WB interface module  104  sets the client equipment  100  to the WB mode to perform the function of the WB mode. Subsequently, the WB interface module  104  proceeds to step  210  to display a WB picture overlapped with the still image as shown in FIG. 3A, the WB picture informing the subscriber that the WB mode is initiated. And then, at step  212 , the WB interface module  104  waits for WB information generated by the subscriber via the input device  101  for a predetermined period. If the WB information is not inputted during the predetermined period, the process proceeds to step  220 . If the WB information is inputted, the WB interface module  104  receives, at step  214 , the WB information and edits the still image by inserting therein the WB information to thereby create an edited still image. The WB information can be a text having numerals, characters, symbols, etc, graphics, user images or the combination thereof or can be a data set which gives rise to a special effect, e.g., blurring effect, in the still image. The WB information may be inserted in any location in the still image or generated in the area confined by the WB picture. 
     After creating the edited still image at step  214 , the WB interface module  104  proceeds to step  216  to determine whether or not a storage request signal is generated by the subscriber within a preset period. If the storage request signal is not received during the preset period, the process goes to step  220 . If the storage request signal is received during the preset period at step  216 , the WB interface module  104  proceeds to step  218  and then transmits the storage request signal and the edited still image information to the server equipment  110  via the communication module  103  and the communication network  120 . The edited still image information includes therein, as shown in FIG. 3B, index data, subscriber data, video data, and WB data. The index data contains identification information for use in retrieving the still image corresponding to the edited still image information according to the subscriber request. The subscriber data contains identification information on the subscriber who has generated the edited still image. The video data contains title and time data representing the still image edited and the WB data contains text, graphic and user image data representing the WB information generated by the subscriber. The title data represents the title of the program to which the still image belongs. The time data depicts an index of the still image within the program. Thereafter, the WB interface module  104  proceeds to step  220 , wherein it releases the WB mode and the process terminates. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a flow chart illustrating the storing operation of the edited still image information in the server equipment  110 . Once the storage request signal and the edited still image information are received by the subscriber management module  114  via the communication network  120  and the communication module  112  at step  402 , the process goes to step  404  wherein the subscriber management module  114  checks whether the edited still image information includes the WB data. If the WB data is not included, the storage operation terminates; and, if otherwise, the process goes to step  406 . 
     At step  406 , the subscriber management module  114  reads the subscriber data included in the edited still image information transmitted from the client equipment  100  to determine whether the subscriber is an authorized user of the WB mode, wherein the subscriber management module  114  has a list of subscribers entitled to use or access the WB mode. If the subscriber is determined as an unauthorized subscriber, the storage request signal is disregarded and the process terminates. In case that the determination result is positive at step  406 , the subscriber management module  114  proceeds to step  408 , wherein it transmits video data and the index data included in the edited still image information to the video management module  116  and also the WB data generated by the subscriber and the index data to the WB management module  118 . 
     At step  410 , the video management module  116  stores the video data with the index data in a storage medium included therein and the WB management module  118  stores the WB data with the index data in a storage medium therein, and thereafter the storage process is terminated. 
     Now, the operation of playing back the edited still image information will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5A to  6 . FIGS. 5A and 5B show a flow chart for illustrating the playing-back operation carried out at the client equipment  100 , whereas FIG. 6 depicts a flow chart of the playing-back operation performed at the server equipment  110 . 
     When a subscriber inputs a WB playback request signal, the WB interface module  104  receives the WB playback request signal through the input device  101  at step  502 , the WB playback request signal including therein an index representing an edited still image that the subscriber wants to playback. Thereafter, at step  504 , the WB interface module  104  converts the WB playback request signal into a WB retrieve request signal; transmits the WB retrieve request signal to the server equipment  110  via the communication module  103 ; and waits until the WB retrieve request signal is responded by the server equipment  110 . The WB retrieve request signal includes therein subscriber data representing the client equipment  100  sending the WB retrieve request signal and the index data of the edited still image requested. 
     Referring to FIG. 6, at step  602 , the subscriber management module  114  receives the WB retrieve request signal transmitted from the client equipment  100  through the communication network  120  and the communication module  112 . And then, the subscriber management module  114  authenticates at step  604  the usage authority of the subscriber requesting the edited still image. That is, the subscriber management module  114  contains therein a list of client equipments entitled to access the edited still image in the server equipment  110  and checks whether the client equipment represented by the subscriber data is included in the list. If the authentication result is positive at step  604 , the subscriber management module  114  proceeds to step  606 ; and, if otherwise, it terminates the process. At step  606 , the subscriber management module  114  controls the WB management module  118  to retrieve WB data corresponding to the index of the edited still image requested and transmits same to the communication module  112 . 
     Subsequently, at step  608 , the subscriber management module  114  controls the video management module  116  to retrieve a coded still image corresponding to stored video data having an index identical to the one of the edited still image requested and transmits same to the communication module  112 . Thereafter, at step  610 , the subscriber management module  114  controls the communication module  112  to generate retrieved still image information, the retrieved still image information including the retrieved WB data, the retrieved coded still image and the index corresponding to the retrieved WB data and the retrieved still image. After generating the retrieved still image information, the communication module  112  transmits at step  612  the retrieved still image information to the client equipment  100  via the communication network  120 . 
     Returning to FIG. 5A, if the retrieved still image information is inputted from the server equipment  110  to the client equipment  100 , the WB interface module  104  proceeds to step  506 ; and, controls the communication module  103  to receive the retrieved still image information and transmit same to the decoding module  106 . Subsequently, at step  508 , the decoding module  106  decodes the retrieved still image information to transmit the decoded still image, the video data and the index data to the video interface module  102  and the decoded WB data and the index data to the WB interface module  104 , respectively. At step  510 , the WB interface module  104  determines whether the decoded WB data inputted corresponds to the requested WB data by using the index data transmitted. If the determination result at step  510  is positive, the WB interface module  104  proceeds to step  512  shown in FIG. 5B; and, if otherwise, it returns to step  504 . At step  512 , the WB interface module  104  transmits the decoded WB data to the output device  105 . 
     On the other hand, at step  514 , the video interface module  102  determines whether the decoded still image corresponds to the requested still image by using the index data transmitted. If the determination result at step  514  is positive, the video interface module proceeds to step  516 ; and, if otherwise, it returns to step  504 . At step  516 , the video interface module  102  transmits the decoded still image to the output device  105 . Subsequently, at step  518 , the output device  105  receives the decoded WB data from the WB interface module  104  and the decoded still image from the video interface module  102  to display the same on the screen, and then the process is terminated. 
     While the present invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments only, other modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.