Patent ID: 7085434

Claim:
A method of identifying a translating sprite in a selection of image frames in an animated sequence, the method comprising the steps of: (i) determining differences in each of three pairs of first, second and third frames, to identify respective representations of the sprites in each pair of two frames; (ii) determining a rectangle bounding the two respective sprite representations in each of the three pairs of frames; (iii) selecting only a portion of the second frame within a bounded rectangle of the second frame and the third frame to produce a first masked frame; (iv) horizontally and vertically inverting the selected portion of the second frame within the first masked frame to produce a first inverted frame; (v) selecting only a portion of the first inverted frame within a bounded rectangle of the first frame and third frame to produce a second masked frame; (vi) horizontally and vertically inverting the selected portion of the second masked frame within the second masked frame to produce a second inverted frame; (vii) selecting only a portion of the second inverted frame within a bounded rectangle of the first frame and second frame to produce a third masked frame; and (viii) comparing the third masked frame and the first frame to identify the sprite within the first frame.