US 8830293B2

US Patent 8830293B2, titled "Video superposition for continuous presence," was issued to Cisco Technology Inc. with inventors J. William Mauchly and Richard Thayer Wales. The patent was filed on May 26, 2009, and granted on September 9, 2014.

Abstract:
The patent describes techniques for combining video frames from two or more real-time video streams into a single combined video stream for continuous presence, especially in video conferencing. Each original video stream contains subject and background images. The method involves positioning the subject image of a first video stream in an anterior (foreground) portion of the combined frame, and the subject image of a second video stream in a posterior (background) portion. The combined video stream is then displayed.

Independent Claims Overview:

• Claim 1 (Method): This claim describes a method for real-time video superposition. It involves receiving at least two real-time video streams, each having video frames with a subject image and a background image. The core of the method is combining the subject images of corresponding video frames into a combined frame, arranging the first video stream's subject image in the foreground (anterior) and the second's in the background (posterior). This combining process specifically includes scaling the first video stream's frames, repositioning their pictures in a first direction, removing the background from these scaled and repositioned frames to create "first background separated video frames" for the anterior portion, and then superimposing these separated frames onto the corresponding frames of the second video stream to create the combined video frames. Finally, the combined video stream is supplied to a video display.

• Claim 10 (Apparatus): This claim outlines an apparatus for real-time video superposition. The apparatus comprises a first memory for storing data from at least two real-time video streams (each with subject and background images in their frames), and at least one data processor. The processor is configured to perform the combining steps described in Claim 1: combining subject images with the first stream's subject in the anterior and the second's in the posterior. The combining process further specifies the processor scaling and repositioning the first video stream's frames, removing their background to produce first background separated video frames for the anterior portion, and superimposing these onto the second video stream's corresponding video frames.

• Claim 13 (Logic Encoded in Storage Media): This claim covers non-transitory storage media (e.g., a computer program product) encoded with logic that, when executed, performs the same method steps as described in Claim 1. This includes receiving first and second real-time video streams, combining their subject images into a combined frame with the first subject in the anterior and the second in the posterior, and supplying the combined stream to a display. The combining specifically involves scaling and repositioning the first video stream's frames in a first direction, removing their background to produce first background separated video frames for the anterior portion, and superimposing these onto the second video stream's corresponding video frames.

Legal Status and Litigation:
The patent is currently active and is projected to expire on July 10, 2033. A maintenance fee payment for the 12th year was made on February 23, 2026. The patent family is involved in litigation, including a US case filed in the Delaware District Court (case 1:25-cv-00271) and a PTAB case IPR2025-01588, which was filed but not instituted on the merits. A search for specific CAFC 2026 dockets for patent 8830293B2 did not yield direct results.