Obviousness

US Patent 9,036,010, titled "Transport of stereoscopic image data over a display interface," discloses methods and apparatus for efficiently transmitting stereoscopic image data over a digital display interface, such as HDMI. The invention primarily focuses on multiplexing stereoscopic image components into existing image data carrying elements, often by repurposing higher-capacity color depth modes, and using signaling information to enable proper decoding at the receiving end.

An analysis under 35 U.S.C. § 103 suggests that the claimed invention would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art (POSA) at the time of the invention (priority date 2007-12-18), by combining existing knowledge and prior art references.

Key Independent Claims of US9036010:

• Claim 1 describes a digital display interface part for a first audio-visual device. It includes a formatter operable in a first mode for 2D images and a second mode for multiplexed stereoscopic image components. This second mode uses portions of the interface, each with lesser capacity than the known total capacity, but with a combined capacity no greater than the known capacity. Signaling information is sent to identify the mode and characteristics.
• Claim 12 describes the corresponding receiving digital display interface part with a processor to extract and demultiplex the image data based on received signaling and the capabilities of the receiving device.
• Claim 16 is a method claim corresponding to the functionality of Claim 1.
• Claim 18 is a method claim corresponding to the functionality of Claim 12.

Obviousness Combination:

A strong case for obviousness can be made by combining:

1. WO2006137006A2 (Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.): This patent, from the same original assignee as US9036010, explicitly teaches the "Transmission of 3d image using 2d image and depth data." It describes encoding a 3D image by multiplexing 2D image data and associated depth information for transmission. This directly addresses the concept of a "multiplexed combination of components of a stereoscopic image" (as in Claim 1 of US9036010) specifically for 2D+depth data.
2. US6914637B1 (Silicon Image, Inc.): This patent describes a "Method and system for video and auxiliary data transmission over a serial link." It teaches transmitting video data and auxiliary data (e.g., control, configuration, and audio data) over a serial digital interface, explicitly stating that "The auxiliary data is carried during the video blanking interval." This provides a clear teaching for sending "signaling information across the interface" in known locations like blanking periods, such as HDMI Data Island Packets (as described in US9036010, referencing FIG. 6).
3. General knowledge of High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) 1.3a: HDMI 1.3a, released in June 2006 (prior to the priority date of US9036010), was well-known in the art. The specification introduced "Deep Color Pixel Packing modes" allowing for increased color depths (10, 12, and 16 bits per color, up to 48-bit color), significantly increasing the "known data carrying capacity" for uncompressed pixel information.

Motivation for a Person Having Ordinary Skill in the Art (POSA) to Combine:

A POSA in digital video interfaces and stereoscopic display technology (e.g., someone with expertise in designing HDMI-compliant devices or 3D displays) would have been motivated to combine these references for the following reasons:

• Problem Recognition: The background of US9036010 explicitly states the problem that "conventional displays, and display interfaces... have been designed specifically for the display of conventional 2D images." It also notes that prior schemes often "sacrifice part of the active portion of an image to carry additional data necessary to render a stereoscopic image," such as the WOWvx format. A POSA would seek a solution to efficiently transmit stereoscopic images without these drawbacks.
• Leveraging Available Bandwidth: With the introduction of HDMI 1.3a's deep color modes, a significant increase in "known data carrying capacity" became available on standard HDMI connections. Although initially intended for higher color depth 2D content, a POSA would recognize that this increased bandwidth could be "re-used" to transport other data types, particularly the increasingly desired stereoscopic content. The motivation would be to maximize the utility of the existing, high-bandwidth interface without requiring new hardware or significant changes to the standard. This directly addresses the "combined data carrying capacity no greater than said known data carrying capacity" element of the claims.
• Known Stereoscopic Formats: WO2006137006A2, from Philips, provided a known method for multiplexing 2D image data with depth information for 3D transmission. This would be an obvious candidate for packaging into the newly available bandwidth of deep color modes. Similarly, the concept of left-eye/right-eye image pairs is a fundamental approach to stereoscopy.
• Standard Signaling Practice: When repurposing an existing interface or introducing new data formats, it is standard engineering practice to include signaling information so that the receiving device can correctly interpret the incoming data stream. US6914637B1 teaches a mechanism for "auxiliary data transmission" during blanking intervals over a serial link, which would naturally extend to HDMI Data Island Packets for conveying information about the stereoscopic format and its characteristics (e.g., whether it's L+R or 2D+depth, and how it's multiplexed). Furthermore, the use of EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) over the DDC (Display Data Channel) for a source device to ascertain the capabilities of a sink device is a well-established practice in HDMI, as explicitly mentioned in US9036010. This addresses the claim limitation that formatting is done "in accordance with signal information received from the second audio-device."

Therefore, it would have been obvious for a POSA, striving to overcome the limitations of prior 3D transmission methods and efficiently utilize the enhanced capabilities of modern digital display interfaces like HDMI 1.3a, to combine the multiplexing techniques for stereoscopic data (WO2006137006A2) with the increased bandwidth of deep color modes in HDMI 1.3a, and to use conventional signaling mechanisms (US6914637B1 and general HDMI EDID practices) to inform the receiving device about the transmitted stereoscopic format. This combination leads directly to the core elements of the independent claims of US9036010.