Embedding metadata in rendered content

• US 10,589,172 B1
• Filed: 09/25/2017
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nash, Brent Ryan, Talucci, Christopher, Repasky, Drew, Sarmad Barbero, Syed Suhaib, Stewart, Christopher Navin
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowland, Steve
• Application Number:
  US15/714,705
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/77 involving data related to game devices or game servers, e.g. configuration data, software version or amount of memory
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 9/00 Image coding bandwidth or redundancy reduction for static pictures H04N1/41; coding or decoding of static colour picture signals H04N1/64; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence

Abstract

Useful metadata can be embedded directly into dynamically rendered content in a way that is minimally perceptible to a viewer. Objects to be rendered for an application, such as backgrounds and gameplay elements for a gaming application, can have their appearance modified in order to embed specified metadata. The modifications can impact the color, patterns, configuration, or other aspects of the objects. The metadata can include any data useful for identifying a state, context, or configuration for the presentation of content, such as the state of a game at the time of rendering, as well as information about the player or device corresponding to a device-specific rendering of the content. A video segment including a representation of the rendered content can be analyzed to quickly identify and extract the metadata, which can help to quickly obtain the information needed to perform certain tasks, such as debugging or issue spotting.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining a data value to be embedded in dynamically-generated content, the data value including encoded information relating to performance of a dynamic content application;

identifying at least one content element contained within a scene of dynamically-generated content and having at least one aspect modifiable to embed the data value;

dynamically generating the at least one content element with the at least one aspect selected to represent the data value; and

providing the dynamically-generated content for presentation as part of the dynamic content application.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the dynamically-generated content for presentation on a first player device, the data value being specific to the first player device; and

providing second dynamically-generated content for presentation on a second player device, the second dynamically-generated content embedding a second data value using the at least one aspect of the at least one content element, wherein the appearance of the at least one content element on the first device is different than the appearance of the at least one content element on the second device based at least in part upon the respective embedded data value.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

configuring the second dynamically-generated content such that the embedding of the second data value is imperceptible to a viewer of the second player device absent comparison with the dynamically-generated content on the first player device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving video data including a representation of the dynamically-generated content;

identifying, from the video data, the at least one content element encoding the data value; and

extracting the data value from the at least one content element in the video data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

using the data value to determine one or more aspects of a state of the dynamic content application for purposes of debugging the dynamic content application or verifying a veracity of the video data.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

using the data value to locate a set of application state data corresponding to at least one of the dynamic content application, a device executing the dynamic content application, or a user associated with the device at the time of the subsequent frame.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a set of data values, including the data value, to be stored for the dynamic content application;

determining a set of content elements capable of being dynamically-generated to embed the set of data values; and

determining at least a subset of the data values to embed in the content elements based at least in part upon at least one of a number or type of content elements in the set.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining at least one encoding scheme to use to embed the set of data values based at least in part upon at least one of the number or type of content elements in the set.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically-generated content includes at least one of a player character, non-player character, non-player object, or background element, and wherein the aspect is at least one of a pattern, sound, post-processing result, color palette, texture, size, placement, configuration, or motion.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the at least one content element to be selected such that the data value is embedded in at least one content element for each frame of the dynamically-generated content.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data value includes at least one of a player identifier, device identifier, session identifier, device configuration, network state, game location, game status, or record locator.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the dynamically-generated content to have a different visual appearance on each device rendering the content, the visual appearance differing based at least in part upon a respective data value embedded in the dynamically-generated content for each device.

13. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to;

determine a data value to be embedded in dynamically-generated content the data value including encoded information relating to performance of a dynamic content application;

identify at least one content element contained within a scene of dynamically-generated content and having at least one aspect modifiable to embed the data value;

dynamically generate the at least one content element with the at least one aspect selected to represent the data value; and

provide the dynamically-generated content for presentation as part of the dynamic content application.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

provide the dynamically-generated content for presentation on a first player device, the data value being specific to the first player device; and

provide second dynamically-generated content for presentation on a second player device, the second dynamically-generated content embedding a second data value using the at least one aspect of the at least one content element, wherein the appearance of the at least one content element on the first device is different than the appearance of the at least one content element on the second device based at least in part upon the respective embedded data value.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

configure the second dynamically-generated content such that the embedding of the second data value is imperceptible to a viewer of the second player device absent comparison with the dynamically-generated content on the first player device.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

receive video data including a representation of the dynamically-generated content;

identify, from the video data, the at least one content element encoding the data value; and

extract the data value from the at least one content element in the video data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

use the data value to determine one or more aspects of a state of the dynamic content application for purposes of debugging the dynamic content application or verifying a veracity of the video data.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

use the data value to locate a set of application state data corresponding to at least one of the dynamic content application, a device executing the dynamic content application, or a user associated with the device at the time of the subsequent frame.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the system to:

determine a set of data values, including the data value, to be stored for the dynamic content application associated with the dynamically-generated content;

determine a set of content elements capable of being dynamically-generated to embed the set of data values; and

determine at least a subset of the data values to embed in the content elements based at least in part upon at least one of a number or type of content elements in the set.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more sequences of instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a set of operations comprising:

determining a data value to be embedded in dynamically-generated content, the data value including encoded information relating to performance of a dynamic content application;

identifying at least one content element contained within a scene of dynamically-generated content and having at least one aspect modifiable to embed the data value;

dynamically generating the at least one content element with the at least one aspect selected to represent the data value; and

providing the dynamically-generated content for presentation as part of the dynamic content application.