Method and system for distributing captured motion data over a network

• US 20010056477A1
• Filed: 02/15/2001
• Published: 12/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Brennan J. Mcternan, Steven Giangrasso
• Original Assignee: Brennan J. Mcternan, Steven Giangrasso
• Inventors: Giangrasso, Steven, McTernan, Brennan J.
• Application Number:
  US09/784,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20010056477A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 : for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 : involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 : by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44012 : involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs

Abstract

A system and method is presented for distributing motion data over a network to a client device. The method involves storing a data model representing an actor, which may be a human actor or any other living or inanimate object. The motion of an actor at a first time and a second time is also recorded. The separate model and motion data items are transferred from a server to a client, thereby enabling the client device to reproduce the actor'"'"'s motion as captured. The method is implemented by a system comprising a positional data capturing system for capturing motion data representing a position and attitude of an actor at a first time and a second time, a model storage system for storing models of the actors, the models comprising the skeletal geometry and texture of the actor, and a transmission system for transmitting the model in association with corresponding motion data for presentation by one or more clients.

Claims

1. A method for distributing motion data over a network to a client device, the method comprising:

storing model data representing an actor;

capturing motion data representing a position and attitude of the actor at a first time and a second time;

transmitting from a server to the client device as separate data items the model data and motion data to thereby enable the client device to reproduce the actor'"'"'s motion as captured.

2. The method of

claim 1

, comprising transmitting the model data in advance of the motion data.

3. The method of

claim 2

, comprising the client device persistently storing the transmitted model data for use with a plurality of motion data items.

4. The method of

claim 1

, wherein capturing motion data is achieved through the use of a marker placed on the actor.

5. The method of

claim 4

, wherein capturing motion data comprises marking the actor with an infrared reflective marker.

6. The method of

claim 5

, wherein capturing motion data comprises marking the actor with a plurality of infrared reflective markers.

7. The method of

claim 4

, comprising tracking the markers to capture motion data comprising a position and attitude of the actor at a first time and a second time.

8. The method of

claim 4

, wherein capturing motion data comprises marking the actor with an electromagnetic marker.

9. The method of

claim 8

, wherein capturing motion data comprises marking the actor with a plurality of electromagnetic markers.

10. A method for receiving motion data over a network and presenting it on a client device, the method comprising:

receiving from a server as separate data items model data representing skeletal geometry and texture of an actor and motion data representing the position and attitude of an actor at a first time and a second time;

manipulating the model data according to the motion data to thereby reproduce the motion of the actor; and

presenting the manipulated model on a client device.

11. The method of

claim 10

, wherein the model data comprises graphical data representing an actor.

12. The method of

claim 11

, wherein the graphical data is configured to be presented as a three-dimensional image.

13. A method for distributing motion data over a network, the motion data representing an actor in motion, the method comprising:

generating a model of an actor comprising the skeletal geometry and texture of the actor and motion data representing the position and attitude of an actor at a first time and a second time;

transmitting from a server to the client as separate data items the model and motion data;

the client receiving the model and motion data;

the client determining based upon the motion data how to manipulate the model; and

the client presenting the manipulated model.

14. A system for preparing motion data for distribution over a network to one or more clients, the motion data containing the motion of one or more actors, the system comprising:

a positional data capturing system for capturing motion data representing a position and attitude of the actor at a first time and a second time;

a model storage system for storing models of the actors, the models comprising the skeletal geometry and texture of the actors; and

a transmission system for transmitting the model in association with corresponding motion data for presentation by one or more clients.

15. The system of

claim 15

, wherein a compression system is used to reduce the size of the motion data.

16. The system of

claim 15

, wherein the positional data capturing system comprises using infrared reflective markers to track an actor'"'"'s motion.

17. The system of

claim 15

, wherein the positional data capturing system comprises using electromagnetic markers to track an actor'"'"'s motion.