Object customization and presentation system

• US 20030051255A1
• Filed: 02/25/2002
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1993
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Big Tent Entertainment, LLC
• Original Assignee: PixFusion LLC
• Inventors: Dahl, Brad, Bulman, Richard L., Gravitz, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 7,859,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/135
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/162 Authorising the user terminal, e.g. by paying; Registering the use of a subscription channel, e.g. billing

Abstract

A method for generating a personalized presentation, comprising providing an Internet browser user interlace for selecting an image and a surrounding context; receiving the selected image and surrounding context by an Internet web server; accounting for the user activity in a financial accounting system; and delivering the selected image and surrounding context to the user. The surrounding context may comprises a physical frame for a picture, with a printed version of the selected image framed therein. The accounting step may provide consideration to a rightsholder of the selected image, or provide for receipt of consideration from a commercial advertiser. A plurality of images may be selected, wherein the context defines a sequence of display of the plurality of images.

Claims

1. A method for forming an electronic representation of an image comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a set of source images stored in a database;

(b) accessing the database to define at least one source image from the database based on selection criteria;

(c) modifying the defined source image to define a one or more presentation criteria selected from the group consisting of relative size, cropping, relative orientation, image presentation characteristics, dynamic presentation characteristics and data format based on presentation criteria;

(d) transmitting the modified source image through a telecommunications network for display at a remote location,

wherein the selection criteria and presentation criteria are transmitted by a user from the remote location through the telecommunications network, and

wherein each source image within the set of source images is accessible to the user and wherein the database stores other sets of images which are inaccessible to the user.

2. A system for presenting a sequence of images through an electronic display, comprising:

a database retrieval system storing a plurality of images;

a communications network interface; and

a server, communicating with the communications network interface, and being linked to said database retrieval system, generating a representation of a user interface, said user interface providing a schema for defining a sequence of images and presentation characteristics thereof, said server being responsive to said user-defined presentation criteria to transmit, through said communications network interface, the sequence of images in accordance with the presentation characteristics.

3. A method for generating a personalized presentation, comprising:

providing an Internet browser user interface for selecting an image and a surrounding context;

receiving the selected image and surrounding context by an Internet web server;

accounting for the user activity in a Financial accounting system; and

delivering the selected image and surrounding context to the user.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the surrounding context comprises a physical frame for a picture, further comprising the step of printing the selected image.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the accounting step comprises providing consideration to a rightsholder of the selected image.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the accounting step comprises receiving consideration from a commercial advertiser.

7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of selecting a plurality of images, wherein the context defines a sequence of display of the plurality of images.

8. A method for framing an image, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a computer user interface;

(b) receiving, through the computer user interface, an identification of an image;

(c) receiving, through the computer user interface, an identification of a frame type;

(d) providing a printed copy of the image;

(e) providing a physical frame corresponding to the identified frame type; and

(f) inserting the printed copy of the image into the physical frame.

9. A method for generating an electronic performance of a set of object, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a computer user interface;

(b) receiving, through the computer user interface, an identification of a plurality of objects selected from a set of available objects;

(c) receiving, through the computer user interface, an identification of a manner of presentation of the plurality of selected objects; and

(d) transmitting, through a telecommunications network, a template generated based on the selected objects and identified manner of presentation, generated by a remote computer defining the identified manner of display of the objects;

wherein the template defines a time-dependent presentation of at least one object and wherein the template is accessible through a uniform resource locator.

10. A method for defining a presentation, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a plurality of images of a person representing a plurality of vantage points or a time motion sequence of the person;

(b) analyzing the plurality of images to define a model of the person;

(c) providing a dynamic template for a presentation;

(d) applying the model of the person to the template, defining a customized presentation; and

(e) rendering the customized presentation to include an image likeness of the person, animated according to the model and the template.

11. A method for customizing an audio recording, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a voice sample of a person;

(b) analyzing the voice sample to determine either the vocal characteristics of the person or the semantic content of the voice sample to produce analysis data;

(c) applying the analysis data to a template defining either a set of vocal characteristics or semantic content, such that both the vocal characteristics and the semantic content are defined by both the voice sample and template, to define a customized audio message; and

(d) outputting the customized audio message.

12. A system for customizing a video game, comprising:

(a) an input for receiving image information from a natural subject;

(b) a writable memory for storing image information from the natural subject

(c) a read only memory for storing a video game program;

(c) means for merging the image information with synthetic model to produce a composite model; and

(d) means for rendering the composite model as an image in a frame buffer.

13. A method of producing a video game output image, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a video game program with a generic model;

(b) receiving image information from a natural subject;

(c) merging the received image information with the generic model;

(d) animating the merged image information and generic model; and

(e) rendering the animated merged image information and generic model.