Authoring system

• US 20040051718A1
• Filed: 09/23/2003
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Helyer, Nigel Lloyd, Bennett, Stephen James, Cartwright, Richard James, Butler, Roger David
• Granted Patent: US 7,068,290 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

An authoring system for assigning geo-spatial position to sensory-effect data is disclosed. The sensory-effect data can include one or more of the group of alpha numeric data, image data, sound data, smell data, temperature data, humidity data, wind data, pressure date and light data. The alphanumeric data may comprise computer readable code for, in use, instructing the system to control presentation of the sound, image, smell, humidity, wind, pressure, or light data to an exposee. The authoring system may comprise a user interface on which the geo-space is represented, the interface being arranged in a manner such as to enable, in use, a user to assign the geo-spatial position to the data by placing and manipulating markers on the interface. The authoring system preferably comprises means for defining relationships between markers. The relationship may be one or more of defining a marker as a parent of, and/or a child of, and/or a grandparent of, and/or a grandchild of another marker, whereby respective markers inherit a functionality of their respective parent and/or grandparent.

Claims

1. An authoring system for assigning a geo-spatial position to sensory-effect data, said authoring system comprising an author interface for displaying a representation of a real geo-space, sourcing means for sourcing sensory-effect data and assigning means for enabling an author to assign said sensory effect data to a location within the representation corresponding to a real location within the geo-space at which delivery of the sensory-effect data is to be effected.

2. An authoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensory-effect data comprises one or more of the group of alpha numeric data, image data, sound data, smell data, temperature data, humidity data, wind data, pressure data and light data.

3. An authoring system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the alphanumeric data comprises computer readable code for, in use, instructing the system to control presentation of the sound, image, smell, humidity, wind, pressure, or light data.

4. An authoring system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface is arranged in a manner such as to enable the author to assign the location to the sensory-effect data by placing and manipulating markers on the interface.

5. An authoring system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the authoring system comprises means for defining relationships between markers.

6. An authoring system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the relationship comprises one or more of defining a marker as a parent of, and/or a child of, and/or a grandparent of, and/or a grandchild of another marker, whereby respective markers inherit a functionality of their respective parent and/or grandparent.

7. An authoring system as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the functionality of respective markers comprise one or more of the group of a trigger marker, a motion marker, a sound marker, an image marker, an exposee marker representing the location of an exposee within the geo-space and position marker.

8. An authoring system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the trigger marker is arranged in a manner such that, in use, an associated event is triggered depending on the exposee marker entering a triggering zone of the trigger marker.

9. An authoring system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the triggering zone is of a circular shape.

10. An authoring system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the triggering zone is of any defined shape.

11. An authoring system as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the motion marker is arranged in a manner such that, upon being triggered by an associated triggering marker, a source of data for presentation to an exposee is moved along a predetermined path on the interface.

12. An authoring system as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the motion marker may be arranged in a manner such that, upon being triggered by the associated triggering marker, the source of the data for presentation to the exposee is being attached to the exposee, whereby the movement of the source follows that of the exposee.

13. An authoring system as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein the motion marker is arranged in a manner such that it provides its own triggering functionality.

14. An authoring system as claimed in claim 7 to 13, wherein the position marker is arranged in a manner such that, in use, its movement within the geo-space represented on the user interface is dependant upon positioning data externally provided to the authoring system.

15. An authoring system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the positioning data is provided to the authoring system by way of a global positioning system (GPS).

16. An authoring system as claimed in claims 14 or 15, wherein the position marker is arranged in a manner such that, in use, its orientation within the geo-space represented on the user interface is dependant upon orientation data externally provided to the authoring system.

17. An authoring system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the orientation data is provided, in use, by way of sensor means carried by the exposee.

18. An authoring system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the authoring system is arranged to transfer the sensory-effect data having the geo-spatial position assigned to it to a rendering tool via a data carrier means comprising one or more of the group of a computer network, a portable data carrier, or a wireless data carrier for effecting the presentation of the sensory-effect data to the or an exposee.

19. An authoring system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the authoring system further comprises the or a rendering tool for effecting the presentation of the sensory-effect data to the or an exposee.

20. An authoring system as claimed in claims 18 or 19, wherein the authoring system is arranged in a manner such that, in use, the effecting of the presentation of the sensory-effect data to the exposee can be manipulated in real-time by the user.

23. An authoring system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising trigger assigning means enabling the author to assign a trigger condition to said sensory-effect data, said trigger condition controlling the delivery of said sensory-effect data at said real location.

26. A rendering tool arranged, in use, to effect presentation of sensory-effect data received from an authoring tool as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

21. An authoring tool comprising means for creating a data stream which is a combination of data representing a real geo-space and data representing a sensory effect.

22. An authoring tool adapted to create a data stream useable by a presentation means to present a sensory effect to an exposee who moves through a real geo-space, said data stream comprising a combination of data representing said real geo-space, and data representing a sensory effect which is assigned to a geo-spatial location in said representation of said real geo-space.

24. An authoring system as claimed in claim 24 further comprising trigger condition meeting means enabling the author to satisfy a trigger condition within the representation to cause a representation of sensory-effect data associated with said trigger condition to be delivered at said interface.

25. An authoring system comprising means for assigning a geo-spatial position to sensory-effect data.

27. A method of assigning a geo-spatial position to sensory effect data comprising the steps of displaying a representation of a real geo-space at an author interface, sourcing sensory-effect data, and assigning said sensory-effect data to a location within the representation corresponding to a real location within the geo-space at which delivery of the sensory-effect data is to be effected.

28. A method of enabling an author to assign a geo-spatial position to sensory-effect data comprising the steps of providing an author interface for displaying a representation of a real geo-space, providing sourcing means for sourcing sensory-effect data, and providing assigning means for enabling an author to assign said sensory effect data to a location within the representation corresponding to a real location within the geo-space at which delivery of the sensory-effect data is to be effected.