Video thumbnail

• US 20040095396A1
• Filed: 11/19/2002
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Stavely, Donald J., Dalton, Dan L., Cazier, Robert P., Voss, James S., Battles, Amy E., Owens, James W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,194,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/739 in form of a video summary, e.g. the video summary being a video sequence, a composite still image or having synthesized frames
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

A video thumbnail for use as an icon of a digital video file and method of generating same. The video thumbnail is preferably a relatively short, low resolution, animated video thumbnail. The video thumbnail is extracted from a preferred sequence of the video file and embedded as a header of the file. The video thumbnail preferably plays automatically, and acts as a pointer to the file and the preferred point within it.

Claims

1. A video thumbnail comprising:

a relatively short, low resolution, animated series of digital video frames extracted from a digital video file that comprises an icon that is representative of the digital video file.

2. The video thumbnail recited in claim 1 wherein the series of frames is sampled at a low rate to minimize storage requirements

3. The video thumbnail recited in claim 1 which plays automatically when the icon is selected.

4. The video thumbnail recited in claim 1 which plays automatically when scrolling through images of a digital camera that recorded the digital video file.

5. The video thumbnail recited in claim 1 which plays automatically when scrolling through images of a video camcorder that recorded the digital video file.

6. The video thumbnail recited in claim 1 which plays automatically when scrolling through images of a digital image capture device that recorded the digital video file.

7. The video thumbnail recited in claim 1 which plays automatically when the icon is highlighted.

8. The video thumbnail recited in claim 1 which plays automatically when a mouse cursor is over the icon.

9. The video thumbnail recited in claim 1 wherein the thumbnail replays continuously while the icon is selected.

10. The video thumbnail recited in claim 1 wherein the series of digital video frames comprises a preferred segment of the digital video file.

11. The video thumbnail recited in claim 1 wherein the series of digital video frames comprises a relatively short time-lapse video thumbnail corresponding to a fast forward view of the entire digital video file.

12. The video thumbnail recited in claim 10 wherein the preferred segment is identified by a user by sampling a few seconds of the digital video file on either side of a shutter press or other means of selection.

13. The video thumbnail recited in claim 1 is embedded in a header of the digital video file.

14. The video thumbnail recited in claim 1 which comprises a pointer to the digital video file.

15. The video thumbnail recited in claim 14 wherein the pointer identifies a file on a remote computer or server.

16. The video thumbnail recited in claim 14 wherein the pointer is a URL or web address.

17. A method of generating a video thumbnail of a digital video file, comprising:

extracting a relatively short, low resolution, animated series of digital video frames from a digital video file to form an icon that is representative of the digital video file; and

creating a video thumbnail comprising an animated series of the extracted digital video frames.

18. The method recited in claim 17 wherein the series of frames is sampled at a low rate to minimize storage requirements

19. The method recited in claim 17 wherein the series of frames plays automatically when the icon is selected.

20. The method recited in claim 17 wherein the series of frames plays automatically when scrolling through images of a digital camera that recorded the digital video file

21. The method recited in claim 17 wherein the series of frames plays automatically when scrolling through images of a video camcorder that recorded the digital video file

22. The method recited in claim 17 wherein the series of frames plays automatically when scrolling through images of a digital image capture device that recorded the digital video file

23. The method recited in claim 17 wherein the series of frames plays automatically when the icon is highlighted.

24. The method recited in claim 17 wherein the thumbnail replays continuously while the icon is selected.

25. The method recited in claim 17 wherein the thumbnail comprises a relatively short time-lapse video thumbnail of the entire digital video file compressed in time.

26. The method recited in claim 18 wherein the series of digital video frames comprises a preferred segment of the digital video file.

27. The method recited in claim 26 wherein the preferred segment is identified by a user by sampling a few seconds of the digital video file on either side of a selection event.

28. The method recited in claim 17 wherein the thumbnail is embedded in a header of the digital video file.

29. The method recited in claim 17 wherein the thumbnail comprises a pointer to the digital video file.

30. The method recited in claim 29 wherein the pointer identifies a file on a remote computer or server.

31. The method recited in claim 29 wherein the pointer is a URL or web address.