Method for synchronizing a multimedia file

• US 20040098365A1
• Filed: 03/12/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Comps, Christophe, Boudet, Daniel, Sarremejean, Xavier
• Granted Patent: US 7,386,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4302 Content synchronisation processes, e.g. decoder synchronisation

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for synchronizing data in a multimedia document (50), said document comprising at least two separate computer files (track1, track2) called the first file, the second file, etc., in which method:—there is stored in the first file, in the second file, etc., respectively data of a first type, of a second type, etc., said data being grouped in the form of at least one event-related command characterizing an event, said event being either important or unimportant,—at least one synchronization command is inserted in each file, characterized in that said synchronization command is inserted before each event-related command characterizing an important event.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing data in a multimedia document (50) comprising at least two separate data files (track1, track2) referred to as the first file, the second file, etc., in which method:

data of a first type, of a second type, etc. is stored in the first file, in the second file, etc., respectively, and grouped into the form of at least one event-related command characterizing an important event or an unimportant event, and

at least one synchronization command is inserted into each file,

which method is characterized in that said synchronization command is inserted before each event-related command characterizing an important event.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the important event corresponds to a command to display a text, a command to display a picture, or a command to reproduce a sound.

4. A method according to any preceding claim, characterized in that each synchronization command is uniquely identified.

5. A method according to any preceding claim, characterized in that each of the synchronization commands to be executed simultaneously has the same number from one file to another.

7. A device for implementing the method according to claims 1 to 6, for exploiting a multimedia document (50) containing at least two separate files (track1, track2), the device including reading means for reading data in each file and communication means so that the reading means can communicate with each other, the data communicated between said reading means concerning the reading of a synchronization command in a file, which device is characterized in that one file reading means is designated as having priority over the other reading means.

3. A method according to either preceding claim, characterized in that said synchronization command included in a first file (60) is repeated identically in the other file or files (70, 80) of the multimedia document so that execution of the synchronization command at the beginning of the first file is concomitant with execution of the first synchronization command at the beginning of the other file or files (70, 80).

6. A method according to claims 3 to 5, wherein:

one file is designated as having priority over the other file or files,

all the files of the document are read simultaneously, and the successive commands included in each of the files are executed.

During this step, as soon as a synchronization command is read in one of the files;

if the synchronization command is found in the priority file, the non-priority file or files continue(s) to be read, without executing the event-related commands that are read, until said synchronization command is found in said non-priority file or files, and execution of event-related commands after said synchronization command in the non-priority file is resumed,

if the synchronization command is found in the non-priority file or one of the non-priority files;

the reading of said non-priority file or files is stopped,

the reading and the execution of event-related commands in the priority file is continued until said synchronization command is found, and

the commands of the non-priority file or files are read and executed again, and the reading and the execution of commands in the priority file continue.