Device, system and method for synchronizing an effect to a media presentation

• US 20050226601A1
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alon Cohen, Rafi Maslaton
• Original Assignee: Alon Cohen, Rafi Maslaton
• Inventors: Maslaton, Rafi, Cohen, Alon
• Application Number:
  US11/095,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20050226601A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/263
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A method and device for generating the list of effects and associated activation time points of media presentation and a list of synchronization time stamps or time points and values calculated from the signal, synchronizing an effect to a media playback including calculating a value from the signal, associating the calculated value with a time stamp of the media, and associating an effect signal for an effect to be generated at a time point on a time base synchronized to said time stamps. The method or system may include calculating a value from a segment or multiple segment of a signal, searching a database for such calculated value, returning a time stamp in a media presentation that is associated with such value, and returning a control signal for a physical effect that is associated with such time point of such presentation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

calculating a value from a presentation signal;

associating said value with a time point of said presentation; and

associating an effect with a time point of said presentation signal.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein said calculating a value from a presentation signal comprises calculating a cyclic redundancy check from a data segment of the presentation signal.

3. The method as in claim 1, wherein said calculating a value from a presentation signal comprises calculating a cyclic redundancy check from closed caption data where the presentation signal contains closed caption data.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein said associating said value with a time point comprises associating said value with a time point of the presentation.

5. The method as in claim 1, comprising storing said value and said associated time point in a data storage medium.

6. The method as in claim 1, comprising selecting said effect to reflect an event presented in said presentation signal during said time point.

7. The method as in claim 1, comprising selecting a property of said effect from the group comprising duration, intensity, color, scent, frequency, movement, activation, deactivation.

8. The method as in claim 1, comprising referencing said time point from a fixed point in said presentation.

9. The method as in claim 1, comprising selecting said effect from a menu of physical effects.

10. The method as in claim 1, comprising causing said effect to be executed according to said time point.

11. The method as in claim 1, comprising generating bubbles.

12. The method as in claim 1, comprising generating a scent.

13. The method as in claim 1, comprising including an effect signal in a mark up language in said presentation signal.

14. The method as in claim 1, comprising disabling an effect upon a user command.

15. The method as in claim 1, wherein said calculating a value from a presentation signal comprises calculating a cyclic redundancy check algorithm from a data segment of the presentation signal.

16. The method of claim 1, comprising generating an advance time to adjust the time the effect is generated.

17. A method comprising:

calculating a value from a signal in a presentation stream;

searching for said value in a set of a plurality of said values;

returning a time stamp associated with said value;

synchronizing a clock to said time stamp; and

returning an effect control signal associated with a time point corresponding to said clock.

18. The method as in claim 17, wherein said calculating a value from a signal in a presentation stream comprises calculating a cyclic redundancy check from a data segment of a video stream.

19. The method as in claim 17, wherein said calculating a value from a signal in a presentation stream, comprises calculating a cyclic redundancy check from a line of close caption.

20. The method as in claim 17, wherein searching for said value comprises searching for a sequence of said values in said plurality of said values stored in a table of a database.

21. The method as in claim 17, comprising searching for said time stamp associated with said value, said time stamp reflecting an interval from a fixed point in said data stream.

22. The method as in claim 17, comprising issuing a signal to control an effect.

23. The method as in claim 17, comprising issuing a signal to control an effect a set time period before a user is to perceive said effect.

24. The method as in claim 17, comprising generating a light effect.

25. The method as in claim 17, comprising generating a shaking effect.

26. The method as in claim 17, comprising disabling an effect based on a user command.

27. The method as in claim 17, comprising, if the continuity of the presentation stream is altered, re-synchronizing the clock.

28. The method as in claim 17, comprising repeatedly synchronizing the clock.

29. The method as in claim 17, wherein a plurality of effect control signals are generated, each corresponding to a different effect.

30. A device comprising:

a digital memory for storing;

a plurality of values calculated from signals in a presentation signal stream, said plurality of values associated with a time interval of said signal stream; and

a plurality of effect control signals, at least one of said effect control signals associated with at least one of said time intervals.

31. The device as in claim 30, said device comprising a processor to derive values through an algorithm applied to pre-identified bits in said signal stream.

32. The device as in claim 30, said device comprising a generator of effects corresponding to said effect control signals.

33. A method comprising:

processing a signal including a media signal and an effect signal; and

triggering an effect based on the effect signal.

34. The method as in claim 33, wherein said media signal is a broadcasted transmission

35. The method as in claim 33, wherein said media signal is a broadcasted analog transmission.

36. The method as in claim 33, wherein said media signal and said effect signal are broadcasted separately from one another.

37. The method as in claim 33, comprising processing said signal upon receipt of said digital transmission at a location that is remote from a location of a broadcast of said signal.

38. The method as in claim 33, wherein said signal is an output from a video game.

39. The method as in claim 33, wherein said effect signal includes at least a mark up language.

40. The method as in claim 33, comprising activating an effect in response to a user command.

41. The method as in claim 33, comprising triggering said effect signal from a DVD player.

42. The method as in claim 33, comprising synchronizing an effect with an output of a digital media presentation device.

43. A system comprising:

a processor to calculate a value from a presentation signal;

said processor to associate said value with a time point of said presentation; and

said processor to associate an effect with a time point on said presentation.

44. The system as in claim 43, said processor to calculate a cyclic redundancy check from a closed caption segment in the presentation signal.

45. The system as in claim 43, comprising a memory to store said value and said associated time point.

46. The system as in claim 43, comprising an effect producing device.

47. An apparatus comprising a processor to:

calculate a value from a signal in a presentation stream;

search for said value in a set of a plurality of said values;

return a time stamp associated with said value;

synchronize a clock to said time stamp; and

return an effect control signal associated with a time point corresponding to said clock.

48. The apparatus as in claim 47, said processor to calculate a cyclic redundancy check from a closed caption segment in the presentation signal.

49. The apparatus as in claim 47, comprising an effect producing device.

50. A method for producing an effect from a media presentation comprising:

accepting a media presentation;

determining an effect command based on a portion of the media presentation;

determining an advance time for initiating the effect; and

issuing a command to start the effect at the time the effect is to be sensed, adjusted by the advance time.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein determining the effect command comprises extracting an effect command from a media stream.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein determining the effect command comprises deriving a valued from a portion of media stream.

53. The method as in claim 50, wherein said deriving a value comprises calculating a cyclic redundancy check.