Studio booth contest using preselected chroma screen backdrop

• US 20080068473A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Studio One Entertainment, Inc. (Aftermaster, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Studio One Entertainment, Inc. (Aftermaster, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ryckman, Lawrence
• Application Number:
  US11/807,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20080068473A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/53 for automatically delivering a finished picture after a signal causing exposure has been given, e.g. by pushing a button, by inserting a coin
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/365 the accompaniment information being stored on a host computer and transmitted to a reproducing terminal by means of a network, e.g. public telephone lines
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/368 displaying animated or moving pictures synchronized with the music or audio part
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/135 Musical aspects of games or videogames; Musical instrument-shaped game input interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00286 with studio circuitry, devices or equipment, e.g. television cameras television studio circuitry, devices or equipment per se H04N5/222
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/222 Studio circuitry; Studio devices; Studio equipment cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors, or control thereof H04N23/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A method of conducting a contest by producing in an area of restricted size in a realistic manner while minimizing perspective distortion and subject distortion a recording of an individual that produces the illusion that the individual is located in a different locale. The method utilizes a preselected scenic backdrop.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a contest by producing in an area of restricted size in a realistic manner while minimizing perspective distortion and subject distortion a recordings of an individual that produce the illusion that the individual is located in a larger area, comprising the steps of

(a) providing at least one studio booth including

(i) an interior with a front wall, a rear wall, side walls extending between said front wall and rear wall, a floor, and a ceiling,

(ii) an audio and video system to detect and generate audio-visual signals comprising a recording of at least one performance conducted in said booth, said system including a digital camera mounted at said front wall,

(iii) a chroma key screen extending over at least a portion of said rear wall to produce background light that is, along with the performance conducted in the booth, detected by said digital camera,

(iv) a transmitter to send said audio-visual signals to a selected location remote from said booth,

(v) a computer system to generate backdrop signals representing a scenic backdrop and to integrate said audio-visual signals and said backdrop signals to produce a recorded performance,

said booth having a footprint fitting within a rectangular area having a greatest side dimension of ten feet;

(b) selecting a lens system for said digital camera with a horizontal field of view that minimizes subject distortion of an individual performing in said interior of said booth;

(c) defining, to minimize subject distortion, a minimum distance that an individual stands away from said camera when said individual is in the interior of said booth to conduct a performance;

(d) selecting a contest and defining contest rules;

(e) pre-selecting at least one scenic backdrop

(i) that must be utilized by contest participants

(ii) to be utilized by said computer system,

(iii) to minimize subject-background correlation distortion,

(iv) depicting an area larger than said interior of said studio booth;

(f) conducting for use in said contest live performances in said booth by individuals in said interior and no closer to said camera than said minimum distance and generating with said computer system a recording of the performance comprising audio visual signals of said live performance integrated with backdrop signals of said selected scenic backdrop selected in step (d); and

,

(g) transmitting to said selected remote location with said transmitter said recordings produced in step (b).