Studio booth configured to produce illusion that customer is photographed in different locale

• US 20080075436A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Studio One Entertainment, Inc. (Aftermaster, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Studio One Entertainment, Inc. (Aftermaster, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ryckman, Lawrence
• Granted Patent: US 8,089,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/117
• 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 game background music G10H2210/026; musical game scoring or performance evaluation G10H2210/091
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• 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 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• 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 studio booth is configured to produce the illusion that a customer is being photographed at a different locale remote from the studio booth.

Claims

1. A method to produce 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 larger area, comprising the steps of

(a) providing a 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 scenic backdrop

(i) to minimize subject-background correlation distortion,

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

(e) conducting a live performance in said booth by the individual 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

,

(f) transmitting to said selected remote location with said transmitter said recording produced in step (b).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein

(a) said minimum distance is three feet;

(b) said horizontal field of view is in the range of fifty-two degrees to sixty-six degrees.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein

(a) said booth includes a receiver and advertising display screens;

and,

(b) said computer system, in addition, to transmitting said recording, receives promotional material for display on said display screen.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein

(a) said digital camera is a high definition camera producing at least 1080 lines of horizontal resolution;

and,

(b) said computer system initially transmits said recording in a resolution less than said 1080 lines of horizontal resolution and then at a later time transmits said recording in a resolution of at least 1080 lines of horizontal resolution.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said chroma key screen extends onto said floor.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said chroma key screen extends onto said floor and side walls.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said chroma key screen extends onto said floor, side walls, and ceiling.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said scenic backdrop is pre-selected prior to recordation of a performance in said booth by the individual.

9. The method of claim 1

(a) wherein said lens system is a zoom lens system;

and,

(b) comprising the additional step between steps (b) and (c) of defining a zoom position for said zoom lens system.

10. The method of claim 1 including the additional steps of

(a) between steps (d) and (e) collecting a fee from the individual;

(b) after step (f) evaluating at the selected remote location on its merits the live performance in the recording transmitted in step (f);

(c) preparing a report of said evaluation; and

,

(d) transmitting the report to the individual.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the recording generated in step (e) has minimized subject and perspective distortion and consequently realistically makes the individual appear to have made the recording in an area larger than said interior of said booth.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said greatest side dimension is greater than ten feet.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein

(a) said minimum distance is three feet;

(b) said horizontal field of view is in the range of fifty-two degrees to sixty-six degrees.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein

(a) said booth includes a receiver and advertising display screens;

and,

(b) said computer system, in addition, to transmitting said recording, receives promotional material for display on said display screen.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein

(a) said digital camera is a high definition camera producing at least 1080 lines of horizontal resolution;

and,

(b) said computer system initially transmits said recording in a resolution less than said 1080 lines of horizontal resolution and then at a later time transmits said recording in a resolution of at least 1080 lines of horizontal resolution.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein said chroma key screen extends onto said floor.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein said chroma key screen extends onto said floor and side walls.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein said chroma key screen extends onto said floor, side walls, and ceiling.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein said scenic backdrop is pre-selected by a proprietor prior to recordation of a performance in said booth by the individual.

20. The method of claim 12

(a) wherein said lens system is a zoom lens system;

and,

(b) comprising the additional step between steps (b) and (c) of defining a zoom position for said zoom lens system.

21. The method of claim 12 including the additional steps of

(a) between steps (d) and (e) collecting a fee from the individual;

(b) after step (f) evaluating at the selected remote location on its merits the live performance in the recording transmitted in step (f);

(c) preparing a report of said evaluation; and

,

(d) transmitting the report to the individual.

22. The method of claim 12 wherein the recording generated in step (e) has minimized subject and perspective distortion and consequently realistically makes the individual appear to have made the recording in an area larger than said interior of said booth.