Content-Management Interface

• US 20080126937A1
• Filed: 10/05/2005
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Europe (Amsterdam) BV (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony France SA (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Pachet, François
• Granted Patent: US 7,886,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/720
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883

Abstract

A content-management interface is implemented using superposition of graphical “widget” elements onto an on-screen display of the real-time image of a user. The widgets are motion-sensitive control elements which are responsive to user movement that produces motion of the user'"'"'s displayed image at an on-screen location associated with that widget. The user can operate the widget virtually, for example by moving his hand over a widget, or pushing a widget along. Meta-data descriptive of the content to be managed is mapped onto widgets, enabling the user to interact with the meta-data, notably by changing it or by selecting content with reference to it.

Claims

1. A user-interface for a content-management system, the user-interface being for inputting and responding to user commands whereby to cause one or more content-management functions to be performed on one or more items of content accessible via said content-management system, each said item of content being described by a set of meta-data, each item of meta-data of said set defining a respective attribute and a value for said attribute when describing said item of content, said one or more content-management functions notably including one or more operations selected in the group consisting of:

selecting, accessing, searching, modifying, and presenting an item of content, adding and deleting an item of content from a collection, and selecting, accessing, searching, modifying, and presenting a data structure defining the organisation of a collection of said items of content, the user interface comprising;

video-processing means for processing a video stream including an image of a user;

display means for preparing video data to cause an image corresponding to said video stream to be displayed on a screen;

control means (20) defining at least a first association between a respective first region of said display screen and a respective first content-management function, said first content-management function being dependent on a variable value of a first attribute defined by meta-data, the control means (20) being adapted to register whether a given association between a display screen region and a content-management function is active; and

motion-detection means for detecting user motion in a respective portion of said video stream to be displayed at said at least one region of said display screen;

wherein;

the control means is adapted such that, when, at a first time, the motion-detector detects user motion in a portion of said video stream to be displayed at said first region of said display screen, the first association being active at said first time, the control means will cause said first content-management function to be implemented dependent on a first value of said first attribute, said first value being the value applicable to said first attribute at said first time.

2. An interface according to claim 1, wherein the control means is adapted to use, as said first value, the value of said first attribute applicable to the item of content selected at said first time.

3. An interface according to claim 2, wherein the control means is adapted to cause implementation, at said first time, of a content-management function comprising comparison of the value of said first attribute of said item of content selected at said first time with the value of said first attribute applicable to other of said accessible items of content.

4. An interface according to claim 1, 2 and 3, wherein the control means (20) comprises a graphical data generator adapted to generate a graphical element for display on said display screen at a region associated with a function defined by said control means (20).

5. An interface according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the associations defined by the control means (20) is an association between an elongate region of the display screen and a particular content-management function for varying the value of a given attribute of items of content, said given attribute taking a continuous range of values, and wherein the control means is adapted such that when said particular content-management function is caused to be implemented, the variation in value produced by said content-management function depends on the characteristics of the user motion detected within said elongate area.

6. An interface according to claim 5, wherein the graphical data generator is adapted to generate a graphical element representing a slider in respect of said particular content-management function for varying attribute-value.

7. An interface according to any previous claim, wherein no graphical element is displayed on said display screen in respect of a content-management function that is not active.

8. An interface according to any previous claim, wherein at least two of said associations defined by the control means (20) are a pair of complementary functions which are activated and deactivated in anti-phase, wherein a first of the complementary functions is a placeholder function and the control means (20) is adapted to deactivate said placeholder function when the motion-detection means detects user motion in a portion of the video stream to be displayed in the region associated with said placeholder function.

9. An interface according to claim 8, wherein the control means (20) is adapted to deactivate the second of said complementary functions a predetermined interval after the motion-detection means ceases to detect user motion in a portion of the video stream to be displayed in the region associated with said second complementary function.

10. An interface according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein:

at least one of the associations defined by the control means (20) is an association between a listing region of the display screen and a content-management function involving selection from a list;

a graphical representation of said list, capable of scrolling, is displayed on said display screen when said content-management function is activated; and

when the motion detector detects user motion in a portion of the video stream corresponding to a predetermined area in said listing region, said list-selection content-management function causes selection of the list item whose graphical representation is being displayed at said predetermined area of the display screen.

11. An interface according to claim 10, wherein, when the motion detector detects user motion in a portion of the video stream corresponding to an extremity of said listing region, the graphical representation of said list scrolls towards or away from said extremity of the listing region.

12. A content-management system comprising a user-interface according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A content-browser comprising a user-interface according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. A method of managing interaction between a user and a content-management system, comprising the steps of:

processing a video stream including an image of a user;

preparing video data for causing an image corresponding to said video stream to be displayed on a screen;

defining at least a first association capable of being invoked between a respective first region of said display screen and a respective first content-management function, said first content-management function being dependent on a variable value of a first attribute defined by meta-data; and

detecting user motion in a respective portion of said video stream to be displayed at said first region of said display screen; and

causing said first content-management function to be implemented when, at a first time, user motion is detected in a portion of said video stream to be displayed at said first region of said display screen, said first association being active at said first time;

wherein the first content-management function is implemented at said first time in a manner dependent on a first value of said first attribute, said first value being the value applicable to said first attribute at said first time.

15. A computer system arranged to perform the steps of:

processing a video stream including an image of a user;

preparing video data for causing an image corresponding to said video stream to be displayed on a screen;

defining at least a first association capable of being invoked between a respective first region of said display screen and a respective first content-management function, said first content-management function being dependent on a variable value of a first attribute defined by meta-data; and

detecting user motion in a respective portion of said video stream to be displayed at said first region of said display screen; and

causing said first content-management function to be implemented when, at a first time, user motion is detected in a portion of said video stream to be displayed at said first region of said display screen, said first association being active at said first time;

wherein the first content-management function is implemented at said first time in a manner dependent on a first value of said first attribute, said first value being the value applicable to said first attribute at said first time.

17. A computer program having a set of instructions which, when in use on a general purpose computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of:

processing a video stream including an image of a user;

preparing video data for causing an image corresponding to said video stream to be displayed on a screen;

defining at least a first association capable of being invoked between a respective first region of said display screen and a respective first content-management function, said first content-management function being dependent on a variable value of a first attribute defined by meta-data; and

detecting user motion in a respective portion of said video stream to be displayed at said first region of said display screen; and

causing said first content-management function to be implemented when, at a first time, user motion is detected in a portion of said video stream to be displayed at said first region of said display screen, said first association being active at said first time;

wherein the first content-management function is implemented at said first time in a manner dependent on a first value of said first attribute, said first value being the value applicable to said first attribute at said first time.