Variation and Control of Sensory Work Playback

• US 20080206732A1
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sceai
• Inventors: Zalewski, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 9,183,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/323
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied

Abstract

Methods and systems are shown which may enable users to create custom playback schemes for sensory works, including television shows, where a community of users may share thin time-based metadata edit control structures that are processed to enable playback devices to reproduce reference programming material according to the edits or cuts made any user.

Claims

1. A sensory work playback system, comprising:

a sensory work input port operable to receive sensory work data;

a storage device for storing a playback control information setting forth alterations to the playback of the sensory work data, the playback control information including;

a sensory work applicability identifier usable to identify a sensory work;

a frame of reference; and

at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding defining an alteration to be applied to the playback of a sensory work

a processor operable to alter the playback of the sensory work data according to the variation encoding,

a sensory work output port operable to send information to a sensory output device to enable the playback of sensory work data according to the variation encoding.

2. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the sensory work data includes audio-visual information.

3. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the sensory work data is stored on a computer-readable medium.

4. The sensory work playback system of claim 3, wherein the computer-readable medium is removable.

5. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the playback control information is received over a computer network.

6. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the storage device is a memory.

7. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the sensory work output port is an input/output controller.

8. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the sensory work is selected from the group consisting of television programming, cable programming, satellite programming and network programming.

9. The sensory work playback system of claim 8, wherein the processor is operable to alter the playback of the sensory work data to skip at least one segment of the sensory work.

10. The sensory work playback system of claim 8, wherein the processor is operable to alter the playback of the sensory work data to reorder segments of the sensory work.

11. The sensory work playback system of claim 8, wherein the processor is operable to alter the playback of the sensory work data to overlay information onto the sensory work.

12. The sensory work playback system of claim 8, wherein the processor is operable to alter the playback speed of the sensory work data.

13. The sensory work playback system of claim 8, wherein the processor is operable to alter the playback of the sensory work data to insert a segment.

14. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the playback control record is represented as metadata.

15. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the sensory work playback system is a digital video recorder.

16. A playback control record stored on a computer-readable medium, the playback control record comprising:

a sensory work applicability identifier usable to determine whether the playback control record is applicable to a sensory work;

a frame of reference; and

at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding defining an alteration to be applied to the playback of the sensory work relative to the frame of reference,

wherein the playback control record is usable by a sensory work playback device to alter the playback of the sensory work.

17. The playback control record of claim 16, wherein the sensory work applicability identifier is hierarchical.

18. The playback control record of claim 17, wherein the sensory work applicability identifier includes a program identifier.

19. The playback control record of claim 18, wherein the sensory work applicability identifier further includes a source identifier.

20. The playback control record of claim 18, wherein the sensory work applicability identifier further includes a format identifier.

21. The playback control record of claim 16, wherein the frame of reference is implicit.

22. The playback control record of claim 16, wherein the frame of reference defines a reference occurrence.

23. The playback control record of claim 22, wherein the reference occurrence is a particular frame, the occurrence of which defines epoch time t₀.

24. The playback control record of claim 22, wherein the reference occurrence includes a frame sequence, the occurrence of which defines epoch time t₀.

25. The playback control record of claim 22, wherein the reference occurrence is a calculated value such that calculations may be performed using sensory work data and the results compared to the calculated value to identify epoch time t₀.

26. The playback control record of claim 16, wherein the frame of reference is event-based.

27. The playback control record of claim 16, wherein each of the at least one variation encoding includes:

a temporal identifier relative to the frame of reference; and

an alteration description.

28. The playback control record of claim 27, wherein the temporal identifier is a time t relative to the frame of reference.

29. The playback control record of claim 27, wherein the alteration description includes one or more from the group consisting of:

a deletion;

a reordering;

an insertion;

an overlay;

a presentation; and

a modification.

30. A method for altering the playback of a sensory work, the method comprising:

receiving a playback control record;

receiving a sensory work;

altering the sensory work based on the playback control record; and

outputting data to facilitate the playback of the altered sensory work by a sensory work playback device.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein receiving a playback control record includes:

receiving a sensory work applicability identifier usable to determine whether the playback control record is applicable to a sensory work;

a frame of reference; and

at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding defining an alteration to be applied to the playback of the sensory work relative to the frame of reference.

32. Software stored on a computer-readable medium, the software comprising:

a code segment to access a playback control record;

a code segment to read a sensory work;

a code segment to alter the sensory work based on the playback control record; and

a code segment to output data to facilitate the playback of the altered sensory work by a sensory work playback device.

33. A device operable to control sensory work playback, the device comprising:

a storage device for storing a playback control record setting forth alterations to the playback of a sensory work, the playback control record including;

a frame of reference; and

at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding defining an alteration to be applied to the playback of the sensory work relative to the frame of reference;

logic for generating at least one control signal based on the playback control record; and

a control signal port operable output the at least one control signal to vary the behavior of the sensory work playback device.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the frame of reference is implicit.

35. The device of claim 33, wherein each of the at least one variation encoding includes:

a temporal identifier relative to the frame of reference; and

an alteration description.

36. The device of claim 35, where the temporal identifier relative to the frame of reference is implicit.

37. The device of claim 35, wherein the alteration description includes:

a control function; and

a duration.

38. The device of claim 37, wherein the control function includes one or more from the group consisting of:

play;

stop;

fast-forward;

jump;

rewind; and

pause.

39. The device of claim 33, wherein the control signal port is operable to output the at least one control signal to vary the behavior of a sensory work playback device by sending infrared (IR) control signals.

40. A method for controlling a sensory work playback device, the method comprising:

receiving a playback control record associated with a sensory work; and

outputting at least one control signal to alter the playback of the sensory work based on the received playback control record.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein outputting at least one control signal includes outputting a signal usable by an infrared (IR) blaster to control a sensory work playback device.

42. On a server, a playback control record system comprising:

a database of playback control records; and

a playback control record retrieval system operable to transmit a playback control record from the database.

43. The playback control record system of claim 42, wherein a playback control record in the database of playback control records includes:

a sensory work applicability identifier usable to determine whether the playback control record is applicable to a sensory work;

a frame of reference; and

at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding defining an alteration to be applied to the playback of the sensory work relative to the frame of reference,

wherein the playback control record is usable by a sensory work playback device to alter the playback of the sensory work.

44. The playback control record system of claim 42, further comprising a playback control record receiving system operable to receive playback control records and to store playback control records in the database.

45. A method for providing control of sensory work playback, the method comprising:

storing at least one playback control record setting forth alterations to the playback of a sensory work;

receiving a playback control record request across a computer network;

in response to the received request, submitting a playback control record from the at least one playback control record, the playback control record usable by a sensory work playback device to alter the playback of a sensory work.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein storing at least one playback control record setting forth alterations to the playback of a sensory work includes storing the at least one playback control record in a database.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein receiving a playback control record request across a computer network includes receiving a database query.

49. The method of claim 45, further comprising receiving a playback control record and storing the received playback control record with the at least one playback control record.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the receipt and submission of playback control records is operable to provide a collaborative sensory work playback control system.

51. The method of claim 45, further comprising maintaining metadata related to the at least one playback control record and using the maintained metadata to provide community features.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein maintaining metadata related to the at least one playback control record includes recording feedback regarding the at least one playback control record.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein recording feedback regarding the at least one playback control record includes recording one or more from the group consisting of:

playback control record comments; and

playback control record ratings.

48. The method of claim 48, wherein submitting a playback control record from the at least one playback control record includes submitting a plurality of playback control records.

54. A method for providing control of sensory work playback, the method comprising:

storing at least one playback control record setting forth alterations to the playback of a sensory work;

making the playback control record available to members within a community;

receiving a playback control record request across a computer network from one or more members of the community;

in response to the received request, submitting a playback control record from the at least one playback control record, the playback control record usable by a sensory work playback device to alter the playback of a sensory work.