Synchronization of haptic effect data in a media stream

• US 20090096632A1
• Filed: 10/16/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Ullrich, Christopher J., Bakircioglu, Munibe M., Rank, Stephen D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,019,087 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/4.21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/02 Networking aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/18 Timing circuits for raster scan displays specially adapted for television H04N ; synchronisation between the display unit and other display units, videodisc player G09G5/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/047 Vibrating means for incoming calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/048 Arrangements providing optical indication of the incoming call, e.g. flasher circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/85 using pre-processing or post-processing specially adapted for video compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• 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 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/81 Monomedia components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

Haptic information in a series of frames of a media file is identified and time stamps corresponding thereto are determined in accordance with information embedded in a tag either preceding or appending the media file. The haptic effect information is automatically synchronized to the media file based on the information in one or more frames of the tag, whereby an actuator outputs the defined haptic effects in the tag in a manner synchronized with corresponding audio and/or video content of the media file.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a media file having embedded haptic event data in a tag preceding content data in the media file, the haptic event data having time stamp information embedded in the frame;

synchronizing the embedded haptic event data with the content data in the media file utilizing common time stamps between the haptic event data and the content data; and

outputting a haptic effect via an actuator in a playback device, wherein the outputted haptic effect is synchronized with a corresponding media event of the content data, the media event and the haptic event occurring at a substantially same time stamp.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the embedded haptic frame is in a private frame of the tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the embedded haptic frame is in a lyrics frame of the tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content data includes audio data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the content data includes video data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the embedded haptic event data in the frame further comprises a start-time, a magnitude, a frequency, and a duration.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the media file is stored prior to being received at the playback device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the media file is streamed from a source and received by the playback device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising extracting the embedded haptic event data from the media file according to a master time code associated with the media file.

10. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a media file having embedded haptic event data in a frame preceding content data in the media file, the haptic event data having time stamp information embedded in the frame;

means for synchronizing the embedded haptic event data with the content data in the media file utilizing the master time code;

means for outputting a haptic effect via an actuator, wherein the haptic effect is associated with the time stamp of the haptic event data.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the embedded haptic frame is in a private frame of the tag.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the embedded haptic frame is in a lyrics frame of the tag.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the content data includes audio data.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the content data includes video data.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the media file is in a MP3 format.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the embedded haptic event data in the frame further comprises a start-time, a magnitude, a frequency, and a duration.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the media file is stored prior to being received at the playback device.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the media file is streamed from a source and received by the playback device.

19. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising means for extracting the embedded haptic event data from the media file according to a master time code associated with the media file.

20. Logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution by a machine and when executed operable to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a media file having embedded haptic event data in a tag preceding content data in the media file, the haptic event data having time stamp information embedded in the frame;

synchronizing the embedded haptic event data with the content data in the media file utilizing common time stamps between the haptic event data and the content data; and

outputting a haptic effect via an actuator in a playback device, wherein the outputted haptic effect is synchronized with a corresponding media event of the content data, the media event and the haptic event occurring at a substantially same time stamp.