Scene Launcher System and Method Using Geographically Defined Launch Areas

• US 20100026901A1
• Filed: 02/26/2009
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DTN, LLC (TBG AG)
• Original Assignee: Weather Central, LP
• Inventors: Marsh, Victor W., Zimmerman, Benjamin T., Moore, John S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,462,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/659
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/75 Chroma key

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of defining and presenting a presentation including a plurality of scenes and a presenter appearing in the scenes. The method includes the steps of defining a first scene including a geographic background, receiving geographic location information and remote video and/or data information from a remote site, and defining within the first scene a launch area at a location within the geographic background corresponding to the geographic location information. The method further includes associating a destination scene with the defined launch area, obtaining a video image of the presenter, combining the video image of the presenter with the first scene such that the presenter appears in the first scene, and tracking a location of a pointing element controlled by the presenter in the first scene. The method yet further includes displaying the destination scene in place of the first scene when the presenter provides a scene change signal with the pointing element located at the defined launch area in the first scene, wherein the destination scene displayed is a background scene generated based on remote video and/or data information received from the remote site.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of defining and presenting a presentation including a plurality of scenes and a presenter appearing in the scenes, comprising:

(a) defining a first scene including a geographic background;

(b) receiving geographic location information and remote video and/or data information from a remote site;

(c) defining within the first scene a launch area at a location within the geographic background corresponding to the geographic location information;

(d) associating a destination scene with the defined launch area;

(e) obtaining a video image of the presenter;

(f) combining the video image of the presenter with the first scene such that the presenter appears in the first scene;

(g) tracking a location of a pointing element controlled by the presenter in the first scene; and

(h) displaying the destination scene in place of the first scene when the presenter provides a scene change signal with the pointing element located at the defined launch area in the first scene, wherein the destination scene displayed is a background scene generated based on remote video and/or data information received from the remote site.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation is a weather report presentation and wherein the first scene is a geographic area scene upon which weather information is presented.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first scene is a computer generated scene.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining a video image of the presenter includes obtaining a video image of the presenter positioned in front of a background color screen and wherein combining the video image of the presenter with the first scene includes replacing picture elements of the video image of the presenter having the background color with corresponding picture elements of the first scene.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking a location of a pointing element controlled by the presenter includes analyzing the video image of the presenter to determine the location of the pointing element therein.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the pointing element is a part of the presenter'"'"'s body.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating an indicator with each defined launch area and displaying the indicator associated with a launch area to the presenter when the presenter controls the location of the pointing element to a location corresponding to the launch area.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising moving a position of the launch area automatically in response to changing received location information from the remote site.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising re-centering the geographic background scene automatically in response to changing received location information from the remote site.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) receiving information from the remote site; and

(b) defining the destination scene based on the information received from the remote site.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the presenter provides the scene change signal using one of a hand held communication device, utilization of a touch screen, and utilization of an infrared overlay.

13. A computer-implemented system for defining and presenting a presentation including a plurality of scenes and a presenter appearing in the scenes, comprising:

(a) a computer-implemented scene generation engine configured to generate a display the presentation by performing a plurality of steps, the steps including;

(1) defining a first scene including a geographic background,

(2) receiving geographic location information for a remote site,

(3) defining within the first scene a launch area at a location within the geographic background corresponding to the geographic location information,

(4) associating a destination scene with the defined launch area,

(5) obtaining a video image of the presenter,

(6) combining the video image of the presenter with the first scene such that the presenter appears in the first scene, and

(7) tracking a location of a pointing element controlled by the presenter in the first scene; and

(b) a computer-implemented remote scene generation engine configured to generate the geographic location information and the destination scene based on video and/or data information obtained at the remote site,

wherein the computer-implemented scene generation engine is further configured for displaying the destination scene in place of the first scene when the presenter provides a scene change signal with the pointing element located at the defined launch area in the first scene.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the presentation is a weather report presentation and wherein the first scene is a geographic area scene upon which weather information is presented.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first scene is a computer generated scene.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein obtaining a video image of the presenter includes obtaining a video image of the presenter positioned in front of a background color screen and wherein combining the video image of the presenter with the first scene includes replacing picture elements of the video image of the presenter having the background color with corresponding picture elements of the first scene.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein tracking a location of a pointing element controlled by the presenter includes analyzing the video image of the presenter to determine the location of the pointing element therein.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the pointing element is a part of the presenter'"'"'s body.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer-implemented scene generation engine is further configured to move a position of the launch area automatically in response to changing received location information from the remote site.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer-implemented scene generation engine is further configured to re-center the geographic background scene automatically in response to changing received location information from the remote site.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the system receives the scene change signal based a signal from one of a hand held communication device, a touch screen, and an infrared overlay.