TECHNIQUES FOR FACILITATING ANNOTATIONS

• US 20100241691A1
• Filed: 03/20/2009
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Kishi, Hidenobu, Barrus, John, Rhodes, Bradley, Savitzky, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 8,380,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image

Abstract

Techniques for facilitating annotation of information. Techniques are provided that enable one or more users to annotate video information being displayed by an output device. Different annotation modes may be provided. For example, in one mode, a device is provided that can capture a video frame from video information being output by an output device. One or more users may then annotate the captured video frame. The annotations may be communicated to the output device such that the output displays the captured video frame along with annotations made to the video frame. Other annotation modes are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating annotations, the method comprising:

capturing, at a first device, a video frame from a video stream received by the first device from a second device, wherein the capturing is performed in response to a request received by the first device from a client device in a set of one or more client devices, the captured video frame corresponding to a video frame being displayed by an output device; and

enabling the captured video frame to be annotated using a client device from the set of client devices.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, at the first device, a set of one or more annotations from one or more client devices in the set of client devices, the set of one or more annotations comprising annotations for the captured video frame made using one or more client devices from the set of client devices

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

communicating the set of annotations and the captured video frame from the first device to multiple client devices in the set of client devices thereby enabling the multiple client devices receiving the captured video frame and the set of annotations to display the captured video frame with the set of annotations overlayed on the captured video frame.

4. The method of claim 3:

further comprising generating, at the first device, an overlayed image comprising the captured video frame with the set of annotations overlayed on the captured video frame; and

wherein the communicating comprises communicating the overlayed image to the multiple client devices in the set of client devices.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

communicating the set of annotations from the first device to the output device thereby causing the output device to display the captured video frame with the set of annotations overlayed on the captured video frame.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

capturing, at the first device, one or more video frames from the video stream received by the first device from the second device, the one or more video frames including the video frame captured by the first device in response to the request received from the client device; and

generating a document at the first device comprising the one or more video frames and the first set of annotations.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the set of annotations comprises annotations received from multiple client devices from the set of client devices, the claim further comprising communicating the set of annotations from the first device to the output device thereby causing the output device to display the captured video frame with the set of annotations overlayed on the captured video frame.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the request is received from a first client device from the set of client devices, the method further comprising:

communicating the captured video frame to only the first client device.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving, at the first device, a set of one or more annotations from the first client device, the set of annotations representing annotations made to the captured video frame using the first client device; and

storing the set of one or more annotations at the first device.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a server at the first device, the server providing an interface that enables the captured video frame to be annotated by a client device from the set of client devices.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising downloading an application from the first device to a client device from the set of client devices, wherein the application enables the client device receiving the application to annotate the captured video frame.

12. A system for facilitating annotations, the system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, wherein the processor is configured to;

capture and store in memory a video frame from a video stream in response to a request received from a client device in a set of one or more client devices, the captured video frame corresponding to a video frame being displayed by an output device; and

enable the captured video frame to be annotated using a client device from the set of client devices.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor is configured to:

receive a set of one or more annotations from one or more client devices in the set of client devices, the set of one or more annotations comprising annotations for the captured video frame made using one or more client devices from the set of client devices.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is configured to:

communicate the set of annotations and the captured video frame to multiple client devices in the set of client devices thereby enabling the multiple client devices receiving the captured video frame and the set of annotations to display the captured video frame with the set of annotations overlayed on the captured video frame.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is configured to:

communicate the set of annotations to the output device thereby causing the output device to display the captured video frame with the set of annotations overlayed on the captured video frame.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the processor is configured to:

capture one or more video frames from the video stream, the one or more video frames including the video frame captured in response to the request received from the client device; and

generate a document comprising the one or more video frames and the first set of annotations.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein:

the request is received from a first client device from the set of client devices; and

the processor is configured to communicate the captured video frame to only the first client device.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the processor is configured to:

receive a set of one or more annotations from the first client device, the set of annotations representing annotations made to the captured video frame using the first client device; and

store the set of one or more annotations in the memory.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the processor is configured to:

provide a server that provides an interface that enables the captured video frame to be annotated by a client device from the set of client devices.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing a plurality of instructions for controlling a processor to facilitate annotations, the plurality of instructions comprising:

instructions that cause the processor to capture a video frame from a video stream, the capturing performed in response to a request received from a client device in a set of one or more client devices, the captured video frame corresponding to a video frame being displayed by an output device; and

instructions that cause the processor to enable the captured video frame to be annotated using a client device from the set of client devices.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein the plurality of instructions further comprises:

instructions that cause the processor to receive a set of one or more annotations from one or more client devices in the set of client devices, the set of one or more annotations comprising annotations for the captured video frame made using one or more client devices from the set of client devices; and

instructions that cause the processor to communicate the set of annotations to the output device thereby causing the output device to display the captured video frame with the set of annotations overlayed on the captured video frame.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the plurality of instruction comprises:

instructions that cause the processor to communicate the set of annotations and the captured video frame to multiple client devices in the set of client devices thereby enabling the multiple client devices receiving the captured video frame and the set of annotations to display the captured video frame with the set of annotations overlayed on the captured video frame.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein the plurality of instruction comprises:

instructions that cause the processor to capture one or more video frames from the video stream, the one or more video frames including the video frame captured in response to the request received from the client device; and

instructions that cause the processor to generate a document comprising the one or more video frames and the first set of annotations.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 wherein:

the set of annotations comprises annotations received from multiple client devices from the set of client devices; and

the plurality of instructions comprises instructions that cause the processor to communicate the set of annotations to the output device thereby causing the output device to display the captured video frame with the set of annotations overlayed on the captured video frame.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein:

the request is received from a first client device from the set of client devices; and

the plurality of instructions further comprises;

instructions that cause the processor to communicate the captured video frame to only the first client device; and

receive a set of one or more annotations from the first client device, the set of annotations representing annotations made to the captured video frame using the first client device.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 20 wherein the plurality of instructions further comprises:

instructions that cause the processor to provide a server that provides an interface that enables the captured video frame to be annotated by a client device from the set of client devices.