User Customized Animated Video and Method For Making the Same

• US 20110064388A1
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pandoodle Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pandoodle Corporation
• Inventors: Ludwigsen, David, Brown, Loch T., Amdur, Jeffrey Alan, Rose, Harrison, MacDonald, Christopher James, Glassett, Robert John, Brown, Dirk D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,963,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/285
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/02 Non-photorealistic rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video

Abstract

A customized animation video system and method generate a customized or personalized animated video using user input where the customized animated video is rendered in a near immediate timeframe (for example, in less than 10 minutes). The customized animation video system and method of the present invention enable seamless integration of an animated representation of a subject or other custom object into the animated video. That is, the system and method of the present invention enable the generation of an animated representation of a subject that can be viewed from any desired perspective in the animated video without the use of multiple photographs or other 2D depictions of the subject. Furthermore, the system and method of the present invention enables the generation of an animated representation of a subject that is in the same graphic style as the rest of the animated video.

Claims

1. A system for generating cartoonized representations of a subject and incorporating the cartoonized representations into an animated video, the system comprising:

a cartoonizing application configured to receive data input describing features of the subject and to select one or more objects from a database of cartoonized objects that matches the features of the subject as described by the data input, the cartoonizing application configured to generate one or more customizable objects representative of the subject;

a content management application configured to receive the one or more customizable objects from the cartoonizing application and to receive data input defining one or more pre-selected animation settings, the content management application configured to generate data files being an assembly of one or more objects, the assembly of one or more objects including the one or more customizable objects generated by the cartoonizing application or one or more customizable objects selected from the database of cartoonized objects based on the pre-selected animation settings; and

an animation application configured to receive the data files from the content management application and operative to render an animated video using the data files and a selected animated story, wherein the animated video thus rendered includes the assembly of one or more objects integrated seamlessly into the animated story to create a customized animated story incorporating the cartoonized representations of the subject and the pre-selected animated settings.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the content management application is configured to modify the one or more customizable objects generated by the cartoonizing application based on the pre-selected animation settings.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the content management application is configured to generate one or more customizable objects being a realistic representation of the subject or photorealistic representation of the subject or a stylized representation of the subject.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the content management application is configured to generate one or more customizable objects being in the same style as the selected animation story.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a cartoonizing application is configured to receive a photograph or other two-dimensional depictions of the subject as the data input, the cartoonizing application further configured to identify at least one feature of the subject from the photograph or other two-dimensional depictions, to quantify one or more parameters associated with the identified feature, and to select one or more objects from the database of cartoonized objects by matching the parameters of the identified features to the same parameters of the objects in the database, the cartoonizing application thereby generating the one or more customizable objects representative of the subject.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a cartoonizing application is configured to receive parameters describing a representation of a subject or parameters describing an avatar indicative of the subject as the data input.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a cartoonizing application is configured to receive user-input data describing characteristics of one or more features of the subject as the data input.

8. A method for generating cartoonized representations of a subject and incorporating the cartoonized representations into an animated video, comprising:

receiving data input describing features of the subject;

selecting one or more objects from a database of cartoonized objects that matches the features of the subject as described by the data input;

generating one or more customizable objects representative of the subject;

receiving data input defining one or more pre-selected animation settings;

generating data files being an assembly of one or more customizable objects, the assembly of one or more customizable objects including the one or more customizable objects representative of the subject or one or more customizable objects selected from the database of cartoonized objects based on the pre-selected animation settings;

rendering an animated video using the data files and a selected animated story,

wherein the animated video thus rendered includes the assembly of one or more customizable objects integrated seamlessly into the animated story to create a customized animated story incorporating the cartoonized representations of the subject and the pre-selected animated settings.

9. A system for generating a customized animation video, the system comprising:

a cartoonizing application configured to receive input data from a user selecting one or more options of a plurality of customizable video assets in a selected animated story, the cartoonizing application configured to select one or more objects from a database of animation objects matching the selected options for the customizable video assets;

a content management application configured to receive the one or more objects from the cartoonizing application and to receive input data from a user selecting one or more animation settings, the content management application configured to generate data files being an assembly of one or more objects, the assembly of one or more objects including the one or more objects generated by the cartoonizing application or one or more objects selected from the database of animation objects based on the selected animation settings; and

an animation application configured to receive the data files from the content management application and operative to render an animated video using the data files and a selected animated story, wherein the animated video thus rendered includes the assembly of one or more objects integrated seamlessly into the selected animated story to create a customized animated story based on the input data selecting the customizable video assets and the selected animated settings.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising an editing application configured to receive input data from a user to change the selection of customizable video assets.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein each object in the assembly of data objects is defined by a data structure, and wherein the input data modifying an option of a customizable video assets modifies the data structure of an object to allow the animation application to immediately render an animated video using the modified data structure.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of customizable video assets comprises facial features, clothing, size and shape of a character.

13. A method for generating a customized audio track for a customized animation video, the method comprising:

providing a customized audio input;

converting the customized audio input into a customized audio data file, the customized audio data file matching the style and sound of a pre-recorded audio data file;

concatenating the customized audio data file with the pre-recorded audio data file of an animation video;

normalizing the customized audio data file with the pre-recorded audio data file;

generating final customized audio track for the customized animation video.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a customized audio input comprises providing a custom audio content, and wherein converting the customized audio input into a customized audio data file comprises:

identifying a phonetic spelling of the custom audio content; and

converting the phonetic spelling of the custom audio content into the customized audio data file using a text to speech engine.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein providing a customized audio input comprises providing a text string indicative of an audio input.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein providing a text string indicative of an audio input comprises providing a spelling of a word, and wherein converting the customized audio input into a customized audio data file comprises converting the spelling of the word into a customized audio data file using a text to speech engine.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein providing a text string indicative of an audio input comprises providing a phonetic spelling of a word, and wherein converting the customized audio input into a customized audio data file comprises converting the phonetic spelling of the word into a customized audio data file using a text to speech engine.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

modifying the tone or tuning pitch of the customized audio data file to match a storyline of the animated video.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

adjusting a length of the customized audio data file to a pre-defined video length.

20. A method of generating a customized animated video, comprising:

providing an animated story;

receiving user editing options to modify one or more video assets of a first portion of the animated story;

rendering a customized animated video of the first portion of the animated story incorporating the user editing options;

displaying the customized animated video of the first portion of the animated story;

receiving user editing options to modify one or more video assets of at least a second portion of the animated story, the second portion following the first portion, the user editing options being selected to modify the second portion of the animated story based at least in part on the first portion of the animated story; and

rendering a customized animated video of at least the second portion of the animated story incorporating the user editing options.