DATA-PROVIDING APPARATUS, DATA-PROVIDING METHOD AND PROGRAM-SORTING MEDIUM

• US 20120057851A1
• Filed: 11/10/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: YOSHIMINE, Takao
• Granted Patent: US 9,449,644 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/278
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

In the present invention, image data is edited in response to a demand transmitted from a data-processing apparatus through a network. A moving-picture server (3) acquires a scenario consisting of a plurality of scenes, each lasting for a given time, is acquired in response to a demand made by a personal computer (1-1). The server acquires from a temporary edition space (6) a given number of original data items that will be used in the scenario, also in response to a demand made by the data-processing apparatus. The moving-picture server (3) selects prescribed ones of the original data items acquired and allocate them to the scenes of the scenario acquired. The server corrects the original data items selected, in accordance with the prescribed image data items that have been allocated to the scenes of the scenario. The image data is thereby edited.

Claims

1. A video-editing server for generating a video program in response to instructions transmitted from a client device through a network, said video-editing server comprising:

means for assigning a first memory area and a corresponding user identifier for a user of the client device;

means for receiving at least one image data item uploaded by the user from the client device through the network using a web browser, and for storing the received at least one image data item in the first memory area, the at least one image data item including at least one of (1) one or more video clips and (2) one or more still picture images;

means for receiving a designation indicating whether the uploaded at least one image data item can be shared with other users;

means for superposing text on one of the at least one image data item;

means for acquiring a scenario including at least one scene, each scene lasting for a predetermined period of time, in response to a demand made by the user of the client device using a web browser; and

means for allocating the uploaded at least one image data item to the at least one scene of the scenario until each scene of the scenario has been allocated a corresponding one of the at least one image data item to generate the video program.

2. The video-editing server of claim 1, further comprising:

means for receiving audio data uploaded by the user from the client device through the network using a web browser, and for storing the received audio data in the first memory area.

3. The video-editing server of claim 1, further comprising:

means for causing the client device to display a thumbnail image corresponding to each image item data uploaded by the user.

4. The video-editing server of claim 1, further comprising:

means for downloading the generated video program to the client device of the user.

5. The video-editing server of claim 1, further comprising:

means for transmitting to the user a list of all image data items designated as shared image data uploaded by all other users other than the user; and

means for receiving, from the user, a selection of first image data items from the list of shared image data uploaded by all other users,

wherein the means for allocating allocates the first image data items to the at least one scene of the scenario until each scene of the scenario has been allocated a corresponding one of the first image data items.

6. The video-editing server of claim 1, further comprising:

means for applying video effects on or between the allocated at least one image data item in response to instructions received from the user.

7. A video-editing method for generating a video program in response to instructions transmitted from a client device through a network, said video-editing method comprising:

assigning a first memory area and a corresponding user identifier for a user of the client device;

receiving at least one image data item uploaded by the user from the client device through the network using a web browser, and storing the received at least one image data item in the first memory area, the at least one image data item including at least one of (1) one or more video clips and (2) one or more still picture images;

receiving a designation indicating whether the uploaded at least one image data item can be shared with other users;

superposing text on one of the at least one image data item;

acquiring a scenario including at least one scene, each scene lasting for a predetermined period of time, in response to a demand made by the user of the client device using a web browser; and

allocating the uploaded at least one image data item to the at least one scene of the scenario until each scene of the scenario has been allocated a corresponding one of the at least one image data item to generate the video program.

8. The video-editing method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving audio data uploaded by the user from the client device through the network using a web browser, and for storing the received audio data in the first memory area.

9. The video-editing method of claim 7, further comprising:

causing the client device to display a thumbnail image corresponding to each image item data uploaded by the user.

10. The video-editing method of claim 7, further comprising:

downloading the generated video program to the client device of the user.

11. The video-editing method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting to the user a list of all image data items designated as shared image data uploaded by all other users other than the user; and

receiving, from the user, a selection of first image data items from the list of shared image data uploaded by all other users,

wherein the allocating step includes allocating the first image data items to the at least one scene of the scenario until each scene of the scenario has been allocated a corresponding one of the first image data items.

12. The video-editing method of claim 7, further comprising:

applying video effects on or between the allocated at least one image data item in response to instructions from the user.

13. A video-editing server for generating a video program in response to instructions transmitted from a client device through a network, said video-editing server comprising:

a processor configured to assign a first memory area and a corresponding user identifier for a user of the client device; and

a communication device configured to receive at least one image data item uploaded by the user from the client device through the network using a web browser, and to cause the received at least one image data item to be stored in the first memory area, the at least one image data item including at least one of (1) one or more video clips and (2) one or more still picture images, wherein the communication device is further configured to receive a designation indicating whether the uploaded at least one image data item can be shared with other users, wherein

the processor is configured to (1) superpose text on one of the at least one image data item, (2) acquire a scenario including at least one scene, each scene lasting for a predetermined period of time, in response to a demand made by the user of the client device using a web browser, and (3) allocate the uploaded at least one image data item to the at least one scene of the scenario until each scene of the scenario has been allocated a corresponding one of the at least one image data item to generate the video program.

14. A device for generating a video program by transmitting instructions to a video-editing server through a network, the device comprising:

means for transmitting, by a user of the device, a request for initiating a video-editing service to the video-editing server, wherein, in response, the video-editing server assigns a first memory area and a corresponding user identifier for the user of the device;

means for selecting and uploading at least one image data item to the video-editing server through the network using a web browser, wherein the video-editing server stores the uploaded at least one image data item in the first memory area, the at least one image data item including at least one of (1) one or more video clips and (2) one or more still picture images;

means for uploading a designation indicating whether the uploaded at least one image data item can be shared with other users;

means for instructing the video-editing server to superpose text on one of the at least one image data item;

means for selecting a scenario including at least one scene, each scene lasting for a predetermined period of time, wherein, based on input received from the device, the video-editing server allocates the uploaded at least one image data item to the at least one scene of the scenario until each scene of the scenario has been allocated a corresponding one of the at least one image data item to generate the video program.

15. The device of claim 14, further comprising:

means for selecting and uploading to the video-editing server, through the network using the web browser, audio data, wherein the video-editing server stores the uploaded audio data in the first memory area.

16. The device of claim 14, further comprising:

means for displaying a thumbnail image corresponding to each image item data uploaded by the user.

17. The device of claim 14, further comprising:

means for downloading the generated video program from the video-editing server to the device.