INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE AND METHOD, RECORDING MEDIUM, AND PROGRAM

• US 20120110081A1
• Filed: 12/27/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sakai, Yusuke, Kamada, Mikio, SAITO, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 8,856,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

An information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a recording medium, and a program for allowing communicating parties at remote locations to view the same displayed content and to point to desired positions on the displayed image of the content. A user A and a user B viewing themselves and the content on a cross-faded mode may point to desired positions on the content image with their fingertips. Motion vectors of the fingertips are then detected in particular areas extracted from the image in a manner containing the detected positions. The detected motion vectors are translated into a pointer for the user A and a pointer for the user B, the pointers being alpha-blended with the content image. The two pointers extracted from a single image are associated with the users A and B by use of different Cyber Codes attached to the fingertips of each user, for example.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for communicating with another information processing apparatus through a network, said information processing apparatus comprising:

reproduction means for reproducing synchronously the same content data as that reproduced by said another information processing apparatus;

input means for generating a first user image obtained by imaging a user of said information processing apparatus;

reception means for receiving a second user image which is obtained by imaging a user of said another information processing apparatus and which is sent from said another information processing apparatus through said network;

extraction means for extracting from at least one of said first and said second user images a pointer representing the user pointing to a desired position on the image, wherein, if at least one of said first and said second user images includes a plurality of users, said extraction means extracts a plurality of pointers representing said plurality of users pointing to desired positions on the image, and associates the extracted plurality of pointers with one of said plurality of users; and

composite means for compositing the pointer extracted by said extraction means onto an image of the content data reproduced synchronously by said reproduction means, said composite means composites said pointer extracted by said extraction means together with a thumbnail image identifying the user controlling said pointer onto said image of said content data reproduced synchronously by said reproduction means, the composite means also compositing at least one of said first and said second user images onto said image of said content data reproduced synchronously by said reproduction means, the at least one of the first and second user images being composited onto said image of said content data separate from the pointer such that the pointer extracted from the at least one of the first and second user images is displayed in two separate images, a first image of the pointer being associated with the thumbnail image and a second image of the pointer being part of the at least one of the first and second user images.