Interactive video control system for displaying user-selectable clips

• US 5,109,482 A
• Filed: 02/19/1991
• Issued: 04/28/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alcoa Fujikura Ltd. (Howmet Aerospace, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: David Bohrman
• Inventors: Bohrman, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Application Number:
  US07/657,675
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 364/518, 364/521, 358/93, 358/107, 358/327, 358/342, 235/375, 360/86, 434/107, 434/108, 434/236, 434/307, 434/308, 434/323, 434/337
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/065 Combinations of audio and video presentations, e.g. videotapes, videodiscs, television systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2587 Laser Discs; Optical disc using analog recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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

A method and apparatus for controlling the presentation of information previously recorded on a videodisc player enables a user to simply and efficiently select and playback user-specified segments of the information prerecorded on the videodisc in an order individually determined by the user. Instantaneous access to video and audio information can be controlled precisely so that preselected portions of the recorded information can be accessed at any time. All portions of selected segments can be chosen. In addition, all or selected portions of any amount to the prerecorded information can be sequentially accessed by the user of the system.

Claims

1. In a system having information recorded on a single recording medium only a portion of which is to be displayed, the information comprising one or more prerecorded segments of video information, each segment comprising one or more frames of video information, the improvement comprising:

means for identifying on what portion of the recording medium the desired information is located;

means for selecting any portion of the desired information for display in an interactive, individually controlled, user-selectable order;

means for storing the start point and stop point of the information to be displayed as a custom clip, including means for storing the start point and stop points for one or more custom clips in the user-selectable order; and

means for displaying from the single recording means only that portion of information selected by the selection means and stored by the storage means as custom clips in the user-selectable order.

2. An interactive video control system for use with a videodisc player capable of playing a videodisc having one or more prerecorded segments of video information, each segment comprising one or more frames of video information:

means for selecting clips of the video information in an interactive, individually controlled, user-selectable order by identifying user-selected start frames and stop frames for displaying the clip of the video information;

means for establishing an ordered sequence of clips from the videodisc; and

means for displaying the sequence of clips in the order established by the establishing means.

3. An interactive video control system for displaying a sequential series of one or more video clips, said system comprising:

a player unit for displaying stored video information;

a driver system in communication with said player unit so as to direct its functions for identifying, locating and displaying said stored video information; and

an interactive user interface comprising;

identifying means for generating one or more commands to said driver system for the purpose of identifying an interactive, individually controlled, user-selectable order of said clips by designation of a starting point and a stopping point;

individual display means for generating one or more commands to said driver system for the purpose of individually displaying said clips;

sequencing means for designating a prescribed order for sequential display of said clips;

sequential display means for generating one or more commands to said driver system for the purpose of sequentially displaying said clips in said prescribed order; and

a driver interface connecting said user interface and said driver system for conveying commands generated by said user interface to said driver system such that said commands are interpreted by said driver system and used by said driver system to direct the functions of said player so as to effectuate the purpose of said commands dictated by said user interface.

4. An interactive video control system comprising:

a videodisc player having a videodisc with information prerecorded on the videodisc;

at least one automated driver for the videodisc player; and

a computer system having

input means for controlling through the driver the videodisc player;

means for receiving through the input means fields of information designating the amount and content of prerecorded information to be displayed by the display means;

programing means for controlling the videodisc player through the driver so that the amount and content of prerecorded information entered into the input means is immediately displayed by the display means, wherein the programing means comprises;

means for selectively displaying all or any portion of the prerecorded information in an interactive, individually controlled, user-selectable series; and

the order of the series in a sequence being established by successive fields of information entered into the input means.

5. The interactive video control system of claim 4 wherein the prerecorded information is organized in segments and wherein the amount and content of prerecorded information for any one or more of the series of segments can be varied by re-entering the field of information which corresponds to that segment.

6. The interactive video control system of claim 5 wherein any selected segment can be shown manually or in any preselected sequenced entered into the input means and wherein the amount and content of the prerecorded information can be changed at any time by changing the field of information corresponding to that segment.

7. The interactive video control system of claim 6 wherein any change made to a field of information relating to the amount and content of prerecorded information that is to be displayed is published to all portions of the programming means which relate to that selected segment.

8. A method for controlling the presentation of information previously recorded on a single recording medium using a computer and a playback device and a display monitor for playing the information recorded on the single recording medium, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) using the computer and a list of segments stored on the computer of the prerecorded information on the recording medium, interactively selecting one or more individually controlled, user-selectable segments of the information to be played for user using the playback device and the display monitor;

(b) playing a frame associated with the segment;

(c) using the computer to check whether the user has designated the frame as an "in" point for a user-selected clip, and, if so, saving the frame number as the "in" point for the user-selected clip;

(d) using the computer to check whether the user has designated the frame as an "out" point for a user-selected clip, and, if so, saving the frame number as the "out" point for the user-selected clip; and

(e) using the computer to check whether the frame is the last frame of the selected segment and, if not, incrementing the frame number and repeating steps (b)-(e).

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

(f) using the computer and the playback device to play the information associated with the user-selected clip to fine tune the "in" and "out" points.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of:

(g) using the computer to select one or more user-selected clips and preselected clips to be displayed using the playback device by selecting the name of the user-selected clip from a plurality of clips stored in a lineup;

(h) using the computer to modify any of one or more attributes associated with the selected user clip;

(i) using the computer to arrange the order to the plurality of clips in the lineup by allowing the user to organize the order of an icon associated with each clip; and

(j) playing the information identified by the lineup on the display using the playback device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein control information associated with the lineups may be stored and retrieved from a memory accessible by the computer.

12. A method for controlling the presentation of visual information previously recorded on a single recording medium and associated textual information stored on a computer memory using a computer and a playback device and a display monitor for playing the information recorded on the single recording medium and a computer screen for displaying the associated textual information, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) using the computer and a list of segments stored in the memory of the computer of the prerecorded visual information on the recording medium, interactively selecting one or more individually controlled, user-selectable segments of the visual information to be played for a user using the playback device and the display monitor;

(b) displaying the textual information associated with the selected segment on the computer screen;

(c) allowing the user to select a portion of the textual information displayed on the computer screen for identifying the related portion of the visual information to be played using the playback device and the display monitor; and

(d) using the computer and a cataloged means for storing the "in" and "out" points associated with a predefined section of the textual information associated with the selected segment to playback the portion of the selected segment associated with the selected portion of the textual information.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the predefined sections of the textual information are sentences.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the predefined sections of the textual information are phrases.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the predefined sections of the textual information are words.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the predefined sections of the textual information are paragraphs.