Method and apparatus for providing multiple programmed audio/still image presentations from a digital disc image player
First Claim
1. An apparatus for use with a system including a digital data base for storing respectively corresponding digitized still images in image data files and digitized audio messages in audio data files, for controlling concurrent reproduction of digitized images on an image reproduction device and audio information on a sound reproduction device, said apparatus comprising:
- means for providing user input commands;
means, responsive to a single user command from said means for providing user input commands, for selecting and reading a sequence of digitized still images from the image data files in an ordered sequence established in a presentation sequences file and coupling said selected sequence of digitized still images to an image signal output for display on the image reproduction device;
means for identifying a plurality of sequences of digitized audio messages associated with a plurality of sequences of digitized still images, some of said digitized audio messages being associated with different digitized still images in different sequences, said plurality of sequences of digitized audio messages including a selected sequence of digitized audio messages which are to be played back in an ordered sequence also established in the presentation sequences file and concurrently with the display of said selected sequence of digitized still images; and
means for reading said selected sequence of digitized audio messages from the audio data files and coupling the audio information to an audio signal output for playback on the sound reproduction device concurrent with the display of the associated sequence of digitized still images on said image reproduction device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method are provided for use with a system including a digital data base for storing digitized images and digitized audio messages, for controlling concurrent reproduction of digitized images on an image reproduction device and audio information on a sound reproduction device. The digitized images are stored as image data files in the digital data base. Likewise, the digitized audio messages are stored as audio data files in the data base. Audio messages and images are associated with each other. This is accomplished by means of a presentation sequences file stored in the data base or in a separate EEPROM memory. In response to a user command, a controller causes image data and audio data for a selected image and an accompanying audio message to be read from the data base. The respective data are provided to the image reproduction device and the sound reproduction device, respectively, whereby the audio message is played back by the sound reproduction device as the image is displayed on the image reproduction device. A controller maintains the display of the image for the duration of the audio message. The controller reads a sequence of images and audio messages from the data base and displays each image and plays back one or more associated audio messages in turn.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. An apparatus for use with a system including a digital data base for storing respectively corresponding digitized still images in image data files and digitized audio messages in audio data files, for controlling concurrent reproduction of digitized images on an image reproduction device and audio information on a sound reproduction device, said apparatus comprising:
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means for providing user input commands; means, responsive to a single user command from said means for providing user input commands, for selecting and reading a sequence of digitized still images from the image data files in an ordered sequence established in a presentation sequences file and coupling said selected sequence of digitized still images to an image signal output for display on the image reproduction device; means for identifying a plurality of sequences of digitized audio messages associated with a plurality of sequences of digitized still images, some of said digitized audio messages being associated with different digitized still images in different sequences, said plurality of sequences of digitized audio messages including a selected sequence of digitized audio messages which are to be played back in an ordered sequence also established in the presentation sequences file and concurrently with the display of said selected sequence of digitized still images; and means for reading said selected sequence of digitized audio messages from the audio data files and coupling the audio information to an audio signal output for playback on the sound reproduction device concurrent with the display of the associated sequence of digitized still images on said image reproduction device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An apparatus, for use with a system including a digital data base for storing image data files containing digitized still images and audio data files containing digitized audio messages, for controlling concurrent reproduction of digitized still images on an image reproduction device and audio information on a sound reproduction device, the apparatus comprising:
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means for providing user input commands; a digital data base reader for reading sequences of digitized images and audio messages in an order established by a presentation sequences file which associates the digitized images and audio messages in ordered sequences, wherein a given digitized image in two or more sequences is associated with different digitized audio messages; a controller coupled to the digital data base reader for directing the reader to read a selected sequence of digitized still images and associated audio messages responsive to a single user command from said means for providing user input commands and further coupled to an output for providing the selected sequence of digitized images and audio messages respectively thereto, for display and playback. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method for operation of a system including a digital data base for storing respectively corresponding digitized images in image data files and digitized audio messages in audio data files to control concurrent reproduction of digitized images on an image reproduction device and audio information on a sound reproduction device, the method comprising the steps of, in response to a single command provided to said system by a user:
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reading a digitized image from a selected one of the image data files in an ordered sequence established in a presentation sequences file and coupling the digitized image to an image signal output for display on the image reproduction device; mapping the image data files to the audio data files in an ordered sequence in the presentation sequences file such that a given digitized image may be associated with more than one digitized audio message; identifying one or more audio data files containing digitized audio messages associated with said digitized image in the presentation sequences file and which are to be played back concurrently with the display of the digitized image; reading said digitized audio messages from the associated audio data file and coupling the audio information to an audio signal output for display on the sound reproduction device concurrent with the display of said digitized image on said image reproduction device; and repeating the steps of reading and coupling the digitized image, identifying an associated audio file, and reading and coupling the audio information a plurality of times to display a sequence of digitized images and play back a sequence of respectively associated audio messages. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification