Information provider apparatus enabling selective playing of multimedia information by interactive input based on displayed hypertext information
First Claim
1. An information provider apparatus comprising data input/output means including data input means (111) operable by a user for inputting operating commands, and data display means (112) for displaying a plurality of types of monomedia data including at least video data and text data, said operating commands being generated by hyperlink selection in accordance with a page of hypertext data which is currently being displayed by said data display means (112);
- data storage means for storing hypertext data and data of at least one hypervideo clip, said hypervideo data clip data being formed of subject matter data and scenario data, said subject matter data comprising data of a plurality of monomedia data items which include a video clip that has been preassigned as a reference video clip of said hypervideo clip, said scenario data including information specifying times of starting playing of respective ones of said monomedia data items other than said reference video clip, said starting times being specified in terms of frame numbers of said reference video clip;
means responsive to said operating commands for reading out, from said data storage means, said scenario data and subject matter data of a hypervideo clip which is specified by said operating commands; and
means forcontinuously supplying said reference video clip data of the specified hypervideo clip to said data display means (112) to be displayed thereby, as said reference video clip data are read out from said data storage means, and for maintaining a count of elapsed frame numbers of said reference video clip,selectively generating data transfer commands to acquire from said data storage means specific subject matter data of said specified hypervideo clip other than said reference video clip, at times determined in accordance with said said count of frame numbers in conjunction with said scenario data, andcontinuously supplying said specific subject matter data to said data data display means (112) as said specific subject matter data are read out from said data storage means, with video data of said subject matter data being transferred to said data display means (112) at a transmission rate which permits real-time transfer and continuous-motion display of the contents of said video data.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An information provider apparatus, enabling a user to employ hyperlink selection from a displayed hypertext data page to obtain and play the contents of specific sets of multimedia data which are held in a data storage device, executes control of playing of a set based upon elapsed frame numbers of a video clip which forms part of the set, in conjunction with scenario data which have been predetermined for the set. The apparatus can be used in a network in which users of various client terminals can access multimedia data stored at a server computer, or can exchange electronic mail items each consisting of a set of multimedia data in conjunction with corresponding scenario data, or can post messages on a "notice board" hypertext page at the server computer, each message consisting of a set of multimedia data and corresponding scenario data, with other users of the network being able to access the posted messages by browsing selection.
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Citations
74 Claims
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1. An information provider apparatus comprising data input/output means including data input means (111) operable by a user for inputting operating commands, and data display means (112) for displaying a plurality of types of monomedia data including at least video data and text data, said operating commands being generated by hyperlink selection in accordance with a page of hypertext data which is currently being displayed by said data display means (112);
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data storage means for storing hypertext data and data of at least one hypervideo clip, said hypervideo data clip data being formed of subject matter data and scenario data, said subject matter data comprising data of a plurality of monomedia data items which include a video clip that has been preassigned as a reference video clip of said hypervideo clip, said scenario data including information specifying times of starting playing of respective ones of said monomedia data items other than said reference video clip, said starting times being specified in terms of frame numbers of said reference video clip; means responsive to said operating commands for reading out, from said data storage means, said scenario data and subject matter data of a hypervideo clip which is specified by said operating commands; and means for continuously supplying said reference video clip data of the specified hypervideo clip to said data display means (112) to be displayed thereby, as said reference video clip data are read out from said data storage means, and for maintaining a count of elapsed frame numbers of said reference video clip, selectively generating data transfer commands to acquire from said data storage means specific subject matter data of said specified hypervideo clip other than said reference video clip, at times determined in accordance with said said count of frame numbers in conjunction with said scenario data, and continuously supplying said specific subject matter data to said data data display means (112) as said specific subject matter data are read out from said data storage means, with video data of said subject matter data being transferred to said data display means (112) at a transmission rate which permits real-time transfer and continuous-motion display of the contents of said video data.
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2. An information provider apparatus comprising
first data service means (130) including first data storage means (131) having stored therein hypertext page data and monomedia data, said monomedia data including scenario reference data corresponding to respective hypervideo clips, said scenario reference data being connected by hyperlinks to said hypertext page data, said scenario reference data including storage location information for respective scenario data files of said hypervideo clips within second data storage means (151), said first data service means being responsive to externally supplied first data transfer commands for selectively reading out said hypertext page data and scenario reference data; -
second data service means (150), including said second data storage means (151) having stored therein data constituting said hypervideo clips, responsive to second data transfer commands for selectively reading out said data, the data of a hypervideo clip consisting of a scenario data file and a plurality of subject matter data files for respective monomedia data items, said monomedia data items including a video clip which has been preassigned as a reference video clip, said scenario data including storage location information for said subject matter data files with respect to said second data storage means (151) and playing information including times of starting playing the contents of respective ones of said subject matter data files other than said reference video clip, said starting times being specified in terms of frame numbers of said reference video clip; data input/output means (110) including input means (111) operable by a user for inputting operating commands and data display means (112) for playing a plurality of types of monomedia data including at least video data and text data, said operating commands being generated by hyperlink selection from a page of hypertext data which is currently being displayed by said data display means (112); information browsing means (120) comprising information browsing control means (121), acquired data storage means (122) and hypervideo data playing means (124), said information browsing control means (121) being responsive to said operating commands for generating corresponding ones of said first data transfer commands to thereby acquire, from said first data service means (130) data of a specific one of said hypertext pages or scenario reference data for a specific one of said hypervideo clips, said acquired data storage means (122) storing said acquired hypertext page data and scenario reference data, with said hypertext page data being read out and supplied to said data display means (112), and said hypervideo data playing means (124) reading out said scenario reference data from said acquired data storage means (122) and using said scenario reference data to generate said second data transfer commands for thereby obtaining the scenario data data of said specific hypervideo clip from said second data service means (150), using said scenario data to further generate said second data transfer commands for thereby obtaining said reference video clip data of said specific hypervideo clip from said second data service means and continuously supplying said reference video clip data to said data display means (112), maintaining a count of elapsed frame numbers of said reference video clip, further generating said second data transfer commands to begin obtaining from said second data service means the contents of specific subject matter data files of said hypervideo clip at respective times determined in accordance with said said count of frame numbers in conjunction with said scenario data, and continuously supplying said contents to said data display means (112); and first data transfer means for transferring said first data transfer commands from said information browsing control means (121) to said first data service means (130) and for transferring resultant hypertext page data and scenario reference data to be stored in said acquired data storage means (122), and second data transfer means for transferring said second data transfer commands from said hypervideo data playing means (124) to said second data service means and for transferring resultant scenario data and subject matter data to said hypervideo data playing means (124), said second data transfer means executing said data transfer at a transmission rate permitting real-time transfer with continuous-motion display of the contents of video data portions of said subject matter data. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. An information provider apparatus comprising
first data service means (130) including first data storage means (131) having stored therein hypertext page data and monomedia data files, said monomedia data files including files containing scenario data for respective hypervideo clips, said scenario data files being connected by hyperlinks to said hypertext page data, said first data service means being responsive to externally supplied first data transfer commands for selectively reading out said hypertext page data and scenario data files; -
second data service means (150), including second data storage means (151) having stored therein subject matter data of said hypervideo clips, with the subject matter data of a hypervideo clip consisting of a plurality of monomedia data items configured respective subject matter data files, said monomedia data items including a video clip which has been preassigned as a reference video clip, said scenario data of a hypervideo clip including information specifying times of starting playing of respective ones of said monomedia data items other than said reference video clip, said starting times being specified in terms of frame numbers of said reference video clip; data input/output means including input means (111) operable by a user for inputting operating commands and data data display means (112) for playing a plurality of types of monomedia data, including at least video data and text data, said operating commands being generated by hyperlink selection in accordance with a page of hypertext data which is currently being displayed by said data display means (112); information browsing means (120) comprising information browsing control means (121), acquired data storage means (122) and hypervideo data playing means (124), said information browsing control means (121) being responsive to said operating commands for generating corresponding ones of said first data transfer commands to thereby acquire, from said first data service means (130), data of a specific one of said hypertext pages or scenario data for a specific one of said hypervideo clips, said acquired data storage means (122) storing said acquired hypertext data or scenario data, said hypertext data being read out and supplied to said data display means (112); said hypervideo data playing means (124) comprising means for reading out said scenario data from said acquired data storage means (122), using said scenario data to generate said second data transfer commands for thereby obtaining said reference video clip data of said specific hypervideo clip from said second data service means (150) and continuously supplying said reference video clip data to said data display means (112), maintaining a count of elapsed frame numbers of said reference video clip, further generating said second data transfer commands to begin obtaining from said second data service means the contents of specific subject matter data files of said specific hypervideo clip at times determined in accordance with said count of frame numbers in conjunction with said scenario data, and continuously supplying said specific subject matter data file contents to said data display means (112); and first data transfer means for transferring said first data transfer commands from said information browsing control means (121) to said first data service means (130) and for transferring resultant hypertext data and scenario data to be stored in said acquired data storage means (122), and second data transfer means for transferring said second data transfer commands from said hypervideo data playing means (124) to said second data service means and for transferring resultant hypervideo subject matter data to said hypervideo data playing means (124), said second data transfer means executing said data transfer at a transmission rate permitting real-time transfer with continuous-motion display of the contents of video data portions of said subject matter data. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. An information provider apparatus comprising
data service means (130) including first data storage means (131) having stored therein hypertext page data and monomedia data, said monomedia data including title data sets for each of respective hypervideo clips, each said title data set being connected by a hyperlink to said hypertext page data, each said title data set consisting of a file of scenario data and a plurality of subject matter data files for respective monomedia data items, said monomedia data items including a video clip which has been preassigned as a reference video clip, said scenario data including information specifying times of starting playing of contents respective ones of said subject matter data files other than that of said reference video clip, said starting times being specified in terms of frame numbers of said reference video clip, said data service means being responsive to externally supplied data transfer commands for selectively reading out respective ones of said title data sets and hypertext data pages; -
data input/output means including input means (111) operable by a user for inputting operating commands and data data display means (112) for playing a plurality of types of monomedia data, including at least video data and text data, said operating commands being generated by hyperlink selection in accordance with a page of hypertext data which is currently being displayed by said data display means (112); information browsing means (120) comprising information browsing control means (121), acquired data storage means (122) and hypervideo data playing means (124), said information browsing control means (121) being responsive to said operating commands for generating corresponding data transfer commands, to acquire an updated hypertext data page or a specific title data set from said data service means (130), said acquired data storage means (122) storing said acquired hypertext data page or title data set, said hypertext data being read out and supplied to said data display means (112), and said hypervideo data playing means (124) reading out said scenario data and data of said reference video clip of the specific title data set from said acquired data storage means (122) and continuously supplying said reference video clip data to said data display means (112), maintaining a count of elapsed frame numbers of said reference video clip, further reading out, from said acquired data storage means (122), specific subject matter data files of said specific title data set at times determined in accordance with said count of frame numbers in conjunction with said scenario data, and for continuously supplying said subject matter data file contents to said data display means (112), with video data portions of said specific subject matter data being being supplied to said data display means (112) at a transmission rate permitting real-time transfer with continuous-motion display; and data transfer means for transferring said data transfer commands from said information browsing control means (121) to said data service means (130) and for transferring resultant contents of a title data set to be stored in said acquired data storage means (122). - View Dependent Claims (61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74)
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Specification