User image integration into audiovisual presentation system and methodology

• US 5,830,065 A
• Filed: 05/14/1996
• Issued: 11/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: David H Sitrick
• Inventors: Sitrick, David H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/645,678
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 463/30-35, 463/43, 463/42, 395/118-130, 395/152, 364/410, 356/376
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/203 Image generating hardware
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/695 Imported photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

An amusement park entertainment system that integrates an image of a patron into an audiovisual presentation. The patron enters a room where the lighting, sound, and scenery can be controlled. A standardized input sequence is obtained by computer automated/assisted process where user images (video cmaera input, voice parameters, etc.) prompting the user to provide certain views and voiced statements. Alternatively, photo scan or diskette/CD readers can accept user input image data. A one, two, or three dimensional image data representation of the user images is then generated, including the speech parameters of the patron. The image can later be manipulated to change the appearance of the image. This appearance change includes attire and adding tools relevant to the entertainment area used by the patron. The image can then be smoothly integrated into a preexisting audiovisual presentation, thus making the patron a synthetic actor in the production.

Claims

1. An amusement entertainment system having image integration capability, having at least one separate entertainment area, the system comprising:

a storage card capable of digitally storing image data, the storage card being transportable and usable in wherein said at least one separate entertainment area;

said at least one separate entertainment area has an image integration subsystem comprising;

a card reader for reading the image data stored on the storage card;

storage means for storing and retrieving predefined image data;

a processor, coupled to said card reader and said storage means, responsive to the read image data and the retrieved predefined image data to produce modified image data;

said system further comprising at least one of an audio source and a visual source for providing signals for at least one of an audio and visual presentation;

means for analyzing said signals, for selectively modifying certain ones of the signals to integrate said modified image data into said presentation to provide a modified presentation; and

exhibition means for exhibiting said modified presentation.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of the separate entertainment areas each having a separate respective one of the integration subsystems.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein the image data is comprised of at least one of data from an image generator for generating image data of a user, and data from a speech parameter sampler for determining speech parameter data of a user'"'"'s speech.

4. The system as in claim 3, wherein the modified data is utilized to enable the image data of a user to participate in said presentation as a synthetic actor.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein the storage card is usable as a means of admittance into at least one of the entertainment areas.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said presentation is comprised of a plurality of predefined characters and images and the image data of a user interacts with the predefined characters and images.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor for monitoring movement of the storage card within and altering the respective presentation for the at least one of the plurality of entertainment areas in response to the monitoring of the movement.

8. The system as in claim 6, further comprising memory for storing at least a portion of said presentation in a memory space, wherein the image data of a user is automatically mapped into the memory space, so as to override associated ones of the predefined characters and images.

9. The system as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the entertainment areas has associated therewith ancillary attribute data;

wherein the image data has a default presentation, wherein the image data of a user is integrated with the ancillary attribute data in accordance with predefined rules so as to modify the default presentation associated with the image data in the modified presentation.

10. The system as in claim 1, further comprising:

means for permitting a user to select at least one of various attires, tools, and other images from a library of images.

11. The system as in claim 1, wherein said source for providing signals is an audiovisual source, and wherein said presentation is an audiovisual presentation.

12. The system as in claim 1, further characterized in that there are a plurality of entertainment areas including said at least one separate entertainment area.

13. The system as in claim 1, further characterized in that there are a plurality of said separate entertainment areas, each one of said plurality compatible with and responsive to said storage card.

14. A method for integrating an image into a predefined audiovisual presentation in a system having a plurality of entertainment areas, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a user image;

storing the user image on a storage medium, the storage medium being transportable and usable in each of the plurality of entertainment areas;

coupling the storage medium to an interface in at least one of the entertainment areas;

providing signals for an presentation, from an source; and

analyzing the signals from the audiovisual source and selectively modifying certain ones of the signals to integrate the user image into the audiovisual presentation.

15. The method of claim 14 and further comprising the step of:

storing the modified presentations on a removable transportable storage medium.

16. A presentation system comprising:

a transportable apparatus comprising means for providing first image data;

at least one image integration subsystem comprising;

means for reading the first image data from said transportable apparatus;

predefined image data means for providing a supply of predefined image data;

source means comprised of at least one of an audio source and a visual source for providing presentation signals for a presentation;

a processor, responsive to the read first image data and the predefined image data to create modified image data, said processor further comprising means responsive to said modified image data and said presentation signals, to create modified presentation signals representative of a modified presentation; and

exhibition means, responsive to the modified presentation signals for exhibiting said modified presentation.

17. The system as in claim 16, wherein said processor further provides means for analyzing said presentation signals for selectively modifying selected ones of said presentation signals to selectively integrate said modified image data into said presentation to create said modified presentation.

18. The presentation system of claim 16, wherein said modified image data comprises ancillary attribute image data.

20. The system as in claim 18, wherein the source provides said presentation signals for one of an audio, a video, and an audiovisual presentation.

21. The presentation system as in claim 16, wherein the modified image data is audio parameter data representative of at least one of voice characteristics, speech characteristics, and sound characteristics, and wherein the audio signal that the source provides is modified by the image data to provide the modified image data.

22. The system as in claim 16 wherein the predefined image data is provided by the source means.

23. The system as in claim 16, wherein at least one of the presentation signals is modified by the image data to provide the modified image data.

24. The system as in claim 16, further comprising a liquid crystal display for providing a visual presentation responsive to the modified presentation signals.

25. The system as in claim 24, further comprising a video input device for providing video image data as the first image data.

26. The system as in claim 25, wherein the exhibition means provides at least one of a video display, and an output of digitized video data representative of the modified presentation signals.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the transportable apparatus is the video input device.

28. The system as in claim 26, wherein the video input device is a digital camera.

29. The system as in claim 28, wherein a user input provides for user modification of the first image data and the predefined presentation data to provide the modified presentation signals.

30. The system as in claim 16, wherein the predefined presentation data is comprised of at least one of graphic data, video game presentation data, and video data.

31. The system as in claim 16 wherein the exhibition means provides at least one of a video display, a memory storage card, a magnetic storage apparatus, an image input transducer, and an output of digitized video data representative of the modified presentation signals.

19. The presentation system of clam 16 wherein said ancillary attribute image data comprises data associated with at least one of clothing, tools, physical appearance, and weapons.