Personal video, and system and method of making same

• US 5,872,887 A
• Filed: 11/14/1996
• Issued: 02/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Laboratories Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GTE Laboratories Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walker, Stephen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevalier, Robert
• Application Number:
  US08/748,895
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 386/117, 386/118, 386/46, 386/38, 386/4, 386/52, 386/64, 386/107, 348/143, 348/157, 348/158, 348/159, 348/207, 348/155, 360/27, 360/69, 360/72
• US Class Current: 386/341
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/024 on tapes G11B27/028, G11B27/029 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/028 with computer assistance
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/032 on tapes G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/328 on a tape [TTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices

Abstract

A personal video involving activities of a subscriber at an amusement park, which includes personal segments recorded by a plurality of video cameras, environ segments separately recorded and interleaved between the personal segments, and text. The organization of certain segments of the personal video is determined by a subscriber who registers identification and information data prior to activating the cameras. Upon completion of the recording, the personal segments, the text and environ segments are assembled, processed, and duplicated for delivery to the subscriber. The environ segments are selected to display weather conditions existing at the time of recording the personal video segments.

Claims

1. A video recording medium configured to comprise:

a plurality of personal video segments recorded at spaced locations on the recording medium,

each said personal plurality of video segments having been recorded by a different video camera of a plurality of video cameras to have a different field of view, each said different field of view including an individual common to all of the plurality of video segments engaged in an activity related to the field of view;

a plurality of environ video segments interleaved between selected ones of the plurality of personal video segments, said plurality of environ video segments having fields of view recorded prior to the recording of any one of the plurality of personal video segments,

said plurality of environ video segments selected to display weather conditions similar to weather conditions existing at the time of recording the corresponding video segments,

said fields of view of the plurality of environ video segments lacking any individual included in the fields of view of the plurality of personal video segments; and

a plurality of video text segments associated with selected ones of the plurality of personal segments, having text determined by the individual common to the fields of view of the plurality of personal video segments.

2. The video recording medium according to claim 1 wherein

said plurality of personal, environ, and text video segments are contiguous on said recording medium to provide a single continuous production commencing with one of the plurality of video text segments.

3. The video recording medium according to claim 1 wherein having a field of view wherein one of the plurality of personal video segments has a panned field of view.

4. The video recording medium according to claim 1 wherein each of the fields of view of the plurality of personal video segments include an attraction in an amusement park;

and each of the environ segments has a field of view associated with a respective attraction displaying weather conditions existing at the time of recording the associated personal video.

5. A system for recording a personal video on a video recording medium, said personal video having a plurality of personal video segments, each including a subscriber in a field of view, a plurality of environ video segments, each including a field of view lacking the subscriber, and a plurality of video text segments, each including text in a field of view, said system comprising:

a registration unit responsive to inputs of a subscriber to store distinctive data, said distinctive data including subscriber identification and data for selecting the plurality of environ and text video segments;

a video collection subsystem including a plurality of video cameras and subscriber detectors, each of the plurality of video cameras being positioned geographically spaced from one another and oriented to record, when activated, one of the plurality of personal video segments, each of the plurality of subscriber detectors being associated with one of the plurality of video cameras and responsive to the distinctive data to generate an activation signal and a subscriber identification signal;

an environ segment storage module storing a plurality of environ segments;

a text generator;

a personal storage module;

a master controller governed by the registration unit to store one of the plurality of personal segments along with subscriber identification into the personal storage module in response to the activation and identification signal;

an assembly and processing module responsive to the master controller to assemble stored environ segments, stored personal segments, and generated text in accordance with the activities of the subscriber subsequent to the entry of information in the registration unit; and

a personal production unit for permanently recording the plurality of segments on the recording medium.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the environ segment storage module comprises a plurality of sets of environ segments, each set displaying a different one of a plurality of weather conditions, and further comprises:

weather selection means for selecting one of said sets of environ segments in accordance with weather conditions existing at the time of said selection.

7. A method of producing a plurality of personal videos concomitantly, wherein each of the personal videos include a plurality of personal segments, a plurality of environ segments, and text, said method comprising the steps of:

mounting a video camera at each of a plurality of geographically diverse locations and oriented to record a selected field of view;

positioning identification detectors at locations adjacent each of the selected fields of view to indicate activation by a particular subscriber;

storing in a registration unit the identity of a plurality of individual subscribers together with text and environ segments of separately recorded video fields of view selected by each of the plurality of individual subscribers;

triggering concomitantly a plurality of the video cameras to record the activities of the plurality of individual subscribers at each of the geographically diverse locations;

transmitting each of the recorded activities of the plurality of individual subscribers to a personal storage unit to store personal video segments of a plurality of different subscribers;

repeating the steps of triggering and transmitting to store a plurality of personal segments of the same individual subscribers and different individual subscribers;

selecting environ segments displaying weather conditions corresponding to weather conditions existing at the time of recording associated personal segments;

interleaving text and selected environ segments between the plurality of personal segments, having the same identification data, to form for each subscriber a personal video having assembled personal, environ and text segments upon completion of recording of personal segments of one identified subscriber; and

duplicating concomitantly on each of a plurality of recording mediums the assembled interleaved personal videos of a respective individual subscriber to provide a video personal to each of the plurality of individual subscribers.