Scenario editor for multimedia data and scenario reproducing apparatus

• US 5,898,430 A
• Filed: 07/11/1996
• Issued: 04/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Minagawa, Akihiko, Matsuzawa, Tomoko
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kindred, Alford W.
• Application Number:
  US08/678,203
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 345/302
• US Class Current: 715/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A plurality of individual objects is put together to a group of page type objects in a page type object producing unit. When a display timing and a deletion timing for the group of page type objects are input, a page change timing of each of the page type objects in the group is automatically set in a page change timing setting unit to display the page type objects with a dynamic image at equal intervals in a display period between the display timing and the deletion timing. Therefore, it is not required to input a display timing and a deletion timing for each of the individual objects for the purpose of editing a scenario in which the individual objects are assigned to frames of dynamic image to display the individual objects with the dynamic image, and a scenario editing operation can be easily performed.

Claims

1. A scenario editor comprising:

object selecting means for selecting a particular dynamic image object from a plurality of dynamic image objects and selecting a particular individual object from a plurality of individual objects;

layout information storing means for storing a piece of dynamic image layout information for the dynamic image objects in common and a piece of individual object layout information for the individual objects in common;

reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means for receiving a reproducing instruction and a stopping instruction;

dynamic image reproducing means for reproducing the particular dynamic image object selected by the object selecting means frame by frame according to the reproducing instruction received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means and stopping the reproduction of the particular dynamic image object at a particular frame according to the stopping instruction received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means;

time information storing means for storing the particular frame of the particular dynamic image object obtained by the dynamic image reproducing means;

selected object displaying means for displaying the particular dynamic image object and the particular individual object selected by the object selecting means, displaying the particular dynamic image object frame by frame according to the reproducing instruction received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means and maintaining the display of the particular frame of the particular dynamic image object according to the stopping instruction received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means;

scenario editing instruction receiving means for receiving a display start timing or a display finish timing;

scenario editing means for assigning the particular individual object selected by the object selecting means to the particular dynamic image object selected by the object selecting means according to the dynamic image layout information and the individual object layout information stored in the layout information storing means to start the display of the particular individual object at the particular frame of the particular dynamic image in cases where the display start timing is received by the scenario editing instruction receiving means and to finish the display of the particular individual object at the particular frame of the particular dynamic image in cases where the display finish timing is received by the scenario editing instruction receiving means and obtaining a time relationship between the particular dynamic image object and the particular individual object assigned to the particular dynamic image object as an edited scenario; and

display start timing setting means for detecting whether or not an individual object displayed by the selected object displaying means is changed to a second particular individual object during the display of a second particular frame of the particular dynamic image maintained by the dynamic image reproducing means and outputting a display start timing for the second particular individual object to the scenario editing means regardless of whether another display start timing for the second particular individual object is received by the scenario editing instruction receiving means in cases where the display of the current individual object is detected, the second particular individual object being assigned to the particular dynamic image object by the scenario editing means to start the display of the second particular individual object at the second particular frame.

2. A scenario editor according to claim 1, further comprising:

selected object information storing means for storing pieces of object information for the particular dynamic image object and the particular individual object selected by the object selecting means, each piece of object information being composed of an object name, an object identification number, a window identification number for identifying a window used to display a corresponding particular dynamic image or individual object and an attribute indicating a type of the corresponding particular dynamic image or individual object, and the pieces of object information being taken in the scenario edited by the scenario editing means.

3. A scenario editor according to claim 1, further comprising:

object display instruction receiving means for receiving an object display instruction; and

object display controlling means for controlling the selected object displaying means according to the object display instruction received by the object display instruction receiving means to display the particular dynamic image object and the particular individual object according to the scenario edited by the scenario editing means.

4. A scenario editor according to claim 1, further comprising:

object information storing means for storing a plurality of representative images for the dynamic image objects and the individual objects;

list displaying means for displaying the representative images stored in the object information storing means in a list form, the particular dynamic image object and the particular individual object selected by the object selecting means being specified by the user while the user refers the representative images displayed by the list displaying means.

5. A scenario editor according to claim 1 in which the individual objects are classified into one or more static image objects and one or more text objects, the individual object layout information stored in the layout information storing means is classified into a piece of static image object layout information and a piece of text object layout information, the static image object layout information is in common to the static image objects, and the text object layout information is in common to the text objects.

6. A scenario editor according to claim 1 in which a returning instruction is received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means, the reproduction of the particular dynamic image is returned to a current frame by the dynamic image reproducing means according to the returning instruction, a second display finish timing is received by the scenario editing instruction receiving means, and the scenario in which the display of the particular individual object assigned to the particular dynamic image object by the scenario editing means is finished at the particular frame of the particular dynamic image object is altered by the scenario editing means to a scenario in which the display of the particular individual object is finished at the current frame of the particular dynamic image object.

7. A scenario editor according to claim 1 in which a current individual object is selected by the object selecting means, a returning instruction is received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means, the reproduction of the particular dynamic image is returned to a current frame prior to the particular frame by the dynamic image reproducing means according to the returning instruction, a second display start timing is received by the scenario editing instruction receiving means, and the scenario in which the display of the particular individual object assigned to the particular dynamic image object by the scenario editing means is started at the particular frame is altered by the scenario editing means to a scenario in which the display of the particular individual object is started at the particular frame, the display of the current individual object is started at the current frame and the display of the current individual object is finished at the particular frame.

8. A scenario editor according to claim 1 in which a current individual object is selected by the object selecting means, a returning instruction is received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means, the reproduction of the particular dynamic image is returned to a current frame by the dynamic image reproducing means according to the returning instruction, a second display start timing is received by the scenario editing instruction receiving means, and the scenario in which the display of the particular individual object assigned to the particular dynamic image object by the scenario editing means is started at the particular frame prior to the current frame is altered by the scenario editing means to a scenario in which the display of the particular individual object is started at the particular frame, the display of the particular individual object is finished at the current frame and the display of the current individual object is started at the current frame.

9. A scenario editor comprising:

object selecting means, embodied by a touch panel, for selecting a particular dynamic image object from a plurality of dynamic image objects and selecting a particular individual object from a plurality of individual objects;

layout information storing means for storing a piece of dynamic image layout information for the dynamic image objects in common and a piece of individual object layout information for the individual objects in common;

reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means, embodied by the touch panel, for receiving a reproducing instruction and a stopping instruction;

dynamic image reproducing means for reproducing the particular dynamic image object selected by the object selecting means frame by frame according to the reproducing instruction received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means and stopping the reproduction of the particular dynamic image object at a particular frame according to the stopping instruction received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means;

time information storing means for storing the particular frame of the particular dynamic image object obtained by the dynamic image reproducing means;

selected object displaying means for displaying the particular dynamic image object and the particular individual object selected by the object selecting means, displaying the particular dynamic image object frame by frame according to the reproducing instruction received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means and maintaining the display of the particular frame of the particular dynamic image object according to the stopping instruction received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means;

scenario editing instruction receiving means, embodied by the touch panel, for receiving a display start timing or a display finish timing; and

scenario editing means for assigning the particular individual object selected by the object selecting means to the particular dynamic image object selected by the object selecting means according to the dynamic image layout information and the individual object layout information stored in the layout information storing means to start the display of the particular individual object at the particular frame of the particular dynamic image in cases where the display start timing is received by the scenario editing instruction receiving means and to finish the display of the particular individual object at the particular frame of the particular dynamic image in cases where the display finish timing is received by the scenario editing instruction receiving means and obtaining a time relationship between the particular dynamic image object and the particular individual objects assigned to the particular dynamic image object as an edited scenario.

10. A scenario editor according to claim 9, further comprising:

selected object information storing means for storing pieces of object information for the particular dynamic image object and the particular individual object selected by the object selecting means, each piece of object information being composed of an object name, an object identification number, a window identification number for identifying a window used to display a corresponding particular dynamic image or individual object and an attribute indicating a type of the corresponding particular dynamic image or individual object, and the pieces of object information being taken in the scenario edited by the scenario editing means.

11. A scenario editor according to claim 9, further comprising:

object display instruction receiving means for receiving an object display instruction; and

object display controlling means for controlling the selected object displaying means according to the object display instruction received by the object display instruction receiving means to display the particular dynamic image object and the particular individual object according to the scenario edited by the scenario editing means.

12. A scenario editor according to claim 9, further comprising:

object information storing means for storing a plurality of representative images for the dynamic image objects and the individual objects;

list displaying means for displaying the representative images stored in the object information storing means in a list form, the particular dynamic image object and the particular individual object selected by the object selecting means being specified by the user while the user refers the representative images displayed by the list displaying means.

13. A scenario editor according to claim 9 in which the individual objects are classified into one or more static image objects and one or ore text objects, the individual object layout information stored in the layout information storing means is classified into a piece of static image object layout information and a piece of text object layout information, the static image object layout information is in common to the static image objects, and the text object layout information is in common to the text objects.

14. A scenario editor according to claim 9 in which a returning instruction is received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means, the reproduction of the particular dynamic image is returned to a current frame by the dynamic image reproducing means according to the returning instruction, a second display finish timing is received by the scenario editing instruction receiving means, and the scenario in which the display of the particular individual object assigned to the particular dynamic image object by the scenario editing means is finished at the particular frame of the particular dynamic image object is altered by the scenario editing means to a scenario in which the display of the particular individual object is finished at the current frame of the particular dynamic image object.

15. A scenario editor according to claim 9 in which a current individual object is selected by the object selecting means, a returning instruction is received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means, the reproduction of the particular dynamic image is returned to a current frame prior to the particular frame by the dynamic image reproducing means according to the returning instruction, a second display start timing is received by the scenario editing instruction receiving means, and the scenario in which the display of the particular individual object assigned to the particular dynamic image object by the scenario editing means is started at the particular frame is altered by the scenario editing means to a scenario in which the display of the particular individual object is started at the particular frame, the display of the current individual object is started at the current frame and the display of the current individual object is finished at the particular frame.

16. A scenario editor according to claim 9 in which a current individual object is selected by the object selecting means, a returning instruction is received by the reproducing and stopping instruction receiving means, the reproduction of the particular dynamic image is returned to a current frame by the dynamic image reproducing means according to the returning instruction, a second display start timing is received by the scenario editing instruction receiving means, and the scenario in which the display of the particular individual object assigned to the particular dynamic image object by the scenario editing means is started at the particular frame prior to the current frame is altered by the scenario editing means to a scenario in which the display of the particular individual object is started at the particular frame, the display of the particular individual object is finished at the current frame and the display of the current individual object is started at the current frame.