Video delivery system and method for displaying an indexing slider bar

• US 5,903,264 A
• Filed: 04/24/1998
• Issued: 05/11/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: OpenTV, Inc. (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation), Thomson Consumer Electronics Incorporated (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Moeller, Chris, DeMoney, Mike, Goedman, Rob
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene, John E.
• Application Number:
  US09/065,629
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• Field of Search: 345/326-358, 345/974, 348/7, 348/12, 348/13
• US Class Current: 715/719
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64307 ATM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/973 Scroll tool, e.g. window scroll bar
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/974 Slider control as on-screen object in operator interface

Abstract

A system and method which displays a graphical icon, such as a slider bar, on a subscriber'"'"'s television or display unit for indexing to different positions in a video stream in an interactive video delivery system. The interactive video delivery system preferably comprises at least one media server which stores one or more video streams, and one or more subscribers which each include a display device, such as a television. The television displays a slider bar or other graphical icon, and the slider bar is used to index to different locations in the video stream. During video delivery, the user may use or adjust a knob on the slider bar, preferably using a remote control device, to indicate a desire to "jump" to a different location in the movie or video stream. The media server receives the slider bar user input from the subscriber device and begins outputting the normal play stream at the desired position.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for selecting output positions in a video stream in a video delivery system, wherein the video delivery system includes a video server and a subscriber device coupled to the video server, wherein the subscriber device includes a display, the method comprising:

displaying on the display of the subscriber device a video stream received from the video server;

displaying on the display of the subscriber device a graphical icon for selecting output positions within the video stream, wherein the graphical icon is adjustable to effect changes in position of the received video stream;

receiving first user input indicating a new output position of the video stream;

the subscriber device providing information to the video server in response to said receiving first user input;

the video server determining the new output position for the video stream in response to receiving said information from the subscriber device;

the video server outputting the video stream at the new position in response to said determining the new output position; and

displaying on the display of the subscriber device the video stream at the new position in response to said outputting.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving first user input comprises receiving an adjustment to said graphical icon.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said graphical icon includes an adjustable knob which is adjustable to effect changes in position of the received video stream, wherein said receiving first user input comprises moving the knob in the graphical icon to a new position in the graphical icon.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the video server stores an index table corresponding to the video stream, wherein the index table comprising a plurality of tuples, wherein each of said tuples comprises a first value and a second offset value which is an offset into a position of the video stream, wherein said video server determining the new position of the video stream in response to said received information comprises the video server indexing into the index look-up table to obtain an offset into the video stream.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of said plurality of tuples comprises a normal play time value and an offset into the video stream;

wherein said subscriber device providing information comprises the subscriber device providing a value within a predetermined range indicating a relative position within the video stream based on said received first user input; and

wherein said video server determining the new output position for the video stream comprises the video server determining a normal play time value based on said value in said predetermined range provided by said subscriber device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said predetermined range comprises a range from 0 to 100.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said graphical icon comprises a slider bar including a knob, wherein the knob is located at a position in the slider bar to indicate the position of the output video stream received by the subscriber device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving second user input to pause the video stream;

wherein said displaying on the display of the subscriber device said graphical icon is performed in response to said receiving the second user input to pause the video stream.

9. The method of claim 8,

wherein said graphical icon includes an adjustable knob which is adjustable to effect changes in position of the received video stream, the method further comprising:

updating the location of the knob on the graphical icon in response to said displaying on the display of the subscriber device said graphical icon, wherein said updating updates the location of the knob on the graphical icon according to a current location of the output stream.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said subscriber device includes a television set.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said subscriber device comprises a television set and a set top box coupled to the television set.

12. An interactive video delivery system which enables a user to select output positions in a video stream, comprising:

a video server which outputs a video stream, wherein the video server is capable of selectively outputting said video stream at different positions of said video stream; and

a subscriber device coupled to the video server which receives the video stream output from the video server, wherein the subscriber device includes;

a display which displays the video stream received from the video server, wherein the display also displays a graphical icon for selecting output positions within the video stream, wherein the graphical icon is adjustable to effect changes in position of the received video stream;

an input for receiving first user input indicating a new output position of the video stream; and

means for providing information to the video server in response to receiving said first user input; and

wherein the video server includes an input for receiving said information;

wherein said video server outputs the video stream at the new position in response to receiving said information from the subscriber device;

wherein the subscriber device displays the video stream at the new position on the display in response to receiving the video stream at the new position from the video server.

13. The interactive video delivery system of claim 12, wherein the subscriber device input comprises an input for receiving an adjustment to said graphical icon.

14. The interactive video delivery system of claim 13, wherein said graphical icon includes an adjustable knob which is adjustable to effect changes in position of the received video stream, wherein the knob in the graphical icon is movable to a new position in the graphical icon;

wherein the subscriber device input comprises an input for receiving an adjustment to the knob in said graphical icon.

15. The interactive video delivery system of claim 12, wherein the video server includes means for determining the new output position for the video stream in response to receiving said information from the subscriber device.

16. The interactive video delivery system of claim 15, wherein the video server further comprises:

a memory which stores an index table corresponding to the video stream, wherein the index table comprising a plurality of tuples, wherein each of said tuples comprises a first value and a second offset value which is an offset into a position of the video stream;

wherein said means for determining the new output position for the video stream indexes into the index look-up table stored in said memory to obtain an offset into the video stream.

17. The interactive video delivery system of claim 16, wherein each of said plurality of tuples comprises a normal play time value and an offset into the video stream;

wherein said means for providing information provides a value within a predetermined range indicating a relative position within the video stream based on said received first user input; and

wherein said means for determining the new output position for the video stream determines a normal play time value based on said received value in said predetermined range.

18. The interactive video delivery system of claim 17, wherein said predetermined range comprises a range from 0 to 100.

19. The interactive video delivery system of claim 12, wherein said graphical icon comprises a slider bar including a knob, wherein the knob is located at a position in the slider bar to indicate the position of the output video stream received by the subscriber device.

20. The interactive video delivery system of claim 12,

wherein said input for receiving said first user input indicating a new output position of the video stream operates in response to receiving second user input to pause the video stream;

wherein said subscriber device displays said graphical icon on the display in response to said receiving second user input to pause the video stream.

21. The interactive video delivery system of claim 20,

wherein said graphical icon includes an adjustable knob which is adjustable to effect changes in position of the received video stream;

wherein the subscriber device further comprises;

means for updating the location of the knob on the graphical icon in response to said subscriber device displaying on the display of the subscriber device said graphical icon, wherein said means for updating updates the location of the knob on the graphical icon according to a current location of the output stream.

22. The interactive video delivery system of claim 12, wherein said subscriber device includes a television set.

23. The interactive video delivery system of claim 12, wherein said subscriber device comprises a television set and a set top box coupled to the television set.

24. A computer implemented method for selecting output positions in a video stream in a video delivery system, wherein the video delivery system includes a video server for providing a video stream, the method comprising:

the video server providing a video stream to a subscriber device;

the video server receiving user input from the subscriber device indicating a new output position of the video stream, where the user input comprises information regarding a change in position of a slider bar displayed on the subscriber device;

the video server determining the new output position for the video stream in response to receiving said information from the subscriber device;

the video server outputting the video stream at the new position in response to said determining the new output position; and

the subscriber device displaying the video stream at the new position in response to receiving the video stream at the new position from the video server.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the video server stores an index table corresponding to the video stream, wherein the index table comprising a plurality of tuples, wherein each of said tuples comprises a first value and a second offset value which is an offset into a position of the video stream, wherein said video server determining the new output position of the video stream in response to said received user input comprises the video server indexing into the index look-up table to obtain an offset into the video stream.

26. An interactive video delivery system which enables a user to select output positions in a video stream, comprising:

a video server which outputs a video stream, wherein the video server is capable of selectively outputting said video stream at different positions of said video stream, wherein the video server includes an input for receiving information from a subscriber device regarding a user-selected position of a slider bar displayed on the subscriber device, wherein said video server outputs the video stream at a new position in response to receiving said information from the subscriber device, wherein the subscriber device receives and displays the video stream at the new position in response to said video stream outputting the video stream at the new position.

27. The interactive video delivery system of claim 26, wherein the video server further comprises:

a memory which stores an index table corresponding to the video stream, wherein the index table comprising a plurality of tuples, wherein each of said tuples comprises a first value and a second offset value which is an offset into a position of the video stream;

wherein said means for determining a new output position for the video stream indexes into the index look-up table stored in said memory to obtain an offset into the video stream.