Display pause with elastic playback

• US 6,005,564 A
• Filed: 12/05/1996
• Issued: 12/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Interval Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Interval Research Corporation
• Inventors: Ahmad, Subutai, Bhadkamkar, Neal A., Cousins, Steve B., Freiberger, Paul A., Ullmer, Brygg A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US08/761,117
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 345/302, 345/327, 345/328, 345/185, 345/115, 345/202, 345/203, 386/6, 386/46, 386/68, 386/69
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9265 with processing of the sound signal

Abstract

The invention enables the display of an image to be paused, then, at the end of the pause, resumed at an accelerated rate until a time at which the content of the display corresponds to the content that would have been displayed had the image been displayed at the normal display rate without the pause, at which time display of the image at the normal display rate resumes. The invention can be used with display systems that display pre-recorded images (such as are found on video or audio cassettes, or video or audio compact discs, for example) or with display systems that display images based upon display data that is only momentarily available to the display system (such as occurs in the display of television or radio broadcasts). The invention can be used with either analog or digital display systems. Further, the invention can be used with any type of image display, such as, for example, audio displays, video displays or audiovisual displays. The invention enables a great deal of flexibility in observing the display of an image, allowing a user to pause and resume the display as desired, without having to spend more time to view the displayed image than would otherwise be the case, and without missing any part of the displayed image.

Claims

1. A method for displaying an image over a period of time, the image represented by an ordered set of display data, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring display data from a data source;

transferring the display data to a display device as the display data is acquired;

displaying, at a first rate, an image generated from the display data transferred to the display device;

identifying a first instruction from a user that either directly or indirectly specifies a pause in the display of the image;

in response to the first instruction, stopping the transfer of display data to the display device;

storing the display data acquired subsequent to the first instruction;

identifying a second instruction from a user that either directly or indirectly specifies resumption of the display of the image;

in response to the second instruction, transferring stored display data, in the order that the stored display data was stored, to the display device;

processing the stored display data, either before or after the stored display data is stored, in a manner that enables the stored display data to be displayed at a second rate that is greater than the first rate;

displaying, at the second rate, an image generated from the processed stored display data transferred to the display device;

subsequent to identification of the second instruction, continuing to store display data so long as there is stored display data that has not yet been transferred to the display device, the amount of stored display data being gradually reduced by display of the stored data at the second rate that is greater than the first rate at which the display data need be stored to enable display of the display data at the first rate;

upon stopping storage of acquired display data, again transferring the display data to the display device as the display data is acquired;

specifying the time at which the step of again transferring is to begin; and

calculating the second rate based upon the specified time, the time at which resumption of the display of the image begins, the amount of stored display data at the time at which resumption of the display of the image begins, and the first rate.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the data source includes pre-recorded display data, such that next display data can be acquired at any time during the method, the next display data being display data that should be transferred to the display device after the most recently transferred display data.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein next display data is only momentarily available from the data source, the next display data being display data that should be transferred to the display device after the most recently transferred display data.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the display data includes audio data.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the display data includes video data.

6. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

identifying that the first instruction is an instant replay instruction;

storing a predetermined amount of the most recently acquired display data;

processing at least a portion of the stored predetermined amount of display data in a manner that enables the stored predetermined amount of display data to be displayed at a third rate; and

after identification of the first instruction and before identification of the second instruction, performing the steps of;

transferring the processed, stored predetermined amount of display data, in the order that the processed, stored predetermined amount of display data was stored, to the display device; and

displaying, at the third rate, an image generated from the processed, stored predetermined amount of display data transferred to the display device.

7. A system for displaying an image over a period of time, the image represented by an ordered set of display data, the system comprising:

means for acquiring display data from a data source;

means for displaying an image generated from display data;

means for transferring display data to the means for displaying;

means for storing acquired display data, the means for storing including multiple transducers that each enable data to be stored by, and/or accessed from, the means for storing;

means for identifying a first instruction from a user that either directly or indirectly specifies a pause in the display of the image;

means for identifying a second instruction from a user that either directly or indirectly specifies resumption of the display of the image;

means for controlling the transfer of the acquired display data to the means for displaying, the means for controlling further comprising means for processing stored display data, before and/or after the stored display data is stored, in a manner that enables the stored display data to be displayed at a second rate that is greater than a first rate, wherein;

if no first instruction is received from a user, the means for controlling causes the acquired display data to be immediately transferred to the means for displaying for generation of the image at the first rate;

when a first instruction is received from a user, the means for controlling causes the acquired display data to be stored in the means for storing rather than being transferred directly to the means for displaying;

when a second instruction is received from a user;

the means for controlling causes the processed stored display data to be transferred to the means for displaying, in the order that the stored display data was stored, for generation of the image at the second rate;

the means for controlling continues to cause the acquired display data to be stored in the means for storing, rather than being transferred directly to the means for displaying, so long as there is stored display data that has not yet been transferred to the means for displaying, the amount of stored display data being gradually reduced by display of the stored data at the second rate that is greater than the first rate at which the display data need be stored to enable display of the display data at the first rate; and

when the storage of acquired display data stops after a second instruction has been received, the means for controlling again causes the acquired display data to be immediately transferred to the means for displaying.

8. A system as in claim 7, adapted for use with a data source that includes pre-recorded display data, such that next display data can be acquired at any time during the method, the next display data being display data that should be transferred to the display after the most recently transferred display data.

9. A system as in claim 7, adapted for use with a data source in which next display data is only momentarily available from the data source, the next display data being display data that should be transferred to the display after the most recently transferred display data.

10. A system as in claim 7, adapted for use with digital display data.

11. A system as in claim 7, adapted for use with analog display data.

12. A system as in claim 7, adapted for use with video display data.

13. A system as in claim 7, adapted for use with audio display data.

14. A system as in claim 7, wherein the means for storing further comprises first and second data storage mediums.

15. A system as in claim 7, wherein:

the first instruction is an instant replay instruction;

the means for storing is adapted to store a predetermined amount of the most recently acquired display data;

the means for controlling further comprises means for processing at least a portion of the stored predetermined amount of display data in a manner that enables the stored predetermined amount of display data to be displayed at a third rate;

the means for controlling is adapted to cause, after identification of the first instruction and before identification of the second instruction, the processed, stored predetermined amount of display data to be transferred, in the order that the processed, stored predetermined amount of display data was stored, to the means for displaying; and

the means for displaying is adapted to display, at a third rate, an image generated from the processed, stored predetermined amount of display data transferred to the means for displaying.

18. A system as in claim 14, wherein the means for controlling causes display data to be stored on one of the first and second data storage mediums when display data is being transferred to the means for displaying from the other of the first and second data storage mediums.

19. A system as in claim 7, wherein the means for storing further comprises a data storage medium having associated therewith multiple transducing heads.

20. A system as in claim 7, wherein the means for storing further comprises a disk-array hard disk system including multiple disks, each of which have a transducing head associated therewith.

16. A computer readable medium encoded with one or more computer programs for enabling display of an image over a period of time, the image represented by an ordered set of display data that, during normal operation of a display system, is used to generate an image at a first rate as the display data is acquired, comprising:

instructions for identifying a first instruction from a user that either directly or indirectly specifies a pause in the display of the image;

instructions for stopping, in response to the first instruction, the transfer of display data to the display device;

instructions for causing a data storage device to store the display data acquired subsequent to the first instruction;

instructions for identifying a second instruction from a user that either directly or indirectly specifies resumption of the display of the image;

instructions for causing, in response to the second instruction, the transfer of stored display data, in the order that the stored display data was stored, to the display device;

instructions for processing the stored display data, either before or after the stored display data is stored, in a manner that enables the stored display data to be displayed at a second rate that is greater than the first rate;

instructions for continuing to store display data acquired subsequent to identification of a second instruction, so long as there is stored display data that has not yet been transferred to the display device;

instructions for stopping, subsequent to identification of a second instruction, storage of acquired display data when the stored display data has all been transferred to the display device;

instructions for re-initiating the transfer, upon stopping storage of acquired display data, of display data to the display device as the display data is acquired so that the transferred display data can be used to generate an image at the first rate;

instructions for identifying a third instruction from a user that specifies the time at which the transfer of display data to the display device as the display data is acquired is to be re-initiated after specification of a second instruction; and

instructions for calculating the second rate based upon the specified time, the time at which resumption of the display of the image begins, the amount of stored display data at the time at which resumption of the display of the image begins, and the first rate.

17. A computer readable medium as in claim 16, further comprising:

instructions for identifying that the first instruction is an instant replay instruction;

instructions for storing a predetermined amount of the most recently acquired display data;

instructions for processing at least a portion of the stored predetermined amount of display data in a manner that enables the stored predetermined amount of display data to be displayed at a third rate;

instructions for transferring the processed, stored predetermined amount of display data, in the order that the processed, stored predetermined amount of display data was stored, to the display device after identification of the first instruction and before identification of the second instruction; and

instructions for displaying, at the third rate, an image generated from the processed, stored predetermined amount of display data transferred to the display device.