System for converting media content for interactive TV use
First Claim
1. A system for allowing existing media content to be converted and used as an interactive media program comprising:
- (a) existing media content in the form of media data representing a series of successive image display frames indexed in a time sequence which have objects appearing visually in one or more of the image display frames;
(b) object mapping data specifying display locations of the objects appearing in the image display frames of the existing media content which are to be rendered interactive;
(c) linkages provided through an associated object interactivity program for linking the objects specified by the object mapping data to respective interactive functions to be performed upon user selection of the objects by pointing to the display locations of the objects appearing in a display of the existing media content; and
(d) a user system for operating the object interactivity program in conjunction with the display of the existing media content, said user system including a display device for receiving the media data and displaying the series of image display frames represented by the media data, an object interactivity device for receiving the object mapping data and the object interactivity program and performing the respective interactivity functions when objects appearing in the display of image display frames are selected by the user, and a pointing device for enabling the user to point to the display locations of objects appearing in the display of the media content, the user thereby being enabled to interactively select an object appearing in one or more image display frames by using said object mapping data specifying its display location in the image display frames and performing the interactive function linked by the corresponding linkage of the object interactivity program thereto, wherein the existing media content is an existing TV program transmitted to a viewer'"'"'s TV set top box, the object mapping data correspond to the display locations of interactive objects appearing in the TV program and are transmitted to the viewer'"'"'s set top box along with the object interactivity program and the viewer'"'"'s set-top box is coupled to a television display and to a set top box remote control which is adapted as a pointer device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for allowing media content to be used as an interactive media program comprises: (a) media content in the form of successive image display frames indexed in a time sequence; (b) object mapping data specifying the locations of objects appearing in the display of media content which are to be rendered interactive; (c) linkages provided through an associated interactive media program from the objects specified by the object mapping data to interactive functions to be performed upon selection of the objects in the display; and (d) a user system for operating the interactive media program in conjunction with the display of the media content by selecting an object appearing in an image display frame and performing the interactive function linked thereto. The invention includes an authoring system for generating the object mapping data for the media content. In a preferred interactive TV system, media content, in the form of movies, TV programs, advertising, and the like, can be presented as interactive media programs by transmitting the TV content with object mapping data (“hot spots”) to a set top box connected to a viewer'"'"'s TV. The TV set top box has a utility stored therein for performing the interactive functions linked to the defined hot spots in the TV content upon user selection. Interactive TV programs can also be presented using a conventional TV set top box and remote control in conjunction with the current analog video content. For example, the analog video content may be transmitted to the viewer on a channel provided by a cable TV company, with the object mapping data and program linkages for interactive functions transmitted in the video blanking intervals (VBI) interleaved with the video frames.
450 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A system for allowing existing media content to be converted and used as an interactive media program comprising:
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(a) existing media content in the form of media data representing a series of successive image display frames indexed in a time sequence which have objects appearing visually in one or more of the image display frames;
(b) object mapping data specifying display locations of the objects appearing in the image display frames of the existing media content which are to be rendered interactive;
(c) linkages provided through an associated object interactivity program for linking the objects specified by the object mapping data to respective interactive functions to be performed upon user selection of the objects by pointing to the display locations of the objects appearing in a display of the existing media content; and
(d) a user system for operating the object interactivity program in conjunction with the display of the existing media content, said user system including a display device for receiving the media data and displaying the series of image display frames represented by the media data, an object interactivity device for receiving the object mapping data and the object interactivity program and performing the respective interactivity functions when objects appearing in the display of image display frames are selected by the user, and a pointing device for enabling the user to point to the display locations of objects appearing in the display of the media content, the user thereby being enabled to interactively select an object appearing in one or more image display frames by using said object mapping data specifying its display location in the image display frames and performing the interactive function linked by the corresponding linkage of the object interactivity program thereto, wherein the existing media content is an existing TV program transmitted to a viewer'"'"'s TV set top box, the object mapping data correspond to the display locations of interactive objects appearing in the TV program and are transmitted to the viewer'"'"'s set top box along with the object interactivity program and the viewer'"'"'s set-top box is coupled to a television display and to a set top box remote control which is adapted as a pointer device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 15, 16)
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9. An authoring system for allowing existing media content to be converted and used as an interactive media program comprising:
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(a) an editing subsystem for editing existing media content in the form of media data representing a series of successive image display frames indexed in a time sequence which have objects appearing visually in one or more of the image display frames;
(b) an object mapping subsystem for generating object mapping data specifying display locations of the objects appearing in the image display frames of the existing media content which are to be rendered interactive;
(c) object interactivity program development tools including a hyperlinking tool for establishing linkages from the objects specified by the object mapping data to respective interactive functions to be performed upon user selection of the objects in conjunction with a display of the existing media content; and
(d) said object mapping subsystem having an object mapping tool for defining the display location of an object appearing in a display frame of the existing media content which is to be rendered interactive by marking the display location position of the object as it appears in an image display frame, wherein said object mapping subsystem includes an object outlining tool for generating object mapping data specifying the display location of an object appearing in a display frame of the existing media content based upon an outline drawn around the object with a cursor or pointing device. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A method for allowing existing media content to be converted and used as an interactive media program comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing existing media content in the form of media data representing a series of successive image display frames indexed in a time sequence which have objects appearing visually in one or more of the image display frames;
(b) defining object mapping data specifying display locations of the objects appearing in the image display frames of the existing media content which are to be rendered interactive;
(c) defining linkages provided through an associated object interactivity program for linking the objects specified by the object mapping data to respective interactive functions to be performed upon user selection of the objects by pointing to the display locations of the objects appearing in a display of the existing media content; and
(d) operating an interactive media program on a user system in conjunction with the display of the existing media content by receiving the media data and displaying the series of image display frames represented by the media data, receiving the object mapping data and the object interactivity program and performing the respective interactivity functions when objects appearing in the display of image display frames are selected by the user, and enabling the user to point to the display locations of objects appearing in the display of the media content in order to interactively select an object appearing in one or more image display frames using said object mapping data specifying its display location in the image display frames and performing the interactive function linked by the corresponding linkage of the object interactivity program thereto, wherein the existing media content is an existing TV program transmitted to a viewer'"'"'s TV set top box, the object mapping data correspond to the display locations of interactive objects appearing in the TV program and are transmitted to the viewer'"'"'s set top box along with the object interactivity program, and the viewer'"'"'s set-top box is coupled to a television display and to a set top box remote control which is adapted as a pointer device. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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Specification