Method and apparatus for implementing multi-user grouping nodes in a multimedia player

• US 6,766,355 B2
• Filed: 10/21/1998
• Issued: 07/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Liang, Tao, Swales, Jing, Bayrakeri, Sadik
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Philip B.
• Application Number:
  US09/176,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20020133546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,099 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/201-203, 709/213-214, 709/217-219, 709/228-229, 709/231, 709/204
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44012 involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for multi-user communication of multimedia content including dividing a client'"'"'s scene into a non-shared and shared parts. In a disclosed embodiment, the non-shared parts of a scene may be organized into one or more single-user nodes with which other clients cannot interact. The shared parts of the scene are organized into one or more multi-user group nodes. These multi-user group nodes enable multiple clients to access the same scene and to interact with its shared content. Each multi-user group node is an extension of a Group node. In addition to the functionality provided by a single-user group node, a multi-user group node wraps its children with control mechanisms required for supporting multi-user communication. These control mechanisms may be provided as boolean exposed fields that act as switches to control initiation of interaction, update control, privacy, and object accessibility. A client'"'"'s scene may have multiple multi-user group nodes represented in hierarchical order or each representing a different part of a shared scene.

Claims

1. A method for implementing multi-user interaction comprising:

dividing an overall scene into a shared scene and an unshared scene;

receiving a multi-user group node for each of a plurality of devices wherein the multi-user group node is an object configured to represent the shared scene and viewable through the plurality of devices;

selectively modifying the multi-user group node within a particular device in response to input from the particular device and a permission to modify the multi-user group node and forming a modified multi-user group node having a modified shared scene;

propagating the modified multi-user group node to the plurality of devices; and

displaying the modified shared scene on the plurality of devices through the modified multi-user group node.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising distributing the multi-user group node over the plurality of devices.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of devices corresponds to a plurality of users.

4. The method according to claim 1 comprising selectively denying one of the plurality of devices access to the shared scene corresponding to the multi-user group node.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising selectively denying one of the plurality of devices access to the modified shared scene corresponding to the modified multi-user group node.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the multi-user group node comprises an extension to a VRML group node.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the multi-user group node comprises an extension to an MPEG-4 group node.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein modifying the multi-user group node further comprises checking for the permission to modify the multi-user group node.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising displaying the shared scene on the plurality of devices through the multi-user group node.

10. An apparatus for implementing multi-user interaction comprising:

at least one memory device having program instructions, and at least one processor configured to use the program instructions to perform the operations of;

dividing an overall scene into a shared scene and an unshared scene;

receiving a multi-user group node for each of a plurality of devices wherein the multi-user group node is an object configured to represent the shared scene and viewable through the plurality of devices;

displaying the shared scene on the plurality of devices through the multi-user group node;

selectively modifying the multi-user group node within a particular device in response to input from the particular device and a permission to modify the multi-user group node and forming a modified multi-user group node having a modified shared scene;

propagating the modified multi-user group node within the particular device to the plurality of devices; and

displaying the modified shared scene on the plurality of devices through the modified multi-user group node.

11. A computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method of implementing multi-user interaction, comprising:

dividing an overall scene into a shared scene and an unshared scene;

receiving a multi-user group node for each of a plurality of devices wherein the multi-user group node is an object configured to represent the shared scene and viewable through the plurality of devices;

displaying the shared scene on the plurality of devices through the multi-user group node;

selectively modifying the multi-user group node within a particular device in response to input from the particular device and a permission to modify the multi-user group node and forming a modified multi-user group node having a modified shared scene;

propagating the modified multi-user group node within the particular device to the plurality of devices; and

displaying the modified shared scene on the plurality of devices through the modified multi-user group node.

12. An apparatus for implementing multi-user interaction, comprising:

means for dividing an overall scene into a shared scene and an unshared scene;

means for receiving a multi-user group node for each of a plurality of devices wherein the multi-user group node is an object configured to represent the shared scene and viewable through the plurality of devices;

means for displaying the shared scene on the plurality of devices through the multi-user group node;

means for selectively modifying the multi-user group node within a particular device in response to input from the particular device and a permission to modify the multi-user group node and forming a modified multi-user group node having a modified shared scene;

means for propagating the modified multi-user group node within the particular device to the plurality of devices; and

means for displaying the modified shared scene on the plurality of devices through the modified multi-user group node.