Multiple-editor authoring of multimedia documents including real-time video and time-insensitive media

• US 6,789,105 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2002
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pragmatus AV LLC (Pragmatus, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Collaboration Properties Incorporated
• Inventors: Lauwers, J. Chris, Ludwig, Lester F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US10/120,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20030225832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 709/230, 709/231, 709/238, 709/248, 725/87, 725/88, 725/92, 725/107, 725/102, 725/103, 725/141, 725/142, 725/145, 725/153, 345/704, 345/716, 345/723, 345/751, 345/753, 345/756, 715/500.1
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system and method for employing multiple editors in the creation of self-presenting multimedia documents that include real-time video and time-insensitive media such as graphics and text. The real-time and time-insensitive media may be synchronized or otherwise driven by timing information. The real-time video may be recorded in a studio, at a workstation, or via other facilities, edited there or elsewhere, and brought together with separately authored time-insensitive media (such as graphics and text) created with a entirely different and unrelated editor dedicated to such media. In addition to such formal information presentation, the multimedia document may also accurately record an ad hoc video teleconference involving datasharing. Further, the multimedia document can take the form of a multimedia mail message.

Claims

1. A method for providing networked multimedia collaboration, said method comprising:

A) providing audio information and video information from captured audio and video at

i) at least one of a plurality of workstations;

B) editing different information types separately

i) by a dedicated editor for each information type including providing multimedia document structure information; and

C) compiling information belonging to two or more of said information types as a multimedia document including a time insensitive part selected from the group consisting of text and image and a time sensitive part selected from the group consisting of video and audio,

wherein said editing and said compiling with said multimedia document structure information enable display of said multimedia document including said time insensitive part and said time sensitive part without user intervention to move between media types.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

B1) providing each dedicated editor with multimedia document timing information, wherein said editing and said recording with said multimedia document timing information synchronize said time insensitive part and said time sensitive part.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

C1) recording a user'"'"'s interaction with application programs of the system into the time insensitive part of the multimedia document.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein video signals from multiple editors are recorded into one multimedia document through mosaicing.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia document is multimedia mail.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia document is pre-staged on a storage system of at least one of the one or more workstations before playback.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

D) generating a sequence of graphics rendering events as the timing information

i) associated with computer generated text, images and/or overlay graphics at a workstation, and

E) saving the generated sequence.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein

D1) the generated sequence of graphics rendering events

i) can be played back to render computer generated images and/or overlay graphics

(a) at a workstation,

(b) together with a workstation-user related audio and video

(c) in a determinable temporal relationship, and

E1) the system can

i) save information about the event sequence

(a) related to the displayed computer generated and/or overlay graphics images and/or the audio and video

ii) such that the event sequence can later be reproduced

(a) at a workstation

(b) in the determined temporal relationship.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein

C1) signals of an on-going teleconference are recorded in real time as a multimedia document for

D) real-time playback during the teleconference at at least one of the one or more workstations.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising providing a user interface for the real-time recording and playback.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein

C1) signals form each editor are recorded as a multimedia document at a studio for later retrieving.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising providing a user interface for the studio recording.