Display system enabling dynamic specification of a movie's temporal evolution

• US 6,807,367 B1
• Filed: 01/02/2000
• Issued: 10/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: David Durlach
• Original Assignee: David Durlach
• Inventors: Durlach, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONUAKU, CHRISTOPHER O
• Application Number:
  US09/476,402
• Time in Patent Office: 1,752 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/52, 386/55, 386/85, 386/95, 386/120, 386/125, 386/126, 725/41, 725/141, 725/131, 725/151, 725/153
• US Class Current: 386/221
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied

Abstract

A movie storage, traversal, annotation, and viewing method and apparatus comprised of a graphic output device {such as a monitor} (36), random-access storage media {such as semiconductor memory, a hard disk, or combination} (16), and computation device (14) connecting them. Temporal progression through a movie frame sequence {which may have different temporal frame densities at different regions of the sequence} (200) is determined at view time through: Direct manipulation of user-controlled physical actuators {such as dial(s) (32) with attached rotary encoder(s) (30)}, mathematical functions of time, algorithmically-processed music {102}, or in response to environmental stimuli {such as temperature, light level, and other similar parameters}.

Claims

1. A movie presentation system comprising:

(a) mass data storage means for providing substantially random access to movie data;

(b) image display means for viewing temporal progression of movie image frames;

(c) data transfer means for transferring data from said mass storage means to said display means

wherein said data transfer means provides means for visually-clear temporally-smooth movie viewing over substantially arbitrary movie frame sequences, where said substantially arbitrary movie frame sequences may be generated continuously and spontaneously at view-time;

(d) frame sequence generation means for generating temporal sequences of movie frames for display on said display means;

said system providing means for attracting, entertaining, informing, and educating through the fluid and engaging alteration of the rate and manner of travel through a movie.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

(a) individual movie image frames contain substantially equal to or greater than the VHS standard of visual information content and clarity and said frames are;

(b) substantially presented with equal to or less than the VHS standard inter-frame time delay;

thus allowing movies to be presented typically with presentation quality substantially equal to, or greater than, VHS videotape viewed on typical VCR and TV hardware.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said system'"'"'s movie transfer means includes means for transferring movie data from said system'"'"'s mass storage means to said system'"'"'s image display means in small chunks, typically one movie frame, thus minimizing undesirable inter-frame temporal viewing delays.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein movie image data stored on said system'"'"'s mass storage means is in compressed form, allowing relatively great quantities of movie content to be stored on said system'"'"'s mass storage means.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein compressed movie image data is decompressed using a general purpose computer, avoiding the requirement of specialized hardware for said decompression.

6. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein:

(a) individual movie image frames contain substantially equal to or greater than the VHS standard of visual information content and clarity and said frames are;

(b) substantially presented with equal to or less than the VHS standard inter-frame time delay;

thus allowing movies to be presented typically with presentation quality substantially equal to, or greater than, VHS videotape viewed on typical VCR and TV hardware.

7. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said system'"'"'s movie transfer means includes means for transferring movie data from said system'"'"'s mass storage means to said system'"'"'s image display means in small chunks, typically one movie frame, thus minimizing undesirable inter-frame temporal viewing delays.

8. A system as claimed in claim 5 with means for accessing movie data on the mass data storage means in parallel with required movie decompression, minimizing inter-frame temporal delays.

9. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means includes an attract mode comprising:

(a) means for determining a movie presentation activity level;

(b) means for storing a pre-specified movie presentation activity threshold;

(c) means for accumulating contiguous elapsed idle time spent below said movie presentation activity threshold;

(d) means for storing a pre-specified number of seconds of allowed sub-threshold movie presentation activity, whereby thereafter an attract mode is entered;

(e) means for activating a relatively autonomous movie frame sequence-generating attract-mode sub-process if said pre-specified number of seconds of sub-threshold movie presentation activity are exceeded;

(f) a reset means for exiting said attract-mode sub-process if the movie presentation activity level would have exceeded said pre-specified movie presentation activity threshold, were said attract-mode to have been idle;

attracting the attention of passersby to said movie presentation system during low-input-stimulus operating periods.

10. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means comprises:

(a) a common point-and-click device such as a computer mouse;

(b) computer software means for tracking rotary movement of said point-and-click device around a central point;

(c) algorithmic means for determining the angle swept out by said rotary movement;

(d) conversion means for converting said angle to a frame within movie image data;

utilizing natural rotary motions of existing pointing devices to allow the fine control and essentially infinite dynamic range otherwise typically requiring special rotary dials.

11. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means comprises:

(a) rotary dial means for controlling advance through a movie;

(b) rotary measurement means for generating an output that allows the reading of said rotary dial means'"'"' angular position;

(c) interface means for connecting said rotary measurement means output to said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means;

(d) conversion means within said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means for converting said rotary dial'"'"'s angular position reading to a frame within movie image data;

advance through movies being controlled by rotary motion of said rotary dial means.

12. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means comprises:

(a) music analysis means for extracting human-relevant information from musical pieces;

(b) movie frame sequence generation means for generating temporal sequences of movie frames from said extracted human-relevant information;

allowing movie image progression to occur in discernable connection to said musical pieces.

13. A system as claimed in claim 5 wherein said system includes:

(a) frame sequence generation means that include means for moving through movie frames at standard VHS frame rates and;

(b) audio playing means for playing audio interleaved with movie image data synchronized to presented images in the standard manner;

allowing movies to be played with accompanying audio in the standard manner.

14. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said system'"'"'s movie transfer means includes means for transferring movie data from said system'"'"'s mass storage means to said system'"'"'s image display means in small chunks, typically one movie frame, thus minimizing undesirable inter-frame temporal viewing delays.

15. A system as claimed in claim 4 with means for accessing movie data on the mass data storage means in parallel with required movie decompression, thus minimizing inter-frame temporal delays.

16. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means includes an attract mode comprising:

(a) means for determining a movie presentation activity level;

(b) means for storing a pre-specified movie presentation activity threshold;

(c) means for accumulating contiguous elapsed idle time spent below said movie presentation activity threshold;

(d) means for storing a pre-specified number of seconds of allowed sub-threshold movie presentation activity, whereby thereafter an attract mode is entered;

(e) means for activating a relatively autonomous movie frame sequence-generating attract-mode sub-process if said pre-specified number of seconds of sub-threshold movie presentation activity are exceeded;

(f) a reset means for exiting said attract-mode sub-process if the movie presentation activity level would have exceeded said pre-specified movie presentation activity threshold, were said attract-mode to have been idle;

attracting the attention of passersby to said movie presentation system during low-input-stimulus operating periods.

17. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means comprises:

(a) a common point-and-click device such as a computer mouse;

(b) computer software means for tracking rotary movement of said point-and-click device around a central point;

(c) algorithmic means for determining the angle swept out by said rotary movement;

(d) conversion means for converting said angle to a frame within movie image data;

utilizing the natural rotary motions of existing pointing devices to allow the fine control and essentially infinite dynamic range otherwise typically requiring special rotary dials.

18. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means comprises:

(a) rotary dial means for controlling advance through a movie;

(b) rotary measurement means for generating an output that allows the reading of said rotary dial means'"'"' angular position;

(c) interface means for connecting said rotary measurement means output to said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means;

(d) conversion means within said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means for converting said rotary dial'"'"'s angular position reading to a frame within movie image data;

advance through movies being controlled by rotary motion of said rotary dial means.

19. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means comprises:

(a) music analysis means for extracting human-relevant information from musical pieces;

(b) movie frame sequence generation means for generating temporal sequences of movie frames from said extracted human-relevant information;

allowing movie image progression to occur in discernable connection to said musical pieces.

20. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said system includes a table of contents mode comprising:

(a) user control means for allowing users to enter said table of contents mode;

(b) user control means for allowing users to select movie locations quickly from within said table of contents;

(c) user control means for allowing users to exit said table of contents;

(d) means for changing the displayed movie frame to that specified by user actions within the table of contents;

allowing available movie segments to be immediately accessed for perusal.

21. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means includes an attract mode comprising:

(a) means for determining a movie presentation activity level;

(b) means for storing a pre-specified movie presentation activity threshold;

(c) means for accumulating contiguous elapsed idle time spent below said movie presentation activity threshold;

(d) means for storing a pre-specified number of seconds of allowed sub-threshold movie presentation activity, whereby thereafter an attract mode is entered;

(e) means for activating a relatively autonomous movie frame sequence-generating attract-mode sub-process if said pre-specified number of seconds of subthreshold movie presentation activity are exceeded;

(f) a reset means for exiting said attract-mode sub-process if the movie presentation activity level would have exceeded said pre-specified movie presentation activity threshold, were said attract-mode to have been idle;

attracting the attention of passersby to said movie presentation system during low-input-stimulus operating periods.

22. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means comprises:

(a) a common point-and-click device such as a computer mouse;

(b) computer software means for tracking rotary movement of said point-and-click device around a central point;

(c) algorithmic means for determining the angle swept out by said rotary movement;

(d) conversion means for converting said angle to a frame within movie image data;

utilizing the natural rotary motions of existing pointing devices to allow the fine control and essentially infinite dynamic range otherwise typically requiring special rotary dials.

23. Point-and-click control means as claimed in claim 22 wherein the rate of advance of the movie is a substantially greater-than-linearly increasing function of the point-and-click control means rotational velocity, allowing movie segments to be finely-perused at slow speeds while at the same time allowing extremely fast traverses when desired.

24. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means comprises:

(a) rotary dial means for controlling advance through a movie;

(b) rotary measurement means for generating an output that allows the reading of said rotary dial means'"'"' angular position;

(c) interface means for connecting said rotary measurement means output to said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means;

(d) conversion means within said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means for converting said rotary dial'"'"'s angular position reading to a frame within movie image data;

advance through movies being controlled by rotary motion of said rotary dial means.

25. Rotary dial control means as claimed in claim 24 wherein:

(a) The rate of advance of the movie is a monotonically-increasing function of the dial'"'"'s rotational velocity and;

(b) is 0 when the dial'"'"'s rotational velocity is 0;

thus providing the system user the experience of being in direct control of a movie'"'"'s scene evolution.

26. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said system'"'"'s frame sequence generation means comprises:

(a) music analysis means for extracting human-relevant information from musical pieces;

(b) movie frame sequence generation means for generating temporal sequences of movie frames from said extracted human-relevant information;

allowing movie image progression to occur in discernable connection to said musical pieces.

27. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said system includes means to accumulate and log amounts of time pre-specified movie segments are displayed on said system'"'"'s image display means, allowing purchasing users to track the fraction of time specific movie segments are displayed.

28. A movie presentation apparatus comprising:

(a) a mass data storage device to provide substantially random access to movie data;

(b) a display device for viewing movies;

(c) computer hardware and software elements comprising;

operating system and supporting hardware to support data transfer from said mass storage device to said display device;

computer instructions to allow movies to be presented in a visually-clear temporally-smooth manner over substantially arbitrary movie frame sequences, including in situations where said arbitrary frame sequences are generated continuously and unpredictably during viewing;

at least one input device to allow control of the temporal evolution of stored movies;

attracting, entertaining, informing, and educating viewers by allowing fluid and engaging control of the manner in which movies are presented.

29. A movie presentation method comprising:

(a) accessing movie data from a mass data storage source;

(b) transferring said movie data to a display device wherein said data transfer;

preserves stored movie image frame quality;

occurs with sufficient speed to avoid intrusive inter-frame temporal delays;

maintains image frame quality and temporal continuity even in situations where movie frame sequences are non-deterministic and are generated at view-time;

(c) sensing changes of environment parameters and using those changes to control the presentation evolution of movies;

attracting, entertaining, informing, and educating viewers by the unique manner in which movie scenes temporally evolve.