Video contents access method that uses trajectories of objects and apparatus therefor

• US 6,833,849 B1
• Filed: 07/20/2000
• Issued: 12/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Echigo, Tomio, Kurokawa, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Ba
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHUONG, TRUC T
• Application Number:
  US09/620,113
• Time in Patent Office: 1,615 Days
• Field of Search: 345/723-726, 345/730-732, 345/302, 345/355, 345/600, 345/591, 345/420, 348/169, 348/699, 348/143, 367/127
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for using the trajectory of an object to access video contents, for example, to specify and display a specific video image scene. Such a video contents access method comprises the steps of: extracting objects from video contents; displaying movements of the objects as trajectories on a specific projection screen; specifying locations on the trajectories; and accessing a desired scene of the video contents. An apparatus is so designed that it performs the above method.

Claims

1. A video contents access method that uses trajectories of objects, comprising the steps of:

extracting objects from video contents, wherein said (Traj) of said objects are calculated by using a following equation;

2. The video contents access method according to claim 1, wherein said trajectories of said objects are those displayed in a time interval between a currently displayed video frame and a preceding video frame displayed a predetermined time period earlier.

3. The video contents access method according to claim 1, wherein video data are digital video data, or analog video data that can manage time code.

4. The video contents access method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying on the same projection screen a window in which images of said contents of said video are displayed and a window in which said trajectories of said objects are displayed.

5. The video contents access method according to claim 1, wherein to specify said locations along said trajectories, a pointing device is used to designate points along said trajectories.

6. The video contents access method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of video contents are used.

7. A video contents access apparatus comprising:

display means for displaying, as trajectories on a specific projection screen, the movements of objects extracted from video contents;

wherein, said trajectories (Traj) of said objects are calculated by using following equation;