Device for processing recorded information and storage medium storing program for same

• US 6,879,769 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2000
• Issued: 04/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Miyata, Kenji, Kawai, Sunao, Aoki, Kazuma, Yamada, Ryuji, Teshima, Hideaki, Fujii, Norihisa, Horibe, Yoshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Chevailer, Robert
• Application Number:
  US09/698,248
• Time in Patent Office: 1,625 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N00.5/93, H04/N00.5/91, 386/46, 386/52, 386/55, 386/53, 386/68, 386/69, 386/81, 386/109, 386/111, 386/112, 386/27, 386/33, 386/1, 386/4, 386/6, 386/38, 386/40, 386/107, 386/117, 386/124
• US Class Current: 386/240
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/218 Write-once discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

An information preparation device, such as a personal computer, detects non-consecutive position information, such as times and dates, based on parameters (S11), such as preinputted non-consecutive point detection margins, and prepares (S12) an information table with image information for each non-consecutive position. Based on editing parameters, the device synthesizes and edits (S13) the information in the information table by date and the like. Then the device divides the information into objects, which is a data format, by data The device retrieves contents information and the like that corresponds to the divided information, and generates (S14) and outputs (S15) scenario information. The date and the like indicated by the divided regions serve as an index on buttons of menus that the user operates to easily select and display a desired images.

Claims

1. A recorded information processing device comprising:

a non-consecutive position information detecting unit that detects non-consecutive position information representative of each of a plurality of blocks of recorded information recorded in time sequence in a recording medium, identification information being attached to each of the plurality of blocks of recorded information;

a recorded information dividing unit that divides, based on the non-consecutive position information, the plurality of blocks of recorded information into a plurality of groups, a number of the plurality of groups not exceeding a predetermined maximum, a number of blocks of recorded information contained in each of the plurality of groups not exceeding the predetermined maximums; and

a display unit that displays first indicias corresponding respectively to the plurality of groups on a display screen, each of the first indicias being in association with the identification information of one or more blocks of recorded information contained in a corresponding group.

2. The recorded information processing device according to claim 1, wherein said display unit further displays second indicias corresponding to the one or more blocks of recorded information contained in the corresponding group, each of the second indicias being in association with the identification information of the one or more blocks of recorded information contained in the corresponding group.

3. The recorded information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the first indicias form a first level menu and the second indicias form a second level menu, the first level menu and the second level menu being in a hierarchy data structure in which the second level menu is linked with a corresponding one of the first indicias.

4. The recorded information processing device according to claim 3, wherein the first indicias displayed on the display screen serve as buttons for displaying the plurality of groups, and the second indicias displayed on the display screen serve as buttons for reproducing the blocks of recorded information contained in a group indicated by a corresponding first indicia, and wherein the predetermined maximum is determined based on a size of the buttons and a size of the display screen.

5. The recorded information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a number setting unit that sets the number that said recorded information dividing unit divides the plurality of blocks of recorded information.

6. The recorded information processing device according to claim 1, wherein information extracted from the non-consecutive position information is used as the identification information of a corresponding block of recorded information.

7. The recorded information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the identification information of the one or more blocks of recorded information contained in each of the groups is made up of common information and unique information, the common information being used as the first indicia.

8. The recorded information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the identification information is represented by time at which corresponding block of recorded information is recorded.

9. The recorded information processing device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of blocks of recorded information includes a stream of images.

10. A scenario information generating device comprising:

an input unit that allows a user to input scenario preparation conditions, the scenario preparation conditions including cut point information preparation parameters, and cut point information table editing parameters;

a cut point information preparation unit that prepares a cut point information table containing a plurality of pieces of cut point information, each of the plurality of pieces of cut point information representing a length of a block of recorded information, the length being defined by a start time point and an end time point of the block of recorded information, the plurality of pieces of cut point information being detected from a plurality of blocks of recorded information in accordance with the cut point information preparation parameters, the plurality of blocks of recorded information being recorded in time sequence on a recording medium;

an editing unit that edits the cut point information table so that the plurality of blocks of recorded information are divided into a plurality of groups based on the plurality of pieces of cut point information, a number of the plurality of groups not exceeding a predetermined maximum, a number of blocks of recorded information contained in each of the plurality of groups not exceeding the predetermined maximum, said editing unit outputting cut point information table editing data; and

a generating unit that generates scenario information of the plurality of recorded information based on the cut point information table editing data.

11. The scenario information generating device according to claim 10, further comprising a display unit that displays, based on the scenario information, a first menu page containing first indicias corresponding to the plurality of groups and a second menu page containing second indicias corresponding to one or more blocks of recorded information contained is a corresponding group.

12. The scenario information generating device according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of blocks of recorded information are retrieved from a video time.

13. The scenario information generating device according to claim 10, wherein the cut point information is represented by time data.

14. The scenario information generating device according to claim 10, wherein said editing unit synthesizes at least two pieces of cut point information adjacent in time to each other to provide a new piece of cut point information in accordance with the cut point information table editing parameters to provide a modified cut point information table, and said editing unit edits the modified cut point information table instead of the cut point information table.

15. A storage medium storing a recorded information processing program, the recorded information processing program comprising:

a program for detecting non-consecutive position information representative of each of a plurality of blocks of recorded information recorded in time sequence in a recording medium, identification information being attached to each of the plurality of blocks of recorded information;

a program for dividing, based on the non-consecutive position information, the plurality of blocks of recorded information into a plurality of groups in such a manner that a number of the plurality of groups does not exceed a predetermined maximum and also a number of blocks of recorded information contained in each of the plurality of groups does not exceed the predetermined maximum;

a program for displaying first indicias corresponding respectively to the plurality of groups on a display screen; and

a program for making each of the first indicias associate with the identification information of one or more blocks of recorded information contained in a corresponding group.

16. The storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising a program for further displaying second indicias corresponding to the one or more blocks of recorded information contained in the corresponding group;

and a program for making each of the second indicias associate with the identification information of the one or more blocks of recorded information contained in the corresponding group.

17. The storage medium according to claim 16, further comprising a program for displaying the first indicias as a first level menu and the second indicias as a second level menu;

a program for making the first level menu and the second level menu in a hierarchy data structure; and

a program for making the second level menu link with a corresponding one of the first indicias.

18. The storage medium according to claim 17, further comprising a program for setting the first indicias as mimical buttons operable on the display screen, and setting the second indicias as mimical buttons operable on the display screen for reproducing the blocks of recorded information contained in a group indicated by a corresponding first indicia;

and a program for determining the predetermined maximum based on a size of the mimical buttons and a size of the display screen.

19. The storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising a program for setting the number that the plurality of blocks of recorded information are divided.

20. The storage medium according to claim 15, further comprising a program for determining the identification information of a block of recorded information based on information extracted from corresponding non-consecutive position information.

21. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein the identification information of the one or more blocks of recorded information contained in each of the groups is made up of common information and unique information, the common information being used as the first indicia.

22. The storage mediums according to claim 21, wherein the identification information is represented by time at which corresponding block of recorded information is recorded.

23. The storage medium according to claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of blocks of recorded information includes a stream of images.

24. A storage medium containing a scenario information generating program, the scenario information generating program comprising:

a program for allowing a user to input scenario preparation conditions, the scenario preparation conditions including cut point information preparation parameters and cut point information table editing parameters;

a program for preparing a cut point information table containing a plurality of pieces of cut point information, each of the plurality of pieces of cut point information representing a length of a block of recorded information, the length being defined by a start time point and an end time point of the block of recorded information;

a program for detecting the plurality of pieces of cut point information from a plurality of blocks of recorded information in accordance with the cut point information preparation parameters while reproducing the plurality of blocks of recorded information recorded in time sequence on a recording medium;

a program for editing the cut point information table so that the plurality of blocks of recorded information are divided into a plurality of groups based on the plurality of pieces of cut point information;

a program for determining a number of the plurality of groups and a number of blocks of recorded information contained in each of the plurality of groups so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum, and for outputting cut point information table editing data; and

a program for generating scenario information of the plurality of recorded information based on the cut point information table editing data.

25. The storage medium according to claim 24, further comprising a program for displaying, based on the scenario information, a first menu page containing first indicias corresponding to the plurality of groups and a second menu page containing second indicias corresponding to one or more blocks of recorded information contained in a corresponding group.

26. The storage medium according to claim 24, wherein the plurality of blocks of recorded information are retrieved from a video tape.

27. The storage medium according to claim 24, wherein the cut point information is represented by time data.

28. The storage medium according to claim 24, further comprising a program for synthesizing at least two pieces of cut point information adjacent in time to each other to provide a new piece of cut point information in accordance with the cut point information table editing parameters to provide a modified cat point information table;

and a program for editing the modified cut point information table instead of the cut point information table.