Disc having a segment code for prohibiting a play control function during a playing of a video segment

• US 7,054,547 B1
• Filed: 01/06/2000
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissim Corp.
• Original Assignee: Nissim Corp.
• Inventors: Abecassis, Max
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US09/478,825
• Time in Patent Office: 2,336 Days
• Field of Search: 386 6- 8, 386/45, 386/68, 386 69- 76, 386 81- 82, 386/95, 386/125, 386/126, 386/94, 360/60
• US Class Current: 386/282
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/022 Control panels
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/04 Arrangements for preventing, inhibiting, or warning against double recording on the same blank or against other recording or reproducing malfunctions
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/12 by sensing distinguishing features of or on records, e.g. diameter end mark
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• 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: G11B 7/14 specially adapted to record on, or to reproduce from, more than one track simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8405 : represented by keywords
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/4448 : for frame-grabbing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 : on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 : the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

An apparatus comprising the means for, and a method comprising the steps of: receiving (1) a video program including within a set of parallel segments that provide for at least two versions of a scene of the video program, each parallel segment comprising a sequence of video frames, (2) a user interface, particular to the video program, for a user of the video program to establish a content preference, and (3) data, not created by the user of the video program, directly defining a plurality of segments within the video program; storing the video program, the user interface, and the data; enabling the user of the video program to establish a content preference by utilizing the user interface; selecting, for the user, segments from within the video program by applying the content preference to the data; and playing, by means of a random accessing and a buffering, and without requiring an alternate source of video, the selected segments as a seamless version of, from within, and less in length than the length of, the video program, the playing comprising seamlessly skipping over a non-selected parallel segment included within the video program.

Claims

1. A laser readable disc for use in conjunction with an apparatus capable of playing the laser readable disc, the apparatus having a random access capability and a plurality of play control functions, the laser readable disc comprising:

at least one track storing a video program having a plurality of video segments each containing a plurality of video frames; and

said at least one track further storing video segment information, not contained within said video frames, said video segment information comprising video segment addresses identifying the locations of video segments within the video program, and a segment code which prohibits at least one play control function of the apparatus during a playing of at least one of the video segments.

2. The laser readable disc of claim 1 wherein the video segment information is logically segmented to permit concurrent processing with a playing of a video segment.

3. The laser readable disc of claim 1 wherein said at least one track further stores a user interface particular to the video program;

and wherein one of the play control functions is a user interface function.

4. The laser readable disc of claim 1 wherein one of the play control functions is a segment skip function.

5. The laser readable disc of claim 1 wherein one of the play control functions is a fast-forward function.

6. The laser readable disc of claim 1 wherein one of the play control functions is a pause function.

7. A laser readable disc for use in conjunction with an apparatus capable of playing the laser readable disc, the apparatus having a random access capability and a plurality of play control functions, the laser readable disc comprising:

at least one track storing a video program having a plurality of video segments each containing a plurality of video frames;

said at least one track further storing video segment address information not contained within said video frames identifying a location of a video segment of the video program; and

said at least one track further storing a segment code associated with the video segment address information and not contained within said video frames, said segment code prohibiting a play control function of the apparatus during a playing of the video segment.

8. The laser readable disc of claim 7 wherein the video segment address information is logically segmented to permit concurrent processing with a playing of a video segment.

9. The laser readable disc of claim 7 wherein said at least one track further stores a user interface particular to the video program;

and wherein one of the play control functions is a user interface function.

10. The laser readable disc of claim 7 wherein one of the play control functions is a segment skip function.

11. The laser readable disc of claim 7 wherein one of the play control functions is a fast-forward function.

12. A laser readable disc for use in conjunction with an apparatus capable of playing the laser readable disc, the apparatus having a random access capability and a plurality of play control functions, the laser readable disc comprising:

at least one track storing a video program having a plurality of video segments each containing a plurality of video frames;

said at least one track further storing video segment address information not contained within said video frames directly defining the plurality of video segments of the video program; and

said at least one track further storing at least one segment code, associated with the video segment address information and not contained within said video frames, which prohibits a play control function of the apparatus during a playing of at least one of the plurality of video segments.

13. The laser readable disc of claim 12 wherein the video segment address information is logically segmented to permit concurrent processing with a playing of a video segment.

14. The laser readable disc of claim 12 wherein said at least one track further stores a user interface particular to the video program;

and wherein one of the play control functions is a user interface function.

15. The laser readable disc of claim 12 wherein one of the play control functions is a segment skip function.

16. The laser readable disc of claim 12 wherein one of the play control functions is a fast-forward function.

17. A laser readable disc for use in conjunction with an apparatus capable of playing the laser readable disc, the apparatus having a random access capability and a plurality of play control functions, the laser readable disc comprising:

at least one track storing a video program having a plurality of video segments each containing a plurality of video frames;

said at least one track further storing, separately from the plurality of video segments and not within said video frames, video segment information including a video segment address of at least one of the plurality of video segments and at least one code which prohibits one or more of the play control functions of the apparatus during a playing of the least one of the plurality of video segments.

18. The laser readable disc of claim 17 wherein the video segment information is logically segmented to permit concurrent processing with a playing of a video segment.

19. The laser readable disc of claim 17 wherein said at least one track further stores a user interface particular to the video program;

and wherein one of the play control functions is a user interface function.

20. The laser readable disc of claim 17 wherein one of the play control functions is a segment skip function.

21. The laser readable disc of claim 17 wherein one of the play control functions is a fast-forward function.

22. The laser readable disc of claim 17 wherein one of the play control functions is a pause function.

23. A laser readable disc for use in conjunction with an apparatus capable of playing the laser readable disc, the apparatus having a random access capability and a plurality of play control functions, the laser readable disc comprising:

at least one track storing a video program having a plurality of video segments each containing a plurality of video frames; and

said at least one track further storing video segment information separate from the plurality of video segments and not within said video frames, said video segment information comprising video segment address information identifying a location of a video segment of the video program, and a code which prohibits at least one play control function of the apparatus during a playing of the video segment.

24. The laser readable disc of claim 23 wherein the video segment information is logically segmented to permit concurrent processing with a playing of a video segment.

25. The laser readable disc of claim 23 wherein said at least one track further stores a user interface particular to the video program;

and wherein one of the play control functions is a user interface function.

26. The laser readable disc of claim 23 wherein one of the play control functions is a segment skip function.

27. The laser readable disc of claim 23 wherein one of the play control functions is a fast-forward function.