Automatic generation of presentations from “path-enhanced” multimedia

• US 7,149,961 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2003
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Samadani, Ramin, Harville, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US10/427,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20040218894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500.1, 701/200, 701/202, 701/208, 345/419, 340/990, 340/995.1, 340/995.14, 340/995.18, 348/231.1, 348/231.3, 348/231.6
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/213 Read-only discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• 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: H04N 5/9201 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the video signal

Abstract

A “path-enhanced” presentation is automatically generated from previously recorded “path-enhanced” multimedia based on time and location information associated with the multimedia. The path based on the time and location information is rendered over a two-dimensional map. The presentation indicates position and progress along the path, and at the same time, previously recorded multimedia corresponding to points or segments of that path are automatically played. When the moving icon reaches a location that is associated with multimedia, that multimedia is automatically played.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented multimedia method, comprising:

receiving path-enhanced multimedia (PEM) data including a sequence of points corresponding to at least one spatiotemporal path and links between at least one multimedia object and at least one respective point on the at least one spatiotemporal path, wherein at least one spatiotemporal path includes at least one point unlinked to any respective multimedia object;

generating a structured specification for rendering a presentation including at least a portion of the PEM data, wherein at least a portion of a given spatiotemporal path is represented by a substantially continuous sequence of points overlaid on a corresponding portion of a map of a geographic region encompassing spatial bounds of at least a portion of the received PEM data; and

storing the structured specification on a machine readable medium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each point on a given spatiotemporal path is associated with time data, at least one point on a given spatiotemporal path additionally is associated with geographic location data, and at least one point on a given spatiotemporal path additionally is associated with a multimedia object reference component for linking a point to an associated multimedia object.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing the spatial bounds of the geographic region from the received PEM data.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising querying a database for map information corresponding to the computed spatial bounds.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing temporal bounds of at least a portion of the received PEM data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the structured specification comprises constructing from the received PEM data a description of at least a portion of the given spatiotemporal path.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein constructing the path description comprises constructing an ordered list of two-dimensional coordinates registered to coordinates of the map from spatial component data of points on at least a portion of the given spatiotemporal path.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the structured specification comprises associating graphical icons with multimedia objects linked to points on the given spatiotemporal path.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the structured specification comprises specifying a graphical representation of a field-of-view for a given visual multimedia object linked to a point on the given spatiotemporal path.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the structured specification comprises grouping PEM data points into clusters and associating graphical icons with clusters.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein PEM data points associated with multimedia objects are grouped into clusters based on values for at least one of the spatial components and the temporal components of the associated points.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein grouping PEM data points comprises comparing a threshold to differences between component values of pairs of PEM data points.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the structured specification includes a specification for rendering a sequence of views of a cluster and wherein the sequence of views contains at least one view containing a graphical icon representing the cluster and at least one view containing a set of graphical icons representative of multimedia objects in the given cluster.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the structured specification prescribes that multimedia objects in the given spatiotemporal path are to be rendered in a sequence ordered in accordance with capture times respectively associated with the visual multimedia objects.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the structured specification comprises defining at least one path progress indicator wherein a path progress indicator definition specifies at least one graphical icon to be rendered at a current path location.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the path progress indicator definition specifies a first style for rendering path segments already traversed and a second style different from the first style for rendering path segments yet to be traversed.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the structured specification comprises associating non-PEM data to at least one point of the spatiotemporal path.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the structured specification comprises automatically querying a database based on the received PEM data, and incorporating data received in response to the querying into the structured specification.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the structured specification comprises generating a specification for rendering at least one of an introduction and a conclusion for the presentation.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the structured specification includes a data structure including at least one playlist describing at least one rendering action selected from:

play a multimedia file;

draw at least a portion of the map;

draw a representation of a path segment;

draw an indicator of a current location along a path;

draw a representation of a multimedia capture location; and

draw a representation of a field-of-view associated with a visual multimedia object.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the structured specification comprises prompting a user to input information.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering the presentation as specified by the structured specification.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein rendering the presentation comprises:

displaying a graphical representation of at least a portion of the given spatiotemporal path overlaid on an image of a corresponding portion of the map;

displaying a path progress indicator on the graphical path representation traversing the graphical path representation over time;

rendering a multimedia object associated with a point on the given spatiotemporal path when the path progress indicator reaches a corresponding point on the graphical path representation.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein rendering the presentation comprises rendering the portion of the given spatiotemporal path and the map at a variable resolution level selected based on numbers of renderable objects near the path progress indicator as the path progress indicator traverses the graphical path representation.

25. A multimedia system, comprising at least one processing module operable to:

receive path-enhanced multimedia (PEM) data including a sequence of points corresponding to at least one spatiotemporal path and links between at least one multimedia object and at least one respective point on the at least one spatiotemporal path, wherein at least one spatiotemporal path includes at least one point unlinked to any respective multimedia object;

generate a structured specification for rendering a presentation including at least a portion of the PEM data, wherein at least a portion of a given spatiotemporal path is represented by a substantially continuous sequence of points overlaid on a corresponding portion of a map of a geographic region encompassing spatial bounds of at least a portion of the received PEM data; and

store the structured specification on a machine readable medium.

26. A machine-readable medium storing machine-readable instructions for causing a machine to:

receive path-enhanced multimedia (PEM) data including a sequence of points corresponding to at least one spatiotemporal path and links between at least one multimedia object and at least one respective point on the at least one spatiotemporal path, wherein at least one spatiotemporal path includes at least one point unlinked to any respective multimedia object;

generate a structured specification for rendering a presentation including at least a portion of the PEM data, wherein at least a portion of a given spatiotemporal path is represented by a substantially continuous sequence of points overlaid on a corresponding portion of a map of a geographic region encompassing spatial bounds of at least a portion of the received PEM data; and

store the structured specification on a machine readable medium.

27. A multimedia system, comprising:

a machine-implemented accessing module configured to receive path-enhanced multimedia (PEM) data including a sequence of points corresponding to at least one spatiotemporal path and links between at least one multimedia object and at least one respective point on the at least one spatiotemporal path, wherein at least one spatiotemporal path includes at least one point unlinked to any respective multimedia object;

a machine-implemented presentation generation module configured to generate a structured specification for rendering a presentation including at least a portion of the PEM data, wherein at least a portion of a given spatiotemporal path is represented by a substantially continuous sequence of points overlaid on a corresponding portion of a map of a geographic region encompassing spatial bounds of at least a portion of the received PEM data; and

a machine-implemented rendering module configured to render the presentation.