Integrated time line for editing

• US 7,325,199 B1
• Filed: 10/04/2000
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Reid, Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chuong; Truc T.
• Application Number:
  US09/680,389
• Time in Patent Office: 2,673 Days
• Field of Search: 345/723, 345/724, 345/770, 345/769, 345/726, 345/716, 715/723, 715/719, 715/724, 715/725, 715/726
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• 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

Abstract

A method of manipulating a time based stream of information through use of a user interface to generate a presentation is provided in which a processing system is employed. The methods use references to a selected time based stream of information as editing tools. The user interface has functionality to display only a single time line for aligning reference elements to visual time based stream of information. The references may include a variety of edit features that enhance the presentation. Some mechanisms for moving the reference elements on the user interface are drag and drop and/or cut and paste procedures. Other aspects of the present invention relating to the processing system providing convenient user interface and editing tools for use in authoring a presentation of a time based stream of information are also described.

Claims

1. A method for processing a presentation of a time based stream of information, the method comprising:

A) providing a user interface having functionality to display on a screen only a single graphical representation of a time line, the time line including a video time line and an audio time line overlapped with each other and synchronized in time, wherein the video time line is selectable via a video selection tab and the audio time line is selectable via an audio selection tab different than the video selection tab, wherein when the video selection tab is activated the video time line is displayed without displaying the audio timeline, wherein when the audio selection tab is activated, the audio time line is displayed overlaying the video time line such that only the audio time line is displayed without showing the video time line while the audio and video time lines are still synchronized in time, wherein the single graphical representation of the video time line includes a plurality of references, each reference corresponding to a visual time based stream of information, each reference including one of at least two types of edit features, each edit feature including a description, wherein at least two of the references are to be positioned in a presentation, wherein any time instant along the time line corresponds to at most one of the references positioned in the presentation, and wherein each reference is displayed in a form of a still image of a frame in the corresponding visual time based stream of information;

B) displaying the single graphical representation of the time line on the screen according to the user interface;

C) displaying a reference with an edit feature on the screen according to the user interface; and

D) dragging the reference over the single graphical representation of the time line to insert the edit feature into the presentation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the edit feature is text.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the edit feature is a transition.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the single graphical representation of the time line includes at least two references and wherein the reference with an edit feature is dragged between the two references.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the reference with the edit feature is by moving a reference to an edit box and inserting the edit feature into the reference in response to user edit commands.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the moving of the reference is by cutting the reference and pasting the reference over the edit box.

7. The method of claim 1, further including editing the edit feature of the reference by selecting the reference and popping up an edit box automatically in response to the selecting.

8. The method of claim 1, further including displaying another reference having an edit feature and in response to a user cut/paste command, cutting the other reference from a position on the user interface and pasting the other reference over the single graphical representation of the time line to insert the edit feature into the presentation.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the single graphical representation of the time line includes at least two references and wherein the reference having an edit feature is pasted between the two references.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation includes a selector, the selector to cause the user interface to display a second single graphical representation of a second time line when selected, and wherein any time instant along the time line corresponds to one instant along the second time line.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the time line is a video time line.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the time line is an audio time line.

13. A digital processing system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor for storing instructions, which when executed from the memory, cause the processor to perform processing a presentation of a time line, the processing providing a user interface having functionality to display on a screen only a single graphical representation of the time line, the time line including a video time line and an audio time line overlapped with each other and synchronized in time, wherein the video time line is selectable via a video selection tab and the audio time line is selectable via an audio selection tab different than the video selection tab, wherein when the video selection tab is activated, the video time line is displayed without displaying the audio timeline, wherein when the audio selection tab is activated, the audio time line is displayed overlaying the video time line such that only the audio time line is displayed without showing the video time line while the audio and video time lines are still synchronized in time, wherein the single graphical representation of the video time line includes a plurality of references, each reference corresponding to a visual time based stream of information, each reference including one of at least two types of edit features, each edit feature including a description, wherein at least two of the references are to be positioned in a presentation, wherein any time instant along the time line corresponds to at most one of the references positioned in the presentation, wherein each reference is displayed in a form of a still image of a frame in the corresponding visual time based stream of information, the processing displaying the single graphical representation of the time line on the screen according to the user interface, the processing displaying a reference with an edit feature on the screen according to the user interface, and the processing dragging the reference over the single graphical representation of the time line to insert the edit feature into the presentation.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the edit feature is text.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the single graphical representation of the time line includes at least two references and wherein the reference with an edit feature is dragged between the two references.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the providing the reference with the edit feature is by moving a reference to an edit box and inserting the edit feature into the reference in response to user edit commands.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the moving of the reference is by cutting the reference and pasting the reference over the edit box.

18. The system of claim 13, further including editing the edit feature of the reference by selecting the reference and popping up an edit box automatically in response to the selecting.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the presentation includes a selector, the selector to cause the user interface to display a second single graphical representation of a second time line when selected, and wherein any time instant along the time line corresponds to one instant along the second time line.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the time line is a video time line.

21. A processing system for generating a presentation of a time-based stream of information comprising:

A) means for providing a user interface having functionality to display on a screen only a single graphical representation of a time line, the time line including a video time line and an audio time line overlapped with each other and synchronized in time, wherein the video time line is selectable via a video selection tab and the audio time line is selectable via an audio selection tab different than the video selection tab, wherein when the video selection tab is activated, the video time line is displayed without displaying the audio timeline, wherein when the audio selection tab is activated, the audio time line is displayed overlaying the video time line such that only the audio time line is displayed without showing the video time line while the audio and video time lines are still synchronized in time, wherein the single graphical representation of the video time line including a plurality of references, each reference corresponding to a visual time based stream of information, each reference including one of at least two types of edit features, each edit feature including a description, wherein at least two of the references are to be positioned in a presentation, wherein any time instant along the time line corresponds to at most one of the plurality of references positioned in the presentation, and wherein each reference is displayed in a form of a still image of a frame in the corresponding visual time based stream of information;

B) means for displaying the single graphical representation of a time line on the screen according to the user interface;

C) means for displaying a reference with an edit feature on the screen according to the user interface; and

D) means for dragging the reference over the single graphical representation of the time line to insert the edit feature into the presentation.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the edit feature is text.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the single graphical representation of the time line includes at least two references and wherein the reference with an edit feature is dragged between the two references.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the providing the reference with the edit feature is by moving a reference to an edit box and inserting the edit feature into the reference in response to user edit commands.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the moving of the reference is by cutting the reference and pasting the reference over the edit box.

26. The system of claim 21, further including means for editing the edit feature of the reference by selecting the reference and popping up an edit box automatically in response to the selecting.

27. A computer readable storage medium having stored therein a plurality of sequences of executable instructions, which, when executed by a processing system for collecting a time based stream of information and generating a presentation, cause the processing system to:

A) provide a user interface having functionality to display on a screen only a single graphical representation of a time line, the time line including a video time line and an audio time line overlapped with each other and synchronized in time, wherein the video time line is selectable via a video selection tab and the audio time line is selectable via an audio selection tab different than the video selection tab, wherein when the video selection tab is activated, the video time line is displayed without displaying the audio timeline, wherein when the audio selection tab is activated, the audio time line is displayed overlaying the video time line such that only the audio time line is displayed without showing the video time line while the audio and video time lines are still synchronized in time, wherein the single graphical representation of the video time line includes a plurality of references, each reference corresponding to a visual time based stream of information, each reference including one of at least two types of edit features, each edit feature including a description, wherein at least two of the references are to be positioned in a presentation, wherein any time instant along the time line corresponds to at most one of the references positioned in the presentation, and wherein each reference is displayed in a form of a still image of a frame in the corresponding visual time based stream of information;

B) display the single graphical representation of the time line on the screen according to the user interface;

C) display a reference with an edit feature on the screen according to the user interface; and

D) drag the reference over the single graphical representation of the time line to insert the edit feature into the presentation.

28. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the edit feature is text.

29. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the single graphical representation of the time line includes at least two references and wherein the reference with an edit feature is dragged between the two references.

30. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the providing the reference with the edit feature is by moving a reference to an edit box and inserting the edit feature into the reference in response to user edit commands.

31. The computer readable storage medium of claim 30, wherein the moving of the reference is by cutting the reference and pasting the reference over the edit box.

32. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27, further including additional sequences of executable instructions, which, when executed by the processing system, cause the processing system to edit the edit feature of the reference by selecting the reference and pop up an edit box automatically in response to the selecting.

33. The computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the presentation includes a selector, the selector to cause the user interface to display a second single graphical representation of a second time line when selected, and wherein any time instant along the time line corresponds to one instant along the second time line.

34. The computer readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the time line is an audio time line.

35. A processing system for generating a presentation of a time-based stream of information comprising:

A) means for providing a user interface having functionality to display only a single graphical representation of a time line, the time line including a video time line and an audio time line overlapped with each other and synchronized in time, wherein the video time line is selectable via a video selection tab and the audio time line is selectable via an audio selection tab different than the video selection tab, wherein when the video selection tab is activated, the video time line is displayed without displaying the audio timeline, wherein when the audio selection tab is activated, the audio time line is displayed overlaying the video time line such that only the audio time line is displayed without showing the video time line while the audio and video time lines are still synchronized in time, wherein the single graphical representation of the video time line includes a plurality of references, each reference corresponding to a visual time based stream of information, each reference including one of at least two types of edit features, each edit feature including a description, wherein at least two of the references are to be positioned in a presentation, wherein any time instant along the time line corresponds to at most one of the references positioned in the presentation, and wherein each reference is displayed in a form of a still image of a frame in the corresponding visual time based stream of information;

B) means for displaying the single graphical representation of the time line on the screen according to the user interface;

C) means for displaying a reference having an edit feature on the screen according to the user interface; and

D) means for cutting the reference from a position on the user interface and pasting the other reference over the single graphical representation of the time line to insert the edit feature into the presentation.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the edit feature is text.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the edit feature is a transition.

38. The system of claim 35, wherein the single graphical representation of the time line includes at least two references and wherein the reference with an edit feature is dragged between the two references.

39. The system of claim 35, wherein means for providing the reference with the edit feature is by cutting and pasting a reference to an edit box and inserting the edit feature into the reference in response to user edit commands.

40. The system of claim 35, further including means for editing the edit feature of the reference by selecting the reference and popping up an edit box automatically in response to the selecting.

41. The system of claim 35, wherein the presentation includes a selector, the selector to cause the user interface to display a second single graphical representation of a second time line when selected, and wherein any time instant along the time line corresponds to one instant along the second time line.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the time line is a video time line.