Method and storage device for expanding and contracting continuous play media seamlessly

• US 7,467,218 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2003
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MONKEYmedia, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MONKEYmedia, Inc.
• Inventors: Gould, Eric Justin, Strickland, Rachel M.
• Primary Examiner(s): MEKY, MOUSTAFA M
• Application Number:
  US10/603,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20040059826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,002 Days
• Field of Search: 382254-256, 345156-158, 709200-202, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/44 Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• 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 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8541 involving branching, e.g. to different story endings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

Abstract

One aspect of the invention is a method for playing a stored content providing a plurality of segments which collectively contains the stored content, each segment has using first terminus and a second terminus with the content having a temporal flow from the first terminus to the second terminus. At least one segment is associated with a plurality of links to other segments. The method includes playing at least one segment with the temporal flow, determining whether a content expansion is desired prior to reaching the second terminus. If the content expansion is desired, then linking to an expansion segment and playing the expansion segment. If the content expansion is not desired, then linking to a continuing segment and playing the continuing segment. The method includes an additional link from the expansion segment to the continuing segment such that the continuing segment is played after the expansion segment has been played. Other aspects of the invention include other methods for playing stored content, for capturing and playing content, capturing segment and linkage descriptions, storage devices of the segment content, storage mechanisms referencing the continuous media content by segments and linkages and apparatus for capturing and playing continuous media content.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer are capable of causing the computer to:

display at least one segment comprising a first stored content;

provide an expansion link from the at least one segment to an expansion segment comprising a second stored content;

determine whether a content expansion is selected; and

display the second stored content of the expansion segment if the content expansion is selected, wherein the displayed second stored content forms a continuity with the displayed first stored content.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first and second stored content comprise a text content or an image content.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one segment has a first terminus and a second terminus.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to determine whether the content expansion is selected prior to reaching the second terminus of the at least one segment.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the expansion link is located between the first terminus and the second terminus.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the expansion link is located at the second terminus.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a continuity link to a continuing segment comprising a third stored content.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the continuity link is located in the at least one segment.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the continuity link is located in the expansion segment.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to display the third stored content of the continuing segment.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to display the third stored content of the continuing segment, if the content expansion is not selected.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a link from the expansion segment to a continuing segment comprising a third stored content.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to display the third stored content of the continuing segment.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a premature contraction point in the at least one segment.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a link from the premature contraction point to a continuing segment.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a link from the premature contraction point to a continuing segment.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a premature contraction point in the expansion segment.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide an expansion cue associated with the expansion link.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the expansion cue comprises a highlighted cue, a specifically chosen shape, a visually highlighted shape or a visual cue.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a plurality of expansion links from the at least one segment to a plurality of expansion segments.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a second expansion link from the expansion segment to a second expansion segment.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a link from the expansion segment to the at least one segment.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the at least one segment has a first terminus and a second terminus.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the link is located at the second terminus.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the link is located between the first terminus and the second terminus.

26. A computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer are capable of causing the computer to:

generate a user interface;

display at least one segment comprising a stored text content, wherein the at least one segment has a first terminus and a second terminus;

provide an expansion decision point corresponding to an expansion segment;

provide an expansion link from the expansion decision point to the expansion segment;

determine whether a content expansion is selected; and

display the expansion segment if the content expansion is selected, wherein the displayed expansion segment is seamless with the at least one segment.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a plurality of expansion decision points corresponding to a plurality of expansion segments.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the expansion decision point corresponds to a plurality of expansion links.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the expansion decision point is located at the second terminus of the at least one segment.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the expansion decision point is located between the first terminus and the second terminus of the at least one segment.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a continuity link to a continuing segment.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to display the continuing segment.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a landing sub-segment in the continuing segment, wherein the landing sub-segment begins at an offset from a first terminus of the continuing segment.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 33, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to display the continuing segment starting at the offset.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a link from the expansion segment to a continuing segment.

36. The computer readable medium of claim 35, wherein the instructions are further capable causing the computer to display the continuing segment.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 35, wherein the link is located at the end of the expansion segment.

38. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a link from the expansion segment to the at least one segment.

39. The computer readable medium of claim 38, wherein the link is located at the second terminus.

40. The computer readable medium of claim 38, wherein the link is located between the first terminus and the second terminus.

41. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide an expansion cue that visually represents the expansion decision point.

42. The computer readable medium of claim 41, wherein the expansion cue comprises a highlighted cue, a specifically chosen shape, a visually highlighted shape or a visual cue.

43. The computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a second expansion link from the expansion segment to a second expansion segment.

44. A computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer are capable of causing the computer to:

display a first segment comprising a first stored content;

provide an expansion link from the first segment to an expansion segment comprising a second stored content;

provide a continuity link from the first segment or the expansion segment to a continuing segment comprising a third stored content;

determine whether a content expansion is selected; and

display the second stored content of the expansion segment if the content expansion is selected, wherein the displayed second stored content is continuous with the displayed first stored content.

45. The computer readable medium of claim 44, wherein the first, second and third stored content comprise a text content.

46. The computer readable medium of claim 44, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to display the third stored content of the continuing segment, if the content expansion is not selected.

47. The computer readable medium of claim 44, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a link from the expansion segment to the first segment.

48. The computer readable medium of claim 47, wherein the link is pushed to a link stack.

49. The computer readable medium of claim 47, wherein the link is popped from a link stack.

50. The computer readable medium of claim 47, wherein the link is derived from a remembered state.

51. The computer readable medium of claim 47, wherein the first segment has a first terminus and a second terminus.

52. The computer readable medium of claim 51, wherein the link is located at the second terminus.

53. The computer readable medium of claim 51, wherein the link is located between the first terminus and the second terminus.

54. The computer readable medium of claim 44, wherein the first segment has a corresponding segment description.

55. The computer readable medium of claim 54, wherein the segment description includes a first terminus representing a start of the first stored content and a second terminus representing an end of the first stored content.

56. The computer readable medium of claim 55, wherein the segment description further includes a segment identifier.

57. The computer readable medium of claim 56, wherein the segment identifier is a number, an address within an addressing system or a file name in a file management system.

58. The computer readable medium of claim 55, wherein the segment description further includes the continuity link.

59. The computer readable medium of claim 55, wherein the segment description further includes an expansion link pointer.

60. The computer readable medium of claim 59, wherein the expansion link pointer points to an expansion link description.

61. The computer readable medium of claim 44, wherein the expansion link has a corresponding expansion link description.

62. The computer readable medium of claim 61, wherein the expansion link description includes an expansion segment identifier.

63. The computer readable medium of claim 62, wherein the expansion segment identifier is a number, an address within an addressing system or a file name in a file management system.

64. The computer readable medium of claim 61, wherein the expansion link description includes an expansion link pointer.

65. The computer readable medium of claim 61, wherein the expansion link description includes a cue definition.

66. The computer readable medium of claim 65, wherein the cue definition defines a highlighted discernible entity displayed within the first segment.

67. The computer readable medium of claim 61, wherein the expansion link description includes a continuity link offset.

68. The computer readable medium of claim 44, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a second expansion link from the expansion segment to a second expansion segment.

69. A computer readable medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer are capable of causing the computer to:

fetch a segment descriptor corresponding to a first segment comprising a first stored content;

fetch the first stored content;

display the first stored content;

provide an expansion cue corresponding to an expansion link from the first segment to an expansion segment comprising a second stored content;

determine whether the expansion cue is selected;

fetch an expansion link descriptor corresponding to the expansion segment if the expansion cue is selected;

fetch the second stored content if the expansion cue is selected;

display the second stored content of the expansion segment if the expansion cue is selected, wherein the displayed second stored content forms a continuity with the displayed first stored content.

70. The computer readable medium of claim 69, wherein the first and second stored content comprise a text content or an image content.

71. The computer readable medium of claim 69, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a continuity link from the first segment or the expansion segment to a continuing segment comprising a third stored content.

72. The computer readable medium of claim 71, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to fetch a continuing segment descriptor corresponding to the continuing segment.

73. The computer readable medium of claim 72, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to fetch the third stored content and to display the third stored content.

74. The computer readable medium of claim 69, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a continuity link from the first segment to a continuing segment comprising a third stored content.

75. The computer readable medium of claim 74, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to fetch a continuing segment descriptor corresponding to the continuing segment, if the expansion cue is not selected.

76. The computer readable medium of claim 75, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to fetch the third stored content and to display the third stored content, if the expansion cue is not selected.

77. The computer readable medium of claim 69, wherein the instructions are further capable of causing the computer to provide a link from the expansion segment to the first segment.

78. The computer readable medium of claim 77, wherein the first segment has a first terminus and a second terminus.

79. The computer readable medium of claim 78, wherein the link is located at the second terminus.

80. The computer readable medium of claim 78, wherein the link is located between the first terminus and the second terminus.

81. A method of seamlessly displaying stored content comprising the acts of:

displaying at least one segment comprising a first stored content;

providing an expansion link from the at least one segment to an expansion segment comprising a second stored content;

selecting a content expansion; and

displaying the second stored content of the expansion segment upon selection of the content expansion, wherein the displayed second stored content forms a continuity with the displayed first stored content.

82. The method of claim 81, further comprising the act of selecting the content expansion prior to reaching an end of the at least one segment.

83. The method of claim 81, further comprising the act of providing a continuity link to a continuing segment comprising a third stored content.

84. The method of claim 83, further comprising the act of displaying the third stored content of the continuing segment.

85. The method of claim 81, further comprising the act of providing a link from the expansion segment to the at least one segment.

86. The method of claim 85, wherein the at least one segment has a first terminus and a second terminus.

87. The method of claim 86, wherein the link is located at the second terminus.

88. The method of claim 86, wherein the link is located between the first terminus and the second terminus.