Editor for defining shared scenes, with separately controllable command objects, to create superimposed final scenes

• US 7,757,157 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2000
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Paula; Cesar B
• Application Number:
  US09/523,437
• Time in Patent Office: 3,777 Days
• Field of Search: 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/707, 715/716, 715731-732, 715/500.1, 715/760, 715201-205, 715234-236, 715762-764, 345/716, 345/707, 345/708, 345/709, 345/760
• US Class Current: 715/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80

Abstract

An information processing apparatus for creating content information according to a predetermined specification includes a shared scene definer operable to define a shared scene as editing material. The editing material is processed in the apparatus. The shared scene is created by a shared scene creator and is a virtual scene usable by a plurality of scenes. A shared scene setter sets a specific shared scene to be used by each of plurality of scenes to form content information, a shared object setter sets the shared object to be used in the specific shared scene and a control-information describer describes the control information for controlling the utilization of the shared objects in accordance with the predetermined specification and in dependence on the set specific shared scene.

Claims

1. An information processing editing apparatus comprising a processor programmed for allowing an editor to create final superimposed scenes from content information according to a predetermined specification, the processor comprising instructions for generating:

a shared-scene creation module operable allow the editor to define shared scenes that are superimposable to create a single, superimposed final scene, the shared scenes being virtual scenes formed in accordance with an internal format and used to form the final scenes, each of the shared scenes comprising one or more shared objects that are controllable for display to create final scenes, the shared objects comprising user-selectable command objects and being separately controllable independent of the defined shared scenes in which the shared objects are displayed in accordance with the predetermined specification;

a shared-scene processing module operable to enable the editor to virtually superimpose two or more shared scenes, each of the shared scenes comprising one or more of the shared objects, for creating the superimposed final superimposed scenes with the shared objects from each selected shared scene;

an application creation module operable to describe control information in accordance with the internal format based on the shared scenes set by the editor via said shared-scenes creation and processing modules; and

an output control module for converting the control information into shared object control information for forming the final superimposed scenes in which the shared objects selected by combining shared scenes are specified for display at the same time in the final superimposed scenes in accordance with the predetermined specification;

wherein the superimposed final scenes are described by the combination of one or more shared scenes and one or more of the shared objects based on the internal format, and the converted control information is described based on one or more of the shared objects without the shared scenes.

2. An information processing editing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said shared-scene processing module further specifies an order of superposition of a plurality of said shared scenes;

and

said application creation module further describes said control information for controlling an order of superposition of said shared objects used for each of the final superimposed scenes as a state of utilization of shared objects in each of the final superimposed scenes in accordance with said order of superposition of said shared scenes.

3. An information editing processing apparatus comprising a processor programmed for allowing an editor to create final superimposed scenes from content information according to a predetermined specification, the processor comprising instructions for generating:

shared-scene creation means for allowing the editor to define shared scenes that are superimposable to create a single, superimposed final scene, the shared scenes being virtual scenes formed in accordance with an internal format and used to form the final superimposed scenes, each of the shared scenes comprising one or more shared objects that are controllable for display to create final superimposed scenes, the shared objects comprising user-selectable command objects and being separately controllable independent of the defined shared scenes in which the shared objects are displayed in accordance with said predetermined specification;

shared-scene processing means for enabling the editor to virtually superimpose two or more shared scenes, each of the shared scenes comprising one or more of the shared objects, for creating the superimposed final superimposed scenes with the shared objects from each selected shared scene;

control-information description means for describing control information in accordance with the internal format based on the shared scenes set by the editor; and

converting means for converting the control information into shared object control information for forming the final superimposed scenes in which the shared objects selected by combining shared scenes are specified for display at the same time in the final superimposed scenes created in accordance with the predetermined specification;

wherein the superimposed final scenes are described by the combination of one or more shared scenes and one or more of the shared objects based on the internal format, and the converted control information is described based on one or more of the shared objects without the shared scenes.

4. An information processing editing apparatus comprising a processor programmed for allowing an editor to create final superimposed scenes from broadcast content information according to a predetermined data broadcasting specification, the processor comprising instructions for generating:

shared-scene creation means for allowing the editor to define shared scenes that are superimposable to create a single, superimposed final scene, the shared scenes being virtual scenes formed in accordance with an internal format and used to form the final superimposed scenes, each of the shared scenes comprising one or more shared objects that are controllable for display to create final superimposed scenes, the shared objects comprising user-selectable command objects and being separately controllable independent of the defined shared scenes in which the shared objects are displayed in accordance with the data broadcasting specification;

shared-scene processing means for enabling the editor to virtually superimpose two or more shared scenes, each of the shared scenes comprising one or more of the shared objects, for creating the superimposed final superimposed scenes with the shared objects from each selected shared scene;

control-information description means for describing control information in accordance with the internal format based on the shared scenes set by the editor; and

converting means for converting the control information into shared object control information for forming the final superimposed scenes in which the shared objects selected by combining shared scenes are specified for display at the same time in the final superimposed scenes in accordance with the data broadcasting specification;

wherein the superimposed final scenes are described by the combination of one or more shared scenes and one or more of the shared objects based on the internal format, and the converted control information is described based on one or more of the shared objects without the shared scenes.

5. A computer-implemented method for allowing an editor to create final superimposed scenes from shared scenes from content information according to a predetermined specification, comprising:

defining shared scenes that are superimposable to create a single, superimposed final scene, the shared scenes being virtual scenes formed in accordance with an internal format and used to form the final superimposed scenes, each of the shared scenes including at least one shared object controllable for display to create final superimposed scenes, the shared objects comprising user-selectable command objects and being separately controllable independent of the defined shared scenes in which the shared objects are displayed in accordance with the predetermined specification;

virtually superimposing two or more shared scenes, each of the shared scenes comprising one or more of the shared objects, for creating the superimposed final superimposed scenes with the shared objects from each selected shared scene;

describing control information in accordance with the internal format based on the shared scenes;

converting the control information into shared object control information for forming the final superimposed scenes in which the shared objects selected by combining shared scenes are specified for display at the same time in the final superimposed scenes in accordance with the predetermined specification;

describing the superimposed final scenes by the combination of one or more shared scenes and one or more of the shared objects based on the internal format; and

describing the converted control information based on one or more of the shared objects without the shared scenes.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising controlling utilization of the at least one shared object in each of the final superimposed scenes based upon the predetermined specification and the shared scenes.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

specifying an order of superposition of the shared scenes; and

describing the control information to control an order of superposition of the shared objects based upon the order of superposition of the shared scenes.

8. A computer-implemented method for allowing an editor to create final superimposed scenes from shared scenes from content information according to a data broadcasting specification, comprising:

defining shared scenes that are superimposable to create a single, superimposed final scene, the shared scenes being virtual scenes formed in accordance with an internal format and used to form the final superimposed scenes, each of the shared scenes including at least one shared object controllable for display to create final superimposed scenes, the shared objects comprising user-selectable command objects and being separately controllable independent of the defined shared scenes in which the shared objects are displayed in accordance with the data broadcasting specification;

virtually superimposing two or more shared scenes, each of the shared scenes comprising one or more of the shared objects, for creating the superimposed final superimposed scenes with the shared objects from each selected shared scene;

describing control information in accordance with the internal format based on the shared scenes;

converting the control information into shared object control information for forming the final superimposed scenes in which the shared objects selected by combining shared scenes are specified for display at the same time in the final superimposed scene in accordance with the data broadcasting specification;

describing the superimposed final scenes by the combination of one or more shared scenes and one or more of the shared objects based on the internal format; and

describing the converted control information based on one or more of the shared objects without the shared scenes.

9. A memory device for storing instructions for operating a computer to allow an editor to create final superimposed scenes from shared scenes from content information according to a predetermined specification, the instructions comprising instructions for:

defining shared scenes that are superimposable to create a single, superimposed final scene, the shared scenes being virtual scenes formed in accordance with an internal format and used to form the final superimposed scenes, each of the shared scenes including at least one shared object controllable for display to create final superimposed scenes, the shared objects comprising user-selectable command objects and being separately controllable independent of the defined shared scenes in which the shared objects are displayed in accordance with the predetermined specification;

virtually superimposing two or more shared scenes, each of the shared scenes comprising one or more of the shared objects, for creating the superimposed final superimposed scenes with the shared objects from each selected shared scene;

describing control information in accordance with the internal format based on the shared scenes;

converting the control information into shared object control information for forming the final superimposed scenes in which the shared objects selected by combining shared scenes are specified for display at the same time in the final superimposed scenes in accordance with the predetermined specification;

describing the superimposed final scenes by the combination of one or more shared scenes and one or more of the shared objects based on the internal format; and

describing the converted control information based on one or more of the shared objects without the shared scenes.

10. An information editing processing apparatus comprising a processor programmed for allowing an editor to create final superimposed scenes from intermediate scene templates, the processor comprising instructions for generating:

a shared-scene creation module operable to allow the editor to define intermediate scene templates that are superimposable to create a single, superimposed final scene in accordance with an internal format that include one or more shared objects that are controllable in an always on or always off manner for display to create final superimposed scenes, the shared objects comprising user-selectable command objects and being separately controllable independent of the defined shared scenes in which the shared objects are displayed in accordance with a predetermined, industry-standard specification;

a shared-scene processing module operable to enable the editor to virtually superimpose two or more of the intermediate scene templates to form a desired final superimposed scene that is a superposition of the shared objects contained within the editor-selected intermediate scene templates;

an application creation module operable to form shared-scene definition statements of shared objects files in accordance with the internal format, the shared object files comprising shared objects from the combined editor-selected intermediate scene templates;

an output control module for providing description files that include descriptions of links for controlling the shared objects from the shared object files from each editor-selected intermediate scene template, the description files forming a script that complies with the industry-standard specification to display the shared objects at the same time in the final superimposed scenes;

wherein the superimposed final scene is described by the combination of one or more scene templates and one or more of the shared objects based on the internal format, and the converted control information is described based on one or more of the shared objects without the shared scenes.