System and method of interactive video playback

• US 8,202,167 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2004
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Ackley, Jonathan, Carey, Christopher T., Carr, Bennet S., Poole, Kathleen S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US10/860,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20050020359A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,939 Days
• Field of Search: 725/1, 463/2, 463/31, 463/43
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/202 the game platform being a DVD player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/207 for accessing game resources from local storage, e.g. streaming content from DVD
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/407 Data transfer via internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/632 by branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible story developments at a given point in time

Abstract

A method of providing an interactive game through playback of video, the method comprising the steps of providing a video player with a processor, the processor capable of accepting user input, drawing graphics or text on top of video playback, and controlling playback of sounds; providing media with a primary video stream for standard playback, and game instructions working in cooperation with the video stream, and an edit decision list; reading the edit decision list into the CPU and playing the portions of the video stream as instructed by the edit decision list; and superimposing other graphics onto the video to create an interactive game experience.

Claims

1. A method for use by a video player using a medium including a video having a plurality of segments in a sequential playback order, the video player having an interactive mode and a non-interactive mode, the method comprising:

activating the non-interactive mode for playing the video in the sequential playback order by;

receiving the plurality of segments of the video in the sequential playback order by a media interface of the video player;

ignoring segment identifiers; and

displaying each of the plurality of segments of the video in the sequential playback order by the video player;

activating the interactive mode of the video player for playing a game using the video by;

starting to detect the segment identifiers in response to the activating of the interactive mode;

determining whether a user playing the game has successfully hit a target in the game;

identifying, based on the determining, a first segment of the plurality of segments of the video using one or more of the segment identifiers to provide a first identified segment of the video;

skipping a display of the first identified segment of the video;

identifying, based on the determining, a second segment of the plurality of segments of the video using one or more of the segment identifiers to provide a second identified segment of the video; and

displaying the second identified segment of the video.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the segment identifiers are located in a code within the medium.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the segment identifiers are located in an edit decision list within the medium.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the segment identifiers are encoded into the video.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the segment identifiers are loaded from a computer network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the interactive mode of the video player is in response to a request by the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first identified segment of the video is further based on a game score of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the video from the medium is a linear narrative video.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying one or more segments of the plurality of segments of the video using one or more of the segment identifiers to provide one or more identified segments of the video for displaying in the interactive mode, in response to identifying the first identified segment;

buffering the one or more segments of the plurality of segments for an uninterrupted display of the video in the interactive mode.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a graphic overlay from the medium in the interactive mode based on an action of the user;

displaying the graphic overlay on the second identified segment of the video in the interactive mode.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first segment of the plurality of segments includes one of close-up segment or cutaway segment.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the video occurs after activating the interactive mode of the video player.

13. A video player operable to provide an interactive mode and a non-interactive mode using a medium including a video having a plurality of segments in a sequential playback order, the video player comprising:

a media interface; and

a processor operable to activate the non-interactive mode of the video player, and further operable to activate the interactive mode of the video player for playing a game using the video;

in the non-interactive mode;

the media interface operable to receive the plurality of segments of the video in the sequential playback order;

the processor operable to ignore the segment identifiers in the non-interactive mode of the video player, and to cause a display of each of the plurality of segments of the video in the sequential playback order by the video player;

in the interactive mode;

the processor operable to start detecting the segment identifiers, in response to the activating of the interactive mode, and to make a determination whether a user playing the game has successfully hit a target in the game;

wherein the processor is operable to identify, based on the determination, a first segment of the plurality of segments of the video using one or more of the segment identifiers to provide a first identified segment of the video, and skip a display of the first identified segment of the video;

wherein the processor is operable to identify, based on the determination, a second segment of the plurality of segments of the video using one or more of the segment identifiers to provide a second identified segment of the video, and cause a display of the second identified segment of the video.

14. The video player of claim 13, wherein the segment identifiers are encoded into the video.

15. The video player of claim 13, wherein the video player is operable to load the segment identifiers from a computer network.

16. The video player of claim 13, wherein the processor is operable to activate the interactive mode of the video player in response to a request by the user.

17. The video player of claim 13, wherein the processor identifies the first identified segment of the video further based on a game score of the user.

18. The video player of claim 13, wherein the video is a linear narrative video.

19. The video player of claim 13, wherein the processor is operable to identify one or more segments of the plurality of segments of the video using one or more of the segment identifiers to provide one or more identified segments of the video for displaying in the interactive mode, in response to identifying the first identified segment;

wherein the processor is further operable to cause a buffering of the one or more segments of the plurality of segments for an uninterrupted display of the video in the interactive mode.

20. A method for use by a video player using a medium including a video having a plurality of segments in a sequential playback order, the video player having an interactive mode and a non-interactive mode, the method comprising:

activating the non-interactive mode for playing the video in the sequential playback order by;

receiving the plurality of segments of the video in the sequential playback order by a media interface of the video player;

ignoring segment identifiers; and

displaying each of the plurality of segments of the video in the sequential playback order by the video player;

activating the interactive mode of the video player for playing a game using the video by;

starting to detect the segment identifiers in response to the activating of the interactive mode;

determining a game score of a user playing the game;

identifying, based on the determining, a first segment of the plurality of segments of the video using one or more of the segment identifiers to provide a first identified segment of the video;

skipping a display of the first identified segment of the video;

identifying, based on the determining, a second segment of the plurality of segments of the video using one or more of the segment identifiers to provide a second identified segment of the video; and

displaying the second identified segment of the video.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the segment identifiers are located in a code within the medium.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the segment identifiers are located in an edit decision list within the medium.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the segment identifiers are encoded in the video.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the segment identifiers are loaded from a computer network.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein activating the interactive mode of the video player is in response to a request by the user.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the video from the medium is a linear narrative video.

27. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

identifying one or more segments of the plurality of segments of the video using one or more of the segment identifiers to provide one or more identified segments of the video for displaying in the interactive mode, in response to identifying the first identified segment;

buffering the one or more segments of the plurality of segments for an uninterrupted display of the video in the interactive mode.

28. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

selecting a graphic overlay from the medium in the interactive mode based on an action of the user;

displaying the graphic overlay on the second identified segment of the video in the interactive mode.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein the first segment of the plurality of segments includes one of a close-up segment or cutaway segment.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein receiving the video occurs after activating the interactive mode of the video player.

31. A video player operable to provide an interactive mode and a non-interactive mode using a medium including a video having a plurality of segments in a sequential playback order, the video player comprising:

a media interface; and

a processor operable to activate the non-interactive mode of the video player, and further operable to activate the interactive mode of the video player for playing a game using the video;

in the non-interactive mode;

the media interface operable to receive the plurality of segments of the video in the sequential playback order;

the processor operable to ignore the segment identifiers in the non-interactive mode of the video player, and to cause a display of each of the plurality of segments of the video in the sequential playback order by the video player;

in the interactive mode;

the processor operable to start detecting the segment identifiers, in response to the activating of the interactive mode, and to determine a game score of a user playing the game;

wherein the processor is operable to identify, based on the determination, a first segment of the plurality of segments of the video using one or more of the segment identifiers to provide a first identified segment of the video, and skip a display of the first identified segment of the video;

wherein the processor is operable to identify, based on the determination, a second segment of the plurality of segments of the video using one or more of the segment identifiers to provide a second identified segment of the video, and cause a display of the second identified segment of the video.

32. The video player of claim 31, wherein the segment identifiers are encoded into the video.

33. The video player of claim 31, wherein the video player is operable to load the segment identifiers from a computer network.

34. The video player of claim 31, wherein the processor is operable to activate the interactive mode of the video player in response to a request by the user.

35. The video player of claim 31, wherein the video is a linear narrative video.

36. The video player of claim 31, wherein the processor is operable to identify one or more segments of the plurality of segments of the video using one or more of the segment identifiers to provide one or more identified segments of the video for displaying in the interactive mode, in response to identifying the first identified segment;

wherein the processor is further operable to cause a buffering of the one or more segments of the plurality of segments for an uninterrupted display of the video in the interactive mode.