Image integration, mapping and linking system and methodology

• US 8,795,091 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2012
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Bassilic Technologies LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Sitrick, David H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D
• Application Number:
  US13/441,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20120196677A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 42, 463/43, 463/16, 463/20, 463 11- 13, 463 17- 19, 463/25, 463 26- 28, 463 30- 32
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• 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 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/203 Image generating hardware
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/207 for accessing game resources from local storage, e.g. streaming content from DVD
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/695 Imported photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 15/16 for preventing non-intended contact between spray heads or nozzles and foreign bodies, e.g. nozzle guards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay

Abstract

An adapter interface apparatus has a user input device and an associated video display. The user selects a distinguishable visual image representation for association into an audiovisual presentation, such as where that user is identified. For example, color, size graphics or shape can be used to distinguish users. In one embodiment a digitized image of each user'"'"'s face is used as the distinguishable representation. Alternatively, the user can create an original image or select one of a predetermined set of visual images as the user'"'"'s identification for use in the audiovisual presentation. In one embodiment, the adapter interface is coupled to an audiovisual presentation system and a storage card containing User Images. The adapter interface system integrates a selected User Image from the Storage Card into the audiovisual presentation.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a computer system having a processor, for creating a display by integrating images into a presentation output having pre-existing images, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of at least one of a plurality of user-defined images, the user-defined images being different from the pre-existing images;

receiving mappable links configured to generate the display, the mappable links being between the user-defined images and the pre-existing images, wherein the mappable links are generated separately from the presentation output; and

responsive to the selection of the at least one of the user-defined images, integrating, with the processor, a representation of the selected at least one of the user-defined images into the presentation output in real time, at least in part by;

resolving one or more of the mappable links from a particular user-defined image to a particular pre-existing image, and

in response to resolving the one or more mappable links, replacing the particular pre-existing images of the presentation output with the particular user-defined image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a selection of at least one of a plurality of user-defined images comprises receiving a selection made by one of:

a viewer of the presentation output, a user of the computer system, or a user of a software application executing at a computer separate from the computer system.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a selection of at least one of a plurality of user-defined images comprises receiving a selection made by a developer of the presentation output as a part of developing the presentation output.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one of the plurality of user-defined images from a separate computer system coupled to the computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mappable links comprise a mappable link from each of the plurality of user-defined images to the presentation output.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing at least one additional user-defined image for use in replacing at least one of the user-defined images;

storing an additional mappable link for the at least one additional user-defined image; and

utilizing the additional at least one user-defined image in the presentation output responsive to the additional mappable link.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of at least one predefined area within the presentation output configured to be utilized for image integration; and

integrating the representation of the selected one of the user-defined images into a respective at least one predefined area within the presentation output responsive to one of the mappable links that corresponds to link for the selected one of the plurality of user-defined images.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the creation of user-defined images and mappable links for use in generating the presentation output.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a selection of at least one of a plurality of user defined-images comprises receiving a selection of at least one of:

a still video image, an advertisement, a promotion, an image representative of a recognizable object, or an image representative of a recognizable living being.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a selection of at least one of a plurality of user defined-images comprises receiving a selection of at least one of:

a recognizable visual image of a third person, a texture map, a representation of a user image, a geometric model, or a geometric mesh.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a selection of at least one of a plurality of user defined-images comprises receiving a selection of at least one of:

a motion video clip, a keyframe, morphing coordinate points, geometric constraint information, or colorimetric information.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the presentation output responsive to a software program configured to generate a video amusement presentation.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a selection of at least one of a plurality of user-defined images comprises receiving a selection of at least one of a still video image, a graphic image, an advertisement, a still picture, a texture map, a geometric model, or a geometric mesh.

14. The method of claim 1 receiving a selection of at least one of a plurality of user-defined images comprises receiving a selection of an image captured via a three-dimensional input apparatus.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a selection of at least one of a plurality of user-defined images comprises receiving a selection of at least one of:

x-ray data or infrared data.

16. A system, having a processor and memory, comprising:

a component configured to store digital data comprising pre-existing digital data and user-defined digital data;

a component configured to generate a display presentation comprising a plurality of interacting characters;

a component configured to store one or more mappable links, the mappable links linking portions of the user-defined digital data to portions of the pre-existing digital data, wherein the mappable links are not generated as part of the generating the initial display presentation;

a component configured to receive a selection of at least one of the plurality of characters; and

a component configured to generate an integrated presentation responsive to receiving the selection in real time based at least in part on an analysis of the display presentation to identify the selected character and replacement of at least a portion of the pre-existing digital data corresponding to the selected character with at least a portion of the user-defined digital data by;

resolving one or more of the mappable links, from the portion of the pre-existing digital data corresponding to the selected character, to particular user defined digital data, and

in response to resolving the one or more mappable links, replacing the portion of the pre-existing digital data corresponding to the selected character with the particular user defined digital data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the stored digital data is representative of at least one of:

digital audio, sound captured by a microphone, or digital data of a person speaking.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the stored digital data is representative of at least one of:

digital visual still video image data, digital visual moving video image data, a video camera capture, or digital data input via scanner input.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the stored digital data comprises digital visual still video image data, digital visual moving video image data, a video camera capture, or digital data input via scanner input.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the digital data is comprised of digital data of a person speaking, the system further comprising:

a component configured to integrate into the integrated presentation the stored digital data of the person speaking so as to appear to be associated with the respective selected character'"'"'s speaking within the integrated presentation.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of interacting characters comprise at least one of:

animals, animated characters, user-created objects, third-party created objects, computer-generated images, or recognizable visual images.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the system is utilized as one of a video-game system, a video game development system, or a karaoke system.

23. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:

instructions for identifying a plurality of selectable images;

instructions for receiving a selection of one of the plurality of selectable images;

instructions for receiving one or more mappable links between the selection and a representation within a presentation output, wherein the mappable links are generated separately from the presentation output; and

instructions for integrating a representation of the selected one of the plurality of selectable images into the presentation output, wherein the integrating comprises substituting at least a portion of the selected one of the plurality of selectable images for a representation within the presentation output at least substantially in real time by;

resolving one or more of the mappable links between the selection and the representation within the presentation output, and

in response to resolving the one or more mappable links, replacing the representation within the presentation output with the portion of the selected one of the plurality of selectable images.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, the instructions stored thereon further comprising:

instructions for identifying at least one predefined area within the presentation output to be utilized for image integration; and

instructions for integrating the representation of the selected one of the plurality of selectable images into the at least one predefined area within the presentation output.

25. A computer-readable storage device having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:

instructions for creating a mappable link of a user-representative character image to a predefined representation, wherein the mappable link defines utilization of the user-representative character image in a video presentation, wherein the mappable link is generated separately from the video presentation;

instructions for receiving a selection of the user-representative character image; and

instructions for integrating the user-representative character image into the video presentation by substituting the user-representative character image for a predefined representation within the video presentation in real time by;

selecting the mappable link for the predefined representation within the video presentation;

resolving the selected mappable link from the representation within the video presentation to the user-representative character image, and

in response to resolving the selected mappable link, replacing the representation within the video presentation with the user-representative character image.

26. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that, if executed by a computing system having a processor, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

identifying digital image data used to generate a portion of a first video presentation;

receiving a selection from the digital image data of an image for integration; and

receiving one or more mappable links between the selection and a representation of an entity within the first video presentation, wherein the mappable links are generated separately from the video presentation; and

generating an integrated video presentation in real time, wherein the integrated video presentation is generated by;

analyzing the first video presentation to identify a representation of the entity within the first video presentation,

in response to identifying the representation, resolving one or more of the mappable links from the representation of the entity to the selected digital image data;

in response to resolving one or more of the mappable links, generating a substitute representation with the representation of the entity replaced by the selected digital image data, and

providing for display the substitute representation,

wherein at least a portion of the selected image for integration is integrated within the integrated video presentation.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein receiving a selection from the digital image data of an image for integration comprises receiving a selection of a representation of a user comprising at least one of:

a visual video display or a digital picture of the user.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein receiving a selection from the digital image data of an image for integration comprises receiving a selection of a representation of a user comprising at least one of:

an avatar for the user, a recognizable object, a user-created visual image, or a third-party famous person visual appearance.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 26 wherein generating an integrated video presentation comprises generating a representation of a networked community of users in a shared-world environment.