Automatic generation of video from structured content

• US 8,913,878 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2007
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sundaysky Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sundaysky Incorporated
• Inventors: Axen, Yaniv, Weller, Shmuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Hung
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUNN, MISHAWN N
• Application Number:
  US12/309,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20100050083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,721 Days
• Field of Search: 348/343, 348/586, 707/999.102, 707/999.104, 709/232, 386/239, 386/242, 386/278, 386/280, 386/283, 386/284
• US Class Current: 386/280
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/32 on separate auxiliary tracks of the same or an auxiliary record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8173 End-user applications, e.g. Web browser, game
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8233 the additional signal being a character code signal

Abstract

Device for providing a playable sequence in renderable manner comprises: a providing unit for providing defined functions, said functions for applying playable effects to objects, a time unit for adding time boundaries to said functions, to provide time bounded functions, an ordering unit for ordering said time bounded functions into a sequence, and a translation unit for applying translations to said objects in accordance with said effects.

Claims

1. Device for providing a continuous playable video sequence which is modifiable, the modified sequence being provided in renderable manner, the device comprising:

an input configured for obtaining playable objects, each object being independently playable,

a providing unit configured to provide a plurality of defined functions, said functions applying playable effects to modify play of said playable objects, said playable objects being part of an underlying object-orientated model, said plurality of defined functions being provided to said playable objects as markup when selected,

a time unit configured for adding time boundaries to said defined functions, to provide time bounded functions having respective beginning and end time boundaries,

an ordering unit configured for ordering said defined time bounded functions with said objects into a sequence, thereby to place said objects with and without said functions at different times in said sequence, and

a translation unit configured for applying translations to said playable objects in accordance with said playable effects, by rendering said playable objects in accordance with said markup, thereby to modify play of said playable objects at respective times within said sequence, said device thereby using said time boundaries and said ordering to combine a timeline synchronization framework with said underlying object-orientated model, wherein said ordering unit comprises a layered model for layering said time bounded defined functions to define interrelationships between said functions, said rendering being to form the continuous playable video sequence as a continuous linear sequence of said playable objects.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of said objects is an actor in a scene.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said providing unit is configured to provide a single effect to a plurality of objects, thereby to generate a compound effect.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said sequence comprises multiple code blocks to be executed simultaneously within a timeline.

6. The device of claim 5, configured to associate each of said multiple code blocks with a respective execution frame, and to associate each execution frame with a respective time graph.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein said objects are for location in a virtual universe, said virtual universe having a universe system for defining transformations of objects therewithin, and defining a snapshot thereof.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein said playable media is video, and wherein one of said objects is a location object, said location object defining a filming location.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein said location object comprises a virtual stage and at least one virtual sensor, each of said stage and said sensor having a location within said location object.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein one of said sensors is a virtual camera, and said virtual camera is configured to translate a snapshot of a viewpoint from said location to a raster image by tracing rays of light emanating from the matter in the snapshot towards the camera.

15. The device of claim 4, wherein said ordering unit is configured to use a tree structure to define said ordering.

3. Device for providing a playable sequence which is modifiable, the modified sequence being provided in renderable manner, the device comprising:

an input configured for obtaining playable objects, each object being independently playable,

a providing unit configured to provide a plurality of defined functions, said functions applying playable effects to modify play of said playable objects, said playable objects being part of an underlying object-orientated model, said plurality of defined functions being provided to said playable objects as markup when selected,

a time unit configured for adding time boundaries to said defined functions, to provide time bounded functions having respective beginning and end time boundaries,

an ordering unit configured for ordering said defined time bounded functions with said objects into a sequence, thereby to place said objects with and without said functions at different times in said sequence, and

a translation unit configured for applying translations to said playable objects in accordance with said playable effects, by rendering said playable objects in accordance with said markup, thereby to modify play of said playable objects at respective times within said sequence, said device thereby using said time boundaries and said ordering to combine a timeline synchronization framework with said underlying object-orientated model, wherein said sequence comprises multiple code blocks to be executed simultaneously within a timeline, the device configured to associate each of said multiple code blocks with a respective execution frame, and to associate each execution frame with a respective time graph, wherein said time graph comprises nodes and said nodes comprise invocation objects for invoking methods for said rendering.

7. The device of claim 3, wherein said ordering unit comprises a layered model for layering said time bounded defined functions to define interrelationships between said functions.

8. The device of claim 3, wherein said ordering comprises resolving said time graph.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein there is further provided a high level execution frame, and resolving a time graph of said high level execution frame follows resolving of time graphs of lower level execution frames.

9. Device for providing a playable sequence which is modifiable, the modified sequence being provided in renderable manner, the device comprising:

an input configured for obtaining playable objects, each object being independently playable,

a providing unit configured to provide a plurality of defined functions, said functions applying playable effects to modify play of said playable objects, said playable objects being part of an underlying object-orientated model, said plurality of defined functions being provided to said playable objects as markup when selected,

a time unit configured for adding time boundaries to said defined functions, to provide time bounded functions having respective beginning and end time boundaries,

an ordering unit configured for ordering said defined time bounded functions with said objects into a sequence, thereby to place said objects with and without said functions at different times in said sequence, and

a translation unit configured for applying translations to said playable objects in accordance with said playable effects, by rendering said playable objects in accordance with said markup, thereby to modify play of said playable objects at respective times within said sequence, said device thereby using said time boundaries and said ordering to combine a timeline synchronization framework with said underlying object-orientated model wherein said sequence comprises multiple code blocks to be executed simultaneously within a timeline, the device being configured to associate each of said multiple code blocks with a respective execution frame, and to associate each execution frame with a respective time graph, wherein said ordering unit is configured such that said resolving said time graph is carried out simultaneously with setting up a layered model for effects within said execution frame.

16. Method for providing a continuos playable sequence whose play is modifiable, the sequence with the modification being provided in renderable manner, the method comprising:

providing defined functions, said functions for applying playable effects to modify play of playable objects, said playable objects being part of an underlying object-orientated model, the defined functions being provided as markup;

adding time boundaries to said defined functions, to provide time bounded functions,

ordering said time bounded defined functions into a sequence with said objects, to define playing within said sequence of said objects as such and objects as modified by said functions at different times respectively, and

applying translations to said objects using said ordered time-bounded defined functions, thereby to modify play of said objects in accordance with said effects, the method using said time boundaries and said ordering to combine a timeline synchronization framework with said underlying object-orientated model, wherein said ordering comprises using a layered model for layering said time bounded defined functions to define interrelationships between said functions, said rendering being to form the continuous playable video sequence as a continuous linear sequence of said playable objects.

17. Method for rendering a playable sequence provided as stage instructions for an acting object, comprising:

defining a stage area,

defining a virtual camera to view said stage,

providing at least one actor object for acting on said stage in accordance with said stage instructions, said stage instructions being available in markup in a time sequence and defining said acting along said time sequence, and

rendering a view calculated to said virtual camera of said stage including said actors at successive times in said sequence, wherein said view is modified in time by said stage instructions.

18. Method according to claim 17, wherein said virtual camera comprises a viewing angle, and said rendering a view comprises rendering the view within the viewing angle.

19. Method according to claim 17, further comprising providing to said virtual camera at least one of pan and zoom features to change said view of said stage.