Enhancing a rendering system to distinguish presentation time from data time

• US 9,035,954 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Virentem Ventures LLC
• Original Assignee: Virentem Ventures LLC
• Inventors: Bianchi, Edward J., Goldhor, Richard S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery A
• Application Number:
  US13/303,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20120195568A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 386/343
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783

Abstract

Techniques are provided for enhancing a digital rendering system to enable the digital rendering system to distinguish Presentation Time from Data Time.

Claims

1. An enhancement system for enhancing an original rendering system which renders temporal sequence presentation data, the original rendering system including a current time parameter but not including distinct presentation time and data time parameters, the enhancement system comprising:

at least one computer processor;

at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer program instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer program instructions are executable by the at least one computer processor to produce an enhanced rendering system by;

(A) monitoring values of a presentation rate parameter that may vary over time, the presentation rate parameter representing a current rate at which the portion of the temporal sequence presentation data is being rendered;

(B) interpreting a value of the current time parameter as a value of a data time parameter; and

(C) identifying, based on the values of the presentation rate parameter and the value of the data time parameter, a presentation time parameter value representing an amount of time required to render the portion of the temporal sequence presentation data at the current rate;

wherein, in the enhanced rendering system, the value of the presentation time parameter differs from the value of the data time parameter.

2. The enhancement system of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

(D) rendering a portion of the temporal sequence presentation data at any of a plurality of presentation rates.

3. The enhancement system of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

(D) returning the value of a predetermined one of the presentation time parameter and the data time parameter in response to a request for a current time.

4. An enhancement system for enhancing an original rendering system which renders temporal sequence presentation data, the original rendering system including a current time parameter but not including distinct presentation time and data time parameters, the enhancement system comprising:

at least one computer processor;

at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer program instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer program instructions are executable by the at least one computer processor to produce an enhanced rendering system by performing a method comprising;

(A) monitoring values of a presentation rate parameter that may vary over time, the presentation rate parameter representing a current rate at which the portion of the temporal sequence presentation data is being rendered;

(B) interpreting a value of the current time parameter as a value of a data time parameter;

(C) identifying, based on the values of the presentation rate parameter and the value of the data time parameter, a presentation time parameter value representing an amount of time required to render the portion of the temporal sequence presentation data at the current rate;

(D) rendering a portion of the temporal sequence presentation data at any of a plurality of presentation rates; and

(E) returning the value of a predetermined one of the presentation time parameter and the data time parameter in response to a request for a current time;

wherein, in the enhanced rendering system, the value of the presentation time parameter differs from the value of the data time parameter.