Systems and methods for creating linear video from branched video

• US 9,653,115 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2014
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JBF Interlude 2009 Ltd., JBF Interlude 2009 Ltd - Israel
• Original Assignee: JBF Interlude 2009 Ltd.
• Inventors: Zubalsky, Tal, Bloch, Jonathan, Feldman, Barak, Hofshy, Yuval
• Primary Examiner(s): HARVEY, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US14/249,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20150294685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 386341
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/47 involving branching, e.g. choosing one of several possible scenarios at a given point in time
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8541 involving branching, e.g. to different story endings

Abstract

Computer-implemented methods and systems for creating non-interactive, linear video from video segments in a video tree. Selectably presentable video segments are stored in a memory, with each segment representing a predefined portion of one or more paths in a traversable video tree. A linear, non-interactive video is automatically created from the selectably presentable video segments by traversing at least a portion of a first path in the video tree and, upon completion, is provided to a viewer for playback.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing a plurality of selectably presentable video segments, each segment representing a predefined portion of one or more paths in a traversable video tree;

automatically creating a linear, non-interactive video from the selectably presentable video segments by;

traversing at least a portion of the first path in the video tree, the first path comprising a plurality of branching points at which the first path branches into a plurality of alternative paths;

traversing the plurality of alternative paths at each decision point; and

forming the linear, non-interactive video to comprise a simultaneous presentation of video segments in the alternative paths, wherein at a particular point of time in the video following a particular branching point, the number of video segments simultaneously presented corresponds to the number of alternative paths branching from the particular branching point;

providing in the linear, non-interactive video a graphical representation of simulated user interaction with one or more of the video segments, the graphical representation of simulated user interaction corresponding to the traversal of the at least a portion of the first path in the video tree; and

providing the linear, non-interactive video for playback to a viewer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the linear, non-interactive video comprises a teaser portion of at least some of the video segments from one of the paths of the video tree.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the linear, non-interactive video comprises the video segments in full from one of the paths of the video tree.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular traversed path in the video tree is selected based on one or more attributes associated with a viewer of the linear, non-interactive video.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the attributes comprise at least one of demographic attributes, geographic attributes, and social networking attributes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular traversed path in the video tree is randomly selected.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein traversing at least a portion of the first path comprises virtually playing back the at least a portion of the first path and recording the playback as part of the linear, non-interactive video.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising recording a graphical user interface layer as part of the linear, non-interactive video.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the video segments in the alternative paths are simultaneously presented in the linear, non-interactive video by disposing the video segments in the alternative paths in separate video frame regions.

10. A system comprising:

at least one memory for storing computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor for executing the instructions stored on the at least one memory, wherein execution of the instructions programs the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

storing a plurality of selectably presentable video segments, each segment representing a predefined portion of one or more paths in a traversable video tree;

automatically creating a linear, non-interactive video from the selectably presentable video segments by;

traversing at least a portion of the first path in the video tree, the first path comprising a plurality of branching points at which the first path branches into a plurality of alternative paths;

traversing the plurality of alternative paths at each decision point; and

forming the linear, non-interactive video to comprise a simultaneous presentation of video segments in the alternative paths, wherein at a particular point of time in the video following a particular branching point, the number of video segments simultaneously presented corresponds to the number of alternative paths branching from the particular branching point;

providing in the linear, non-interactive video a graphical representation of simulated user interaction with one or more of the video segments, the graphical representation of simulated user interaction corresponding to the traversal of the at least a portion of the first path in the video tree; and

providing the linear, non-interactive video for playback to a viewer.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the linear, non-interactive video comprises a teaser portion of at least some of the video segments from one of the paths of the video tree.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the linear, non-interactive video comprises the video segments in full from one of the paths of the video tree.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein a particular traversed path in the video tree is selected based on one or more attributes associated with a viewer of the linear, non-interactive video.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the attributes comprise at least one of demographic attributes, geographic attributes, and social networking attributes.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein a particular traversed path in the video tree is randomly selected.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein traversing at least a portion of the first path comprises virtually playing back the at least a portion of the first path and recording the playback as part of the linear, non-interactive video.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise recording a graphical user interface layer as part of the linear, non-interactive video.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the video segments in the alternative paths are simultaneously presented in the linear, non-interactive video by disposing the video segments in the alternative paths in separate video frame regions.