Variation and control of sensory work playback

• US 9,183,753 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Zalewski, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tekle, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/679,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20080206732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,179 Days
• Field of Search: 386/261
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied

Abstract

Methods and systems are shown which may enable users to create custom playback schemes for sensory works, including television shows, where a community of users may share thin time-based metadata edit control structures that are processed to enable playback devices to reproduce reference programming material according to the edits or cuts made any user.

Claims

1. A sensory work playback system, comprising:

a sensory work input port operable to receive sensory work data;

a storage device accessible over a network to members within a community for storing a playback control record that is selectable over the network by one or more members within the community setting forth alterations to the playback of the sensory work data, the playback control record including;

a sensory work applicability identifier usable to determine whether the playback control record is applicable to a sensory work;

a user rating, the user rating identifying the user'"'"'s degree of like or dislike of the playback control record;

at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding including a control signal and data to define an alteration to be applied to the playback of the sensory work;

a sensory work output port operable to send information to a sensory output device to enable the playback of sensory work data;

a processor operable to automatically alter the playback of the sensory work data without user input in accordance with the playback control record based on the at least one variation encoding and the user rating of the playback control record, and to output altered sensory work data through the sensory work output port; and

a user interface enabling one or more members of the community to provide ratings feedback to the community.

2. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the sensory work data includes audio-visual information.

3. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the sensory work data is stored on a computer-readable medium.

4. The sensory work playback system of claim 3, wherein the computer-readable medium is removable.

5. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the sensory work input port is an input/output controller.

6. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the storage device is a memory.

7. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the sensory work output port is an input/output controller.

8. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the sensory work data may be used to playback the sensory work.

9. The sensory work playback system of claim 8, wherein the processor is operable to alter the playback of the sensory work data to skip at least one segment of the sensory work.

10. The sensory work playback system of claim 8, wherein the processor is operable to alter the playback of the sensory work data to reorder segments of the sensory work.

11. The sensory work playback system of claim 8, wherein the processor is operable to alter the playback speed of the sensory work data.

12. The sensory work playback system of claim 8, wherein the processor is operable to alter the playback of the sensory work data to insert a segment.

13. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the playback control record is represented as metadata.

14. The sensory work playback system of claim 1, wherein the sensory work playback system is a digital video recorder.

15. A playback control record stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the playback control record comprising:

a sensory work applicability identifier usable to determine whether the playback control record is applicable to a sensory work;

a user rating, the user rating identifying the user'"'"'s degree of like or dislike of the playback control record; and

at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding, including a control signal and data to define an alteration to be applied to the playback of the sensory work, wherein the playback control record is usable by a sensory work playback device to automatically alter the playback of the sensory work without user input based on at least the user rating of the playback control record.

16. The playback control record of claim 15, wherein the sensory work applicability identifier is hierarchical.

17. The playback control record of claim 16, wherein the sensory work applicability identifier includes a program identifier.

18. The playback control record of claim 17, wherein the sensory work applicability identifier further includes a source identifier.

19. The playback control record of claim 17, wherein the sensory work applicability identifier further includes a format identifier.

20. The playback control record of claim 15, wherein the frame of reference defines a reference occurrence.

21. The playback control record of claim 20, wherein the reference occurrence is a particular frame, the occurrence of which defines epoch time t₀.

22. The playback control record of claim 20, wherein the reference occurrence includes a frame sequence, the occurrence of which defines epoch time t₀.

23. The playback control record of claim 20, wherein the reference occurrence is a calculated value such that calculations may be performed using sensory work data and the results compared to the calculated value to identify epoch time t₀.

24. The playback control record of claim 15, wherein each of the at least one variation encoding includes:

a temporal identifier relative to the frame of reference; and

an alteration description.

25. The playback control record of claim 24, wherein the temporal identifier is a time t relative to the frame of reference.

26. The playback control record of claim 24, wherein the alteration description includes one or more from the group consisting of:

a deletion;

a reordering;

an insertion;

an overlay;

a presentation; and

a modification.

27. A method for altering the playback of a sensory work, the method comprising:

receiving a playback control record, the playback control record including a sensory work applicability identifier usable to determine whether the playback control record is applicable to a sensory work, a user rating, the user rating identifying the user'"'"'s degree of like or dislike of the playback control record, and at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding including a control signal and data to define an alteration to be applied to the playback of the sensory work;

receiving the sensory work;

automatically altering the sensory work based on the playback control record without user input based on at least the user rating of the playback control record; and

outputting data to facilitate the playback of the altered sensory work by a sensory work playback device.

28. Software stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the software comprising:

a code segment to access a playback control record, wherein the playback control record includes a user rating, the user rating identifying the user'"'"'s degree of like or dislike of the playback control record and at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding including control signals and data that defines an alteration to be applied to the playback of the sensory work;

a code segment to read a sensory work;

a code segment to automatically alter the sensory work based on at least the user rating of the playback control record without user input; and

a code segment to output data to facilitate the playback of the altered sensory work by a sensory work playback device.

29. A device operable to control sensory work playback, the device comprising:

a storage device for storing a playback control record setting forth alterations to the playback of a sensory work, the playback control record including;

a user rating, the user rating identifying the user'"'"'s degree of like or dislike of the playback control record;

at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding including control signals and data for defining an alteration to be applied to the playback of the sensory work;

logic for automatically generating at least one control signal based on at least the user rating of the playback control record without user input; and

a control signal port operable to output the at least one control signal to vary the behavior of the sensory work playback device.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein each of the at least one variation encoding includes:

a temporal identifier relative to the frame of reference; and

an alteration description.

31. The device of claim 30, where the temporal identifier relative to the frame of reference is implicit.

32. The device of claim 30, wherein the alteration description includes:

a control function; and

a duration.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein the control function includes one or more from the group consisting of:

play;

stop;

fast-forward;

jump;

rewind; and

pause.

34. The device of claim 29, wherein the control signal port is operable to output the at least one control signal to vary the behavior of a sensory work playback device by sending infrared (IR) control signals.

35. On a server, a playback control record system comprising:

a database of playback control records; and

a playback control record retrieval system operable to transmit a playback control record from the database, the playback control record including a sensory work applicability identifier usable to determine whether the playback control record is applicable to a sensory work, a user rating, the user rating identifying the user'"'"'s degree of like or dislike of the playback control record, and at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding including a control signal and data to define an alteration to be applied to the playback of the sensory work, wherein the playback control record is usable by a sensory work playback device to automatically alter the playback of the sensory work without user input based on at least the user rating of the playback control record.

36. The playback control record system of claim 35, further comprising a playback control record receiving system operable to receive playback control records and to store playback control records in the database.

37. A method for providing control of sensory work playback, the method comprising:

storing at least one playback control record, wherein the at least one playback control record includes a user rating, the user rating identifying the user'"'"'s degree of like or dislike of the playback control record, and at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding including a control signal and data that defines an alteration to be applied to the playback of a sensory work;

receiving a playback control record request across a computer network;

in response to the received request, submitting a playback control record from the at least one playback control record, the playback control record usable by a sensory work playback device to automatically alter the playback of the sensory work without user input based on at least the user rating of the playback control record; and

maintaining metadata related to the at least one playback control record and using the maintained metadata to provide community features, the community features including recording feedback to the community.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein storing at least one playback control record setting forth alterations to the playback of a sensory work includes storing the at least one playback control record in a database.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein receiving a playback control record request across a computer network includes receiving a database query.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein submitting a playback control record from the at least one playback control record includes submitting a plurality of playback control records.

41. The method of claim 37, further comprising receiving a playback control record and storing the received playback control record with the at least one playback control record.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the receipt and submission of playback control records is operable to provide a collaborative sensory work playback control system.

43. A method for providing control of sensory work playback, the method comprising:

storing at least one playback control record, wherein the at least one playback control record includes a user rating, the user rating identifying the user'"'"'s degree of like or dislike of the playback control record, and at least one variation encoding, the variation encoding including a control signal and data that defines an alteration to be applied to the playback of a sensory work;

making the playback control record available to members within a community;

maintaining metadata related to the at least one playback control record and using the maintained metadata to provide community features, the community features including recording feedback to the community;

receiving a playback control record request across a computer network from one or more members of the community;

in response to the received request, submitting a playback control record from the at least one playback control record, the playback control record usable by a sensory work playback device to automatically alter the playback of the sensory work without user input based on at least the user rating of the playback control record.