Apparatus and methods for generating content proxy

• US 9,787,862 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
• Original Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
• Inventors: Newman, David, Polonichko, Vadim
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morehead, III, John H
• Application Number:
  US15/001,069
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3081 used signal is a video-frame or a video-field (P.I.P)
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00103 specially adapted for radio transmission, e.g. via satellites H04N1/00098 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00209 Transmitting or receiving image data, e.g. facsimile data, via a computer, e.g. using e-mail, a computer network, the internet, I-fax
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 using still video cameras

Abstract

Content proxy may be obtained. Content may include video captured by an action camera. Content proxy may include metadata information obtained contemporaneous with the content and stored in a session container. Content proxy may include lower data rate version of the content (thumbnails). Content proxy information may be viewed and/or analyzed in order to obtain one or more highlights. Content portion corresponding to the highlight may be obtained. Multiple versions of content proxy obtained by multiple cameras may be used to identify, display, and/or share content portions in a multi-camera/multiuser applications.

Claims

1. A computerized system for providing an imaging content, the system comprising:

an imaging sensor configured to generate output signals conveying a series of images of the imaging content;

an information storage configured to store the imaging content in a container; and

one or more processors configured to;

obtain information from one or more sensors other than the imaging sensor, the obtained information being relevant to one or more images within the series of images, the one or more sensors other than the imaging sensor including a first sensor;

obtain an imaging content proxy based on an analysis of the obtained information, the imaging content proxy being temporally related to individual images of the series of images;

obtain a link to a segment of the imaging content based on an evaluation of the imaging content proxy, the link including timing information related to a frame of a sequence of frames of the segment; and

provide the segment to a target destination, the provision of the segment to the target destination including communicating the link to the target destination.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the analysis of the obtained information includes determination of a parameter associated with information obtained from the first sensor; and

the imaging content proxy is determined based on the parameter breaching a threshold.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the link includes information related to a position of a frame within the sequence of frames.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the obtained information includes a time series record obtained from the first sensor, the time series record characterized by a sampling rate; and

the imaging content proxy includes a version of the time series record obtained at a reduced sampling rate compared to the sampling rate.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communications interface configured to communicate information to the target destination;

wherein the provision of the segment to the target destination includes communication of the link to the target destination via the communications interface.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the communications interface includes a radio frequency transmitter;

the target destination includes a mobile communications device of a user; and

the communication of the link is configured to provide a recommendation for showing content to the user.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless communications link, wherein information is provided by a mobile communication device via the wireless communications link, the information being related to location of the system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the imaging content stored in the container is characterized by a duration;

the segment is characterized by a segment duration configured shorter than the duration; and

the information storage is configured to store information for at least the duration.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the information storage is configured to store information for a time window exceeding the duration;

the container includes links to other portions of the imaging content acquired during other time intervals within the time window; and

the evaluation of the imaging content proxy is configured to identify at least one of the other portions of the imaging content.

10. A computerized action camera apparatus comprising:

an imaging sensor configured to generate output signals conveying a series of images of an imaging content;

a sensor configured to obtain information related to a parameter of the computerized action camera apparatus during acquisition of the imaging content;

an electronic storage configured to store the imaging content and the information in a container entry; and

one or more processors configured to;

communicate information with an external device;

based on a first indication commence acquisition of the imaging content including the series of images, the imaging content characterizing an activity over a duration;

obtain an imaging content proxy based on an analysis of the information, the imaging content proxy being temporally related to individual images of the series of images, the imaging content proxy containing a link to a segment of the imaging content, the link including timing information related to a frame of a sequence of frames of the segment; and

based on a second indication, provide the imaging content proxy to the external device;

wherein;

the provision of the imaging content proxy to the external device is configured to enable determination of a moment of interest associated with the activity during the duration; and

the link is configured to enable access to the imaging content associated with the moment of interest.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second indication includes a command received from the external device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the electronic storage is configured to store the imaging content proxy in a proxy entry separate from the container entry.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the sensor is configured to characterize motions of the computerized action camera during capture of the imaging content;

the imaging content proxy is configured to include information related to the computerized action camera motion; and

determination of the moment of interest is configured based on a parameter of the computerized action camera motion exceeding a threshold.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the sensor is configured to characterize positions of the camera during capture of the content;

the imaging content proxy is configured to include information related to the computerized action camera position; and

determination of the moment of interest is configured based on the computerized action camera position being within a given distance from a target location.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store a plurality of computer-readable instructions which when executed by one or more processors are configured to:

access a content entry of a content depository disposed on a first entity, the content entry including a sequence of images characterized by a source data rate;

based on a request from a second entity, obtain a content proxy based on an analysis of the sequence of images, the content proxy including one or more items, individual items configured to provide links to respective images of the sequence of images;

communicate the content proxy to the second entity;

wherein;

the content proxy is characterized by a proxy data rate configured lower than the source data rate;

the communication of the content proxy to the second entity is configured to enable provision of a portion of the content entry from the first entity to the second entity; and

the analysis of the sequence of images includes (i) determination of a number of pixels in a given image of the sequence of images; and

(ii) resampling the given image to obtain a reduced size image characterized by fewer pixels compared to the number of pixels; and

(iii) configuring the content proxy to include multiple reduced size images.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein:

the analysis of the sequence of images further includes resampling of the sequence of images to obtain another sequence of the reduced size images, the another sequence including fewer images per a given time interval compared to the number of images in the sequence of images per the given time interval; and

a lower proxy data rate is effectuated based on one or both resampling the given image and resampling of the sequence of images.

17. The medium of claim 16, wherein:

the one or more processors are characterized by a computational resource;

the first entity is characterized by a content storage resource; and

the second entity comprises a mobile user computing device characterized by (i) a reduced computational resource compared to the computational resource and (ii) a reduced storage resource compared to the content storage resource.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein:

the provision of the portion of the content entry from the first entity to the second entity is configured based on another request from the second entity, the another request configured based on a determination of the moment of interest in the content proxy.

19. The medium of claim 18, wherein:

the sequence of images is configured to span a time interval;

the content entry further includes sensor information associated with one or more images of the sequence of images, the sensor information configured to span at least the time interval; and

the content proxy further includes at least a portion of the sensor information.

20. The medium of claim 19, wherein:

the communication of the content proxy to the second entity is configured to enable evaluation/playback of information related to the content on the second entity using the reduced computational resource within a time duration that is shorter than a duration associated with evaluation/playback of the content entry in absence of the content proxy.