Interactive video distribution systems – Operator interface – To facilitate tuning or selection of video signal
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-23
2001-04-17
Flynn, Nathan (Department: 2611)
Interactive video distribution systems
Operator interface
To facilitate tuning or selection of video signal
C725S051000, C725S041000, C725S106000, C348S564000, C348S565000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219837
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to placing summary frames in a video and, more particularly, to a system for placing summary frames into a currently playing video depicting either past or future scenes so that a viewer can get a quick overview of the video.
2. Description of the Related Art
Television viewers are stymied at the number of viewing choices available these days. Cable television systems typically offer one-hundred or more channels to viewer subscribers. Digital satellite systems make available hundreds of channels for viewing choices. Video signaling over, for example, the Internet, allows interactive viewing and the downloading of video from virtually millions of sites. For better or worse, all of these video and entertainment choices have made couch potatoes, more kindly referred to as “channel surfers”, out of many of us.
In a typical channel surfing scenario, a surfer, armed with an infrared remote control, sits or lies across the room, carefully aims, and begins repeatedly pressing the “channel-up” or “channel-down” button in the general direction of the television set. A good surfer is oblivious to other viewers in the room and the other viewers are usually powerless to stop an experienced surfer. A surfer will typically not spend more than two or three seconds on any one channel unless there is something on the screen at that precise moment which is of interest. Channels with commercials currently airing and most movies deemed to be well in progress are surfed over almost instantly with very little pause. Similarly, the two or three seconds that a good surfer typically gives a channel before surfing to the next may be insufficient time to accurately determine the true merit of the programing on the channel.
Based on the above scenario, there is a real need in the art for a system to more accurately inform channel surfers or other video viewers of the contents of the current programming on a particular channel and to offer a quick overview of the video program to get the viewer quickly “up to speed” on programs already in progress.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide summary frame windows on the screen of a playing video.
It is yet another object of the present invention to allow a viewer to select one of the summary frames to have a short video clip played on the screen, including the accompanying audio, to get the viewer quickly “up to speed”on programs already in progress.
It is yet another object of the present invention to allow a viewer to quickly jump back to a past segment of a video program to aid in understanding what is presently happening.
According to the invention, various shots or summary frames are selected from a video prior to broadcast. These summary frames are embedded in the broadcast and appear in a small window on the screen at some point in the future as the video is broadcast. The summary frames depict key scenes from the past which aid the viewer in quickly ascertaining the current plot or theme of the video program. In an interactive television environment, a short video segment may be associated with each shot such that when the shot is selected, the past video segment is played in a larger window on the screen complete with sound. Once the segment is viewed, the video program is rejoined in progress with the viewer having a better sense of what is going on in the video. Hence, when a channel surfer arrives at a new channel, rather than only having what is currently playing to catch the eye, summary frames are also available to catch the surfer's attention and aid in understanding the programming.
In a television broadcast environment, this invention is particularly helpful in the event a preempting commercial is airing when a particular channel is surfed. Since the summary frames remain on the screen, the viewer now has a way to quickly determine what program is playing and if it is worth viewing. Similarly, in the event a program is preempted, for example, for an emergency broadcast or an overtime sports event, summary frames are provided to keep the viewer in touch with the regularly scheduled programming. Similar to a television broadcast, the summary frames may also be embedded in prerecorded media, such as, for example, video tape or video disks.
In an interactive video environment (i.e., video signaling, for example, over the Internet), the summary frames may allow for quick hyperlinking to a past even future portion of the video. Frames hyperlinking to future portions are referred to as preview frames. When a hyperlink summary or preview frame is selected, the video can jump and actually begin playing in its entirety from that point.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5710601 (1998-01-01), Marshall et al.
patent: 5852474 (1998-12-01), Nakagaki et al.
Yeo Boon-Lock
Yeung Minerva Ming-Yee
Flynn Nathan
International Business Machines - Corporation
McGuireWoods LLP
Percello. Esq. Louis J.
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