US 6,081,262 A · Method and apparatus for generating multi-media presentations

Abstract

The multi-media presentation generation system combines media objects of multiple diverse types into an integrated multi-media presentation. The resultant multi-media presentation can be defined in an output-independent representation, which the multi-media presentation generation system converts into a representation that is optimized for the destination storage and/or presentation medium selected by the author. The multi-media presentation generation system uses a page based document layout paradigm to regulate the spatial relationships among the plurality of objects contained within the multi-media presentation. The page based document layout system partitions document pages, as defined by the author, into a plurality of objects, each of which is independently editable by the author. A multi-media authoring tool extends the capabilities of the page based document layout system to enable an author to merge both static and dynamic objects in a page layout environment to create the multi-media presentation. The resultant multi-media presentation comprises a static background on which is overlaid a plurality of independently running dynamic objects, which objects may be responsive to the user's input.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A method for enabling an author to generate a multi-media document capable of being rendered as a multi-media display on a display device, comprising the steps of:

producing a page layout for a document page of said multi-media document using a page based print document layout paradigm to regulate the spatial relationships among the plurality of objects contained within a multi-media presentation, said document page capable of being rendered as a multi-media display on a display device, said page layout comprising a plurality of objects, each object being independently editable and having a plurality of characteristics which define a content of an image created from said object and a locus of said image created from said object on said multi-media display;
defining at least one dynamic object, comprising a multi-media component of said multi-media document, for inclusion in said document page, comprising:
identifying a dynamic object,
presenting a set of dynamic object characteristics to an author for said identified dynamic object,
associating, in response to said author selecting ones of said dynamic object characteristics for said identified dynamic object, said selected dynamic object characteristics with said identified dynamic object;
and
integrating said at least one dynamic object with said document page of said multi-media document.

4 more elements

A program storage device readable by a computer, tangibly embodying instructions executable by said computer to perform method steps for enabling an author to generate a multi-media document capable of being rendered as a multi-media display on a display device, comprising the steps of:

producing a page layout for a document page of said multi-media document using a page based print document layout paradigm to regulate the spatial relationships among the plurality of objects contained within a multi-media presentation, said document page capable of being rendered as a multi-media display on a display device, said page layout comprising a plurality of objects, each object being independently editable and having a plurality of characteristics which define a content of an image created from said object and a locus of said image created from said object on said multi-media display;
defining at least one dynamic object, comprising a multi-media component of said multi-media document, for inclusion in said document page, comprising:
identifying a dynamic object,
presenting a set of dynamic object characteristics to an author for said identified dynamic object,
associating, in response to said author selecting ones of said dynamic object characteristics for said identified dynamic object, said selected dynamic object characteristics with said identified dynamic object;
and
integrating said at least one dynamic object with said document page of said multi-media document.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for generating multi-media presentations

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for generating multi-media presentations

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims32