US 6,636,237 B1Granted

Method for creating and synchronizing links to objects in a video

OwnerJames H. Murray, Neal Fairbanksinventors

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Abstract

The subject invention provides a method of providing information to a viewer of a video through a video player (14) on a display such as a computer screen or television screen. A program allows an operator to create links between specific information and dynamic objects (10) within the changing scenes (12) of the video. The subject invention uses a program to establish and store the links. The operator can create the links manually or the program can identify features of the object (10) and then maintain the link when the dynamic object (10) changes in size or shape. The program records all of the links and compiles the information into an interface (18). The interface (18) is transparent and is positioned over the video player (14) on the screen (16). The program synchronizes the links to the video. A viewer, while watching the video, can select one of the objects (10) in the scene (12). The video either stops and the specific information linked to the object (10) is displayed in a window (20) or the video continues to play behind the window (20) displaying the information. When the viewer chooses to close the window (16), the video resumes its normal play.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method of retrieving object information for an object present in a media stream, said method comprising the steps of:

disposing an interface over the media stream;
defining positional information for the object within the interface based upon a position and size of the object in the media stream;
storing the positional information for the object;
creating a link within the interface independently of accessing the media stream between the positional information stored for the object and the position of the object in the media stream;
displaying the link within the interface and over the object during playback of the media stream based upon the positional information for the object;
selecting the link from within the interface;
accessing object information related to the object in response to selecting the link from within the interface;
and
redefining the positional information within the interface in response to the position of the object within the media stream by enlarging the link for the object within the interface in response to the size of the object becoming larger in the media stream, reducing the link for the object within the interface in response to the size of the object becoming smaller in the media stream, removing the link for the object from within the interface all response to the object disappearing from the media stream, and re-creating the link for the object within the interface in response to the object reappearing in the media stream.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.