Non-linear rewind of video programs
AssigneeVerizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
InventorFrank A. McKiel, Jr.
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rewind or fast forward operation may be performed in which a series of reduced-in-size images from previous frames in a video program may be presented to the viewer. In one implementation, a device may obtain sampled images corresponding to select frames of the video program and output a series of the sampled images in an order in which a sampling time corresponding to each of the sampled images in the video program monotonically increases or decreases in the output series. Differences in the sample times between successive images in the series of sampled images may not be uniform. The device may receive a selection of one of the images in the output series of sampled images and change a current output location of the video program to a location corresponding to the sampling time of the selected image.
Claims16
A computing device-implemented method, comprising:
- outputting, by the computing device, a video program;
- obtaining, by the computing device, sampled images corresponding to select frames of the video program;
- outputting, by the computing device, a series of the sampled images in an order in which a sampling time corresponding to each of the sampled images in the video program monotonically increases or decreases in the output series, where differences in the sample times between successive images in the series of sampled images are non-uniform;
- receiving, by the computing device, a selection of one of the images in the output series of sampled images;
- changing, by the computing device, a current output location of the video program to a location corresponding to the sampling time of the selected image;
- writing pointers to the sampled images to a plurality of circular buffers;
- and
- discarding alternating outputs of the plurality of circular buffers.
A device comprising:
- one or more processors;
- one or more memories, coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more memories storing instructions, that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
- play a video program;
- obtain sampled images corresponding to select frames of the video program;
- output a series of the sampled images in an order in which a sampling time corresponding to each of the sampled images in the video program monotonically changes in the output series, where differences in the sample times between successive images in the series of sampled images are non-uniform;
- receive a selection of one of the images in the output series of sampled images;
- and
- rewind a playback location of the played video program to a location corresponding to the sampling time of the selected image;
- a frame memory to store the sampled images as a reduced size version of the corresponding frames in the video program;
- a counter to store a sample count that describes a number of times the select frames of the video program have been sampled;
- and
- a plurality of circular buffers, each of the plurality of circular buffers storing pointers to the sampled images in the frame memory, where the pointers are shifted through the plurality of circular buffers based on the sample count.
A device comprising:
- a frame memory to store a plurality of images, each of the images corresponding to a reduced-size version of a frame sampled from a video program;
- a plurality of buffers to store pointers to the images in the frame memory, each of the plurality of buffers representing a stage in a sequence that includes the images in the frame memory;
- a sample counter to store a count value indicating a number of times frames have been sampled from the video program;
- and
- a controller to, based on the count value, shift outputs of the plurality of buffers to a next stage in the sequence, where alternating outputs of at least some of the plurality of buffers are discarded instead of being shifted to the next stage and where each buffer stores at least one pointer that corresponds to an image in the frame memory that is to be displayed to a user as part of an interface for implementing a rewind or fast forward operation on the video program.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.