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Description  |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the arrangement and storage of a
video/audio presentation network on a medium from which it can be
retrieved for viewing.
Systems whereby a customer can purchase goods and services with the aid of
just his telephone and television receiver are known. Lists of items are
presented on the subscriber's television screen and he selects the items
he wishes to purchase by pressing indicated keys on his telephone. It has
also been proposed that still pictures of the various items and an
accompanying audio message can be stored on video discs and transmitted to
the customer on demand, but this does not give him the impression that he
is in an actual store. Furthermore, the information cannot be changed
except by making a new video disc, and this can take nearly two weeks.
Such a system has very little flexibility.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is anticipated that the present invention will be used in conjunction
with an interactive cable television system that has been developed to
distribute information to subscribers' televisions at their request. Such
system concerns a shopping service where subscribers shop at home through
an "electronic mall". This system is distinguished from home shopping
channels in that it allows the subscribers to select which products or
services they will view on their televisions by use of in-home subscriber
apparatus, such as telephones or CATV keypads.
In operation, the subscriber tunes to a channel and requests connection to
a remote location by either dialing a predetermined telephone number, or
accessing via a CATV reverse channel. As soon as the system identifies the
subscriber, his television begins to display still frame video, and
possibly accompanying audio information, and directories of "electronic
stores" comprising products or services that may be either entered or
passed, examined in further detail, saved for further consideration, or
purchased just by touching keys on a touch-tone telephone or CATV keypad
in response to prompts on the television screen. A main frame host
computer controls the flow of information in this system. Such information
includes the presentations representing the products or services offered
to subscribers. These presentations are stored as optical signals on video
discs and as digital signals on magnetic discs.
In order to give the subscriber the feeling that he is in an actual store,
he is first presented with a segment comprised of a series of still
pictures, and possibly an accompanying audio message that may describe the
various departments or types of merchandise, that are available. At the
same time, a menu may be displayed on his television screen naming the
departments or types of merchandise he can view, and the combination of
digits that must be pressed on his touch-tone telephone or CATV keypad in
order to view them. When a combination of digits is pressed, a new segment
of slides and possibly audio material are presented along with another
menu. Each new segment or collection of segments comprising a presentation
will be referred to hereinafter as a node. In effect, a video/audio
presentation network is created which is essentially a tree of choices
starting with a trunk corresponding to the main entrance, main limbs
corresponding to the departments, and branches corresponding to different
items in each department. Each presentation at a node in the network
includes one or more video segments. A segment is comprised of one or more
video images (still pictures) and possibly one or more audio images (audio
messages.) The video image may be stored as a still frame and as graphics
commands for computer-generated overlayed graphics. At appropriate nodes,
one of the possible choices will be to go back a node closer to the trunk
so that the customer will not be left out on a limb so to speak. The
navigation permitted by the successive presentation of menus simulates
very closely the experience of being in an actual store.
Flexibility in navigation is achieved by storing the possible menu in a
changeable file in a main computer and providing means for altering the
menus with a personal computer. The location on the video disc of the
segment of stills and audio to be displayed at each node is recorded in a
segment file stored in the main computer.
Sooner or later it is hoped that the customer will reach a point where he
has decided on a purchase. He will then be presented information as to
factors such as size, color and price that he must know before he can
indicate a decision to buy. Such product information is stored in a
product file in the main computer that can be changed by interaction with
the personal computer. The product file may be limited to words that can
be superimposed on a still picture derived from the video disc. Thus, it
is possible to indicate a new price or to remove a specific item that is
no longer available. More importantly, it is possible to add a new node to
the navigation and write in new information about an item. To the extent
desired, the product information file may include means for setting a CAD
program in operation that will present drawings.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, information as to the
segment of still pictures and audio messages provided by the store
management is presented in such form that it can readily be recorded on
video and magnetic discs and in such manner that it can be correlated with
the nodes encountered during navigation from node to node through the
store i.e. the video/audio presentation network. Briefly, this is effected
as follows. The store management provides a series of chromes or colored
slides that may be an artist's version of each of the still pictures to be
recorded on a video disc. Each of these chromes must be accompanied by
descriptive words from which its order in a segment can be determined.
After being converted to digital form in respective television frames,
they are stored in the auxiliary storage of a Harris Iris II Digital Still
Store System (Harris). The management must also supply audio tapes in
which the SMPTE time codes for the beginning and end of each audio segment
are known. A personal computer communicates with the main computer so as
to set up an address in the navigational file for a node, an address in a
segment in the segment file, and addresses in the product file for
information on particular products. The personal computer is provided with
the information as to the SMPTE time codes for the beginning and end of
each segment.
The audio processing begins by recording the audio tape or tapes on a
conventional tape recorder operated by a controller. Segment files
identifying each segment in the presentation network are stored in the
personal computer and the main computer. The main computer instructs the
controller to cue to a certain location on the audio tape based on
information from the segment file which specifically identifies each audio
cut by SMPTE time codes. When the start time of an audio cut is reached on
the audio tape, the main computer instructs an encoder to begin encoding
the audio cut. The encoder takes the audio signals from the tape recorder
and transforms them into a format comparable to video frames. These video
formatted audio frames are then stored in the internal memory of the
encoder. When all of the audio cut has been transformed by and stored in
the encoder, the main computer instructs the encoder to send the audio
frames to the Harris where they are stored in its auxiliary storage, but
on a disc separate from the disc on which was recorded the video frames.
The audio frames stored in the Harris are stored with identification codes
designated in the segment file. With both the video and audio frames
stored in the Harris, the main computer instructs the Harris to assemble
the audio and video frames as video/audio segments on a one-inch video
tape. 0n the video tape, the audio frames representative of a segment are
serially recorded, followed by the serial recording of the video frames.
Each segment typically comprises one to five video frames and zero to four
audio frames.
The frames are then recorded onto the one-inch video tape in the following
manner. The SMPTE time code for each frame is transmitted from the main
computer to a Vertical Interval Timing Code Insertion device (VITC). The
main computer instructs the Harris to send the frame to the VITC inserter.
Next, the VITC inserter inserts the time code into a line of the vertical
interval of the frame just received in a manner which can be both recorded
onto a video disc and also detected and read in digital form from the
recorded video disc, thus tagging it for future identification. The VITC
inserter transmits the newly tagged frame to the one-inch video tape
recording device where it is recorded. The main computer then stores the
frame identification together with the SMPTE time code for later use in
verifying that the video disc recording was done without missing frames
and to determine which frames reside on which video disc tracks.
As recorded on the one-inch video tape, the audio and video frames are thus
identified according to the identification codes of the segment file in
the main computer. The segments stored on the one-inch video tape are
recorded on to a video disc using a conventional video disc mastering
process.
After the video disc has been produced, it is then inserted into one of the
video disc players in the Video Display Subsystem (VDS) of the interactive
communication system. The main computer directs the VDS to read the tracks
of the disc one by one. As each track is read, a Vertical Interval Time
Code Reader device (VITCR) detects and reads the SEMPTE time code
information recorded during the premastering process. Each time code is
then transmitted to the main computer where it is matched with its stored
counterpart. The track number from the code--and thus the corresponding
frame--is then matched to the expected track number. Any mismatches are
reported and the new track number used to replace the stored track number.
The contents of the video disc and the main computer files are thus
coordinated.
The SMPTE time codes are also used in verifying the operation of certain
hardware and software comprising the interactive communication system.
Here, the time codes are sent by the VITCR to the main computer as product
or service presentations and menus are displayed as a result of user
telephone touch tone input. The main computer records the time code
information for later use to determine whether the correct frames were
displayed for the touch tones generated by the user.
An object of the present invention is to provide an efficient system
whereby a video/audio presentation network can be designed and stored on a
medium from which it can be readily retrieved for viewing.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a means for
designing and storing a video/audio presentation network that can be used
in conjunction with an interactive communication system for merchandising
products and services.
The present invention is directed to a system for providing a retrievable
network of video presentations. Each such video presentation includes one
or more video images which may be associated with an audio segment. A
network of video presentations is stored on a retrievable storage medium
and incorporates a plurality of permissible paths between the video
presentations.
The system includes a means for storing a plurality of video images on a
first recording medium and a means for storing a plurality of audio
segments on a second recording medium. In a data base, the permissible
pathways between video presentations in the network are defined, as well
as the association between audio frames, if present, and one or more of
the video images. The system further includes a means for storing on a
third recording medium a plurality of video images with associated audio
frames according to instructions defined in the data base. The video
images and the associated audio images are stored on the third recording
medium as video frames with each of the frames being electronically
identified for retrieval.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic store.
FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) illustrate various nodes encountered in navigating
through a fictitious store call The Great Outdoors.
FIG. 3 illustrates how the navigational information can be formed on the
navigational file.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the premastering process which forms
the video and audio frames on a magnetic tape that can then be recorded on
a video disc.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Reference is made to FIG. 1 for an overall description of the operation of
an electronic store that is the subject of this invention. A personal
computer (PC) that is in communication with a main computer (MC)
establishes addresses of nodes in a file N, addresses of corresponding
segments of information in a file S and product data such as size, color,
price, etc in a file P. When a customer gets in contact with the telephone
exchange X through his telephone T, he then presses keys identifying the
presentation network representative of the store through which he wishes
to shop. This causes MC to identify the address of the first node, which
is probably the entrance to the electronic store, and the address of the
corresponding segment of video and audio information that is to be
represented at that node. With this information, MC sends the menu for the
first node to the customer's TV set. MC also identifies the location on a
video disc, VD1 or VD2, of a segment of video and audio frames that is to
be presented at this node, as well as any graphics commands G. If there
are graphics command, they are transmitted to a graphics display board GB
for interpretation and drawing of the picture, which is combined with the
still video prior to being sent to the customer. They are then transmitted
so as to be displayed on the television set.
Not all nodes will require product information, but when the customer gets
to a point of picking out size, price and color at a particular node, the
appropriate product information will be transmitted to the TV set. All
information in the files N, S, G, and P can be readily changed.
Reference is now made to FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) which are a flow chart showing
several nodes in the presentation network of a fictitious store called The
Great Outdoors. When the customer initials access to this store (either
directly or from a "mall"), the menu shown in block 2 appears on his
television screen along with the first segment for the store which
includes a series of still pictures and an audio message.
From block 2 there are three nodes to which the customer can go: Down
Products by pressing 11 on his telephone, Camping Equipment by pressing 12
and Hotline by pressing 13. If he presses 11, the main computer will cause
the menu in block 4 to appear on the television screen. Segments depicting
products listed in the menu can be accessed by pressing the telephone keys
representing the number shown next to the listed product. Accessing
segments is done by identifying the address of the segment on the video
disc. With the above explanation, the remaining blocks in FIGS. 2(A) and
2(B) are self-explanatory. Note, however, that the navigation permits
return to an earlier node, e.g., an opportunity is given to go back to the
beginning of the store's presentation network.
Reference is now made to FIG. 3 for a description of how a personal
computer can organize the nodes of a presentation network and identify
segments to be displayed at each node in the network. In general, this is
accomplished by correlating addresses in the personal computer's
navigation file with addresses in its segment file. These files are also
stored in the main computer.
The manner in which the first node, which is the trunk of the tree, is
defined as shown by block 50 of FIG. 3 and the accompanying instructions.
An "A" is typed on the keyboard of the personal computer, and the main
computer provides the personal computer with the next address in its
navigation file N, such as 10001 which is indicated in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B)
as the address of block 2. The name of the store such as The Great
Outdoors would then be typed in along with an identification that this is
the "entry" to the store, designated by entering a node type of "1".
Additional control information is also entered.
With the "trunk" identified, the system is then used to attach "branches"
to the trunk. For each branch, an "A" is again typed followed by a number
such as 11 and a description of a branch such as Down Products as
indicated by the instructions accompanying block 52. The process then
proceeds to block 54 by typing the number "8". The presentation components
for the system are then displayed. A segment may be added by typing an
"A", followed by the segment type. The computer responds with the next
available segment in segment file "S". The segment description is then
entered next to the number. A typical description might be "Down
Jackets--Seg. #1". The system then adds the segment to the file. Next, "S"
is typed beside the segment number to transfer it to the segment screen.
This screen allows the user to enter a request for frame numbers and type
in a frame description that may be used later to relate the number to the
actual chromes. A list of all frame numbers, and to their descriptions may
be printed to allow manual tagging of the chromes with their system
assigned number. With the frame numbers added, an individual frame may be
selected to add information by typing an "S" beside it. An additional
screen is presented which then allows for entry of the duration for video
frames and source and SMPTE for audio "frames". Control is returned to
block 52 by typing a series of "X's", where "A" may be typed, and the
process is repeated until all branches and their associated segments have
been treated in a like manner.
Reference is now made to FIG. 4 for a description of the premastering
operation of this invention whereby the video and audio frames for each
segment in the presentation network are recorded on a one-inch magnetic
tape. The video and audio frames representative of each segment are
recorded from the magnetic tape onto a video disc.
The company desirous of offering its products or services through the
interactive communication system previously described develops a
video/audio presentation network of its "electronic store" by developing
segment, navigation and product files in a personal computer. Along with
the files developed in the personal computer, the company reduces each
video image of a segment to a color slide or chrome, and produces an audio
tape or tapes of the various audio segments associated with the chromes.
Thus, the presentation network that the company has designed comprises a
plurality of nodes each of which represents a video presentation. Each of
the video presentations includes one or more video segments. In turn, each
video segment comprises one or more video images, i.e. still pictures
and/or accompanying computer graphics, which may be accompanied by an
audio segment. Typically, the video segments comprise one to four still
pictures with up to 40 seconds of an accompanying audio segment.
As to the specific files generated in the personal computer, they represent
information needed in organizing and defining the various video and audio
segments of the presentation network. The segment file identifies each of
the segments, which include video frames and audio frames. Each segment is
identified by a unique identification number. For example, the first three
places in the identification number may be abbreviations for the
particular company, and the next six numbers may represent the specific
segment. Thus, for example, the identification number TGF200001 represents
segment 200001 of The Great Outdoors store. The identification number is
further defined by the first video image in a segment by the designation
V1 after the identification number, and a subsequent video image would be
identified as V2, and so on for other video images. Any audio frame
associated with a segment would be identified by the segment
identification number, and "A" indicating an audio frame and a SMPTE time
code which indicates the beginning and end of the audio frame.
The navigation file identifies the pathways between the nodes in the
presentation network. As for the product file, it provides a written
description of the product being offered such as its color and sizes. The
segment, navigation and product files comprise a data base generated by
operation of the personal computer 14. This data base is also loaded into
the main computer designated as 18 in FIG. 4. With the data base stored in
main computer 18, the chromes designated 26, and the audio tapes
designated 16, the premastering operation results in the recording of the
video/audio presentation network on a video disc from which segments of
the network can be retrieved for viewing.
In the premastering operation, the chromes 26 are electronically recorded
by a color video camera at the Image Caption Station 28. The color video
camera, such as a Sony DXC/3000P, records the video image from a chrome 26
in the form of an analog signal and transmits this signal to an ArtStar
Computer Image System (ArtStar) 30. The ArtStar 30 is a video composition
system used primarily in the production of animation films, and comprises
generally the following components: a computer processing unit, a
keyboard, a data monitor and a color monitor, and a bit pad. By using
ArtStar 30, the image originally captured in chrome 26 can be modified
such as by changing the color of components in the image, or by changing
the configuration of objects in the image. In general, ArtStar 30 has the
capability of making almost any type of modification to the image captured
from chrome 26. The output of ArtStar 30 is an analog signal which is sent
to a Harris-Iris II Digital Still Store System (Harris) 32. In Harris 32,
the analog signal from the ArtStar 30 is received by a frame synchronizer
which converts the analog signal into a digital signal. This digital
signal is then stored in the Harris auxiliary storage. The video frame
stored in Harris 32 is identified by the same identification number that
the chrome 26 was identified by in the segment file stored in main
computer 18. For example, the first three characters in the identification
number may represent the particular company developing the presentation
network, the next six numbers could represent the specific video segment,
and the remaining characters would include the letter "V" and the number
representing a specific video frame in that segment.
The audio tape 16, which includes a series of audio cuts, is placed in a
conventional tape recorder/player 19 operated by an Adam Smith Controller
System (Adam Smith) 20. Adam Smith 20 receives its operating instructions
from the main computer 18. In its first commands to the Adam Smith 20,
main computer 18 instructs the Adam Smith 20 to cue to a certain location
on the audio tape 16 based on information from the main computer's segment
file. In this instance, cuing means to find the starting location of a
specific audio cut on the tape 16 and pre-rolling the tape 26 for
approximately five seconds. When the start time of an audio cut is reached
on the tape 16, main computer 18 instructs an EECO Encoder 22 to begin
encoding the audio cut. The EECO Encoder 22 takes the audio signal from
the tape recorder/player and transforms it into video frames. Each video
frame typically has no more than 10 seconds of audio recording. Also, EECO
Encoder 22 stores the audio frames in its internal memory until in has
captured the entire cut, which does not typically exceed 40 seconds or 4
frames. At such time, main computer 18 instructs EECO Encoder 22 to
display the first video frame representing the audio cut it has just
recorded. Concurrently, the main computer instructs the Harris 32 to store
the audio frames (which are in a video frame format) in its auxiliary
storage, but on a disc separate from the disc on which was stored the
video frames. The audio frames stored in Harris 32 are recorded along with
identification numbers the same as the identification numbers originally
designated for the audio cut in the segment file. Thus, for example, the
encoded audio frames could have identification numbers where the first
three characters represent the company having developed the audio cut, the
next six segments would represent the segment identification number, and
the remaining characters would include the letter "A" and the number of
the specific encoded audio frame.
After all the video and audio frames have been stored in Harris 32, main
computer 18 instructs Harris 32 to assemble the video and audio frames as
video/audio segments on the one-inch video tape of recorder 34. In the
process of assembling the segments, main computer 18 instructs recorder 34
to capture a single frame at a time.
Main computer 18 transmits the SMPTE time code for each image to the
Vertical Interval Time Code Insertor (VITC) 33. The Harris 32 then
transmits the image to VITC 33 on cue from main computer 18. VITC 33
encodes the time code into one of the lines in the vertical blanking
interval for the frame as it is being transmitted through VITC 33 to the
one-inch video tape recorder 34. Main computer 18 also stores the time
code and the anticipated video disc track number onto which the frame will
be recorded with the frame identification for later verification as
described below.
This process is first repeated for all the encoded audio frames and then
likewise for all the video frames. Typically, a segment comprises one to
five video frames and zero to four encoded audio frames.
After all segments have been recorded on one-inch video tape 41, the
one-inch video tape 41 is used in a conventional video disc manufacturing
process 42 to produce video disc 40.
Video disc 40 is then inserted into one of the video disc players in Video
Display Subsystem 35 of the interactive communication system. Main
computer 18 causes Video Display Subsystem 35 to read each track in turn,
beginning with track number 1 of video disc 40. The video output signals
of Video Display Subsystem 35 are intercepted by Vertical Interval Time
Code Reader (VITCR) 36 which detects, digitizes and transmits the
previously recorded SMPTE time code to main computer 18. Main computer 18
compares the time code so received to the time code value previously
recorded for each track anticipated for video disc 40. Any mismatches are
reported, and main computer 18 files are updated with the correct track
for the frame so that correct track references are available when required
for presentation.
Video disc 40 becomes part of the data base of the interactive
communication system which transmits the presentations stored on video
disc 40 to subscribers. The files stored in main computer 18 are utilized
by the interactive communication system to identify the location of
specific segments on video disc 40 and to define the navigation between
such segments.
Although the illustrative embodiment of the present invention has been
described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to
be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise embodiment
and that various changes or modifications may be effected therein by one
skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the
invention.
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