Encapsulated Synchronized Secondary Program for Interactive Media
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional interactive multimedia programs are constrained by tight coupling with linear media, requiring costly licenses, specialized authoring, high production costs, limited extensibility, and inflexibility in presentation, making them difficult to create and distribute, especially in educational contexts.
Innovation Solution
The Encapsulated Synchronized Secondary Program (ESSP) is a separate digital entity from primary linear media, allowing de-coupling, synchronization, and channelization, enabling collaborative authoring, extensibility, and configurability, with no need for additional royalty payments, facilitating low-cost creation and distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional interactive multimedia programs tightly couple software with audio or video material, then interactivity is achieved, but copyright license fees and production costs become very significant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the interactive multimedia system into two separate components: the primary linear program (audio/video file) and the secondary interactive program (software). This segmentation allows them to be distributed independently, eliminating the need for copyright license fees while maintaining interactivity. The secondary program references the primary program through metadata without being tightly coupled to it.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the interactive software component from the audio/video file, allowing it to exist as a separate executable program. This extraction eliminates the requirement for tight coupling and associated copyright licensing, while the extracted software can still reference and synchronize with the primary program through loose coupling mechanisms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If traditional interactive multimedia programs use specialized authoring software and trained personnel, then complex interactive functionality is achieved, but authoring complexity and financial costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal secondary program template that can work with any primary linear program. The standardized structure with metadata fields for program identification, synchronization points, and interactive elements allows the same authoring approach to be applied across different audio/video content without requiring specialized tools or extensive training.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses parameter-based configuration where interactive behavior is controlled by metadata parameters rather than hard-coded logic. By changing parameters in the secondary program (such as synchronization timestamps, interactive trigger points, and display configurations), different interactive functionalities can be achieved without rewriting the core software or using specialized authoring tools.
3Productivity
If traditional interactive multimedia programs are released to consumers, then distribution is achieved, but extensibility is limited as content cannot be added or enhanced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic system where the secondary program can be independently updated, modified, and enhanced after initial distribution. The loose coupling architecture allows the secondary program to evolve separately from the primary program, enabling continuous improvement and addition of interactive functionalities without requiring re-distribution of the core audio/video content.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent structures the system so that the secondary program can contain nested modular components that can be independently added or removed. This nested structure allows for incremental enhancement where new interactive features can be packaged as separate modules that integrate with the existing secondary program, enabling extensibility while maintaining the distributed architecture.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional interactive multimedia programs are designed for a single deployment environment, then initial functionality is achieved, but configurability for diverse hardware configurations is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by allowing the secondary program to detect and adapt to the specific hardware configuration of the user's device. The program can modify its behavior, display parameters, and interactive elements based on local conditions such as screen resolution, available processors, and input devices, while maintaining a single distributable package that works across diverse environments.
Data Source
AI summary
There is disclosed an apparatus and method including accessing data comprising a primary program comprising media suitable for linear playback, enabling access to a secondary program, made up of a plurality of channels and associated with the primary program, the secondary program time-synchronized to the primary program, and accepting user interaction identifying at least one of the plurality of channels for playback in synchronicity with the primary program. The method further includes accepting user interaction including configuration characteristics of the playback of the at least one of the plurality of channels on one or more displays, and enabling playback of the primary program in conjunction with the at least one of the plurality of channels as directed by the configuration characteristics.