Gameplay Video Event Tracking Using Scene Cuts and Image Hashes

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Solution Overview

Problem

It is difficult for users to simultaneously play video games and selectively record exciting or surprising content while also summarizing game progress, as existing systems are time-consuming and inefficient in identifying notable events within user-generated game content.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus and method for video tracking that uses perceptual hashing to detect scene cuts and identify notable events in video games, employing computational methods to generate and compare image hashes, and utilize a database of hashes to identify and tag significant game moments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If manual review of gameplay footage is used to identify notable events, then accuracy of event identification is improved, but time consumption and processing efficiency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccuracy of event identificationVSAvoidtime consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a database of reference images captured at known notable events during game development. These reference images serve as templates for automatic comparison during gameplay analysis, eliminating the need for manual review while maintaining identification accuracy through systematic image matching.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary capture and storage of reference images at notable events during game development before actual gameplay analysis. This preliminary action prepares the data structure and reference materials needed for efficient automatic identification during runtime, reducing processing time significantly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of information

If comprehensive recording of all gameplay content is used, then completeness of game progress tracking is improved, but difficulty of identifying notable events deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecompleteness of game progress trackingVSAvoiddifficulty of identifying notable events
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and isolates notable events from continuous gameplay footage by comparing images against a database of reference images. This extraction process separates significant events from the vast amount of routine gameplay content, making identification straightforward while maintaining complete game progress tracking.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual inspection of gameplay footage with an automated image comparison system. The mechanical process of reviewing hours of video content is substituted with computational image hashing and matching, dramatically reducing the difficulty of identifying notable events while preserving complete game progress information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If detailed analysis of each gameplay image is performed, then precision of event detection is improved, but computational overhead deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprecision of event detectionVSAvoidcomputational overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses pre-captured reference images from game development as templates for comparison. Instead of performing detailed analysis of every gameplay image from scratch, the system compares against existing reference copies, reducing computational overhead while maintaining detection precision through accurate image matching.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary capture and processing of reference images during game development, creating a ready-to-use database before actual gameplay analysis. This preliminary action pre-computes reference data, reducing the computational burden during runtime analysis while maintaining high precision in event detection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4704048A1Apparatus and method of video tracking
Publication Date: 2026.03.04 SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC
  • EP4704048A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4704048A1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP4704048A1 patent drawingFigure 2C~2D

AI summary

A method of identifying notable events within an interactive content comprises the steps of obtaining corresponding footage of at least two independent instances of the interactive content, and for the footage from each independent instance, identifying respective changes in content between successive images of the footage, that exceed a predetermined threshold, as scene cuts, and store a data item representative of an image at or near each scene cut, to create a set or sequence of data items representing candidate events within the interactive content; then, matching or sequentially aligning the set or sequence of candidate events for each independent instance with the or each other set or sequence of candidate events, on an overall best-match basis, retaining as review events those candidate events with a match or an aligned match between at least a majority of the sets or sequences of candidate events, to create a set or series of review events, and providing the set or series of review events to a user.