Sensory Work Playback Control Using Shareable Variation Records

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) lack the ability to automatically customize playback of recorded content based on individual user preferences or community collaboration, limiting the flexibility and personalization of sensory work experience.

Innovation Solution

A sensory work playback system that utilizes metadata to control or vary playback through a processor, storage device, and output port, enabling operations such as skipping, reordering, overlaying, and inserting content, with support for community collaboration and legacy devices via IR blasters.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If conventional PVRs are used to record and playback television programs, then the basic recording and playback functionality is available, but the system lacks the ability to automatically customize playback based on individual user preferences or community collaboration

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplayback customization capabilityVSAvoidsystem structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates playback control records in advance that define how sensory works should be played back. These records are generated before playback occurs and can be stored for later use, allowing the system to automatically apply predefined playback variations without real-time complex processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

A playback control record acts as an intermediary data structure between the sensory work and the playback device. This record contains variation encodings that instruct the processor on how to alter playback, serving as a mediator that translates user preferences into automated playback control without requiring direct complex interactions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Extent of automation

If manual control is used for playback operations, then users can control playback themselves, but the system cannot automatically provide personalized playback experiences for different users with different preferences

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic playback controlVSAvoiduser control simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service automation by using playback control records that automatically instruct the processor on how to vary playback based on pre-defined criteria. The system serves itself by automatically applying the correct playback variations without requiring manual user intervention during playback

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The playback control functionality is segmented into discrete playback control records, each handling specific variation aspects. This segmentation allows the system to manage complex automated playback control through multiple simple, independent control units rather than one complex control mechanism

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple users record the same program with different preferences, then each user has their own recording, but there is no mechanism to share or collaborate on playback variations across the community

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunity collaboration capabilityVSAvoidplayback variation data
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables copying of playback control records between users and devices. A playback control record created by one user can be copied and applied to the same or different sensory works on other devices, allowing playback variations to be shared and reused across the community without losing the original creation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP2587467B1Variation and control of sensory work playback
Publication Date: 2026.01.21 SONY COMP ENTERTAINMENT AMERICA LLC
  • EP2587467B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2587467B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2587467B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A sensory work playback system includes a sensory work input port operable to receive sensory work data, a storage device for storing a playback control record setting forth alterations to the playback of the sensory work data, a sensory work output port operable to send information to a sensory output device to enable the playback of sensory work data, and a processor operable to alter the playback of sensory work data by outputting altered sensory work data through the sensory work output port. The playback control record includes a sensory work applicability identifier usable to determine whether the playback control record is applicable to the sensory work, a frame of reference, and at least one variation encoding defining an alteration to be applied to the playback of the sensory work relative to the frame of reference.