Implementing branching operations at processing intersections in interactive applications
US5748196A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 6, 1995 |
| Grant date | May 5, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 6, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N19/23
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
One or more streams of signals (e.g., audio/video sequences) are associated with the different possible processing paths of processing intersections of an interactive computer application. For example, in a computer-based video game, the flow of processing may approach an intersection where the user may select any one of a number of different paths, each path being associated with a different audio/video sequence corresponding to that path. As the flow of the application progresses towards the intersection, the different audio/video sequences associated with the different paths of that intersection are preprocessed. Preprocessing may include preloading the audio/video sequences and optionally partially decompressing the audio/video sequences. When the flow of the application reaches the intersection, one of the possible paths is selected based on the actions taken by the user. The application causes the audio/video sequence associated with the selected path to be played and the other sequences to be dropped. In this way, the interactive application is provided with smooth transitions at processing intersections. The invention avoids the delays that would otherwise result at a proce…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.