Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding haptic information in multi-media files

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10477202-B2
Application number	US-201815972565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2018
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A method for encoding haptic information inside a multi-media file having content includes changing a portion of the content in the multi-media file, and adding the haptic information to the changed portion of the content, the haptic information corresponding to a haptic signal for generating a haptic effect upon playback of the multi-media file. A method for decoding haptic information from inside a multi-media file having content includes locating the haptic information inside the multi-media file, and generating a haptic signal based on the located haptic information during playback of the content of the multi-media file. A method includes receiving a multi-media signal comprising an audio signal and a haptic signal with a receiver of a haptic device, and outputting a haptic effect with a haptic output device of the haptic device based on the haptic signal in the multi-media signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for encoding haptic information inside a multi-media file having content, to be performed on a processor, the method comprising:
removing, by the processor, a portion of the content in the multi-media file; and
adding, by the processor, the haptic information to the multi-media file in place of the portion of the content, the haptic information corresponding to a haptic signal for generating a haptic effect upon playback of the multi-media file,
wherein the haptic information includes a haptic trigger mark having a time duration of less than one millisecond.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the content of the multi-media file includes an image.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the content of the multi-media file includes video content.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the content of the multi-media file includes audio content.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein removing the portion of the content from the multi-media file includes filtering frequency content within the multi-media file with a filter.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the filter is a stop band filter having a center frequency corresponding to a frequency of the haptic information being added in place of the portion of the content.

7. A computer-implemented method for encoding haptic information inside a multi-media file having content, to be performed on a processor, the method comprising:
receiving, by the processor, the multi-media file; and
adding a haptic trigger mark having a time duration of less than one millisecond to the multi-media file,
wherein the content includes at least audio content, and the haptic trigger mark corresponds to a predetermined haptic effect to be played back at the time of the haptic trigger mark in the multi-media file.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the haptic trigger mark is added to the audio content of the multi-media file.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising removing a portion of the audio content of the multi-media file at an encoding frequency of the haptic trigger mark.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , further comprising:
accessing, by the processor, an effects library storing the predetermined haptic effect; and selecting, by the processor, the predetermined haptic effect from the effects library based on the haptic trigger mark.

11. A computer-implemented method for encoding haptic information inside a multi-media file having content, to be performed on a processor, the method comprising:
removing, by the processor, a portion of the content in the multi-media file; and
adding, by the processor, the haptic information to the multi-media file in place of the portion of the content, the haptic information corresponding to a haptic signal for generating a haptic effect upon playback of the multi-media file
wherein the haptic information includes a haptic trigger mark including a signal at an encoding frequency, the signal including one oscillation at the encoding frequency.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the content of the multi-media file includes an image.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the content of the multi-media file includes video content.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the content of the multi-media file includes audio content.

15. The method according to claim 11 , wherein removing the portion of the content from the multi-media file includes filtering frequency content within the multi-media file with a filter.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the filter is a stop band filter having a center frequency corresponding to a frequency of the haptic information being added in place of the portion of the content.

17. A computer-implemented method for encoding haptic information inside a multi-media file having content, to be performed on a processor, the method comprising:
receiving, by the processor, the multi-media file; and
adding a haptic trigger mark including a signal at an encoding frequency, the signal including one oscillation at the encoding frequency to the multi-media file,
wherein the content includes at least audio content, and the haptic trigger mark corresponds to a predetermined haptic effect to be played back at the time of the haptic trigger mark in the multi-media file.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 , wherein the haptic trigger mark is added to the audio content of the multi-media file.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18 , further comprising removing a portion of the audio content of the multi-media file at an encoding frequency of the haptic trigger mark.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 , further comprising:
accessing, by the processor, an effects library storing the predetermined haptic effect; and selecting, by the processor, the predetermined haptic effect from the effects library based on the haptic trigger mark.

Assignees

• Immersion Corp

Inventors

• Sen Arnab
• Ullrich Christopher J
• Cruz-Hernandez Juan Manuel
• Modarres Ali

Classifications

• G06F3/016

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• H04N21/4394

  involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams (arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58) · CPC title

• H04N21/42203

  sound input device, e.g. microphone · CPC title

• H04N21/43

  Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware {(real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00)} · CPC title

• G06F3/165

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title