CA2139386A1 - Multimedia synchronization system - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and system for providing synchronization of the timing of various multimedia events is disclosed. Clock objects are defined in the storage and associated with an internal or external source of current time. The clock objects are able to be displayed on the display, but can be hidden once their linkages are defined.
One or more multimedia objects representative of audio, visual or other multimedia events are defined and linked to a particular clock object or clock objects. Then, a processor synchronizes the multimedia objects with the associated clock object or objects.
Finally, the various multimedia events are performed in synchronization with their associated clocks.

Description

~ WO 94n7234 ~13 9 3 8 6 PCT/US94/û0141 -I -MULTIMEDIA SYNC~RONIZATION SYSTEM

COPYRIGHT NOl IFICATION

Portions of this patent application contain materials that are subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise10 reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This patent application is related to the patent application entitled Object l5 Oriented Framework System, by Debra L. Orton, David B. Goldsmith, Christopher P
Moeller, and Andrew G. Heninger, filed 12/23/92, and assigned to Taligent, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Field of the Invention This invention generally relates to improvements in computer systems and more particularly to a system for synchronizing the timing of various multimediaevents.
Background of the Invention Multimedia is perhaps the fastest growing application for computer systems.
Increasingly, users are employing computers to present graphic, sound and imaging information to end users. Users are increasingly demanding ergonomic interfaces for managing multimedia presentations. In the past, the system clock was often 30 used to commence a sound playback at a certain time, or present information on a computer display at a specific time. However, tools for synchronizing the presentation of music or sound with the display of information as a multimedia presentation unfolded was not possible.

Examples of current multimedia systems that do not have the synchronization capability of the subject invention are Apple's Quicktime and Microsoft's Video for Windows as described in the March issue of NEWMEDIA, "It's Showtime", pp. 36-42 (1993). The importance of obtaining a solution to the ~-0 91.27~3~ PCT/US~/OOl~l 3~ -2-c~ nchrt nization problem encountered in the prior art is discussed in the Marchissue of IEEE Spectrum, "lnteractive Multimedia", pp. 22-31 (1993); and "The Tecnno!o~ Frameworl~;", IEEE Spectrum, pp. 32-39 (1993). The articles point ut th~
;m?ortance of multimedia interoperability which is only effectively preser~ted with tne s~ nchronization capabllity of the subject invention.

- ~UElYO~D S~ET

~ C ^ " , ~ ,, r~ 9 The a~~icle o- ~. Horr. e. al, "On ?rogramming and su~por~ing mul_imeci2 o~je~~ s~n-h-oni~2.~0n'e in Com?u~er JournaI, vol.
3~, no. ~, OC-3~ ~2, pages 4 - 18, d~sc ibes z sys-e~, anC
me.:noc -o~ s~n~n~3~--in5 mul_imec~a events u-ilizing G S~ - ?~
~rog-am. The s~ ro~ram langua~e oLfers ~he abili-y _o s~eci-v del2ys ela= ve _o some e~ents, some c21culus on delavs, =he occu-~ence o- input e~ents, in ~ar_icular ,hose aa~SOCiate~ W' _n ' n-erac_ions and ~nterme~ia synchronizz=ioni _hc oc-u--CnCe C OU ~3U _ even_s relat ve ~o some conci-ionsi _~-a~l_~~ -re--men.= insiQe an oDjecr; repet~tive or cyclir ~enavior; and ex~e~.lons and thei7- associated handlers. Th~
pros-amming language in ef~ect pr~vides real-time control o mul- med-_ even_s _hrough exc~ption handling and o~her ?rog-æ-.~~ng ~ons~ucts. ln ~ar,ic~lar a clock scr7?. is neeae~i =^ ~o--e~~lv p_ogrzm .he suspend/tesume mec:nanlsm, bec7use ael~vs and timeou_s should be blocked, when .he presen-2.ion is suspended. The principle lies in the introduction of 2 ~ l-e~ing module betwe~n the ~ime signals delivered by -.he external clock and the ~ime si~nals e~~~ectively used by ~he application scrl~ts; the clock filter emits an application time signal, if anc only iL the p~esentation is not susp~nded.

~nnex 1 of the same ~ublic2tionj "Complete synchronization or the multimedia ap~lication described in section 4", presents the complete source lis-ing of the clock scripts. The clock mod1le is a _iltering mechanism between the extèrnal clock and tne time signals used by the application scripts. The lter t ~mits the A~Ll_T C~ signal a- a TICK signal reception, ~ and ~, ~ only if it ~ the runni~g state. However, the clock source code provide~ is 2 procedural program. There are objec.-~-034 ~b~#~EDS~
T/us94!oo~ 7~ arch 1995 o~-enled or objec_-b~sed cha-a^ e~is_i_s, an~ ~he progl 2mme~
is -es?onsir~e ~o~ -o?yins ir .he scrip_ and moàiLying .ne program _o wzt_r pzr=iculzr prog_~m env_ronmen~s mhe sc-ip.s zre a ranged in a hierarcny, bu. ~~hey are simple paren.-child constants witn no ~ ism 2S round ' n ne claimeà_in~entlon G 31akowski et zl, '`Tool suppor_ for tne synchronization and presentation o- dis,ribu.ed mul.;~edia", in Computer Communications, vol 1~, no 10, December 1992, pages 611 -61~, describes an object ~ased s~stem ror synchronizing multimedi2 presentation Synchron~zation is 3er ormed by a signall~ng mechanism -ach presen~ation thread reaching 2 synchroniz2~0n po~n; senas 2 cor~esponding signal ~o all o.her presenta~ion ~hreads involv~d in the synchronizaLion point Having received such a sisnal, other presentation threads may perform acceleration actions if necessary A-ter .he dispa~ch o_ all signals , the ?resenta~ion ~hread waits until it receives signals _rom 2l 1 the other p2r.iclpation .hreads of the synchroniza.ion point A syncnron'za,ion point is denoted on the display by a vertical line between the objects Editing o synchronization points comprises adding, moving, and deleting oI the synchronization points on the display There is no suggestion or teaching of the claimed clock object means for displaying the media player objects and 5 the clock object on the display or adjusting player clock objects relative to the clock object to ~.

~ P-03~

Summary of the Invention Accordingly, it is a primary objective of the present inven~ion to provide a s~stem and method for synchronizing various multimedia events throughout the course of a multimedia presentation using a computer with a storage and a display.
Clock objects are defined in the storage and associated wiih an internal or external source of current time. Ihe clock objects are able to be dIsplayed on the display, but 1~ can be hidden once their linkages are defined. One or more multimedia objectsrepresentative of audio, visual or other multimedia events are defined and linked to a particular clock object or clock objects. Then, d processor synchronizes the multimedia objects with the associated clock obi~ct or objects.

~0 Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a block diagram of a personal computer system in accordance with a preferred embodiment;
_5 Figure 2 is an illustration of a clock object in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 3 is an illustration of a system timer in accordance with a preferred 30 embodiment;

Figure 4 is an illustration of an external source for time input to a clock object in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure ~ is an illustration of a master clock object and a slave clock object inaccordance with a preferred embodiment;

-~. wo s4n7234 PCTlUSg4/00141 -^ 2139386 Figure 6 is an illustration of a time source driving a hierarchy of clock objects in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 7 is an illustration of a time based sequence in accordance with a S preferred embodimLent;

Figure 8 is an illustration of a time-based media player in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 9 is an illustration of a multimedia piayer that is externally synchronized to a master clock in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 10 is an illustration of a clock object that acts as a master to another clock object which in turn acts as a master to another clock object in accordance with 1~ a preferred embodiment;

Figure 11 is an illustration of an audio and video sequence synchronization in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 12 is an illustration of an audio player (master), synchronized to a video player (slave) in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 13 is an illustration of an audio sequence in which the video sequence is synchronized to play twice as fast as the audio sequence in accordance with apreferred embodiment;

Figure 14 is an illustration of a computer display in which a video sequence is synchronized to play twice as fast as the audio sequence in accordance with a preferred embodiment;
Figure 15 is an illustration of a player object acting as a master and a slave in accordance with a preferred embodiment;
~ .
Figure 16 is an illustration of a jog/shuttle knob in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 17A is an illustration of a jog/shuttle knob object acting as a master over a plurality of multimedia objects in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

WO 94n7234 PCT/US94/00141 ,~ I

2~39386 Figures 17B and 17C are flowcharts of a shuttle and jog knob in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

5Figure 18 is an illustration of a clock hierarchy as it would appear on a computer display in a preferred embodiment;

Figure 19 is an illustration of a clock that is indirectly cbnnected to a time source through another clock in accordance with a preferred embodiment;
Figure 20 is a detailed flowchart setting forth the logic of a SetTime function in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 21 is a detailed flowchart setting forth the logic of the TickleWakeups 15function in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 22 is a detailed flowchart setting forth the lo~ic of the Get Current Time operation in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

20Figure 23 is a detailed flowchart setting forth the logic of delay and alarm processing in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 24 is a detailed flowchart setting forth the logic of Sync To Keep My Time processing in accordance with a preferred embodiment;
2~ .
Figure 25 is an illustration of an audio player in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 26 is an illustration of an audio player as a master in accordance with a30preferred embodiment;
.
Figure 27 is a flowchart illustrating an audio player slaving to a clock in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

35Figure 28 is an illustration of a sequence of images of a sunrise in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

-.WO 94n7234 PCTJUS94/00141 . ., 2~39386 s Figure 29 is a flowchart setting forth the logic associated with a graphic player in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 30 is an illustration of a MIDI sequence and a MIDI Track format in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 31 is an illustration of a MIDI player playing a sequence through a driver in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

10Figure 32 is a flowchart setting forth the detailed logic of a MIDI player in accordance with a preferred embodimenti Figure 33 is an illustration of an empty desktop display in accordance with a preferred embodiment;
Figure 34 is an illustration of a selected clock object definition display in accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 35 is an i~lustration of various clock objects and multimedia objects in 20 accordance with a preferred embodiment;

Figure 36 is an illustration of various clock objects linked together and multimedia objects in accordance with a preferred embodiment; and 25Figure 37 is an illustration of a visual object synchronized with an audio object in accordance with a preferred embodiment.

30Detailed Description Of The Invention The invention is preferably practiced in the context of an operating system resident on a personal computer such as the IBM (~) PS/2 ~) or Apple (~) Macintosh (~
computer. A representative hardware environment is depicted in Figure 1, which 35 illustrates a typical hardware configuration of a workstation in accordance with the subject invention having a central processing unit 10, such as a conventional microprocessor, and a number of other units interconnected via a system bus 12.
The workstation shown in Figure 1 includes a Random Access Memory (RAM) 14, wog4nn34 2~$,39386 PCrN594100141 Read Only Memory (ROM) 16, an I/O adapter 18 for connecting peripheral devices such as disk units 20 to the bus, a user interface adapter 22 for connecting a keyboard 24, a mouse 26, a speaker 28, a microphone 32, and/or other user interface devices such as a touch screen device (not sho,wn) to the bus, a communication adapter 34 S for connecting the workstation to a data processing network and a display adapter 36 for connecting the bus to a display device 38. The workstation has resident thereon an operating system such as the Apple System/7 (~) operating system.
.,"
In a preferred embodiment, the invention is ~mplemented in the C++
; l0 programming language using object oriented programming techniques. As will be ` understood by those j` - skilled in the art, Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) objects are software entities comprising data structures and operations on the data. Together, these elements enable objects to model virtually any real-world entity in terms of its characteristics, lS represented by its data elements, and its behavior, represented by its data manipulation functions. In this way, objects can model concrete things like people and computers, and they can model abstract concepts like numbers or geometrical ~` ~ concepts. The benefits of object technology arise out of three basic principles:
encapsulation, polymorphism and inheritance.
-~ 20 c~ Objects hide, or encapsulatei the internal structure of their data and the algonthms by which their functions work. Instead of exposing these ~; implementation details, objects present interfaces that represent their abstractions cleanly with no extraneous informatiorl. Polymorphism takes encapsulation a step2 5 further. The idea is many~shapes, one interface. A software component can make a request -of another component without knowing exactly what that component is.
The component that réceives the request interprets it and figures out according to its variables and data, how to execute the request. The third principle is inheritance, which allows developers to reuse pre-existing design and code. This capability 30 allows developers to avoid creating software from scratch. Rather, through - ~ inheritance, developers derive subclasses that inherit behaviors, which the ; developer then customizes to meet their particular needs.

A prior art approach is to layer objects and class libraries in a procedural ~; 35 environment. Many application frameworks on the market take this design approach. In this design, there are one or more object layers on top of a monolithic operating system. While this approach utilizes all the principles of encapsulation, polymorphism, and inheritance in the object layer, and is a substantial ~:
.:

- WO 94n7234 2 ~ 3 9 3 8 6 PCT/US94100141 improvement over procedural programming techniques, there are limitations to this approach. These difficulties arise from the fact that while it is easy for a developer to reuse their own objects, it is difficult to use objects from other systems and the developer still needs to reach into the lower non-object layers with 5 procedural Operating System (OS) calls.

Another aspect of object oriented programming is a framework approach to application development. One of the most rational definitions of frameworks comefrom Ralph E. Johnson of the University of Illinois and Vincent F. Russo of Purdue.
l0 In their 1991 paper, Reusing Object-Oriented Designs, University of Illinois tech report I~IUCDCS91-1696 they offer the following definition: "An abstract class is a design of a set of objects that collaborate to carry out a set of responsibilities. Thus, a framework is a set of object classes that collaborate to execute defined sets ofcomputing responsibilities." From a programming standpoint, frameworks are 15 essentially groups of interconnected object classes that provide a pre-fabricated structure of a working application. For example, a user interface framework might provide the support and "default" behavior of drawing windows, scrollbars, menus, etc. Since frameworks are based on object technology, this behavior can be inherited and overridden to allow developers to extend the framework and create customized20 solutions in a particular area of expertise. This is a major advantage over traditional programming since the programmer is not changing the original code, but rather extending the software. In addition, developers are not blindly working through layers of code because the framework provides architectural guidance andmodelir~g but at the same time frees them to then supply the specific actions unique 25 to the problem domain.

From a business perspective, frameworks can be viewed as a way to encapsulate or embody expertise in a particular knowledge area. Corporate development organizationsj Independent Software Vendors (ISV)s and systems 30 integrators have acquired expertise in particular areas, such as manufacturing, accounting, or currency transactions as in our example earlier. This expertise is embodied in their code. Frameworks allow organizations to capture and package the common characteristics of that expertise by embodying it in the organization's code.
First, this allows developers to create or extend an application that utilizes the 35 expertise, thus the problem gets solved once and the business rules and design are enforced and used consistently. Also, frameworks and the embodied expertise behind the frameworks have a strategic asset implication for those organizationswho have acquired expertise in vertical markets such as manufacturing, accounting, WO 94n7234 2 ~ 3 9 3 ~ 6 PCT/US94/û0141 ,--.

or bio-technology would have a distribution mechanism for packaging, reselling, and deploying their expertise, and furthering the progress and dissemination of technology.

Historically, frameworks have only recently emerged as a mainstream concept on personal computing platforms. This migration has been assisted by theavailability of object-oriented languages, such as C++. Traditionally, C++ was found mostly on UNIX systems and researcher's workstations, rather than on Personal Computers in commercial settings. It is languages such as C++ and other10 object-oriented languages, such as Smalltalk and others, that enabled a number of university and research projects to produce the precursors to today's commercialframeworks and class libraries. Some examples of these are InterViews from Stanford University, the Andrew toolkit from Carnegie-Mellon University and University of Zurich's ET++ framework.
There are many kinds of frameworks depending on what level of the system you are concerned with and what kind of problem you are trying to solve. The types of frameworks range from application frameworks that assist in developing the user interface, to lower level frameworks that provide basic system software20 services such as communications, printing, file systems support, graphics, etc.
Commercial examples of application frameworks are MacApp (Apple), Bedrock (Symantec), OWL (Borland), NeXTStep App Kit (NeXT), and Smalltalk-80 MVC
(ParcPlace) to name a few.

Programming with frameworks requires a new way of thinking for developers accustomed to other kinds of systems. In fact, it is not like "programming" at all in the traditional sense. In old^style operating systems such as DOS or UNIX, the developer's own program provides all of the structure. The operating system provides services through system calls--the developer's program.
makes the calls when it needs the service and control returns when the service has been provided. The program structure is based on the flow-of-control, which is embodied in the code the developer writes.

When frameworks are used, this is reversed. The developer is no longer responsible for the flow-of-control. The developer must forego the tendency to understand programming tasks in term of flow of execution. Rather, the thinking must be in terms of the responsibilities of the objects, which must rely on the frarnework to determine when the tasks should execute. Routines written by the wo s4n7234 2 13 9 3 8 6 PCT/USg4/00141 developer are activated by code the developer did not write and that the de~eloper never even sees. This flip-flop in control flow can be a significant psychological barrier for developers experienced only in procedural programming. Once this is understood, however, framework programming requires much less work than 5 other types of programming.

In the same way that an application framework provides the developer with prefab functionality, system frameworks, such as those included in a preferred embodiment, leverage the same concept by providing system level services, which l0 developers, such as system programmers, use to subclass/override to create customized solutions. For example, consider a multi-media framework which could provide the foundation for supporting new and diverse devices such as audio, video, MIDI, animation, etc. The developer that needed to support a new kind of device would have to write a device driver. To do this with a framework,15 the developer only needs to supply the characteristics and behavior that is specific to that new device.
.
The developer in this case supplies an implementation for certain membe functions that will be called by the multi-media framework. An immediate benefit20 to the developer is that the generic code needed for each category of device is already provided by the multi-media framework. This means less code for the device driver developer to wr~te, test, and debug. Another example of using systems framework would be to have separate I/O frameworks for S(::SI devices, NuBus cards, and graphics devices. Because there is inherited functionality, each 25 framework provides support for common functionality found in its device category.
Other developers could then depend on these consistent interfaces to all kinds of devices.

A preferred embodiment takes the concept of frameworks and applies it 30 throughout the entire system. For the commercial or corporate developer, systems integrator, or OEM, this means all the advantages that have been illustrated for a framework such as MacApp can be leveraged not only at the application level for such things as text and user interfaces, but also at the system level, for services such as graphics, multi-media, file systems, I/O, testing, etc.
Application creation in the architecture of a preferred embodiment will essentially be like writing domain-specific puzzle pieces that adhere to the framework protocol. In this manner, the whole concept of programming changes.

WO 94n7234 PCT/US94tO0141 f~
2~c393~6 .~
i Instead of writing line after line of code that calls multiple API hierarchies, software will be developed by deriving classes from the preexisting frameworks within this environment, and then adding new behavior and/or overriding inherited behavior as desired.
S ~.
Thus, the developer's application becomes the collection of code that is written and-shared with all the other framewoik applications. This is a powerfulconcept because developers will be able to build on each other's work. This alsoprovides the developer the flexibility to customize as much or as little as needed.
Some frameworks will be used just as they are. In some cases, the amount of customization will be minimal, so the puzzle piece the developer plugs in will be small. In other cases, the developer may make very extensive modifications and create something completely new.

lS In a preferred embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, software clocks are responsible for providing the timebase, while multiple media players resident inthe RAM 14, and under the control of the CPU 10, or externally attached via the bus 12 or communications adapter 34, are responsible for following the clock. No central player is necessary to coordinate or manage the overall processing of the system. This architecture provides flexibility and provides for increased extensibility as new media types are added. The following features are enabled by the innovative system and method of a preferred embodiment of the invention. j;

Players check with the clock as often as necessary to maintain 25 synchronization to whatever level oÇ precision the application demands.

Multiple clocks can be synchronized to each other, and linear time relationships between clocks can be used to specify offset and speed of sequences relative to each other.
Multiple time sources. Any clock (and hence any player) can be synchronized not only to the system clock but to external time sources (timecodefrom ~ideotape, for example) or to user actions (such as moving a software shuttle knob, jog knob, or other controllers).
Clocks can travel backwards in time.

Clocks can span multiple address spaces.

~- wo s4n7234 2139 3 8 6 PCT/US94/00141 Definition of Terms What is a software clock?

A software clock, an illustration of which appears in Figure 2, is an object that performs the following functions:

A clock has a current time, represented by a time object 200. A time object is a IO floating point number that measures a point in time, measured in picoseconds.Member functions are provided for setting and getting the curren$ time. A memberfunction is a function for acting upon an object. The current time can increase in value, in which case the clock is said to be going forward. The current time can also decrease in value, in which case the cloc}c is said to be going backward.
delay: A clock can block a thread until a certain time, called the delay time, is reached. If the ciock is going forward, the thread is unblocked when the clock'scurrent time is equal to or greater than the delay time. If the clock is going backward, the thread is unblocked when the clock's current time is less than or 20 equal to the delay time.

~ alanns: a clock can send an IPC (Interprocess Communication) message to a ; port when a certain time, called the alarm time, is reached. If the clock is going forward, the IPC message is sent when the clock's current time is equal to or greater 25 ~an the alarm time. If the clock is going backward, the IPC message is sent when the clock's current time is less than or equal to the alarm time.

multiple time sourcPs: Normally, a clock's time advances in real-time based upon a system timer. The system timer is represented by a time source object 300 in 30 Figure 3. However, a clock can also be synchronized to another time source, such as Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) Time Code entering the computer from a video tape recorder (VTR) as illustrated in Figure 4. The clock's current time will follow the timecode coming in from the VTR. As the VTRspeeds up, the clock will speed up in lockstep. As the VTR slows down, the clock35 will slow down in lockstep. When the VTR goes backwards, the clock will go backwards in lockstep. The clock always remains synchronized with the VTR.
~ .

WO 94n7234 PCTIUS94/00141 t'.~ '' ?,~393~6 -l2- .

A time source has a current time, just like a clock. A linear function can be used to specify the relationship between the time source's current time and the clock's current time:

5 tclock = a ttimeSource + b; where:

tclock is the clock's current time ' ttimesource is the time source's current time 10 a is a floating point value that determines the rate of the clock's current time relative to the time source's current time.

b is a tirne object that determines the offset of the clock's current time relative to the time source's current time.5 l~is function is called a clock function.

Synchronization: Cloclcs can also be synchronized to each other. Given two clocks! a master clock and a slave clock, a clock function can be specified, just as 20 with a time source:

tslave = a tmaster + b; where:

tslave is the slave clock's current time tmastér is the master clock's current `time a is a floating point value that determines the rate of the slave clock's current time relative to the master clock's current time.
b is a time object that determines the offset of the slave clock's current time relative to the master clock's current time.

For example, in Figure 5, clock 510 (the slave) is synchronized to clock 500 35 (the master) A slave clock can also be a master to another clock. One clock can be master to any number of slave clocks. Because of these two rules, arbitrary treestructures of clocks can be created. Figure 6 illustrates a time source driving a hierarchy of software clocks.

. ~ ~ wo 94n7234 213 9 3 8 6 PCTIUSg4/00141 Two clock member functions are provided for synchronizing clocks together.
They are called on the slave clock. One, called SyncTo(), allows the client to specify the master clock, the rate, and the offset. The second, SyncToKeepMyTime(), allows 5 the client to specify the master clock and a rate, but calculates the offset such that the slave clock's current time does not change value at the instant of synchronization.

In addition, a member function SetRate() can be used to directly set the rate ofa slave clock relative to its rnaster.
Instances of Clock objects and time source objects in different address spaces can be synchronized together.

start ~ stop: A clock can be stopped, in which case its current time does not 15 change, regardless of whether or not its master is changing. A stopped clock can be restarted, which causes the clock to continue to follow its master. The rate is unchanged. It remains the same as it was prior to the clock stopping. The offset is changed such that at the instant the clock is started, its current time is the same as when the clock was stopped.
set rate: The rate of a clock's function can be set to any floating point value.
When the rate is changed, the offset is changed such that the clock's current time does not change.

25 What is a time-based media sequence?

A time-based media sequence is an abstract base class that can be used to represent a clip of audio, video, animation, or Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) data, or any other data that varies over tirne. It starts at time 0 and has a 30 duration represented by a time object. Figure 7 is an example of a time basedsequence that is three seconds in duration. Subclasses of the time-based media sequence are used to implement audio, video, animation, and MIDI sequences.
What is a time-based mçdia player?

A time-based media player (hereafter referred to as a player) is an abstract base class that can be used to play or record a time-based media sequence. This class can be subclassed to create players for audio, video, and MIDI. Figure 8 shows an example of a time-based media player. A player has an associated software cloc 93a6 PCr/USY4/OU141 ~

_1~

object. The current time 800 of the software clock represents the playback position 810 of the player. Playback position 810 is analogous to a play head on a tape recorder. Ordinarily, a player's clock is synchronized to a default clock or time source such as the system timer. Such a player is said to be internally synchronized.
5 However, the player's clock can also be synchronized to another time source orclock, including another player's clock. Such a player is said to be externally synchronized .

In Pigure 9, the player 900 is externally synchronized to the master clock 910.
10 The master clock 910 determines the play position of the player 900 according to its synchronization to the slave clock.

For Example: The player's clock is synchroniæd to the master clock such that:

tplayer = 1 tmaster +
.~ ~
-~ - If the master clock slows down, playback of the player slows down in lock step. If the master clock speeds up, the player speeds up. In all cases the player remains synchronized to the master.

:,7~ When externally synchronized, it is the responsibility of the player to insure that its play posihon always reflects its clock's current time during playback. The ~ same is true for recording.
i':~ ~ ~
~; 25 A player's clock can also be used as a master clock to an external clock, which ` ~ could in turn be a ;master to another clock. In Pigure 10, player A's clock 1000 acts as the master to the clock X 1010, which in turn acts as a master to player B's clock 1020.
When player A 1000 is playing, both clock X 1010 and player B 1020 fo}low playerA's clock. When the player A is stopped, its clock doesn't move and neither will30 clock X or player B's clock. It is the responsibility of a player, when internally synchronized, to insure that its clock's current position always reflects the play ~ position.
'';:
:
~ 35 Synchronizing Time Based Media Sequences .~
Master and slave players ~ wo 94e7~4 213 9 3 8 6 PCTIUS94/00141 To synchronize audio and video sequences together as illustrated in Figure 11, the clocks of the two players would be synchronized together as shown in Figure 12. The video player will always follow the audio player. If the audio player speeds up, the video player will speed up. If the audio player slows down, the video will 5 slow down. If the audio stops, the video will stop. If the audio starts going backwards, the video will go backwards in lockstep. Any two time-based media players could be synchronized in this way, not just audio and video.

Synchronizing players to a common clock To start a video sequence one second after an audio sequence in which the video sequence plays twice as fast as the audio sequence, as shown in Figure 13, two players must be created and their clocks must be synchronized to a single master15 clock as illustrated in Figure 14. Any number of time-base media sequences can be synchronized to a single master clock.

Daisy chaining players It is possible for a player to be both a master and a slave as shown in Figure 15. Such a player is externally synchronized, and therefore must behave like a slave. Acting like a master is accomplished at the same time with no extra effort. A
slave 1520 can simply connect to the master/slave player's 1510 clock. A plurality of 25 players can be daisy chained together.

Implementing a software Jog/Shuttle knob rate controller A Jog/5huttle knob is a circular device that can be used to control the rate of playback of a collection of time-based media sequences. When in shuttle mode, the position of the knob controls the rate of playback. When in jog mode, the knob controls the play position. A software jog/shuttle knob can be implemented using a 35 software clock. A pictorial representation of the jog/shuttle knob can be drawn on the computer screen, as shown in Figure 16, and controlled with a mouse. When injog mode, the position of the controller knob 1610 on the screen can be translated to a time position in the sequence. A time source is used to represent the time WO 94n7234 PCTIIJS94/00141 393Q~6 1~
position Every time the knob is set to a new position, the time source's currenttime is set to the corresponding time position in the sequence.

A clock object is slaved to the time source. Then, by synchronizing one or 5 more players to the clock object, they will follow the position determined by the knob as illustrated in Figure 17A. When in shuttle mode, the clock object is slaved to the system time source. The position of the knob on the screen can be translated to a rate of playback. Each time the user changes the knob position on the screen the corresponding rate is set on the clock. Setting the rate of the clock will then cause lO all synchronized players to change their rates accordingly.

Pigure 17B is a flowchart of the detailed logic associated with shuttle control operation in accordance with a preferred embodiment. When the mouse button is depressed as detected in function block 1700, a test is performed at decision block lS 1702 to determine if the mouse cursor is positioned over the knob on the shuttle controller as shown in Figure 16 at 1610. If the cursor is so positioned, then at function block 1704 the shuttle clock rate is set to zero and the shuttle clock is set equal to a current time of zero. Then, at function block 1706, the player is slaved to the shuttle clock, the player is started at function block 1708, and processing is 20 completed at terminal 1710.

When the mouse position changes as detected at function block 1720, the , angle between the 12 o'clock noon and knob position is calculated in degrees at function block 1722 and a test is performed to determine if the angle is negative at 25 decision block 1724. If so, then at fimction block 1728, the sign is set to -1, angle d =
-d and control is passed to decision block 1730. If the test fails at function block 1726, then sign is set to 1. Then, at decision block 1730, a test is performed to de~ermine if d is >= 0 degrees and ~ 80 degrees, then rate is set equal to sign ~ d / 80 degrees and control is passed to function block 1742 to set the shuttle clock rate equal to rate. If 30 not, then another test is performed at decision block 1736 to determine if d is ~= 80 degrees and < 100 degrees, then rate is set equal tb sign ~1.0 and control is passed to function block 1742 to set the shuttle clock rate equal to rate. If not, then rate is set equal to sign ~1 + (d -100 degrees) / 80 degrees and contro1 is passed to function block 1742 to set the shuttle clock rate equal to rate.
When the mouse button is up at function block 1744, then the player is stopped at function block 1746 and the player is slaved to the player's intemal clock at function block 1748.

.,;,f~,~'; WO 94n7234 PCT/US94/00141 -l7-Figure 17C is a flowchart of the detailed logic of the jog mode operation in accordance with the subject invention. If the mouse button is down as detected at function block 1750, then a test is performed at decision block 1752 to determine if 5 the mouse cursor is on the knob. If not, then processing is aborted at terminal 1762.
If the mouse is on a knob, then at function block 1754 the jog time source current time is set equal to zero, the last knob position is set equal to noon; the time per degree is set equal to 2 seconds/360 degrees at function block 1756, the player is slaved to the jog time source at function block 1758, and the player is started at lO function block 1760.

If the mouse button has changed position at function 1764, then the current knob position is calculated at function block 1766, the delta between the last knob position and the current knob position is calculated at function block 1768, the time 15 delta is calculated at function block 1770, and the jog time source current time is set equal to the time delta in function block 1772.
,~ .
When the mouse button is up at function block 1774, then at function block 1776, the player is stopped, and the player is set to slave the player's internal clock at 20 function block 1780.

lmplementation Of Time Sources and Clock Objects Time Source Implementation A time source and the set of all clocks synchronized to it is called a clock hierarchy. Figure 18 is an illustration of a clock hierarchy as it appears on a computer display in a preferred embodiment. The time source must be able to 30 provide it's current time and implement alarrns and delays. Alarms and delays are called wakeups. Sending an IPC message (an alarm) or unblocking a thread (a delay) is called firing a wakeup. The time source is responsible for firing any and ali wakeups set on any clock in it's clock hierarchy.

For each clock in the clock hierarchy, the time source maintains a direct function that is used to convert from the time source's current time to the clock's current time. The direct function is of the form W094127~14 ~,~393Qo6 PC~/US94100141 ~ ~

tclock = a ttimeSource + b; where tclock is the clock's current time ttimeSource is the time source's current time 3 . ~ . ..
a is a floating point value that determines the rate of the clock's current timerelative to the time source's current time. `~

10 b is a time object that determines the offset of the clock's current time relative to the time source's current time.

The inverse direct function is used to convert in the other direction - from a clock's current time to the time source's current time:
ttimesource = ( tClock - b) / a When a clock is indirectly connected to a time source through one or more other clocks, the direct function can still be calculated by algebraic substitution. For 20 example, consider clock Y 1900 in Figure 19. Clock X 1910 is a function relative to the time source 1920 having the equation:
tclockx = ax ttimesource + bX

Clock Y's 1900 function relative to Clock X 1910 is: tclocky = ay tclockx + by Clock Y's 1900 direct function can be calculated by substitution:

tclocky = ay (ax ttimesource + bx) + by = ( ay ax) ttimeSource + (ay bx + b I

=a ttimeSource + b where ' a - ay-ax b = ay bx + by Setting the Current Time of a Time Source .~;: WO 94n7234 PCT/US94tO0141 .. ~, There are two types of time sources, driven and non-driven. A driven time source is continually updated by a client setting it's current time. This is accomplished by calling the driven time source's SetTime() member function. The 5 implementation of SetTime() is shown in the flowchart appearing in Figure 20.
Processing comrnences at terminal 2000 where the parameter "new time" is passed into SetTime() at function block 2010 which saves the new current time.

The direction of the time sGurce is determined by comparing "new time" to lO the time source's old current time at decision block 2020. If it is greater, the time source is going forward, and control is passed to decision block 2040. If it is smaller, then the time source is going backwards, and control is passed to decision block2030. If equal, the direction of the time source remains unchanged. "Next time" is the time that the next wakeup needs to be fired. If the time source is going;forward, l5 a wakeup is late if "next time" is less than or equal to the current time. If the time source is going backward, a wakeup is late if "next time" is greater than or equal to the current time. The function block 2050 marked "ticklewakeups" fires all alarms and delays that are late. Firing wakeups is explained in more detail in the section below called The Time Source's Wakeup List. Processing is completed at terminal 20 block 2060.

A non-driven time source does not need to be constantly be told what it's current time is. It is used for time sources such as the system timer where the underlying ~perating System keeps track of the current time. A non-driven time 25 source knows how to find its current time, and it has a member function, GetNextTime(), that returns the next time that an alarm or delay should be fired.
GetNextTime() is called whenever a new alarm or delay is added to the time source.
When a new alarrn or delay needs to be fired, the tirne source's TickleWakeUps()member function can be called which will fire any wakeups that are late. This 30 allows the implementor to create a time source that does not require constantSetTime() calls, as are required by a driven time source.

Getting the Current Time of a Time Source A time source can get it's current time very quickly because in the case of a driven time source, it has the value stored in an internal data structure, or in the case of a non-driven time source, it can query t~e underlying operating system.

~39 PCT/US94100141 ~

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Handling W~keups Both kinds of wakeups - delays and alarms - are handled similarly by the time source. The time source gets a request from a clock for a wal<eup to be fired at a S certain time, called the wakeup time. The wakeup time is converted from the requesting clock's timebase to the time source's local timebase using an inversedirect function. The time source checks to see if the wakeup is late and needs to be fired. If the wakeup is late, the time source fires it, otherwise the time source adds the wakeup to a time-ordered list of wakeups, called the wakeup list.

The Time Source's Wakeup List Whenever the wakeuplist changes because a wakeup has been removed or 15 added, the time source's GetNextTime() method is called and it calculates the next time that a wake up n~eds to be fired. If the time source is a driven time source, its SetTime() member function calls TickleWakeups() whenever one or more wakeups are late. TickleWakeups() goes through the wakeuplist and fires all of the wakeups that are late. When a wakeup is fired it is also removed from the list. The 20 GetNextTime() member function of a non-driven time source can be overridden to find out what time it next needs to call TickleWakeUps() and then set a timer to go off at that time. When the timer goes off, the time source calls TickleWakeups().

Figure 21 sets forth the detailed logic of the TickleWakeups() function.
25 Processing commences at terminal 2102 and immediately passes to function block 2104 where the variable ch~nged is set equal to false. Then, at function block 2120, the first wake~p is obtained and a test is performed at decision block 2160 to deterrnine if a wakeup is due. If a wakeup is due, then the wakeup is fired at function block 2150, the next wakeup is obtained at function block 2140, the variable 30 changed is set equal to ll~UE, and control is returned to decision block 2160 to await the next wakeup.

If a wakeup is not due at decision block 2160, then the variable changed is tested at decision block 2170. If the variable changed is TRUE, then get next time at function block 2180. If FALSE, then control is passed to terminal 2190 for finishing.

-- wo 94~7234 213 9 3 8 6 PCT/US94100141 Software Clock Implementation Ge~ting the Current Time of a Software Clock To get the current time for a clock, the clock procedure first obtains the current time from the time source for it's clock hierarchy. It then gets the direct function and converts the time source's current time to the clock's current time as detailed in the flowchart appearing in Figure 22. Processing commences at 220û and proceeds immediately to function block 2210 to get time source for the clock's hierarchy. Then, at function block 2220, the time source's time is obtained, and at function block 2230, the direct function is obtained. Finally, at function block 2240, the direct function is applied to the time source's time resulting in the current time returned at terminal 2250.

Because the clock and the time source may be in different address spaces, both the tirne source's current time and the clock's direct function are stored in memory shared between the two address spaces. A semaphore is used to insure that the direct function and time source's time don't change when they are being read from shared memory.
Setting a Delay on a Software Clock There are two types of delays. One, a member function of a clock called DelayUntil(), will block the client's task until the clock's current time reaches a specified value. The second, a member function of a clock called DelayFor(~, blocks the client's task until the a specified amount of time has elapsed. This second form of delay is actually identical to calling the first form, specifying a value equivalent the clock's current time plus the desired amount of elapsed time.

To delay on a clock, the clock sends the time it wants to delay until (or for) to the time source for it's clock hierarchy. The time source uses the in~erse direct function for the clock to translate it to a tirne local to the tirne source (and adds the current time if it is a delay for and not delay until). The request is added to the wakeuplist (as already discussed in the Handling Wakeups section), and the caller is blocked until the wakeup is fired. -PCT/US94/00141 ~`;

Setting an Alarm on a Software Clock Setting an alarm on a clock is the same as setting a delay on a clock except that the caller isn't blocked, a message is sent to a specified port instead. Figure 23 is a 5 flowchart showing how both delays arid ~larms are implemented. Processing commences at 2300 where the input time and receiver are input. Then, at functionblock 2310, the direct function is obtained, the inverse of the direct function is applied at function block 2320, and a test is performed at decision block 2340 to determine if the delay is a delay for. If so, then the current time is obtained at l0 function block 2342, the current time is added to the time, and control passes to function block 2346.

If not a delay for, then at function block 2346 a wakeup is created with the time and receiver. Then, at decision block 2350, another test is performed t~
15 determine if wakeup is due. If not, then the wakeup is added to the wakeup list at function block 2352, get next -time is executed at 2372, and control is passed back with a cancel token at terminal 2370. Processing is completed at terminal 2392. If a wakeup is due at decision block 2350, then if the wakeup is a delay, then the task is unblocked at function block 2354, the wakeup is removed at function block 2360, 20 and processing is completed at terminal 2392. If the wakeup is an alarm, then a message is sent at function block 2356, the wakeup is removed at function block 2360, and processing is completed at terminal 2392.

¦ Synchronization of Clocks Synchronization of clocks is implemented both in the software clock and the time source. Two software clock member functions are used by clients to synchronize clocks. Both are called on the slave clock in order to synchronize it to a master. One member function, called SyncTo(), allows the client to specify the30 master clock or time source, the rate, and the offset. The second, SyncToKeepMyTime(), allows the client to specify the master clock and a rate, but calculates the offset such that the slave clock's current time does not change value at the instant of synchronization.

SYNCToKEEPMyTIME() SyncToKeepMyTime() allows the client to specify the master clock and a rate, but calculates the offset such that the slave clock's current time does not change wo 94n7234 2 1 3 9 3 8 6 PCT/USg~100141 ~

value at the instant of synchronization. Figure 24 presen~s the detailed logic of SyncToKeepMyTime(). Processing commences at 2400 and immediately passes to decision block 2420 to determine if the master clock is in the same clock hierarchy.
If not, then at function block 2410, all subsequent synchronization between timeS sources is placed on hold and a test is performed at decision block 2430 to determine if the master is currently a slave to the slave clock. If so, then an error is rehlrned via function block 2454 and control is passed to terminal 2499.

If not, then at function block 2432 the current time is obtained for the slave 10 clock, all information is extracted about the clock at function block 2434, the new master time source is updated at 2436, the master clock's direct function is obtained at function block 2438, the function is calculated for the slave clock based on the current time and supplied rate at function block 2440, the direct function is calculated based on master's direct function at function block 2442, clock wakeups 1~ are recalculated at 2444, and a test is performed at decision block 2446 to determine if a direction change has occurred. If so, then all wakeups are fired at function block 2448. If not, then processing is passed to 2450 to repeat the processing for each slave clock, and a function block 2452 synchronizing is provided between time sources before processing is completed at terminal 2499.
If the master clock is in the same time source in decision block 2420, then another test is performed at decision block 2460 to determine if the master is currently a slave to the slave clock. If not, then the current time is obtained for the slave clock at function block 2462, the master clock's direct function is obtained at 25 function block 2464, the function is calculated for slave clock based on current time and supplied rate at function block 2466, the direct function is calculated at function block 2468, clock wakeups are recalculated at function block 2470, and a test isperformed at decision block 2472 to determine if the direction has changed. If so, then all wakeups are fired at function block 2474. If not, then processing is repeated 30 for all slave clocks at function block 2476 before processing is finished at terminal 2499.

The new clock function is calculated as follows:

Slave clock's function prior to synchronizing to master: -tslave = aoriginal tmaster + boriginal W094127234 93006 ~CT11~594/00141 ~ 1:

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) Slave clock s function after synchronizing to master with new rate aneW:

tSlave = aneW tmaster + bnew 5 Where bneW is such that tnewslave = tslave, i-e bneW = tmaster (as- anew ) + boriginal SYNCTO() SyncTo(), allows the client to specify the master clock or time snurce, the rate, and the offset. Processing is very similar to the logic set forth in Figure 24. The 15 clocks new hmction is calculated as follows in the SyncTo() case:

Slave clock's function prior to synchronizing to master:

t5lave = aoriginal ~ tmaster ~ boriginal Slave clock's function after synchronizing to master with new rate aneW and offset bnew:

tSlave = anew- tmaster + bneW
A clock can synchronize to any other clock, even clocks ~n different clock hierarchies.

Audio player implementation An audio se~uence object comprises a segment of digitized sound samples. It has member functions to retrieve and store audio samples.

An audio player plays back an audio stream so that it can be heard over a 35 speaker. It does this by periodically reading data from the audio stream and writing it to an audio output port.

- ; wo s4n~234 2 i 3 9 3 8 6 PCT/US94l00141 The read period is determined by a Digital to Analog Converter (DAC). A
DAC converts digital audio samples to an analog electrical signal that can be converted to sound by an audio amplifier connected to a speaker. It converts N
digital audio samples per second. N is called the sample rate of the DAC. The DAC
S has an internal buffer of audio samples awaiting conversion. The audio player, executing in the host processor, fills the DAC's buffer with samples read from an audio sequence. When this buffer is half empty, the DAC interrupts the host processor. The audio player then fills the buffer again with the next batch of audio samples read from the audio sequence. This process is illustrated in Figure 25.
An illustration of an audio player as a Master is presented in Figure 26. The Audio Player has a clock that can act as a master to another clock. This is accomplished by insuring that the audio player's clock always reflect the time of the sample currently being reproduced by the speaker. For example, if at a point T in time the 88200th sample from the beginning of the audio sequence is being playedon the speaker, and the sample rate of the DAC and audio sequence are both 44,100 samples per second, ~en the audio player's clock must be at time 2 seconds. This is - ~ accomplished by creating a time source which is driven by the DAC. Every time the DAC outputs a buffer full of samples, it interrupts the host processor. The host~20 processor will ~en increment the time source's current time by a time equivalent to the amount of samples converted since the last interrupt. This is determined by:
, ~ ~ cincrement time> = <samples since last interrupt> / <DAC sample rate>
;
2 5 The Audio Player synchronizes its software clock to the DAC time source.
The linear function obeys ~e following formula.

taudioplayerclock = 1 tDAC time source + b where b is set so that when playback of the sequence starts, taudioplayerclock = -This is accomplished using the SetTime function of the clock.

Audio Player as Slave The audio player can synchronize to an external clock. In this case, the audio player must insure that the sample being reproduced by the speaker corresponds to the current time of the external clock. For example, if at a given instant in time the external clock object's current time is two seconds, then the 88,200th sample in the i wO94n7~4 ,~393Q~6 PCT/U594/00141 ~
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audio sequence should at that instant be reproduced by the speaker, assuming a 44,100 sample rate for the audio sequence. This processing is accomplished as follows. The audio player waits for an interrupt from the DAC, indicating that more audio data is needed. The player then examines the current time of its clock, S determining if it needs to speed up or slow do'wn the playback rate or jump to a new position in the audio sequence in order to insure that the correct samples are being played from the speaker. It then uses a digital signal processing algorithm to convert the rate of the audio sequence samples to the sample rate of the DAC before outputting the samples.
The detailed logic associated with slaving an audio player is presented in Figure 27 in accordance with a preferred embodiment. Processing commences at 2700 where a wait state is entered ur til a DAC interrupt occurs. When a DAC
interrupt occurs, control passes to function block 2710 where the clock time is lS obtained. Then, at function block 2720 the clock rate is calculated relative to the DAC rate, and a test is performed at 2730 to determine if the clockRate is too high. If so, then the clock rate is set to the maximum rate. If not, then the desired position is calculated at function block 2750. Function block 2750 requires more explanation because its processing is more involved. That is the calculation of the desired position of the audio stream. This position determines the next s'ample that theplayer will output. The calculation of this value is non-trivial because of the delay introduced by the DAC. When the player outputs a sample to the DAC, it enters the ~'' DAC's internal buffer. The sample is not reproduced at the speaker until all of'the samples already in the DAC's buffer are emptied. Fortunately, this delay can be calculated. It is:
delayDAc = <samples in internal bufferDAc> / sampleRateDAC

The audio sequence samples will be output at a rate determined by clockRate.
This is the derivative of the external clock position relative to the DAC clock position. To deterrnine the desired position, the DAC delay is subtracted, but before t doing so it must be converted to the time base of the audio stream. This is done as follo~ls: .

delayaudio sequence= (delayDAc clockRate) 7 ll~e desired position of the audio stream is then calculated as follows:

~,,,, .,, " , . , . ~, ~s~ wo 94J27234 2 ~ 3 9 3 8 6 PCT/US94100141 desiredPosition = <position of next sample in sequence> - delayaudio sequence Then, at decision block 2760, the desired position is compared to the actual S position t~ determine if it is too far from the actual position. If so, then the audio sequence is sought to the desired position at function block 2770. In any case, then the samples are read from the audio stream, converted to clock rate, and written to the output buffer at function block 2780.

Graphic player implementation A graphic sequence object is a collection of graphic objects. The graphic objects in a graphic sequence may be digitized video frames, rendered frames of an animation, or any other graphic objects related by time. A graphic sequence has member hmctions that access individual graphics for storage and retrieval. Each graphic has a duration; therefore, the sequence has a duration that is the summation of the duration of the component graphic objects. A graphic sequence also provides a member function that maps a time within the duration of the 3 sequence to a particular graphic objects. An example of a sequence of images of a sunrise is presented in Figure 28 with the duration of each graphic object presented below the frame.

A grephic pl~yer plays a graphic sequence thrvugh its graphic output port, which may be connected to a graphic input port. The player has a software clock that may drive other clocks (as a master) or be driven (as a slave). The player sequences through the graphic objects in a graphic sequence in accordance with the time on its clock. The clock is limited to a range from time zero to a time equal to the duration of the graphic sequence being played. The player delays until the duration of the current frame has elapsed on the clock. The player then checks the current time on the clock, gets the graphic objects in the sequence that maps to that time, and writes the graphic objects to the output port.

The player always uses the current time on the clock when selecting the graphic objects to be written to the output port. This provides automatic degradation if performance is slow: if writing a graphic object takes longer than its duration, one or more frames is effecti~ely skipped. Changes in the clock's direction are similarly accounted for. The detaaed logic associated with the graphic WO 94n7234 PCT/US94/00141 ,~
9~ -28-player is presented via a flowchart in Figure 29. Processing commences at terminal 2900 and immediately flows to function block 2910 to enter a delay until time for the next graphic object. Then, after the delay, the clock time is obtained at function block 2920, the graphic object is written to àn output port at function block 2930, and 5 a test is performed at decision block 2940 to determine if the stop member function has been called. If so, then processing is terminated at terminal 2960. If not, then a test is performed at decision block 2950 to determine if the last frame and the clock are not slaved. If not, then control passes to function block 2910. If so, then processing is terminated at terminal 2960.
Note that if the player's clock is synchronized to another clock, then the display loop continues to execute until the player is explicitly stopped. However, if the clock is not synchronized, the loop exits when the last graphic in the sequence is written.
MIDI player implementation A midi sequence object is a collection of MIDI events. Its member functions control playback and access time-ordered tracks of MIDI events. A MIDI Sequence 20 and MIDI Track format is presented in Figure 30.

A midi player plays a midi sequence through its output port, which may be connected to any input port, including that of a MIDI driver for eventual output on a MIDI synthesizer. The player follows it software clock to output events as they 25 become current. The processing perforrns well with both forward and backward flow of time and takes into account degradation policy should the host processor fall behind. Figure 31 is an illustration of a MIDI Player playing a sequence through a driver to a synthesizer The MIDI player can serve either as a slave or master or both in a synchronization relationship, by using the SyncTo and SyncToSelf member functions inherited from its base class, Time-Based Media Player. The implementation details do not change, and follow a simple time-ordered event loop with two special cases. The first special case handles time switching direction.
Normally the player proceeds by delaying until the next event becomes current.
After the delay ends, the player checks the time to determine if a special case has occurred. The first special case arises when the delay is early. This is represented by the first decision point in the main loop of the flowchart below. When detected, the ,~ WO 94n72:~4 2 1 ~ 9 3 8 6 PCT/US94/00141 player will switch direction, so that "next" becomes the opposite of what it w~s. The second special case concerns processor overload. When the host processor can no longer keep up, a degradation policy is applied. The player stops when the end of the sequence is reached, either at the last event in the forward case or at the first 5 event in the backward case.

A flowchart of the MIDI Player detailed logic is presented in Fi,gure 32.
Processing commences at terminal 3200 and immediately passes to function block 3210 to enter a delay until the next MIDI event. When the next MIDI event is ready lO to execute, then the clock time is obtained at function block 3220, and a test is performed at decision block 3230 to determine if the event is early. If so, then the direction is switched and control is passed to function block 3210. If not, thenanother test is performed at decision block 3242 to determine if the event is late. If the event is late, then degradation is applied to catch up, and control is passed back l5 to function block 3210. If the event is not late, then the event is output at function block 3260, and a test is performed at decision block 3270 to determine if the last event has been performed and the clock object is not slaved. If the last event has been performed and the clock is not slaved, then processing is terminated at terminal 3280. If there are more events, then control is passed to function block 20 3210 to process the next event.

Display Screens Figures 33 to 37, are illustrations of displays in accordance with a preferred 25 embodiment. Figure 33 is an illustration of an empty desktop display that a user is presented with to commence the definition of a software clock and synchronize the same with a multimedia object. Figure 34 is an illustration of a selected clock object definition display in accordance with a preferred embodiment. A user selects theclock object definition from menu bar of information 3410. In particular, the clock 30 menu item 3420 is selected using a mouse as shown in Figure 1 and a pull downmenu as shown in Figure 3420. Fi,gure 35 is an illustration of various clock objects and multimedia objects, defined using the menu selection described in Fi,gure 34, in accordance with a preferred embodiment. A slider bar object 3510, Jog / Shuttle controller 3520, clock object 3530, and an animation multimedia object 3540 are all 35 shown as they would appear in an actual multimedia presentation.

Figure 36 is an illustration of various clock objects linked together and multimedia objects in accordance with a preferred embodiment. The linkages are wo 94n~ '~,~3g3 PCT/US94/00141 t~

-3~

created using a cursor to rubber band a geometric figure, such as a line segment, to join up a clock object 3610 to another clock object 3620, or multimedia objects 3630 and 3640. Figure 37 is an illustration of a visual object synchronized with an audio object in accordance with a preferred embodiment. The visual clock object 3710 is S svnchronized with the audio clock object 3720 to control the associated multimedia presentation of music and displays represented by the animation multimedia object :: :
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Claims (14)

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for managing and displaying multimedia presentations on a display in the memory (14,20) of a computer as objects of an object-oriented application program, said multimedia presentations including text, audio, MIDI and graphic data, characterized by, a clock object (1500,2400-2499) for storing a current time in said memory, a plurality of media player objects (200,300,900,1020,1500,1510,1520,1610, 3540,3520,3730) resident in said memory, each of said media player objects having an associated player clock means (800) responsive to a master control signal for generating a player time value representing a playback position (810), information for playback, said information being arranged as a plurality of sections (820), each of said plurality of sections corresponding to a unique player time value (800), and means responsive to said player time value and to said digital information for playing back one of said plurality of digital information sections corresponding to said player time value;
means for displaying said media player objects and said clock object on said display (38);
means responsive to said current time (300) and to a player time value (510,2440,2720) associated with each of said media player objects for generating master control signals for each of said plurality of player clock means (2400 - 2499) such that said player time value of each of said plurality of player clock means (1510 -1520) changes at an adjustable rate relative to said player time value of another one of said plurality of player clock means (1500) and relative to said current time of said clock object to playback said information sections.

2. The system as recited m claim 1, including means for initiating the synchonizing through an iconic operation.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said media player objects include an audio object responsive to digital sound information for generating audio sound, and said synchronizing means includes means for synchronizing each of said plurality of media player objects and said audio object with said clock object.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said media player objects include a MIDI object responsive to digital sound information for generating audio sound, and said synchronizing means includes means for synchronizing each of said plurality of media player objects and said MIDI object with said clock object.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said media player objects include a graphic object responsive to graphic information for generating images on said display, and said synchronizing means includes means for synchronizing each of said plurality of media player objects and said graphic object with said clock object.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein said media player objects include a control object responsive to inputs for changing said current time, and said synchronizing means includes means for synchronizing each of said plurality of media player objects and said jog control object with said clock object.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, including means for adjusting the control object via cursor positioning and button depressions.

8. The system as recited in claim 6, including external means for forcing the current time backwards or forwards based on manipulation of said control object.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of said plurality of media player objects are external to said computer.

10. A method managing and displaying multimedia presentations on a display in the memory (14, 20) of a computer as objects of an object-oriented application program, said multimedia presentations including text, audio, MIDI and graphic data, characterized by the steps of:

creating a clock object (1500, 2400-2499) with an associated current time (300) resident in said memory (14, 20);

creating a plurality of media player objects (200,300,900,1020,1500,1510, 1520,1610,3540,3520,3730) resident in said memory, each of said media player objects having an associated player clock (800) for receiving a master control signal and for generating a player time value representing a playback position (810) based on said master control signal, information arranged in a plurality of sections for playback and a mechanism for playing back one of said plurality of sections corresponding to said player time value; and synchronizing said plurality of media player objects with each other and with said clock object by generating a master control signal for each of said plurality of player clocks (2400-2499) such that a player time value of each of said plurality of player clocks changes at a programmed rate relative to said player time value of another one of said player clocks (1510-1520) and relative to said current time (300) of said clock object to playback said information.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, comprising a step of synchronizing each of said plurality of media player objects with said clock object.

12. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein at least one of said plurality of media player objects is external to the computer.

13. The method as recited in claim 10, including the steps of displaying said clock object on said display, displaying at least one of said plurality of media player objects on said display, and linking said displayed clock object to said at least one of said plurality of media player objects via a geometric figure joining said clock object and said at least one media player object on said display.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said media player objects include a control object responsive to inputs for changing said current time, and said synchronizing means includes the step of synchronizing each of said plurality of media player objects and said jog control object with said clock object.