(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,228,056 B2
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING MULTIPLE INPUTS AND METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROCESSING MEDIA CONTENT
Inventors: Daniel J . Miller, Camation, WA (US); Eric H. Rudolph, Woodinville, WA (U3)
Assignee: Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA (U3)
Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the tenn of this
patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 372 days.
Appl. NO.Z 10/966,668 Filed: Oct. 15, 2004
US 2005/0117874 A1 Jun. 2, 2005
Related U.S. Application Data
Division of application No. 09/731,563, filed on Dec. 6, 2000, now Pat. No. 6,954,581.
Int. Cl.
H04N 5/93 (2006.01)
H04N 7/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. ........................... .. 386/52; 386/55; 386/46 Field of Classification Search ................ .. 386/52,
386/55, 56,46, 1,4, 124, 125, 126,205, 386/106,104,109,111,112 See application file for complete search history.
References Cited U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
4,220,823 A 9/1980 Littlefield 5,162,904 A 11/1992 Beaulier et al.
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS EP 0939516 9/1999
Luling, “Static and Dynamic Mapping of Media Assets on a Network of Distributed Multimedia Information Servers”, retrieved on Aug. 14, 2006 at <<http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/search/ srchabstractj sp? arnumber:776 527&isnumber:16865 &punumber:6307>>, 19th IEEE International Conference, Distributing Computing Systems, Proceedings, 1999, pp. 1-8.
Primary Examiner—Robert Chevalier
Methods and systems for managing multiple inputs that are capable of competing or contending for a particular or primary output are described. In one embodiment, the multiple inputs are managed through the use of a softwareimplemented matrix switch object, and an associated data structure that is used to program the switch object and resolve contention issues between the inputs. The matrix switch object can process the multiple inputs to provide a primary output. One implementation of the switch object uses virtual input and output pins to receive and provide data streams. One specific embodiment is used in connection with multi-media editing software that enables users build or define their own editing multi-media editing projects that incorporate multiple diflerent user-selected clips, in the fonn of digital data streams, into an integrated project. Each clip can be defined in temis of one or more digital data streams, e.g. video and audio streams. One implementation method defines a first data structure that represents an editing project and processes the data structure to provide a second data structure that contains data that can be used to program the matrix switch object so that multiple switch inputs are routed to multiple switch outputs and contentions between the inputs for a primary output are resolved.
20 Claims, 20 Drawing Sheets
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