Abstract:
The present invention provides a method for producing a multimedia file via a network comprising the steps of: storing a plurality of multimedia objects at a plurality of corresponding layers, generating an interface displaying the layers, through which the multimedia objects are selected according to the layers at a first client, and combining the selected multimedia objects to generate a first multimedia file at a server.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a network system for producing multimedia files and the method thereof, particularly to a network system for producing multimedia files and a method thereof which provides a user interface having an object-oriented and layered structure.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    Posters are a popular tool for advertisement. Conventionally, posters are produced by a print shop, which is not comparable with the modern and fast production of a PC printing system. The quality, resolution and paper variety of posters produced by a PC system are higher than those produced by the print shop. Furthermore, as the Internet becomes more and more popular, posters can now be produced via a website. Users can chose between sample posters or design one themselves on the website and a digital file is produced and sent to the printing system.  
           [0005]    However, there is no object-oriented editing tool provided for users on the websites described above. The drawbacks are:  
           [0006]    1. Only a non-object-oriented file, such as BMP or JPEG, can be used if the user does not install an object-oriented editing software application, such as Corel Draw or AutoCAD on their computer. It is well known that, for a certain size and resolution of an image, the size of the transferred non-object-oriented file representing the image is much larger than that of an object-oriented file, such as CDR for Corel Draw or DWG for AutoCAD. This is a disadvantage for data transmission on the Internet.  
           [0007]    2. An object-oriented file can be used only if the user has an object-oriented editing software application in his computer. Generally, object-oriented editing software applications are expensive and not popular with users. This is a disadvantage for promoting the popularization of the website.  
           [0008]    Furthermore, there is no layering capability in the user interface of the current websites for poster production. Everything on the poster must be created by the user, and no reference structure or template is provided when designing the poster. This is not easy for non-professional designers.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a network system for producing a multimedia file and the method thereof, which provides a database storing description data of image and text objects at various layers for users. A user interface at the client having layering capability is also provided. Users choose and modify the image or text objects in the database for each layer. The server, having an object-oriented application combines the selected objects for each layer and produces a digital multimedia file. The modification of the objects and production of the file are executed at the server so that the object-oriented editing tool is not necessary at the client.  
           [0010]    The present invention provides a method for producing a multimedia file via a network comprising the steps of: storing a plurality of multimedia objects at a plurality of corresponding layers, generating an interface displaying the layers, through which the multimedia objects are selected according to the layers at a first client, and combining the selected multimedia objects to generate a first multimedia file at a server.  
           [0011]    The present invention further provides a network system for producing a multimedia file comprising a storage device storing a plurality of multimedia objects at a plurality of corresponding layers, an interface device generating an interface displaying the layers, through which the multimedia objects are selected according to the layers at a first client, and a processing device combining the selected multimedia objects to generate a first multimedia file at a server.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]    The following detailed description, given by way of example and not intended to limit the invention solely to the embodiments described herein, will best be understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a network system according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a CDR file used in one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIGS. 3 and 4A˜ 4 E are diagrams showing the user interface of one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the method for producing a multimedia file according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    The present invention provides a web-based platform to which media designers and composers upload their object-oriented files (CDR, DWG or MIDI files) created by object-oriented editing tools (Corel Draw, AutoCAD or applications for editing MIDI files). Image, text or sound objects are extracted from the uploaded files by a sever. These objects and their descriptive data such as contents of the text objects, sizes and positions of the image objects, or keys and pitches of the sound objects, are then stored in a database at various layers, such as title layer, picture layer, layer for oral voice, first and second instrument etc. The server also send to the client a user interface guiding the user to choose among the stored objects for each layer and modify the descriptive data of the selected objects. As soon as a combination of the objects for each layer is determined, the server produces a corresponding object-oriented file which is then transferred to an output system to generate a poster or music CD, or produces a corresponding non-object-oriented file which is then transferred to the client for previewing. Thus, the designers, users and output system are connected via the platform which is suitable for development of E-commerce-based multimedia production.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a network system according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0019]    The network system comprises a server  11 , a first client  12  for users, a second client  13  for designers and a poster printing system  14 .  
         [0020]    The second client  13  for the designers has an interface for uploading, such as an FTP uploading application. CDR files Poster1.cdr and Poster2.cdr are transferred to the server  11  via the uploading interface and input to the extractor  111 .  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the CDR files. Poster1.cdr comprises an image object  256  and three text objects  257 ,  258  and  259 , and Poster2.cdr comprises image objects  251  and  255 , and three text object  252 ,  253  and  254 .  
         [0022]    The extractor  111  of the server  11  receives the files Poster1 and Poster2 and uses a Visual Basic program to extract the image and text objects  251 ˜ 259  which are then stored at different layers. The image objects  251  and  256  are stored at a picture layer, the image object  255  is stored at an logo layer, the text objects  252  and  257  are stored in a title layer, the text objects  253  and  258  are stored in a subtitle layer, and the text objects  254  and  259  are stored at a text layer. Descriptive data of the objects  251 - 259  are stored in a data base  112 . The descriptive data of the text object  252 ˜ 254  and  27 ˜ 259  is the words of the text and that of the image objects is the size and position of the image. For example, the descriptive data of the text object  253  is “On Sale!” and that of the image object  256  is Size( 200 ,  236 ) and Position(1.00029, 1.13409). The server  11  has a Corel object composed of a series of Common Object Models.  
         [0023]    When the first client  12  reads out the website homepage from the server  11 , JPEG thumbnails of the files Poster1 and Poster2 are displayed on the homepage for the user to choose from. For example, when the user selects Poster2, the server  11  transfers a JAVA applet  121  to the first client  12  to generate a user interface shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0024]    The user interface comprises a main window  2  having a title  21 , a tool bar  22 , a working area  23 , a menu bar  24 , buttons  261 ˜ 268  and a graphical information bar  27 . Since the Poster2 is selected, the JAVA applet  121  sends a request to the server  11  so that the Corel object in the server  11  reads out the descriptive data of the objects  251 ˜ 255  stored in the database  112  and generates a JPEG file  25   a  which is sent back to the first client  12  and displayed in the working area  23 . The words of the text objects  252 ,  253  and  254  are displayed in boxes  241 ,  242  and  243  for the title, subtitle and text of the poster respectively.  
         [0025]    The user may wish to modify the subtitle. As shown in FIG. 4A, the words in the subtitle box  242  are changed from “On Sale!” to “30% OFF!” and the Preview button  267  is pressed so that the JAVA applet sends the new subtitle content to the Corel object in the server  11  to generate a new JPEG file  25   b  replacing the old JPEG file  25   a . The JPEG file  25   b  is sent back to the first client  12  and displayed in the working area  23 .  
         [0026]    Next, the user may wish to delete the logo. As shown in FIG. 4B, the Delete Logo button  262  is pressed so that the JAVA applet sends an elimination of the image object  255  to the Corel object in the server  11  to generate a new JPEG file  25   c  replacing the old JPEG file  25   b . The JPEG file  25   c  is sent back to the first client  12  and displayed in the working area  23 .  
         [0027]    Further, the user may wish to change the picture. First, as shown in FIG. 4C, the Delete Image button  264  is pressed so that the JAVA applet sends an elimination of the image object  251  to the Corel object in the server  11  to generate a new JPEG file  25   d  replacing the old JPEG file  25   c . The JPEG file  25   d  is sent back to the first client  12  and displayed in the working area  23 . Second, as shown in FIG. 4D, the Insert Image button  263  is pressed so that the JAVA applet  121  generates a select window (not shown) displaying the thumbnails of all the image objects stored at picture layer for the user to choose from. The image object  256  is selected so that the JAVA applet sends a request to the Corel object in the server  11  to generate a JPEG file  25   e  representing the image object  256 . The JPEG file  25   e  is sent back to the first client  12  and displayed in the working area  23  in its original size and position. The JAVA applet  121  also allows the user to modify the size and position of the image object  256 . The user drags the JPEG file  25   e  to move, enlarge or shrink the image and the modified size (height and position of the image appears in the graphic information bar  27 . Third, as shown in FIG. 4E, the Preview button is pressed so that the JAVA applet  121  sends a request to the Corel object in the server  11  to generate a JPEG file  25   f  replacing the file  25   d . The JPEG file  25   f  is sent back to the first client  12  and displayed in the working area  23 .  
         [0028]    Finally, editing is complete and the Save button  265  is pressed. The final result is sent to the server  11  by the JAVA applet  121  and stored in the database  112 . The Corel object in the sever  11  reads out the final result from the database  112  and generates a corresponding CDR file which is sent to the printing system  14  and printed out.  
         [0029]    Users can easily create their own poster via the network system described herein since a layered structure composed of the title, subtitle, text, picture and logo layers is available in the user interface, and the objects provided by another professional designer for each layer are already pre-stored in the server  11 . Users need not create everything on the poster unaided. This is suitable for users not skilled in poster design.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the method for producing a multimedia file according to one embodiment of the invention.  
         [0031]    In step  31 , a designer uploads an object-oriented file such as CDR for a poster to a server via an FTP uploading application. There are image and text objects in the file.  
         [0032]    In step  32 , the uploaded file is applied to a Visual Basic program in the server. The uploaded file is then extracted, and the image and text objects are extracted from the uploaded file. Their descriptive data is also generated.  
         [0033]    In step  33 , the objects extracted from the uploaded file are stored at various layers such as title, subtitle, logo and picture layer.  
         [0034]    In step  34 ,the server transfer a JAVA applet to the client to generate a user interface. The user interface displays the layers, whereby the user can select objects for each layer and modify the descriptive data of the selected objects.  
         [0035]    In step  35 , the user determines the combination of the selected or modified objects.  
         [0036]    Then, according to the user&#39;s request, the server generates a non-object-oriented file such as JPEG in step  362  and transfers it to the client for preview in step  372 , or generates an object-oriented file such as CDR in step  361  and transfers it to a printing system for printing in step  371 .  
         [0037]    In conclusion, the server of the network system according to the present invention provides pre-stored objects uploaded by creators, an object-oriented application for manipulation of the files and a user interface having a layering capability guiding the user to create their own multimedia file. Thus, no object-oriented software application is needed at the client and those not skilled in multimedia design can easily create their own files. The network system provides a web-based platform connecting the designer, user and manufacturer.  
         [0038]    While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.