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  Apparatus, methods and systems for viewing and manipulating a virtual environmentRelated Patent Categories: Interactive Video Distribution Systems, Video Distribution System With Upstream CommunicationThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070101383. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED DOCUMENTS [0001] The Present Application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 11/177,049, filed Jul. 9, 2005, entitled "Apparatus, Methods, and Systems for Viewing a Virtual Environment" which claims priority to Provisional Application No. 60/603,708 entitled "Apparatus, Methods, and Systems for Viewing a Virtual Environment" filed Aug. 23, 2004 and both documents are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Portions of the disclosure of this patent document may contain material that is 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 file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. [0003] 1. Field of the Invention [0004] The present invention relates generally to the field of virtual systems, and more particularly to a system wherein a virtual video game producer, director, camera person, or other individual manipulates a virtual interface device within the virtual game space. [0005] 2. Related Art [0006] It is economically unwise to underestimate the global growth of virtual systems, which includes the prolific video game industry. In each of years 2003 and 2004, annual United States retail sales of video games, including portable and console hardware, software and accessories, reached approximately $10 billion dollars, which is the same amount as released movies earned at the box office in those years. One conservative forecast estimates that the global video game industry will more than double its estimated 2004 revenues to $24.5 billion by 2008. [0007] Given the sheer size and expectation of growth for this market sector, few advances have occurred with respect to broadcasting and viewing of virtual systems in general, and video games in particular. For example, a number of virtual video game controllers for playing various types of video games are commercially available, and many of these controllers allow a player to move within the virtual environment of the game being played using a variety of buttons, video game controllers, triggers, and similar command means. However, while there has been a trend to produce more effective and user friendly video game controllers, further improvements for ease of play and effectiveness of these controllers for third party viewers are highly desirable. [0008] In particular, although the aforementioned video controllers allow players to move within the virtual environment of the videogame, they are inefficient and difficult to use in allowing a third-party viewer of the game to move within the virtual environment of the video game as an observer of the play action. Moreover, little in the way of a professionally operated and edited viewing environment has been made available to virtual system fans and aficionados. What is needed are apparatus, methods and systems permitting fans and aficionados of virtual systems, including video games, to view action packed, real-time or delayed-time, professionally edited and viewable video images. More generally, what is needed are apparatus, methods and systems permitting any person or machine to more accurately and professionally generate, review, process, store, retrieve, analyze, and optimize information input to or output from a virtual environment. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] To address one or more of the drawbacks of the prior art, the disclosed embodiments provide apparatus, methods and systems for viewing and otherwise manipulating a virtual environment. In one or more embodiments, components are provided for generating, reviewing, processing, storing, retrieving, analyzing, and optimizing information input to or output from a virtual environment. [0010] In one or more embodiments, the components may comprise, for example, video camera components. The video camera components may be stand-alone devices, or alternatively, devices mountable on a tripod or other camera mounting equipment. The video camera components permit a user, such as a camera person, to select from one or more views within a virtual environment, such as a video game being executed, and to provide alternative views within the confines of the virtual environment. [0011] Each video camera component permits a person operating such component, as for example a camera person, to select from multiple views, and to manipulate the video camera component in a predefined or user defined fashion. Exemplary movements include a rotation leftward or rightward, a tilt upward or downward, a translation (for example, a track movement) leftward, rightward, forward, or backward, a rolling leftward or rightward, a zooming inward or outward, and a camera position adjustment (for example, crane movement) upward or downward. [0012] In one embodiment, the video camera component is designed to provide video capture from within the virtual environment that emulates very closely video capture from real world events. Accordingly, the video camera component may permit a professional motion picture camera person to extract views and employ devices recognized in the motion picture art resulting in video images of virtual environments having the attributes of video capture of real world events. [0013] In the disclosed embodiments, related apparatus, methods and systems permit one or more directors to select between a multitude of views provided by the foregoing video camera components, as well as additional views, including views determined by one or more controllers operated by the directors, and the individuals primarily involved in the virtual environment, such as video game players. The selection may be performed in real-time or delayed-time, resulting in professional grade digital video footage of virtual environments having the attributes of professional video capture of real world events. As one example, during a head-to-head video game match, a sports television director can place multiple sports camera persons within the video game, and direct a multi-camera live switch, delivering an exciting spectator experience. [0014] The disclosed embodiments are not limited to the foregoing examples, but can apply to any virtual type of environment, including for example, a virtual reality system, an augmented reality system, a video game system, and a virtual movie, including systems augmented with or based upon real-world input/output and artificial intelligence or its derivatives. [0015] For example, the disclosed embodiments can be used to extract, process and store delayed-time or real-time inputs to and outputs from video film taken from within an individual's body, in order to extract virtual video from different perspectives for diagnostic testing, and to provide output to laser surgical apparatus for surgery. Additional embodiments include (i) digital filmmaking, (ii) simulations of military equipment and personnel readiness during war games, (iii) flight simulation training for pilots, (iv) modeling simulations for biological, chemical and molecular analyses, (v) simulations related to graphical rendering of building facilities for architects, builders, and governmental registration authorities, and (vi) any other simulations that may be contemplated. [0016] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the disclosed embodiments belong. Where a term is provided in the singular, the inventor also contemplates the plural of that term. [0017] All headings are for the convenience of the reader and should not be used to limit the meaning of the text that follows the heading, unless so specified. Various changes and departures may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Accordingly, it is not intended that the disclosed embodiments be limited to any specifically described embodiment in the specification or as illustrated in the examples, but only as set forth in the claims. [0018] Further objectives and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To gain a full appreciation of the scope of the disclosed embodiments, it will be further recognized that various aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined to make desirable embodiments of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0019] The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The left most digits in the corresponding reference number indicate the drawing in which an element first appears. [0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a representative view of nodes operating in a communications network environment; Continue reading... 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