Interactive video tour system editor

Abstract

A computer system, method, and apparatus for editing an interactive image video tour. The system may include a computer including an image editor for providing a visual program interface for editing an interactive image video tour; a database in communication with the computer containing data associated with a plurality of images comprising a portion of the interactive image video tour; and a viewer in communication with the computer for displaying the plurality of images. The method may include selecting a data file that includes image data and displaying an image associated therewith on a computer, the data file being stored in an image database containing a plurality of images for creating an interactive image video tour; and modifying one aspect of the image data contained in the selected data file. The apparatus may include a computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method for editing an interactive image video tour.

1 . A method of editing portions of an interactive image video tour, comprising:
 displaying a thumbnail view of an image associated with a predetermined facility in a first portion of the image editor, the image being stored in a database in the form of a data file comprising image data;   selecting the thumbnail view of the image;   transferring the selected thumbnail view of the image to a second portion of the image editor; and   positioning the selected thumbnail view of the image in a predetermined order according to a tour layout plan of the predetermined facility within the second portion of the image editor, the predetermined order corresponding to a position of the image within the tour layout of an interactive image video tour of the predetermined facility.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising displaying a directory of the image in the first portion of the image editor, the directory providing a hierarchical representation of folders for organizing a plurality of images into separate groups. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing a tour map corresponding to the thumbnail view of the image contained in the second portion of the image editor for identifying a location of the image within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing alternate images to the interactive image video tour for providing any of an up, down, left or right view of a selected image within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising linking the alternate images to any other image associated with the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing arrows to the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the arrows are provided on a tour map for identifying a location of the image within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the arrows are provided on a tour map for identifying links associated with other interactive image video tours. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing a component overlay to the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising linking the component overlay to another interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing an ARM overlay to the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing a CAM overlay to the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing directional paths within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing hyperlinks in a tour map for traveling from the tour map to another tour map. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing tour lines in a tour map for indicating a location of the image within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing tour points in a tour map  62  for indicating a location of the image within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing primary images to the interactive image video tour, each of the primary images having a plurality of alternate images referenced thereto. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising providing coordinating arrow positions to the primary image for coordinating the position of the plurality of alternative images referencing the primary image. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising auto-positioning and rotating coordinating arrows associated with the coordinating arrow positions when adding the alternate images to the image video tour. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising designating a tour map associated with one interactive image video tour as a site plan for a plurality of interactive image video tours and providing a hyperlink from the tour map of the one interactive video tour to tour maps associated with other interactive image video tours. 
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising providing components to the interactive image video tour, the components comprising images having greater detail than the images within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising cataloging capabilities of the components associated with the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising searching for the components by any of a component identification, system or type. 
   
   
       24 . A method of creating and editing portions of an interactive image video tour, comprising:
 transferring a data file stored in an image database to a memory of a computer, the image database containing a plurality of data files representing a plurality of images associated with an interactive image video tour of a predetermined facility, each of the pluralities of data files comprising image data for displaying an image associated with a portion of the predetermined facility on a viewer associated with the computer;   displaying a thumbnail view of the image in a first portion of the image editor;   dragging the thumbnail view of the image from the first portion of the image editor to a second portion of the image editor;   positioning the thumbnail view of the image in a predetermined position according to a tour layout plan of the predetermined facility in the second portion of the image editor; and   displaying in the second portion of the image editor the image selected for use in the interactive image video tour of the predetermined facility.   
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising repositioning the predetermined position of the thumbnail view of the image within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising rearranging the thumbnail view of the image in the second portion of the image editor. 
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising creating a tour map corresponding to the thumbnail view of the image contained in the second portion of the image editor for identifying a location of the image within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the first portion of the image tour editor includes a directory panel portion. 
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the second portion of the image tour editor includes a tour panel portion. 
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising displaying a history list of directories selected while creating the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising displaying a directory of a plurality of images in the first portion of the image editor, the directory providing a hierarchical representation of folders for organizing the plurality of images into separate groups. 
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising displaying a tour map in the second portion of the image editor for identifying a location of the image within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 32 , further comprising displaying a directory of a plurality of tour maps  62  in the first portion of the image editor, the directory providing a hierarchical representation of folders for organizing the plurality of tour maps  62  into separate groups. 
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising displaying a plurality of images that have been selected for use within the interactive image video tour in the second portion of the image editor. 
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising displaying a tour tree providing a hierarchical outline view of the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising providing alternate images to the interactive image video tour for providing any of an up, down, left or right view of a primary image of the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 36 , further comprising linking the alternate images to any other image within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising providing directional arrows to the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the arrows are provided on a tour map  62  for identifying a location of the image within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the arrows are provided on a tour map  62  for identifying links associated with other interactive image video tours. 
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising providing a component overlay to the interactive image tour. 
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 41 , further comprising linking the component overlay to another interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       43 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising providing an ARM overlay to the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising providing a CAM overlay to the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       45 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising providing directional paths within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       46 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising providing hyperlinks to a tour map for traveling from one tour map to another tour map. 
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising providing tour lines to a tour map for indicating a location of the image within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising providing tour points to a tour map for indicating a location of the image within the interactive image video tour. 
   
   
       49 . A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method for editing an interactive image video tour, the method comprising:
 transferring a data file stored in an image database to a memory of a computer, the image database containing a plurality of data files representing a plurality of images associated with an interactive image video tour of a predetermined facility, each of the pluralities of data files comprising image data for displaying an image associated with a portion of the predetermined facility on a viewer associated with the computer;   displaying a thumbnail view of the image in a first portion of the image editor;   dragging the thumbnail view of the image from the first portion of the image editor to a second portion of the image editor;   positioning the thumbnail view of the image in a predetermined position according to a tour layout plan of the predetermined facility in the second portion of the image editor; and   displaying in the second portion of the image editor the image selected for use in the interactive image video tour of the predetermined facility.