Cupertino patent watch website, Patently Apple, has recently discovered a new gem from Cupertino that describes methods for dynamic creation of video ringtones. The technology is said to allow users to combine sound and video from various sources to automatically create custom audio-visual alerts for incoming phone calls.
There are multiple ways this patent pending feature can do its magic. For instance, visuals could react to associated audio in a manner iTunes’ visualizer does. In another example, the technology can assemble a layered composite from multiple video or photographic sources and then independently animate them [images and videos] based on the characteristics of the audio track. The visuals support both 2D and 3D effects, including movement, appearance, shape and differing camera angles.
The patent also talks about the so called “signature” information about a particular song or video, which could further alter the visual experience for the recipient. Moreover, it allows for displaying of links to relevant content, while at the same time enabling some sort of social networking services that would include users sharing songs and video clips with the people they are calling…
Sounds cool though we’re not sure whether we’ll ever see something like this released. Apple (and pretty much any other tech company) often files for technologies that never find their way into shipping products. What do you make out of it?
[Via: TUAW]
