1. An operator support assembly comprising:
a first member;
a second member supported for rotation relative to the first member, the second member defining a center opening;
a seat bottom suspended below the second member; and
a support coupling the seat bottom to the second member, the support including a shock absorbing device to dampen shock impulse between the second member and the seat bottom.
2. The operator support assembly of claim 1, wherein the first member comprises a stationary outer ring, and the second member comprises a rotatable inner ring.
3. The operator support assembly of claim 1, wherein the support includes a first support member coupled to the seat bottom at a first coupling and including a first shock absorbing device, a second support member coupled to the seat bottom at a second coupling and including a second shock absorbing device, and a third support member coupled to the seat bottom at a third coupling and including a third shock absorbing device.
4. The operator support assembly of claim 3, further comprising a quick release mechanism operably coupled to the first coupling and the second coupling, wherein activation of the quick release mechanism causes the first coupling to disconnect the first support member from the seat bottom and causes the second coupling to disconnect the second support member from the seat bottom, wherein the seat bottom pivots downwardly about the third coupling.
5. The operator support assembly of claim 4, further comprising an occupant restraint including a first strap, a second strap, and a coupler selectively connecting the first strap and the second strap, wherein the coupler releases the first strap from the strap upon activation of the quick release mechanism.
6. The operator support assembly of claim 5, wherein the occupant restraint further comprises a third strap and a fourth strap, the coupler selectively connecting the third strap and the fourth strap, the coupler releasing the third strap from the fourth strap, upon activation of the quick release mechanism, the first and second straps comprise side belts and the third and fourth straps comprise shoulder belts.
7. The operator support assembly of claim 1, further comprising a backrest supported above the seat bottom, the seat bottom pivotable relative to the backrest.
8. The operator support assembly of claim 1, wherein the seat bottom includes a rigid base member.
9. The operator support assembly of claim 8, wherein the seat bottom includes a ballistic resistant layer.
10. The operator support assembly of claim 8, wherein the seat bottom includes a fire retardant material.
11. The operator support assembly of claim 1, further comprising a footrest supported below the seat bottom.
12. The operator support assembly of claim 11, further comprising an adjustable support coupling the footrest to the seat bottom, the footrest being movable relative to the seat bottom.
13. The operator support assembly of claim 1, further comprising an actuator configured to drive the second member in rotation.
14. The operator support assembly of claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing device comprises a gas operated shock absorber.
15. The operator support assembly of claim 14, wherein the shock absorbing device comprises a gas operated coil-over spring shock absorber.
16. The operator support assembly of claim 1, wherein the center opening defined by the second member has an inner diameter of at least 26 inches to provide clearance for the torso of an individual supported on the seat bottom.
17. The operator support assembly of claim 1, wherein the first member is coupled to a vehicle platform.
18. The operator support assembly of claim 17, wherein the second member is configured to support at least one of a turret, a crane, an antenna, a camera, a ladder, and a water cannon.
19. The operator support assembly of claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing device is configured to absorb at least an 80 g force.
20. A rotatable operator support assembly comprising:
a vehicle platform;
a rotatable member supported for rotation relative to the vehicle platform, the rotatable member defining a center opening;
a seat bottom suspended below the rotatable member;
a support coupling the seat bottom to the rotatable member, the support including a first support member and a second support member, a releasable coupling connecting the first support member to the seat bottom, and a pivotable coupling connecting the second support member to the seat bottom; and
a quick release mechanism including a user interface operably coupled to the releasable coupling, wherein activation of the user interface causes the quick release mechanism to disconnect the releasable coupling from the seat bottom such that the seat bottom pivots downwardly about the pivotable coupling.
21. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 20, wherein at least one of the first support member and the second support member includes a shock absorbing device.
22. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 20, wherein the releasable coupling includes a pin coupled to the handle and configured to be received within an opening of the releasable coupling.
23. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 20, further comprising an occupant restraint including a first strap, a second strap, and a coupler selectively connecting the first strap and the second strap, wherein the coupler releases the first strap from the strap upon activation of the user interface.
24. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 23, wherein the occupant restraint further comprises a third strap and a fourth strap, the coupler selectively connecting the third strap and the fourth strap, the coupler releasing the third strap from the fourth strap, upon activation of the quick release mechanism, the first and second straps comprise side belts and the third and fourth straps comprise shoulder belts.
25. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 20, further comprising a backrest supported above the seat bottom, and a flexible coupler extending between the rotatable member and the backrest.
26. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 20, wherein the seat bottom includes a rigid base member.
27. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 26, wherein the base member of the seat bottom includes a ballistic resistant layer.
28. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 20, further comprising a footrest supported below the seat bottom.
29. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 28, further comprising an adjustable support coupling the footrest to the seat bottom, the footrest being movable relative to the seat bottom.
30. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 29, further comprising an actuator configured to drive the rotatable member in rotation.
31. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 20, wherein the first support member and the second support member each includes a gas operated shock absorber.
32. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 20, wherein the center opening defined by the rotatable member has an inner diameter of at least 26 inches to provide clearance for an individual supported on the seat bottom.
33. The rotatable operator support assembly of claim 20, wherein the rotatable member is configured to support one of a turret, a crane, an antenna, a camera, a ladder, and a water cannon.
34. A method of supporting an individual within a turret, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a rotatable member;
suspending a seat bottom from the rotatable member, the seat bottom including a rigid base member;
absorbing shock between the rotatable member and the seat bottom; and
rotating simultaneously the rotatable member and the seat bottom.
35. The method of claim 34, further comprising the step of providing an input to a release mechanism for causing the seat bottom to pivot downwardly.
36. The method of claim 35, wherein the step of providing an input to a release mechanism includes the step of pulling a pin from a release coupling.
37. The method of claim 35, further comprising the step of releasing an occupant restraint in response to the step of providing input to the release mechanism.
38. The method of claim 34, further comprising the step of providing the seat bottom with a ballistic resistant layer.
39. The method of claim 34, further comprising the steps of providing a footrest, and adjusting the position of the footrest relative to the seat bottom.
40. The method of claim 34, further comprising the step of providing an actuator to drive the rotatable member in rotation.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A method for displaying an alternative advertisement to a subscriber during a trick-play event, the method comprising:
detecting the trick-play event during playback of a recorded advertisement; and
displaying the alternative advertisement to the subscriber.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying includes displaying the alternative advertisement instead of the recorded advertisement.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying includes superimposing the alternative advertisement over the recorded advertisement.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the superimposed alternative advertisement covers a portion of the recorded advertisement.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein size of the superimposed alternative advertisement is adjustable.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein location of the superimposed alternative advertisement is adjustable.
7. The method of claim 3, wherein at least some subset of video features associated with the superimposed alternative advertisement are adjustable.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the video features include at least some subset of opacity, contrast, brightness, hue, tint and saturation.
9. The method of claim 3, wherein at least some subset of video features associated with the recorded advertisement are adjustable.
10. The method of claim 3, wherein at least some subset of video features associated with the superimposed alternative advertisement are different from a corresponding subset of the video features associated with the recorded advertisement.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the superimposed alternative advertisement is more distinct than the recorded advertisement.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the recorded advertisement is more distinct than the superimposed alternative advertisement.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying includes displaying the superimposed alternative advertisement on one portion of viewing area and displaying the recorded advertisement on another portion of the viewing area.
14. The method of claim 1, further comprising superimposing the recorded advertisement over the alternative advertisement.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein location of the superimposed recorded advertisement is adjustable.
16. The method of claim 14, wherein size of the superimposed recorded advertisement is adjustable.
17. The method of claim 14, wherein at least some subset of video features associated with either the alternative advertisement or the superimposed recorded advertisement are adjustable.
18. The method of claim 14, wherein the superimposed recorded advertisement is displayed as a full image of the recorded advertisement.
19. The method of claim 14, wherein the superimposed recorded advertisement is displayed as a cropped image of the recorded advertisement.
20. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting includes detecting an initiation of the trick play event during playback of the recorded advertisement.
21. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting includes detecting a start of a recorded advertisement during the trick play event.
22. The method of claim 1, further comprising
detecting an end of the recorded advertisement; and
stopping the display of the alternative advertisement.
23. The method of claim 22, further comprising displaying recorded programming in trick play mode.
24. The method of claim 22, further comprising
determining that another recorded advertisement is in trick play mode;
determining that there is an associated alternative advertisement therefore; and
displaying the associated alternative advertisement.
25. The method of claim 1, further comprising
detecting a start of a second recorded advertisement during the trick play event; and
displaying a second alternative advertisement associated with the second recorded advertisement.
26. The method of claim 1, further comprising
detecting an end of the trick play event;
stopping the display of the alternative advertisement.
27. The method of claim 26, further comprising displaying recorded programming.
28. The method of claim 1, further comprising
detecting an end of the trick play event prior to end of the recorded advertisement;
continue, until the end of the recorded advertisement, trick playing the recorded advertisement and displaying the alternative advertisement; and
return to displaying recorded programming at the end of the recorded advertisement.
29. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining point in recorded advertisement that the trick play event occurs.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein said displaying includes displaying the alternative advertisement if a determination is made that the trick play event occurs within a predefined period from a start of the recorded advertisement.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein the predefined period is a period of time.
32. The method of claim 30, wherein the predefined period is a percentage of total time of recorded advertisement.
33. The method of claim 29, wherein said displaying includes displaying the alternative advertisement if a determination is made that the alternative advertisement can be displayed within time it will take to trick play through remaining portion of the recorded advertisement.
34. The method of claim 29, wherein said displaying includes displaying the alternative advertisement if a determination is made that the alternative advertisement can be displayed within a predetermined period after completion of the trick play event for remaining portion of the recorded advertisement.
35. The method of claim 29, further comprising modifying the alternative advertisement based on said determining.
36. The method of claim 29, further comprising pausing the trick play event until said displaying alternative advertisement is complete if additional time is required to display entire alternative advertisement based on the point in advertisement that the trick play event occurs.
37. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative advertisement is related to the recorded advertisement.
38. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative advertisement is approximately an amount of time equal to time associated with fast forwarding through the recorded advertisement.
39. The method of claim 37, wherein the alternative advertisement is a separately produced advertisement.
40. The method of claim 37, wherein the alternative advertisement is derived from the recorded advertisement.
41. The method of claim 40, wherein the alternative advertisement is derived by applying processing rules to the recorded advertisement.
42. The method of claim 41, wherein the processing rules are specific to the recorded advertisement.
43. The method of claim 41, wherein the processing rules are specific to the subscriber.
44. The method of claim 41, wherein the processing rules are generic.
45. The method of claim 41, wherein the alternative advertisement is a still image from the recorded advertisement.
46. The method of claim 41, wherein the alternative advertisement is a series of still images from the recorded advertisement.
47. The method of claim 41, wherein the alternative advertisement is a video segment from the recorded advertisement.
48. The method of claim 41, wherein the alternative advertisement is a series of video segments from the recorded advertisement.
49. The method of claim 41, wherein the alternative advertisement is a combination of still images and video segments from the recorded advertisement.
50. The method of claim 41, wherein the alternative advertisement is a portion of the recorded advertisement with computer generated graphics added thereto.
51. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative advertisement is related to more than one recorded advertisement.
52. The method of claim 51, wherein the alternative advertisement is displayed during a trick play event for the more than one recorded advertisement.
53. The method of claim 1, wherein the alternative advertisement is not related to the recorded advertisement.
54. The method of claim 1, wherein trick play events include fast forwarding, skipping, rewinding, and pausing.
55. A system for displaying an alternative advertisement to a subscriber when the subscriber fast forwards through a recorded advertisement, the system comprising:
means for detecting a fast forward event during playback of the recorded advertisement; and
means for displaying the alternative advertisement to the subscriber.
56. The system of claim 55, wherein said means for displaying displays the alternative advertisement instead of the fast forwarding recorded advertisement.
57. The system of claim 55, wherein said means for displaying superimposes the alternative advertisement over the fast forwarding recorded advertisement.
58. The system of claim 55, wherein said means for displaying superimposes the fast forwarding recorded advertisement over the alternative advertisement.
59. The system of claim 55, wherein said means for detecting detects a start of a recorded advertisement during the fast forward event.
60. The system of claim 59, wherein
said means for detecting also detects an end of the fast forwarding recorded advertisement; and
said means for displaying stops displaying the alternative advertisement at the end of the fast forwarding recorded advertisement.
61. The system of claim 55, wherein said means for detecting detects an initiation of the fast forward event during playback of the recorded advertisement.
62. The system of claim 61, wherein
said means for detecting also detects an end of the fast forward event; and
said means for displaying stops displaying the alternative advertisement at the end of the fast forward event.
63. The system of claim 62, further comprising means for automatically controlling the fast forward event, wherein if said means for detecting detects the end of the fast forward event prior to end of the recorded advertisement,
said means for automatically controlling will continue to fast forward the recorded advertisement until the end of the recorded advertisement, and
said means for displaying will continue to display the alternative advertisement until the end of the recorded advertisement.
64. The system of claim 55, further comprising means for automatically pausing the fast forward event, wherein said means for detecting also detects an end of the fast forwarding recorded advertisement; and wherein
if said means for displaying has not completely displayed the alternative advertisement prior to a detection of the end of the fast forwarding recorded advertisement by said means for detecting,
said means for automatically pausing will pause the fast forward event until the display of the alternative advertisement is complete.
65. The system of claim 55, further comprising means for ignoring the fast forward event, wherein said means for detecting also detects point in the recorded advertisement that the fast forward event is initiated, and wherein
said means for ignoring will ignore the fast forward event for the recorded advertisement based on the point of initiation; and
said means for displaying will not display the alternative advertisement if the fast forward event is ignored.
66. The system of claim 65, wherein said means for ignoring ignores the fast forward event if the point of initiation occurs outside of a predefined period from a start of the recorded advertisement.
67. The system of claim 66, wherein the predefined period is a period of time.
68. The system of claim 66, wherein the predefined period is a percentage of total time of recorded advertisement.
69. The system of claim 55, wherein said means for detecting also detects point in the recorded advertisement that the fast forward event is initiated, and
further comprising means for modifying the alternative advertisement based on the point of initiation.
70. A method for generating an alternative advertisement for display to a subscriber when the subscriber trick plays a recorded advertisement, the method comprising:
receiving an advertisement;
recording the advertisement;
receiving processing rules; and
generating the alternative advertisement by applying the processing rules to the recorded advertisement.
71. The method of claim 70, wherein said receiving an advertisement includes receiving the advertisement from a television delivery network.
72. The method of claim 71, wherein said receiving an advertisement includes receiving the advertisement within an avail in programming.
73. The method of claim 71, wherein said receiving an advertisement includes receiving the advertisement via an advertisement channel.
74. The method of claim 70, wherein said receiving an advertisement includes receiving the advertisement via an Internet connection.
75. The method of claim 70, wherein said receiving an advertisement includes receiving the advertisement from local memory .
76. The method of claim 75, wherein the advertisement was preloaded in the local memory.
77. The method of claim 75, wherein the advertisement was stored in the local memory after being received by at least some subset of: within an avail, via an ad channel, and via an Internet connection.
78. The method of claim 70, wherein said receiving an advertisement includes receiving a targeted advertisement.
79. The method of claim 70, wherein said recording includes recording the advertisement after detecting an initiation of a record event.
80. The method of claim 70, wherein said recording includes recording the advertisement after detecting a pause in viewing of the advertisement.
81. The method of claim 70, wherein the processing rules are related to the advertisement.
82. The method of claim 81, wherein said receiving processing rules includes receiving the processing rules as part of the advertisement.
83. The method of claim 81, wherein said receiving processing rules includes receiving the processing rules as a separate file with the advertisement.
84. The method of claim 81, wherein said receiving processing rules includes receiving the processing rules separate from the advertisement.
85. The method of claim 70, wherein said receiving processing rules includes receiving the processing rules via an Internet connection.
86. The method of claim 70, wherein said receiving processing rules includes receiving the processing rules from local memory.
87. The method of claim 86, wherein the processing rules were preloaded in the local memory.
88. The method of claim 70, wherein the processing rules are related to the subscriber.
89. The method of claim 70, wherein the generated alternative advertisement is a still image selected from the recorded advertisement.
90. The method of claim 89, wherein the still image is a video frame.
91. The method of claim 90, wherein the video frame is a full image video frame.
92. The method of claim 91, wherein the full image video frame is an MPEG I frame.
93. The method of claim 70, wherein the generated alternative advertisement is a collection of full image video frames selected from the recorded advertisement.
94. The method of claim 70, wherein the generated alternative advertisement is a single segment of video selected from the recorded advertisement.
95. The method of claim 70, wherein the generated alternative advertisement is a collection of video segments selected from the recorded advertisement.
96. The method of claim 70, wherein the generated alternative advertisement is a combination of still images and video segments from the recorded advertisement.
97. The method of claim 70, wherein the generated alternative advertisement is targeted to the subscriber.
98. The method of claim 70, wherein the processing rules are also associated with audio for the recorded advertisement.
99. A personal video recorder (PVR) capable of displaying alternative ads during trick play events, the PVR comprising:
memory;
means for detecting a trick play event during playback of an advertisement within recorded programming; and
means for displaying an alternative advertisement during the trick play event for the recorded advertisement.
100. The PVR of claim 99, wherein the recorded programming is on a medium.
101. The PVR of claim 100, wherein the medium is a CD, DVD, or program server.
102. The PVR of claim 99, further comprising:
means for receiving programming; and
means for recording the programming.
103. The PVR of claim 99, further comprising means for receiving alternative advertisements.
104. The PVR of claim 103, wherein the alternative advertisements are related to with the recorded programming.
105. The PVR of claim 103, wherein the alternative advertisements have a format similar to that of the recorded advertisements.
106. The PVR of claim 103, wherein the alternative advertisements have a different format than the recorded advertisements.
107. The PVR of claim 103, wherein the alternative advertisements may be some combination of digital video, streaming media, HTML, Flash, Shockwave and audio.
108. The PVR of claim 103, wherein the alternative advertisements are not related to the recorded programming.
109. The PVR of claim 99, further comprising:
means for receiving processing rules; and
means for generating alternative advertisements by applying the processing rules to the recorded advertisements.