System and method for efficiently managing video files

• US 20030212993A1
• Filed: 05/07/2002
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Obrador, Pere
• Application Number:
  US10/141,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20030212993A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/71 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/735 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/107 of operating tapes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4117 for generating hard copies of the content, e.g. printer, electronic paper interfaces to printers G06F3/12; printing data G06K15/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8453 by locking or enabling a set of features, e.g. optional functionalities in an executable program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8549 Creating video summaries, e.g. movie trailer retrieval in video databases by using presentations in form of a video summary G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system and method for managing a database of video files utilizes user-initiated activities to automatically index video segments of the video files and to automatically extract keyframes for selected video segments. The user-initiated activities include viewing and printing activities. In addition, the system and method allows a user to program a sequence of video segments to be played without having to create a video file containing the video segments.

Claims

1. A method of managing video data comprising:

monitoring viewing activities associated with said video data;

identifying defined video segments of said video data that have been viewed; and

indexing said defined video segments of said video data based on said viewing activities.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said indexing of said defined video segments is executed automatically.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said identifying of said defined video segments includes identifying video segments of said video data that have been played using a video player.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said monitoring of said viewing activities includes monitoring activations and deactivations of a play function of said video player.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said indexing of said defined video segments includes generating indices of locations in said video data of said defined video segments.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating indexing information with said viewing activities, said indexing information containing viewing statistics of said defined video segments and other video segments of said video data.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said indexing of said defined video segments includes indexing said defined video segment of said video data in a hierarchical browsing structure having at least two levels, said defined video segments being selectively indexed on said at least two levels based on the said viewing statistics of said defined video segments.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a selection of a particular video frame from said video data for a predefined function; and

designating said particular video frame as a representative video frame for at least one video segment of said video data from which said particular video frame was selected.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing indexing information associated with video segments of said video data; and

generating a video sequence play file of specific video segments of said video data using said indexing information in response to selection of said specific video segments and to selection of the order of said specific video segments, said video sequence play file including indices of locations in said video data of said specific video segments.

10. A system for managing video data comprising:

a video player configured to play said video data; and

an indexing unit configured to monitor viewing activities associated with said video data, said indexing unit being further configured to identify defined video segments of said video data that have been played using said video player and to index said defined video segments based on said viewing activities.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said indexing unit is configured to monitor activations and deactivations of a play function of said video player.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said indexing unit is configured to generate indices of locations in said video data of said defined video segments.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein said indexing unit is configured to update indexing information with said viewing activities, said indexing information containing viewing statistics of said defined video segments and other video segments of said video data.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said indexing unit is configured to index said defined video segment of said video data in a hierarchical browsing structure having at least two levels, said defined video segments being indexed on said at least two levels based on said viewing statistics of said defined video segments.

15. The system of claim 10 further comprising a video frame extractor, said video frame extractor being configured to detect a selection of a particular video frame from said video data for a predefined function and to designate said particular video frame as a representative video frame for at least a video segment of said video data from which said particular video frame was selected.

16. The system of claim 10 further comprising a video organizer, said video organizer being configured to generate a video sequence play file of specific video segments of said video data in response to selection of said specific video segments and to selection of the order of said specific video segments, said video sequence play file including indices of locations in said video data of said specific video segments.

17. A method of managing video data comprising:

detecting a selection of a particular video frame from said video data for a predefined function; and

designating said particular video frame as a representative video frame for at least one video segment of said video data from which said particular video frame was selected.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said designating of said particular video frame is executed automatically.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said predefined function includes the printing of said particular video frame.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising inserting said particular video frame in a browsing structure, said browsing structure including a plurality of representative video frames that correspond to different video segments of said video data.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said inserting of said particular video frame includes replacing an existing representative video frame for said at least one video segment of said video data with said particular video frame in said browsing structure.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein said inserting of said particular video frame includes adding said particular video frame to said browsing structure for said at least one video segment of said video data without replacing an existing representative video frame for said at least one video segment.

23. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

providing indexing information of video segments of said video data; and

generating a video sequence play file of specific video segments of said video data using said indexing information in response to selection of said specific video segments and to selection of the order of said specific video segments, said video sequence play file including indices of locations in said video data of said specific video segments.

24. A system for managing video data comprising:

memory containing said video data; and

a video frame extractor configured to detect a selection of a particular video frame from said video data for a predefined function, said video frame extractor being further configured to designate said particular video frame as a representative video frame for at least one video segment of said video data from which said particular video frame was selected.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said predefined function includes the printing of said particular video frame.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein said video frame extractor is further configured to insert said particular video frame in a browsing structure, said browsing structure including a plurality of representative video frames that correspond to different video segments of said video data.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein said video frame extractor is configured to replace an existing representative video frame for said at least one video segment of said video data with said particular video frame.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein said video frame extractor is configured to add said particular video frame to said browsing structure for said at least one video segment of said video data without replacing an existing representative video frame for said at least one video segment.

29. The system of claim 24 further comprising a video organizer, said video organizer being configured to generate a video sequence play file of specific video segments of said video data in response to selection of said specific video segments and to selection of the order of said specific video segments, said video sequence play file including indices of locations in said video data of said specific video segments.

30. A method of managing video data comprising:

providing indexing information associated with video segments of said video data; and

generating a video sequence play file of specific video segments of said video data using said indexing information in response to selection of said specific video segments and to selection of the order of said specific video segments, said video sequence play file including indices of locations in said video data of said specific video segments.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said providing of said indexing information includes providing a browsing structure that includes representations of said video segments of said video data.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said browsing structure is a hierarchical browsing structure in which said video segments of said video data are positioned in different levels based on a predefined criterion.

33. The method of claim 30 wherein said generating of said video sequence play file is executed on a remote device and wherein said method further comprises transmitting said video sequence play file to a local device to play said specific video segments.

34. The method of claim 30 wherein said video sequence play file does not include said specific video segments.

35. A system for managing video data comprising:

memory containing indexing information of video segments of said video data; and

a video organizer configured to generate a video sequence play file of specific video segments of said video data using said indexing information in response to selection of said specific video segments and selection of the order for said specific video segments, said video sequence play file including specific indices of locations in said video data of said specific video segment.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein said video organizer is configured to generate said video sequence play file in response to selection of specific representative video frames on a browsing structure that represent said specific video segments.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein said browsing structure is a hierarchical browsing structure in which said video segments of said video data are positioned in different levels based on a predefined criterion.

38. The system of claim 35 further comprising a remote device and a local device, said remote device including said video organizer, said local device including said memory, said remote and local devices being configured to establish a communications link such that said video sequence play file can be transmitted from said remote device to said local device.

39. The system of claim 35 wherein said video sequence play file does not include said specific video segments.

40. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said machine to perform a method of managing video data, said method comprising:

monitoring viewing activities associated with said video data;

identifying defined video segments of said video data that have been viewed; and

indexing said defined video segments of said video data based on said viewing activities.

41. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said machine to perform a method of managing video data, said method comprising:

detecting a selection of a particular video frame from said video data for a predefined function; and

designating said particular video frame as a representative video frame for at least one video segment of said video data from which said particular video frame was selected.

42. The program storage device of claim 41 wherein said predefined function includes the printing of said particular video frame.

43. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said machine to perform a method of managing video data, said method comprising:

providing indexing information associated with video segments of said video data; and

generating a video sequence play file of specific video segments of said video data using said indexing information in response to selection of said specific video segments and to selection of the order of said specific video segments, said video sequence play file including indices of locations in said video data of said specific video segments.

44. The program storage device of claim 43 wherein said generating of said video sequence play file is executed on a remote device and wherein said method further comprises transmitting said video sequence play file to a local device to play said specific video segments.