Information processing

• US 20050004949A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 01/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Thorpe, Jonathan Richard, Trepess, David William
• Granted Patent: US 7,647,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/914 Video

Abstract

A method of processing information items, the method comprises the steps of: for an information item comprising primarily text information: analysing text information of the information item to detect a set of constituent information elements relating to that information item; detecting for each of the constituent information elements a respective degree of relative significance based on the frequency and/or nature of occurrence of the constituent information elements with respect to that information item; selecting a subset of at least two most significant constituent information elements; and generating a pseudo-image representative of the information item, the representative pseudo-image comprising the selected subset of constituent information elements arranged in a predetermined image layout such that: the most significant constituent information element of the subset is represented with most prominence and at a first predetermined region within the representative pseudo-image; and the one or more other constituent information element(s) of the subset are represented at other predetermined regions of the representative pseudo-image in dependence on the corresponding degree of relative significance of those element(s).

Claims

1. A method of processing information items, said method comprising the steps of:

for an information item comprising primarily text information;

a) analysing text information of said information item to detect a set of constituent information elements relating to said information item;

b) detecting for each of said set of constituent information elements a respective degree of relative significance based on at least one of a frequency anda nature of occurrence of the constituent information elements with respect to that information item;

c) selecting a subset of at least two most significant constituent information elements; and

d) generating a pseudo-image representative of said information item, said representative pseudo-image comprising said selected subset of constituent information elements arranged in a predetermined image layout such that;

d.1) a most significant constituent information element of said subset is represented with most prominence and at a first predetermined region within said representative pseudo-image; and

d.2) one or more other constituent information element(s) of said subset are represented at other predetermined regions of said representative pseudo-image in dependence on the corresponding degree of relative significance of those element(s).

2. A method according to claim 1, in which said most significant constituent information element is represented in a central region of said representative pseudo-image.

3. A method according to claim 1, in which said predetermined regions of the representative pseudo-image have associated image background colours.

4. A method according to claim 1, in which text information is represented in said predetermined regions of said representative pseudo-image using a text font size dependent on a relative significance of said constituent information elements represented in those regions.

5. A method according to claim 1, in which at least one information item is a web page.

6. A method according to claim 1, in which the constituent information elements comprise text information.

7. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of:

for an information item comprising primarily image or video information;

generating a pseudo-image representative of said information item, said representative pseudo-image comprising a representation of an image from the information item.

8. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of displaying a time-sequence of representative pseudo-images corresponding to a set of information items.

9. A method according to claim 8, comprising the step of providing a user control to allow a user to select an information item by operating said user control when a representative pseudo-image in respect of said information item is displayed.

10. A method according to claim 8, in which said time-sequence of representative pseudo-images are displayed with a substantially constant image display size.

11. A method according to claim 8, comprising the step of applying a search query to a group of information items, said set of information items being derived from the group by the results of the search query.

12. A method according to claim 1, comprising the step of:

for an information item comprising an ordered sequence of information, deriving a plurality of representative pseudo-images relating to different respective positions within said ordered sequence of information.

13. A method according to claim 12, comprising the steps of:

applying a search query to information represented by different respective positions within said information item; and

generating a graphical representation of the relevance of information represented by said different respective positions to said search query.

14. A method according to claim 1, in which said detecting step comprises detecting for each of said constituent information elements a respective degree of relative significance based on a respective position of said constituent information elements with respect to said information item.

15. A method according to claim 1, in which said detecting step comprises detecting for each of said constituent information elements a respective degree of relative significance based on a prominence of occurrence of said constituent information elements with respect to said information item.

16. Computer software having program code for carrying out a method according to claim 1.

17. A providing medium for providing program code according to claim 16.

18. A medium according to claim 17, the medium being a storage medium.

19. A medium according to claim 17, the medium being a transmission medium.

20. An information processing system operable with respect to an information item comprising primarily text information, the system comprising:

(i) a text analyser for analysing text information of said information item to detect a set of constituent information elements relating to said information item;

(ii) a detector for detecting for each of said set of constituent information elements a respective degree of relative significance based on at least one of a frequency and a nature of occurrence of said constituent information elements with respect to said information item;

(iii) a selector for selecting a subset of at least two most significant constituent information elements; and

(iv) a generator for generating a pseudo-image representative of said information item, said representative pseudo-image comprising said selected subset of constituent information elements arranged in a predetermined image layout such that;

a) the most significant constituent information element of said subset is represented with most prominence and at a first predetermined region within the representative pseudo-image; and

b) one or more other constituent information element(s) of said subset are represented at other predetermined regions of said representative pseudo-image in dependence on corresponding ones of said degrees of relative significance of those element(s).

21. A portable data processing device comprising a system according to claim 20.

22. Apparatus for at least one of video acquisition and video processing comprising a system according to claim 20.