Generating and displaying level-of-interest values

• US 20050154637A1
• Filed: 01/09/2004
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Savitzky, Stephen R., Piersol, Kurt, Nair, Rahul, Rhodes, Bradley, McCall, Kim, Elliott, Ame
• Granted Patent: US 7,672,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

Attendees or viewers of a presentation provide input marking specific points corresponding to a high level of interest. Received bookmarks are aggregated to generate overall level-of-interest values for various points in the presentation. A graphical depiction of these level-of-interest values is provided; users can navigate using this graphical depiction to find specific parts of the presentation having the highest level of interest or importance. User interface elements provide access to various filtering, display, and configuration options for the graphical depiction.

Claims

1. A method for generating a series of level-of-interest values for a media item, comprising:

receiving, from a plurality of users, input marking specific points within the media item;

aggregating the received input to generate level-of-interest values for the media item; and

outputting a representation of the generated level-of-interest values.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the media item comprises a stored representation of a live event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the live event comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a presentation; and

a meeting.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises receiving input from attendees of the live event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the media item comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a recording of an entertainment event;

a recording of a medical procedure;

a recorded demonstration;

a motion picture;

a video program;

an audio program; and

an audiovisual program.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises receiving input from viewers of the media item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises receiving input from listeners of the media item.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises receiving input indicating points of interest.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises receiving input indicating sections pertaining to particular subject matter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

outputting the representation comprises outputting a graphical depiction of the generated level-of-interest values.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

outputting the graphical depiction comprises outputting a level-of-interest curve having a first axis representing time and a second axis representing generated level-of-interest values.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein aggregating the received input comprises:

for each of a plurality of time periods, generating a level-of-interest value for the time period based on the total number of bookmarks received for the time period.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

using a smoothing function to adjust at least a subset of the generated level-of-interest values.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein aggregating the received input comprises:

initializing a sliding window having a duration;

for each of a plurality of positions for the sliding window, generating a level-of-interest value for a target point within the window based on the total number of bookmarks within the window.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

using a smoothing function to adjust at least a subset of the generated level-of-interest values.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein generating a level-of-interest value for the target point comprises:

for each bookmark within the window, weighting the bookmark according to the time difference between the bookmark and the target point; and

combining the weighted bookmarks.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein aggregating the received input comprises:

initializing a sliding window having a duration and a step size;

generating a level-of-interest value for a target point within the window based on the total number of bookmarks within the window;

moving the sliding window by the step size; and

repeating the generating and moving steps until the end of the media item is reached.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein generating a level-of-interest value for the target point comprises:

for each bookmark within the window, weighting the bookmark according to the time difference between the bookmark and the target point; and

combining the weighted bookmarks.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

using a smoothing function to adjust at least a subset of the generated level-of-interest values.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises receiving at least two types of bookmarks.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein:

outputting a representation of the generated level-of-interest values comprises outputting a representation of the generated level-of-interest values for each of the bookmark types.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving a selection of one of the bookmark types;

and wherein aggregating the received input comprises;

filtering the received input according to the received selection of bookmark type; and

aggregating the received input corresponding to the selected bookmark type, to generate level-of-interest values for the selected bookmark type;

and wherein outputting a representation of the generated level-of-interest values comprises outputting a representation of the generated level-of-interest values for the selected bookmark type.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving a selection of one of the users;

and wherein aggregating the received input comprises;

filtering the received input according to the user; and

aggregating the received input corresponding to the selected user, to generate level-of-interest values for the selected user;

and wherein outputting a representation of the generated level-of-interest values comprises outputting a representation of the generated level-of-interest values for the selected user.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises receiving input indicating users'"'"' level-of-interest scores for the specific points within the media item; and

aggregating the received input comprises combining the users'"'"' level-of-interest scores to generate overall level-of-interest values for the media item.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises, for at least a subset of the specific points, receiving input indicating an approximate amount of elapsed time between the specific point being marked at the time at which the user input is received.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises receiving notes relating to the media item.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

storing a representation of the received notes.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

associating the stored representation of the received notes with a stored representation of the media item.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

transmitting a message comprising the received notes.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein receiving input further comprises, for at least a subset of the received notes, receiving an indication that the notes are private, the method further comprising:

transmitting a message comprising notes not indicates as being private.

31. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a representation of the generated level-of-interest values.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

associating the stored representation of the generated level-of-interest values with a stored representation of the media item.

33. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a representation of the received bookmarks.

34. The method of claim. 33, further comprising:

associating the stored representation of the bookmarks with a stored representation of the media item.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises receiving input via a wireless device.

36. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a message comprising the generated level-of-interest values.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein:

transmitting the message comprises transmitting the message to the plurality of users from whom input was received.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein:

the media item comprises a stored representation of a live event; and

transmitting the message comprises transmitting the message to attendees of the live event.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein:

transmitting the message comprises transmitting the message to a predefined group of users.

40. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a message comprising a representation of the media item and the generated level-of-interest values.

41. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a message comprising a link to the media item and the generated level-of-interest values.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein the media item comprises a collection of time-synchronized media items.

43. A method for generating a level-of-interest graph for a media item, comprising:

receiving a media item identifier;

retrieving the media item;

determining, for a plurality of points in the media item, level-of-interest values by aggregating input from a plurality of users;

generating a level-of-interest graph from the determined level-of-interest values; and

outputting the generated level-of-interest graph.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

transmitting a message comprising the generated level-of-interest graph.

45. A method for generating a level-of-interest graph for a media item, based on a plurality of user bookmarks indicating points of interest within the media item, the method comprising:

a) initializing a pointer value;

b) determining a point within the media item corresponding to the pointer value;

c) determining a level-of-interest value for the determined point by aggregating user bookmarks within a predefined window surrounding the determined point;

d) incrementing the pointer value;

e) repeating steps a) through d) until the end of the media item is reached;

f) generating, from the determined level-of-interest value, and graph.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein aggregating bookmarks comprises, for each bookmark within the predefined window:

weighting the bookmark according to the time difference between the bookmark and the determined point; and

combining the weighted bookmarks.

47. A computer program product for generating a series of level-of-interest values for a media item, comprising:

a computer-readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for;

receiving, from a plurality of users, input marking specific points within the media item;

aggregating the received input to generate level-of-interest values for the media item; and

outputting a representation of the generated level-of-interest values.

48. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein the media item comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a recording of an entertainment event;

a recording of a medical procedure;

a recorded demonstration;

a motion picture;

a video program;

an audio program; and

an audiovisual program.

49. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein:

the computer program code for receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises computer program code for receiving input from viewers of the media item.

50. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein:

the computer program code for receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises computer program code for receiving input from listeners of the media item.

51. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein:

the computer program code for outputting the representation comprises computer program code for outputting a graphical depiction of the generated level-of-interest values.

52. The computer program product of claim 47, wherein:

the computer program code for receiving input marking specific points within the media item comprises computer program code for receiving input indicating users'"'"' level-of-interest scores for the specific points within the media item; and

the computer program code for aggregating the received input comprises computer program code for combining the users'"'"' level-of-interest scores to generate overall level-of-interest values for the media item.

53. A system for generating a series of level-of-interest values for a media item, comprising:

at least one input device, for receiving, from a plurality of users, input marking specific points within the media item;

a software module, coupled to the at least one input device, for aggregating the received input to generate level-of-interest values for the media item; and

an output device, coupled to the software module, for outputting a representation of the generated level-of-interest values.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein the media item comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a recording of an entertainment event;

a recording of a medical procedure;

a recorded demonstration;

a motion picture;

a video program;

an audio program; and

an audiovisual program.

55. The system of claim 53, wherein:

the at least one input device receives input from viewers of the media item.

56. The system of claim 53, wherein:

the at least one input device receives input from listeners of the media item.

57. The system of claim 53, wherein:

the output device outputs a graphical depiction of the generated level-of-interest values.

58. The system of claim 53, wherein:

the at least one input device receives input indicating users'"'"' level-of-interest scores for the specific points within the media item; and

the software module combines the users3 level-of-interest scores to generate overall level-of-interest values for the media item.