Searching an index of media content

• US 20070005569A1
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hurst-Hiller, Oliver, Farago, Julia
• Granted Patent: US 7,542,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/685 using automatically derived transcript of audio data, e.g. lyrics speech recognition G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7844 using original textual content or text extracted from visual content or transcript of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation

Abstract

A search engine, method and computer-readable medium are disclosed for transmitting requested media content in response to a search request. The search request may include a search term containing text indicative of recorded speech located within the requested media content. The search engine includes an index of media content, including text indicative of recorded speech and a time-based locator corresponding to the location of the text within the media content.

Claims

1. A search engine for transmitting search results to a requester, comprising:

a communication interface for receiving a search request from a requester and for transmitting at least one search result to the requester; and

an index of media content, wherein the index includes text indicative of recorded speech and at least one time-based locator corresponding to the location of the text within the media content.

2. The search engine according to claim 1, wherein the media content includes at least one of audio content and video content.

3. The search engine according to claim 1, wherein the search request includes at least one search term, the at least one search term including text indicative of recorded speech that is contained within the media content.

4. The search engine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one search result includes a reference that points to a location of a media content provider that stores the media content.

5. The search engine according to claim 1, wherein the at least one time-based locator includes at least one time interval for grouping the text indicative of recorded speech within the media content.

6. The search engine according to claim 1, further comprising a ranking system that ranks the at least one search result according to a level of relevance with respect to the search request.

7. The search engine according to claim 6, wherein the ranking system comprises at least one of a static ranking system and a dynamic ranking system.

8. A computer-readable medium having computer-useable instructions stored thereon for performing a method for transmitting requested media content to a requester, the method comprising:

generating an index of media content by recording at least one time-based locator corresponding to the location of text indicative of recorded speech contained within the media content;

receiving a search request for requested media content from a requester, wherein the search request includes at least one search term containing text indicative of recorded speech located within the requested media content;

searching the index for media content containing the at least one search item to identify at least one search result; and

transmitting the at least one search result to the requester.

9. The computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the media content includes at least one of audio content and video content.

10. The computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the at least one time-based locator includes one or more time intervals for grouping the text indicative of recorded speech within the media content.

11. The computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises ranking the at least one search result according to a level of relevance with respect to the search request.

12. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the method further comprises determining the level of relevance and ranking the at least one search result by using at least one of a static ranking system and a dynamic ranking system.

13. The computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises including a reference within the at least one search result, the reference pointing to the location of the at least one search term within the media content.

14. The computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the at least one search result includes a thumbnail of at least one of a still frame image and a motion video image.

15. A method for transmitting requested media content to a requester, comprising:

generating an index of media content by recording at least one time-based locator corresponding to the location of text indicative of recorded speech contained within the media content;

receiving a search request for requested media content from a requester, wherein the search request includes at least one search term containing text indicative of recorded speech located within the requested media content;

searching the index for media content containing the at least one search item to identify at least one search result; and

transmitting the at least one search result to the requester.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the media content includes at least one of audio content and video content.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one time-based locator includes one or more time intervals for grouping the text indicative of recorded speech within the media content.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising ranking the at least one search result according to a level of relevance with respect to the search request.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising determining the level of relevance and ranking the at least one search result by using at least one of a static ranking system and a dynamic ranking system.

20. The method according to claim 15, further comprising including a reference within the at least one search result, the reference pointing to the location of the at least one search term within the media content.