Interactive playlist generation using annotations

• US 20070011206A1
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gupta, Anoop, Bargeron, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,631,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/914 Video
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A plurality of user-selected annotations are used to define a playlist of media segments corresponding to the annotations. The user-selected annotations and their corresponding media segments are then provided to the user in a seamless manner. A user interface allows the user to alter the playlist and the order of annotations in the playlist. The user interface identifies each annotation by a short subject line.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media containing a computer program for annotating streaming media, wherein the program performs steps comprising:

creating annotations interactively with a user, wherein the annotations correspond to identified segments of one or more media streams;

graphically ordering the annotations in a desired order of presentation in response to user input; and

in response to a user instruction, sequentially presenting the annotations along with their corresponding identified media stream segments in the desired order of presentation.

2. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the annotations comprise textual annotations.

3. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the media streams comprise audio/visual video streams.

5. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, the steps further comprising storing the annotations and their desired order of presentation.

6. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, the steps further comprising:

storing the annotations and their desired order of presentation; and

in response to a user request,

retrieving the stored annotations and their desired order of presentation,

displaying the retrieved annotations in their desired order of presentation, and

retrieving and presenting the media stream segments identified by the retrieved annotations, in sequential order in accordance with the desired order of presentation of the retrieved annotations.

4. (canceled)

7-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a plurality of annotations selected by a user, wherein each of the plurality of annotations corresponds to a media stream or to one or more media streams;

presenting a plurality of annotation identifiers to the user;

allowing the ordering of the plurality of annotation identifiers to be changed by the user;

seamlessly providing one or more of,

the plurality of annotations, and

at least a portion of the media stream corresponding to each of the plurality of annotations;

wherein the seamlessly providing comprises seamlessly providing the one or more of the plurality of annotations and the portion of the media stream corresponding to each of the plurality of annotations in an order defined by the order of the Plurality of annotation identifiers.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

allowing the user to change the order of the plurality of annotation identifiers in a drag and drop manner.

14-33. -33. (canceled)

34. A method comprising:

graphically ordering annotations in a desired order of presentation in response to user input, wherein the annotations correspond to identified segments of one or more media streams; and

in response to a user instruction, sequentially presenting the annotations along with their corresponding identified media stream segments in the desired order of presentation.

35. A method as recited in claim 34, wherein:

the annotations are textual annotations;

the media streams are audio/visual video streams; and

the presenting comprises displaying the textual annotations in one display area while displaying the corresponding segments of the audio/visual streams in another display area.

36. A method as recited in claim 34, further comprising storing the annotations and the desired order of presentation.

37. A method as recited in claim 36, further comprising:

in response to a user request,

retrieving the stored annotations and the desired order of presentation,

displaying the retrieved annotations in their desired order of presentation, and

retrieving and presenting the media stream segments identified by the retrieved annotations, in sequential order in accordance with the desired order of presentation of the retrieved annotations.

38. A method comprising:

creating annotations interactively with a user, wherein the annotations correspond to identified segments of one or more media streams;

graphically ordering the annotations in a desired order of presentation in response to user input; and

in response to a user instruction, sequentially presenting the annotations along with their corresponding identified media stream segments in the desired order of presentation.

39. A method as recited in claim 38, wherein:

the annotations are textual annotations;

the media streams are audio/visual video streams; and

the presenting comprises displaying the textual annotations in one display area while displaying the corresponding segments of the audio/visual streams in another display area.

40. A method as recited in claim 38, further comprising storing the annotations and their desired order of presentation.

41. A method as recited in claim 38, further comprising:

storing the annotations and their desired order of presentation; and

in response to a user request,

retrieving the stored annotations and their desired order of presentation,

displaying the retrieved annotations in their desired order of presentation, and

retrieving and presenting the media stream segments identified by the retrieved annotations, in sequential order in accordance with the desired order of presentation of the retrieved annotations.