Labeling and Sorting Items of Digital Data by Use of Attached Annotations

• US 20070297786A1
• Filed: 06/22/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: CSR Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pozniansky, Eli, Pertsel, Shimon
• Granted Patent: US 8,301,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/310
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32128 attached to the image data, e.g. file header, transmitted message header, information on the same page or in the same computer file as the image for information embedded in the image H04N1/32144
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3277 The additional information being stored in the same storage device as the image data

Abstract

Annotations are associated with individual digital pictures that represent a characteristic of the pictures, such as their content, place of taking, etc. An annotation is directly entered into a digital camera and selected for association with pictures to be taken after that. The association of the selected annotation occurs automatically within the camera until another annotation is selected. An annotation is preferably entered into the camera by the voice of the user prior to taking pictures that are characterized by the annotation. The pictures may then be conveniently sorted by subject matter through use of the annotations. The same technique may be used to annotate audio segments.

Claims

1. A method of operating a digital content acquisition device, comprising:

a user selects a first annotation stored in the acquisition device that identifies some aspect of at least a first content item to be captured,

capture at least the first content item in the acquisition device,

automatically associate, within the acquisition device, the first annotation with at least the first content item and any other subsequently captured content items until a second annotation stored within the acquisition device that identifies some aspect of at least a second content item to be captured is selected by the user,

thereafter automatically associate, within the acquisition device, the second annotation with at least the second content item, and

store data of the captured content items along with the associated first and second annotations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second content items include pictures.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second content items include audio recordings.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second content items include digital data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first annotation is automatically associated with said at least the first image and any other subsequently captured images until the second annotation is entered into and stored within the acquisition device, after which the second annotation is automatically associated with said at least the second image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first annotation is entered into the acquisition device by direct user interaction with the acquisition device, in advance of capturing the at least a first content item, and the second annotation is entered into the acquisition device by direct user interaction with the device in advance of capturing the at least a second content item.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second annotation is entered into the acquisition device after capturing the at least a first content item.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second annotations are audio annotations entered into the acquisition device by a user through a microphone built into the acquisition device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second annotations are entered into the device by the user through an alphabetic entry device built into the device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second annotations identifies an expected content of the respective first or second content items.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second annotations identifies an expected location of capture of the respective first or second content items.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second annotations identifies an expected circumstance under which the respective first or second content items are to be captured.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second annotations identifies an event at which the respective first or second content items are to be captured.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second annotations identifies a date at which the respective first or second content items are to be captured.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second annotations identifies at least one person who is expected to be included in the respective first or second captured content items.

16. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising processing the stored data of the plurality of content items along with the associated first and second annotations in a utilization device different from the acquisition device by automatically creating first and second folders into which those of the content items associated with respective first and second annotations are automatically placed.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second annotations are audio annotations entered into the acquisition device by the user through a microphone built into the acquisition device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the utilization device converts the first and second audio annotations into text.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the utilization device additionally creates labels for the first and second folders from the text.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the utilization device additionally embeds the text within the stored data of the content items.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein content items in one of the first or second folders are retrieved from the utilization device by the user repeating either of the first or second annotations into a microphone connected with the utilization device.

22. The method of claim 8, additionally comprising:

sending the first and second audio annotations to a processing device external to the acquisition device,

converting the form of the first and second audio annotations into data of respective first and second character strings, and

storing the data of the plurality of content items along with the associated first and second character strings as representations of the respective first and second annotations.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein sending the first and second audio annotations to a processing device includes connecting the acquisition device through a communications network to the processing device, and the first and second character strings are sent back to the acquisition device from the processing device through the network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the network includes the Internet.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein sending the first and second audio annotations to a processing device includes use of a utilization device different from the acquisition device for sending the audio annotations through a network to the processing device, and the first and second character strings are sent back to the utilization device from the processing device through the network.

26. A method of utilizing a digital acquisition device having a built-in microphone, comprising:

recording a first memorandum in the acquisition device by speech through the microphone,

acquiring a plurality of digital content items in succession in the acquisition device,

thereafter automatically associating the recorded first memorandum with one or more of the acquired digital content items,

recording a second memorandum in the acquisition device by speech through the microphone,

thereafter automatically associating the second memorandum with one or more of the digital content items being acquired, and

storing the data of the plurality of digital content items along with the associated first and second memoranda.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein automatically associating the recorded first memorandum with one or more of the captured digital content items continues until the second memorandum is recorded.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the first and second memoranda relates to an expected content of at least one digital content item to be acquired after the memorandum is recorded.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the first and second memoranda relates to an expected location of acquisition of at least one digital content item after the memorandum is recorded.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the first and second memoranda relates to an expected circumstance under which at least one digital content item is to be acquired after the memorandum is recorded.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the first and second memoranda relates to an event at which at least one digital content item is to be acquired after the memorandum is recorded.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein at least one of the first and second memoranda relates to at least one person who is expected to participate in at least one of the digital content item to be acquired after the memorandum is recorded.

33. The method of claim 26, additionally comprising processing the stored data of the plurality of acquired digital content items along with the associated first and second memoranda in a utilization device different from the acquisition device by automatically creating first and second folders into which those of the acquired digital content items associated with respective first and second memoranda are automatically placed.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the utilization system converts the first and second memoranda into text and creates labels for the first and second folders from the text.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein digital content items in one of the first or second folders are retrieved from the utilization device by the user repeating either of the first or second memoranda into a microphone connected with the utilization device.

36. The method of claim 26, additionally comprising:

sending the first and second audio memoranda to a processing device external of the acquisition device,

converting the form of the first and second audio memoranda into data of respective first and second character strings, and

storing the data of the plurality of digital content items along with the associated first and second character strings as the respective first and second annotations.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the first and second audio memoranda are sent over the Internet to the processing device, and the first and second character strings are sent back to the acquisition device from the processing device over the Internet.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the first and second audio memoranda are sent by connection of a utilization device different from the acquisition device through a network to the processing device, and the first and second character strings are sent back to the utilization device from the processing device through the network.

39. The method of any one of claims 26-38, wherein the acquisition device includes a hand held digital picture acquisition device and the digital content items acquired thereby include digital data of pictures.

40. The method of any one of claims 26-38, wherein the acquisition device includes an audio acquisition device and the digital content items acquired thereby include digital data of sound items.

41. A hand held digital data acquisition device, comprising:

an interface that acquires individual items of digital data,

a microphone that generates data of audio annotations spoken from outside of the acquisition device, and

a processor that automatically links the items of acquired digital data to data of annotations spoken into the microphone prior to acquiring the digital data.

42. The acquisition device of claim 41, wherein the processor further automatically links data of the images to data of the most recent annotation spoken into the microphone prior to acquiring the individual items of digital data.

43. The acquisition device of claim 41, additionally comprising a memory in which the data of the individual items of digital data and linked data of one of the annotations are stored.

44. The acquisition device of any one of claims 41-43, wherein the items of digital data include pictures and the interface includes:

a photosensor that generates data of optical radiation images directed onto the photosensor, and

an optical system positioned to direct the images onto the photosensor from optical radiation outside the acquisition device.

45. The acquisition device of any one of claims 41-43, wherein the items of digital data include audio segments and the interface includes an audio transducer.