Method of Annotating Timeline Files

• US 20080065681A1
• Filed: 10/14/2005
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Kelly, Declan, Fontijn, Wilhelmus, Wang, Bei
• Application Number:
  US11/577,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded

Abstract

The invention describes a method of annotating a timeline file (T) which method comprises identifying distinct key resources (K₁, K₂, K₃, . . . , K_m) in the timeline file (T), and describing a number of annotations for one or more key resources (K₁, K₂, K₃, . . . , K_m) in an annotation file (A) such that an annotation for a key resource (K₁, K₂, K₃, . . . , K_m) is tied to the key resource (K₁, K₂, K₃, . . . , K_m) corresponding to that annotation.

Claims

1. A method of annotating a timeline file (T), which method comprises identifying distinct key resources (K₁, K₂, K) in the timeline file (T), and describing a number of annotations for one or more key resources (K₁, K₂, K) in an annotation file (A) such that an annotation for a key resource (K₁, K₂, K) is tied to the key resource (K₁, K₂, K) corresponding to that annotation.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an annotation for a key resource (K) is tied to a segment (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of the key resource (K) corresponding to that annotation.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one reference verification code (V₁, V₂, V_a, V_b, . . . , V_m) is generated for a key resource (K₁, K₂) or a segment (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of a key resource (K) of a timeline file (T), and an annotation in an annotation file (A) corresponding to that key resource (K₁, K₂) or segment (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of the key resource (K) is linked to the reference verification code (V₁, V₂, V_a, V_b, . . . , V_m) for that key resource (K₁, K₂,) or segment (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of that key resource (K).

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a reference verification code (V_T) is generated for the timeline file (T).

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the verification code (V_T, V₁, V₂, V_a, V_b, . . . , V_m) for a timeline file (T) or a key resource (K₁, K₂) or a segment (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of a key resource (K) comprises a hash table entry and/or a message digest code and/or a cyclic redundancy check.

7. A method for presenting a timeline file (T) comprising a number of key resources (K₁, K₂, K) according to annotations read from a corresponding annotation file (A),

generated according to claim 1, which method comprises

identifying a key resource (K₁, K₂, K) and/or a segment (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of a key resource (K) in the timeline file (T),

and presenting the key resource (K₁, K₂, K₃, . . . , K_m) or the segment (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of the key resource (K) according to an annotation tied to that key resource (K₁, K₂, K) or that segment (K₁, K_b, . . . , K_m) of that key resource (K).

8. A method according to claim 6, which method comprises the following steps:

generating a verification code (V₁, V₂, V_a, V_b, . . . , V_m) for the key resource (K₁, K₂) or segment (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of the key resource (K) described in an annotation of the annotation file (A);

comparing the verification code (V′

₁, V′

₂,) with the corresponding reference verification code (V₁, V₂, V_a, V_b, . . . , V_m);

and presenting the key resource (K₁, K₂) or the segment (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of the key resource (K) according to its associated annotation if no differences are detected between its verification code (V′

₁, V′

₂) and the corresponding reference verification code (V₁, V₂, V_a, V_b, . . . , V_m), or presenting the key resource (K₁, K₂) or the segment (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of the key resource (K) without its associated annotation in the case of a discrepancy between its verification code (V′

₁, V′

₂,) and the corresponding reference verification code (V₁, V₂, V_a, V_b, . . . , V_m).

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the timeline file (T) is merged with those annotations of the annotation file (A) for which the verification codes (V′

₁, V′

₂,) match their corresponding reference verification codes (V₁, V₂, V_a, V_b, . . . , V_m), to give a temporary annotated timeline file suitable for presentation.

11. An arrangement for presenting a timeline file (T) comprising a number of key resources (K, K₁, K₂) according to annotations described in a corresponding annotation file (A) generated according to claim 1, which arrangement comprises

an annotation file reader for reading the annotation file (A) and identifying therein references to key resources (K, K₁, K₂) and/or segments (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of a key resource (K) in the timeline file (T);

a timeline file reader for reading the timeline file (T) and identifying therein key resources (K, K₁, K₂,) and/or segments (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of a key resource (K);

and a presenting means for presenting the timeline file (T) according to any annotations of the annotation file (A) tied to corresponding key resources (K, K₁, K₂) or segments (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of a key resource (K).

12. An arrangement for generating an annotated timeline file from a timeline file (T) comprising a number of key resources (K, K₁, K₂), and an annotation file (A) comprising annotations to any of the key resources (K₁, K₂) or segments (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of a key resource (K) and generated according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement comprises

an annotation file reader for reading the annotation file (A) and identifying therein references to key resources (K, K₁, K₂) and/or segments (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of a key resource (K) in the timeline file (T);

a timeline file reader for reading the timeline file (T) and identifying therein the key resources (K, K₁, K₂) and/or segments (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of a key resource (K);

a merging unit for merging, in an annotated timeline file, the key resources (K, K₁, K₂) of the timeline file (T) with any annotations of the annotation file (A) tied to the key resources (K, K₁, K₂) or segments (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of a key resource (K).

13. A computer program product directly loadable into the memory of a programmable device, comprising software code portions for performing the steps of a method according to claim 1 when said product is run on the device.

5. A method as claimed in 1, wherein a key resource (K₁, K₂, K) in a timeline file (T) is identified automatically according to a profile for key resource identification and/or according to markers in the timeline file (T).

10. An arrangement for annotating a timeline file (T), comprising

a key resource identifier for identifying a key resource (K, K₁, K₂) in the timeline file (T);

and an editing means for entering into the annotation file (A) an entry describing an annotation for that key resource (K₁, K₂) or a segment (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of that key resource (K) and a link to tie the annotation to that key resource (K, K₁, K₂) or segment (K_a, K_b, . . . , K_m) of that key resource (K).