METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING METADATA DURING SESSION RECORDING

• US 20090172714A1
• Filed: 03/11/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: McGraw-Hill Global Education Holdings LLC (McGraw Hill LLC)
• Original Assignee: McGraw-Hill Global Education Holdings LLC (McGraw Hill LLC)
• Inventors: Gruia, Harel, Segal, Tsakhi, Romanov, Maxim, Shimoff, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/046,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20090172714A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/331
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/31 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

Text that appears in sessions presented on a computer screen is indexed to enable future text-based search of the session content. During the recording, a text capture algorithm is used to capture any text data presented on any window on the computer screen, either in a selective or in an all-encompassing manner. Data captured are indexed to the capture time because a timestamp must be known to allow for a search that can provide temporal relevance. The interval used to capture the window data is modifiable, based on the needs of the application. Once the window is scanned, a comparison is done with the results of previous captures to determine if there is a need to update the metadata database with new results.

Claims

1. A computerize implemented method for indexing real-time computer displayed content, comprising the steps of:

using a dynamically linked library to record content displayed by a computer and to store said recorded content in a computer readable storage;

capturing text data associated with and/or contained in said content at selected, consecutive time intervals; and

saving the captured text in a computer readable storage in association with a time index;

wherein said text data is captured according to a selected configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said configuration enables selective capturing of said text data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said selective capturing comprises the step of capturing text data from less than all of said content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

comparing newly captured text data to previously captured text data; and

storing said newly captured text data if said newly captured text data is different from said previously captured text data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

searching for a text in said computer readable storage.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said searching for a text is text the occurs between a first time interval and a second time interval.

7. An apparatus for indexing real-time computer displayed content, comprising:

a dynamically linked library associated with a client computer for to recording content displayed by a computer and for storing said recorded content in a computer readable storage;

said dynamically linked library comprising a mechanism for capturing text data associated with and/or contained in said content at selected, consecutive time intervals; and

said dynamically linked library comprising a mechanism for saving the captured text in a computer readable storage in association with a time index;

wherein said text data is captured according to a selected configuration.