Multimedia data search system that searches for a portion of multimedia data using objects corresponding to the portion of multimedia data

• US 5,713,021 A
• Filed: 09/14/1995
• Issued: 01/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kondo, Akiko, Kato, Koki, Ishikawa, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kulik, Paul V.
• Application Number:
  US08/528,041
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 395/614, 395/615, 395/806, 395/807, 395/328, 364/514 R, 364/514 A
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/738 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A multimedia data search system, includes a storage unit for storing features of a portion of data and data identifying the portion of data, a search unit for searching view objects stored in the storage unit according to a feature of the portion of data, and a display/reproduction unit for displaying and reproducing a portion of data corresponding to a searched view object, or multimedia data including the portion of the data. The system implemented with this invention facilitates searching for a portion of sequential data, and displays neighboring data depending on a requirement when displaying the portion of data.

Claims

1. A multimedia data search system for searching data from a multimedia data base including multimedia data, comprising:

view object storage means for storing view objects describing features of a portion of data cut from sequential data by specifying a time period or a range of space, and data for identifying the portion of data;

view object management means for searching view objects stored in said view object storage means depending on a specification of said features of the portion of data; and

multimedia data display/reproduction means for displaying and reproducing the portion of data corresponding to the view object searched by said view object management means, and multimedia data including the portion of data.

2. The multimedia data search system according to claim 1, further comprising:

view object generation means for generating a new view object in response to a request from a user of the system to generate a new view object, and storing it in said view object storage means.

3. The multimedia data search system according to claim 2, wherein said view object generation means generates a text view object corresponding to the portion of data specified by a user on a text screen visible on a display unit.

4. The multimedia data search system according to claim 2, wherein said view object generation means generates an image view object corresponding to the portion of data specified by a user on an image screen on a display unit.

5. The multimedia data search system according to claim 2, wherein said view object generation means generates an audio view object corresponding to the portion of data specified by a user for played sound data over a speaker.

6. The multimedia data search system according to claim 2, wherein said view object generation means generates a video view object corresponding to the portion of data specified by a user in a plurality of representative frames selected by the user on a played video screen visible on a display unit.

7. The multimedia data search system according to claim 2, wherein said view object generation means generates a complex view object by combining a plurality of view objects.

8. The multimedia data search system according to claim 7, wherein said view object generation means generates the complex view object corresponding to a plurality of image data, or a plurality of video view objects corresponding to a portion of video data.

9. The multimedia data search system according to claim 7, wherein when displaying and reproducing the complex view object, said multimedia data display/reproduction means displays and plays portions of data corresponding to a plurality of view objects.

10. The multimedia data search system according to claim 1, wherein when displaying image data corresponding to a view object searched by said view object management means, said multimedia data display/reproduction means displays the portion of data with an extra portion of data of pre-specified size around it, in addition to the portion of data identified by the view object.

11. The multimedia data search system according to claim 1, wherein when displaying image data corresponding to a view object searched by said view object management means, said multimedia data display/reproduction means enlarges for display a portion of data identified by the view object in the center of a screen of the display unit, and shrinks non-identified data to be displayed in a rest of the screen.

12. The multimedia data search system according to claim 1, wherein when reproducing audio data corresponding to the view object searched by said view object management means, said multimedia data display/reproduction means displays extra data as pre-specified before and after a portion of data identified by the view object, in addition to the said portion of data.

13. The multimedia data search system according to claim 1, wherein when reproducing audio data corresponding to the view object searched by said view object management means, said view object display/reproduction means plays a portion of data identified by the view object at a normal speed, and fast-forwards to play non-identified data at a prespecified speed.

14. The multimedia data search system according to claim 1, wherein when reproducing audio data corresponding to the view object searched by said view object management means, said multimedia data display/reproduction means plays a portion of data identified by said view object at a normal speed, or plays non-identified portions excluding data in silent portions for completion within a given time.

15. The multimedia data search system according to claim 1, wherein when reproducing video data corresponding to the view object searched by said view object management means, said multimedia data display/reproduction means plays a portion of data identified in a representative frame specified with the view object, and plays intermediate frames using linear interpolation from the portion of data identified in representative frames, before and after the intermediate frames.

16. The multimedia data search system according to claim 15, wherein said multimedia data display/reproduction means adds and plays extra data as pre-specified around a portion of data in the representative frame, and a portion interpolated in the intermediate frame.

17. The multimedia data search system according to claim 15, wherein said multimedia data display/reproduction means enlarges a portion of data in the representative frame, and a portion interpolated in the intermediate frame to display it in the center of a display unit, and shrinks data in the portions excluding the portion of data in the representative frame and the interpolated portion in the intermediate frame, for displaying it on a rest of the screen of the display unit.

18. The multimedia data search system according to claim 15, wherein said multimedia data display/reproduction means plays video data for determined a pre-specified time longer than a time period determined by the first and last timings of said representative frame.

19. The multimedia data search system according to claim 15, wherein said multimedia data display/reproduction means plays video data in a time period determined by the first and last timings of the representative frame at a normal speed, and fast-forwards video data in time periods excluding the time period determined by the first and last timings of the representative frame, at a pre-specified speed.

20. The multimedia data search system according to claim 15, wherein said multimedia data display/reproduction means plays video data in periods determined by the first and the last timings in the representative frame at a normal speed, and plays in silent portions for the periods excluding the determined periods, for completion within a given time.

21. A multimedia database system, comprising:

multimedia data storage means for storing multimedia data;

view object storage means for storing view objects specifying a portion of multimedia data;

multimedia data search means for retrieving data specified with the view object from said multimedia data storage means; and

multimedia data display means for displaying data retrieved by said multimedia data search means.

22. The multimedia database system according to claim 21, further comprising:

view object combining means for combining a plurality of view objects as one complex view object if the number of the view objects is two or more, and stores the complex view object in said view object storage means.

23. The multimedia database system according to claim 22, wherein when a time period of the first data specified with the first view object duplicates that of the second data specified with the second view object, said view object combining means generates the third view object specifying the third data including both the first data and the second data, and stores it in said view object storage means.

24. A view object storage medium for storing features of a portion of multimedia data selected by specifying a time period or a range of space, and a view object that describes data for identifying the portion of data as an object oriented database.