Automatically associating archived multimedia content with current textual content

• US 6,195,655 B1
• Filed: 03/17/1999
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lawler, Frank A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JUNG, DAVID YIUK
• Application Number:
  US09/271,927
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-206, 707/302, 707/500-540, 707/501, 707/2-6, 707/513-526, 707/801, 345/302, 345/115, 345/320, 345/342
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

Described herein is a system that draws from an archive of media objects to associate appropriate media objects with current news articles. The media object archive includes an index having an entry for each media object. The index associates a set of one or more keywords with each media object, and a set of one or more search criteria with each media object. With regard to a particular news story, the system first identifies an initial group of relevant media objects having associated keywords that are contained in the news story. The system then evaluates the search criteria associated with each media object in the identified group against the news story, and limits the group by removing any media object from the group if the search criteria associated with that media object are not satisfied by the news story. A remaining media object from this limited group is then selected for association with the news story.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computer-readable storage comprising an index to media objects, the index having a plurality of index entries corresponding respectively to different ones of the media objects, each index entry comprising (a) a set of one or more keywords and (b) a set of one or more search criteria; and

a computer operably associated with the computer-readable storage and programmed to;

receive textual content;

identify one or more media objects that have keywords that are contained in the textual content;

evaluate the search criteria associated with each of the identified media objects against the textual content;

limit the identified media objects by removing any media object if the search criteria associated with the media object is not satisfied by the textual content;

select a media object from the limited identified media objects; and

associate the selected media object with the textual content, the index entries being configured for use by the computer to enable automatic association of media objects with textual content.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 and further comprising the media objects.

3.The system as recited in claim 1 and further comprising the media objects, wherein the media objects comprise images.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 and further comprising the media objects, wherein the media objects comprise video sequences.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 and further comprising the media objects, wherein the media objects comprise audio tracks.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the search criteria comprise Boolean search specifications.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the search criteria comprise Boolean text search specifications.

7. A computer-implemented method of selecting one of a plurality of media objects to associate with textual content comprising:

providing a computer-readable storage comprising an index to media objects, the index having a plurality of index entries corresponding respectively to different ones of the media objects, each index entry comprising (a) a set of one or more keywords and (b) a set of one or more search criteria;

receiving textual content with a computer,;

identifying one or more media objects that have keywords that are contained in the textual content;

evaluating the search criteria associated with each of the identified media objects against the textual content;

limiting the identified media objects by removing any media object if the search criteria associated with the media object is not satisfied by the textual content;

selecting a media object from the limited identified media objects; and

associating the selected media object with the textual content, the index entries being configured for use by a computer to automatically associate media objects with textual content.

8. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the media objects comprise images.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the media objects comprise video sequences.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the media objects comprise audio tracks.

11. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the set of one or more search criteria comprise a set of one or more Boolean search specifications with each media object.

12. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the set of one or more search criteria comprise a set of one or more Boolean text search specifications with each media object.

13. A computer programmed to implement the method of claim 8.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions which, when executed by a computer, implement the method of claim 8.