Geographically diverse closed captioned news text database

• US 6,710,812 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2001
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Medialink Worldwide, Inc. (Synaptic Digital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Medialink Worldwide, Inc. (Synaptic Digital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, Joe Dulin Jr., Mitts, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yenke, Brian
• Application Number:
  US09/907,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20020015106A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.5278, H04/N.708, H04/N.716, 348/461, 348/465-468, 348/478, 348/552, 348/554, 348/906, 348/569, 348/589, 725/86-104, 725/137, 725/139, 725/145, 725/115, 725/120, 725/53, 707/3, 707/10, 709/219
• US Class Current: 348/465
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/313 Selection or weighting of terms for indexing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3334 Selection or weighting of terms from queries, including natural language queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7844 using original textual content or text extracted from visual content or transcript of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0885 for the transmission of subtitles

Abstract

A news search resultant database containing a plurality of decoded closed captioned common news story texts from geographically diverse television stations, which texts have format consistency regardless of the origin of the respective texts. The database is readily readable.

Claims

1. In a system for the aggregation and selective retrieval of television word content from closed captioned text streams, a search results database maintained on an inquiry client, the database being returned to the inquiry client from a central server, the database comprising:

all closed captioning text derived from one or more television program segments captured from one or more geographically diverse television signals, said closed captioning text being decoded and parsed remotely from the inquiry client, and being conditioned remotely from the inquiry client to have consistent formatting regardless of their origin, whereby said decoded, parsed, conditioned, consistent formatted, closed captioning text is;

(a) returned to the inquiry client by the central server as a result of a user inquiry submitted to the central server, (b) maintained by the inquiry client, and (c) readily user readable.

2. The database of claim 1, said text comprising a common unique news story part.

3. The database of claim 2, wherein said text is substantially free of parts unrelated to the said unique news story part.

4. The database of claim 3, said text comprising an index word.

5. The database of claim 1, said text having a common key word.

6. The database of claim 1, said text comprises a predetermined minimum number of letter characters and numerical characters.

7. The database of claim 1, said text comprises the National Captioning Institute (NCI) standard symbol.

8. The database of claim 1, said text comprises TV station, date and time indicia.

9. The database of claim 1, said text comprises a predetermined minimum number of letter characters and numerical characters;

each text further comprises the National Captioning Institute (NCI) standard symbol; and

each text further comprises TV station, date and time indicia.

10. The database of claim 1, said text comprising updated texts comprising the most current television station broadcast.

11. The database of claim 10, wherein the database is in user readable format.

12. In a system for the aggregation and selective retrieval of television word content from closed captioned text streams, a search results database maintained on an inquiry client, the database being returned to the inquiry client from a central server, the database comprising:

all closed captioning text derived from one or more television program segments captured from one or more geographically diverse television signals, said closed captioning text being decoded and parsed remotely from the inquiry client, and being conditioned remotely from the inquiry client to have consistent formatting regardless of their origin, whereby said decoded, parsed, conditioned, consistent formatted, closed captioning text is;

(a) returned to the inquiry client by the central server as a result of a user inquiry submitted to the central server, (b) maintained by the inquiry client, and (c) readily user readable, said database produced by a method for the aggregation and selective retrieval of television word content from closed captioned texts comprising;

(a) receiving a plurality of geographically diverse television signals;

(b) decoding closed captioned text streams in said one or more television signals and writing said decoded closed captioned text streams to a file;

(c) collecting and transmitting said decoded closed captioned text streams from one or more local clients and/or servers to one or more remote central servers;

(d) conditioning the collected closed captioned text to improve format consistency across all text files regardless of origin;

(e) managing closed captioned text streams with a graphical user interface; and

(f) stating closed captioned text streams on a remote central server making said file available to a user of said system.

13. The database of claim 12, said text comprising a common unique news story part.

14. The database of claim 13, wherein said text is substantially free of parts unrelated to the said unique news story part.

15. The database of claim 14, said text comprising an index word.

16. The database of claim 12, said text having a common key word.

17. The database of claim 12, said text comprises a predetermined minimum number of teller characters and numerical characters.

18. The database of claim 12, said text comprises the National Captioning Institute (NCI) standard symbol.

19. The database of claim 13, said text comprises TV station, date and time indicia.