System and method for authoring, distributing and replaying derivative hypermedia content

• US 6,871,318 B1
• Filed: 12/18/1998
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Corporate Research Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Hsu, Arding, Benson, Daniel C., Sastry, Chellury R., Agrawala, Vivek, Wynblatt, Michael, Pizano, Arturo
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US09/215,713
• Time in Patent Office: 2,286 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500.1, 715/501.1, 715/512, 715/513, 345/302, 345/760, 707/501.1, 707/512, 709217-219
• US Class Current: 715/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content comprises an authoring system for recording dynamic annotations and a distribution system for distributing the recorded dynamic annotations. The present system includes a playing system for playing the dynamic annotations which have been distributed. The system is applicable to the Internet or World-Wide Web (WWW) and/or to Intranet use.

Claims

1. A system for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content, said system comprising:

an authoring system for recording dynamic annotations on any of a plurality of hypermedia documents for subsequent synchronized playback;

a distribution system for distributing said dynamic annotations which have been recorded by the authoring system; and

a playing system for playing said dynamic annotations that have been distributed by the distribution system, said playing system enabling loading of multiple ones of said hypermedia documents each comprising at least one of said annotations while maintaining synchronized playback of said at least one annotation in ones of said hypermedia documents with said at least one annotation in others of said hypermedia documents.

2. A system for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content in accordance with claim 1, wherein said authoring system for recording dynamic annotations comprises:

a system for capturing navigation events.

3. A system for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content in accordance with claim 2, wherein said playing system for playing said dynamic annotations comprises:

a system for playing said navigation events.

4. A system for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content in accordance with claim 1, wherein said dynamic annotations are recorded on hypermedia.

5. A system for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content in accordance with claim 4, wherein hyperlinks may be created and followed between said dynamic annotations.

6. A system for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content in accordance with claim 5, including a hypermedia browser, said authoring and playing systems being included in said hypermedia browser and said distribution system being in part comprised in said hypermedia browser.

7. A system for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content in accordance with claim 6, including a remote annotation server.

8. A system for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content in accordance with claim 7, wherein said distribution system is partly comprised within said hypermedia browser and partly within said remote annotation server.

9. A system for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content in accordance with claim 8, wherein said remote annotation server further comprises an annotation store, and a mechanism for indexing, retrieving and transferring annotation files.

10. A system in accordance with claim 1, including:

means for defining hyperlinks between dynamic annotations, said means for defining hyperlinks requiring only peripheral involvement by a user for specifying them, said means for defining hyperlinks during playback displaying hyperlinks in an appropriate temporal context, and allowing arbitrary nesting of hyperlink invocations.

11. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein:

said dynamic annotations comprise a recorded sequence of user events and media data, in the context of a particular hypermedia document, synchronized to a time stream;

said user events comprise navigation events, mouse operations, and keystrokes made by the user; and

said media data comprises at least one of an audio and video recording made by the user.

12. A system, for use with at least one of a communications web and a net, said net optionally comprising at least one of the Internet and an intranet, said system being for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content, said system comprising:

an annotation server for being coupled to said at least one of a communications web and a net;

a remote net server for being coupled to said at least one of a communications web and a net;

a net browser for being coupled to said at least one of a communications web and a net;

an authoring system for recording dynamic annotations on any of a plurality of hypermedia documents for subsequent synchronized playback;

a distribution system for distributing said dynamic annotations which have been recorded by the authoring system; and

a playing system for playing said dynamic annotations that have been distributed by the distribution system, said playing system enabling loading of multiple ones of said hypermedia documents upon each of which at least one of said annotations was made while maintaining synchronized playback of said at least one annotation in ones of said hypermedia documents with said at least one annotation in others of said hypermedia documents.

13. A system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said net browser comprises:

a system for capturing navigation events.

14. A system in accordance with claim 13, wherein said annotation server comprises an annotation store.

15. A system in accordance with claim 12, in which hyperlinks may be created and followed between annotations.

16. A system in accordance with claim 15, wherein said net browser comprises traditional hypermedia browser components, an annotation manager, an annotation recorder, and an annotation player.

17. A system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said system has a selectable Browse operating mode wherein said net browser functions in a traditional hypermedia browser manner, an Annotate mode wherein events generated by a user are recorded, and a Watch mode wherein a most recent annotation is played.

18. A system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said system displays available annotations for each document that a user visits.

19. A system in accordance with claim 12, including:

means for defining hyperlinks between dynamic annotations, said means for defining hyperlinks requiring only peripheral involvement by a user for specifying them, said means for defining hyperlinks during playback displaying hyperlinks in an appropriate temporal context, and allowing arbitrary nesting of hyperlink invocations.

20. A system as defined in claim 12 wherein:

said dynamic annotations comprise a recorded sequence of user events and media data, in the context of a particular hypermedia document, synchronized to a time stream;

said user events comprise navigation events, mouse operations, and keystrokes made by the user; and

said media data comprises at least one of an audio and video recording made by the user.

21. A method for use with at least one of a communications web and a net for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content, said net optionally comprising at least one of the Internet and an intranet, said method comprising the steps of:

recording a dynamic annotations on any of a plurality of hypermedia documents;

distributing said dynamic annotations that have been recorded;

playing said dynamic annotations that have been distributed and enabling loading of multiple ones of said hypermedia documents upon which at least one of said annotations was made while maintaining synchronized playback of said at least one annotation;

coupling each of at least one remote server, an annotation server, an annotation manager, and a net browser to said at least one of a communications web and a net; and

selecting one of a Browse mode, an Annotate mode, and a Watch mode for respectively causing said net browser to function in a traditional hypermedia browser manner, causing events generated by a user to be recorded, and for causing a most recent annotation to be displayed.

22. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said causing events generated by a user to be recorded includes causing navigation events to be recorded.

23. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said causing a most recent annotation to be displayed includes causing navigation events to be displayed.

24. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said Browse mode, said Annotate mode, and said Watch mode are selectable by screen button functions.

25. A method in accordance with claim 21, comprising the steps of, when said Annotate mode is selected for recording events:

selecting one of a drawing mode and a typing mode.

26. A method in accordance with claim 21, comprising the step of, upon selection of an icon or text representing an annotation and having an annotation ID:

generating a link annotation event using said annotation ID of said item selected.

27. A method in accordance with claim 21, comprising the steps of, when said Annotate mode is selected for recording events, and upon one of (a) selection of an item in an Annotation box, and (b) generation of a non-scroll navigation event:

pausing recording of annotation;

loading a document with given ID;

rendering said document by said net browser; and

resuming recording of annotation.

28. A method in accordance with claim 27, comprising the steps of, when said Browse mode is selected and upon execution of a non-scroll navigation event which causes a new document to be loaded by the browser:

said Annotation manager sending an ID of said new document to said Annotation server;

upon said Annotation server finding any annotations stored for said ID of a new document, said Annotation server sending annotation files along with any associated names and icons to said Annotation Manager, said Annotation Manager displaying annotation'"'"'s name, author'"'"'s name if any, and icon if any, of each annotation in an Annotation Manager box.

29. A method in accordance with claim 28, comprising the steps of, when said Browse mode is selected, and upon execution of a non-scroll navigation event which causes a new document to be loaded by the browser:

said Annotation manager sending an ID of a new document to said Annotation server;

upon said Annotation server finding no annotations stored for said ID of a new document, said Annotation alerting said Annotation Manager that there are no annotations for a current page.

30. A method in accordance with claim 21, comprising the steps of, when said Browse mode is selected and upon activation of a save function:

entering information including a user-selected name associated with a most recent annotation;

generating an annotation file;

sending said name and said annotation file to said annotation server;

extracting document ID'"'"'s from NEW_DOCUMENT events in said annotation; and

storing a file with said information in an Annotation Store indexed by said document ID'"'"'s.

31. A method in accordance with claim 21, comprising the steps of, when said Watch mode is selected:

processing events in a traditional manner in a Main Annotation Playback Loop.

32. A method in accordance with claim 31, comprising the steps of, when said Watch mode is selected, and upon processing of a non-scroll navigation event,

pausing playback of annotation;

loading a document having a selected ID;

rendering said document; and

continuing playback of said annotation.

33. A method in accordance with claim 32, comprising the steps of:

if said playback is complete, verifying whether an Annotation Stack is empty and, if so, switching to said Browse mode and, if not, taking the top annotation from said stack and beginning playback from the designated event.

34. A method in accordance with claim 33, comprising the steps of, when said Watch mode is selected, and upon processing of a link annotation event,

creating a temporary Link Button which remains available to the user for a pre-determined length of time.

35. A method in accordance with claim 34, comprising the steps of, when said Watch mode is selected, and upon activating said Link Button, placing the ID of the active annotation, along with the index of the next event in the active annotation on the top of the stack;

beginning playback of an annotation referenced in the most recent link annotation event.

36. A method in accordance with claim 35, comprising the steps of:

if said playback is complete, verifying whether an Annotation Stack is empty and, if so, switching to said Browse mode and, if not, taking a top annotation from said stack and beginning playback from a designated event.

37. A method as defined in claim 21 wherein:

said recorded dynamic annotations comprise a recorded sequence of user events and media data, in the context of a particular hypermedia document, synchronized to a time stream;

said user events comprise navigation events, mouse operations, and keystrokes made by the user; and

said media data comprises at least one of an audio and video recording made by the user.

38. A method for authoring, distributing, and replaying derivative hypermedia content, said method comprising the steps of:

recording dynamic annotations on any of a plurality of hypermedia documents for subsequent synchronized playback;

distributing said dynamic annotations which have been recorded; and

playing said dynamic annotations that have been distributed and enabling loading of multiple ones of said hypermedia documents upon each of which at least one of said annotations was made while maintaining synchronized playback of said at least one annotation in ones of said hypermedia documents with said at least one annotation in others of said hypermedia documents.

39. A method as defined in claim 38 wherein:

said recorded dynamic annotations comprise a recorded sequence of user events and media data, in the context of a particular hypermedia document, synchronized to a time stream;

said user events comprise navigation events, mouse operations, and keystrokes made by the user; and

said media data comprises at least one of an audio and video recording made by the user.