Flexible marking of recording data by a recording unit

• US 7,194,186 B1
• Filed: 04/21/2000
• Issued: 03/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vulcan Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: Vulcan Patents LLC
• Inventors: Strub, Henry B., Burgess, David A., Johnson, Kimberly H., Cohen, Jonathan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUNN, MISHAWN N
• Application Number:
  US09/557,081
• Time in Patent Office: 2,524 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386 6- 8, 386/45, 386/68, 386 69- 70, 386 81- 82, 386125-126, 386/46, 386/111, 386/112, 386/124, 360/72.1, 360/72.2, 360/72.3, 707/103.R, 707/104.1, 707/500.1, 707/100, 707/501.1, 345/723, 345/716, 345/719, 348/7, 348/13, 348/207, 348/211, 348/239, 348/333, 348/334, 348/569, 358/108, 358/342, 358/93, 358/188, 358/114, 358/117, 358/118, 358/120, 358/147, 358/165, 342/352, 342/357, 364/420, 364/449
• US Class Current: 386/241
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/122 involving the detection of an identification or authentication mark record carriers indicating unauthorised or prior use G11B23/28
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

The invention enables a recorder to mark a recording as an event is being recorded. The invention can enable the specification of a mark so that the mark is associated with recording data obtained at a time other than the time at which the mark is specified (“non-contemporaneous marking”), i.e., prior to the time of the mark (“retrospective marking”) or after the time of the mark (“predictive marking”). The invention can also enable the use of multiple types of marks, each type of mark having a particular meaning. Additionally, the invention can enable marking capability to be implemented so that specification of a mark causes predetermined operation of the recording unit in accordance with the type of the mark (“augmented marking”).

Claims

1. A recording unit for recording an event, comprising:

a data acquisition device for obtaining recording data representing the content of the event;

a data storage device for storing data, wherein the stored data includes the recording data;

a control interface device for enabling a user to control operation of the recording unit, the control interface device further comprising marking means for enabling the user to specify multiple types of non-contemporaneous marks;

a system controller that causes, in response to the specification of a non-contemporaneous mark and a time value relative to the marking time of the non-contemporaneous mark specified by the user, the data storage device to store marking data associating the non-contemporaneous mark with the recording data obtained at a marked time relative to the marking time by the specified time value;

wherein the marking data defines a confidence level that represents the certainty of the user that the marked time associated with the marked recording data is a time associated with the recording data that the user desires to mark and the confidence level is associated with the specified time value relative to the marking time.

2. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the marking means is adapted to enable specification of a retrospective mark that is associated with the recording data obtained at a marked time prior to the marking time at which the retrospective mark was specified by the user.

3. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the marking means is adapted to enable specification of a predictive mark that is associated with the recording data obtained at a marked time subsequent to the marking time at which the predictive mark was specified by the user.

4. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the marking data defines the marking time and a duration of time, the marked time being the time different from the marking time by the amount of the duration of time.

5. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the marking data defines the marked time directly.

6. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the value of the confidence level defines a range of time relative to the marked time.

7. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the marking data further defines a range of time relative to the marked time.

8. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the marking means further comprises:

means for indicating that a voice mark is to be imminently specified; and

means for identifying a voice mark, the means for identifying operable in response to an indication that a voice mark is to be imminently specified.

9. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the recording unit is portable.

10. The recording unit as in claim 9, further comprising means for mounting one or more components of the recording unit on the body of the user.

11. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the data acquisition device further comprises a visual data acquisition device.

12. The recording unit as in claim 11, wherein the data acquisition device further comprises an audio data acquisition device.

13. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the multiple types of marks include one or more marks indicating a level of importance or interest of the content which the marked recording data represents.

14. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the multiple types of marks include one or more marks indicating a characteristic of the content which the marked recording data represents.

15. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the multiple types of marks include one or more marks indicating the beginning or end of activity of interest.

16. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the multiple types of marks include one or more marks indicating the recording conditions.

17. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the multiple types of marks include one or more marks indicating the user'"'"'s state of mind.

18. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the multiple types of marks include one or more privacy marks.

19. The recording unit as in claim 18, wherein the one or more privacy marks includes a mark that indicates that the marked part of the recording is to be erased.

20. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the multiple types of marks include one or more marks indicating different recording units.

21. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the multiple types of marks include one or more marks identifying the person making the mark.

22. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the multiple types of marks include one or more marks identifying a person appearing in the part of the recording represented by the recording data associated with the mark.

23. The recording unit as in claim 1, further comprising:

means for analyzing the recording data; and

means for changing the meaning of a mark based on the analysis of the recording data.

24. The recording unit as in claim 1, further comprising means for obtaining data other than the recording data;

and

means for changing the meaning of one or more marks based on the data other than the recording data.

25. The recording unit as in claim 1, further comprising one or more marking tokens for enabling a person to specify a corresponding type of mark, each marking token adapted to enable physical separation of the marking token from the control interface device.

26. The recording unit as in claim 1, wherein the system controller causes, in response to the specification of a mark by the user, operation of the recording unit in a predetermined manner in accordance with the type of the mark.

27. The recording unit for recording an event as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one mark indicates a level of importance or interest of the content which the marked recording data represents.

28. The recording unit as in claim 27, wherein:

at least one mark indicates a level of importance or interest of the content which the marked recording data represents; and

the system controller causes the recording data corresponding to the at least one mark to be compressed in accordance with the level of importance or interest represented by the mark.

29. The recording unit as in claim 28, wherein the system controller causes compression of the recording data to be reduced after a predetermined amount of time.

30. The recording unit as in claim 1 wherein a data acquisition device for obtaining the recording data representing the content of the event;

the means for producing a mark further comprises means for producing a mark and/or supplementing or modifying an existing mark based on the value of, or an analysis of, data acquired by the recording unit; and

wherein;

the recording unit further comprises means for acquiring non-visual, human perceptible data other than the recording data; and

the means for producing a mark and/or supplementing or modifying an existing mark produces, supplements or modifies based on the value of, or an analysis of, the non-visual, human perceptible data other than the recording data.

31. The recording unit as in claim 30, wherein:

the means for acquiring data other than the recording data further comprises a physiological monitoring device; and

the means for producing a mark and/or supplementing or modifying an existing mark produces, supplements or modifies based on the value of, or an analysis of, physiological monitoring data.

32. The recording unit as in claim 30, wherein:

the means for acquiring data other than the recording data further comprises a position sensing device; and

the means for producing a mark and/or supplementing or modifying an existing mark produces, supplements or modifies based on the value of, or an analysis of, position data.

33. The recording unit as in claim 30, wherein the means for producing a mark and/or supplementing or modifying an existing mark produces, supplements or modifies based on the proximity of the marking time to the marked time.

34. For use in a recording unit being used by a user to record an event, a method for non-contemporaneously marking recording data obtained by the recording unit, comprising the steps of:

identifying a specification of a non-contemporaneous mark of a specified type and a specified time value relative to the marking time of the non-contemporaneous mark; and

in response to an identification of the specification of a non-contemporaneous mark, storing marking data associating the non-contemporaneous mark with recording data obtained at a marked time relative to the marking time by the specified time value;

wherein the marking data defines a confidence level that represents the certainty of the user that the marked time associated with the marked recording data is a time associated with the recording data that the user desires to mark, and the confidence level is associated with the specified time value relative to the marking time.

35. A method as in claim 34, wherein:

the step of identifying further comprises identifying the specification of a retrospective mark; and

the step of storing further comprises storing marking data associating the retrospective mark with the recording data obtained at a marked time prior to the marking time at which the non-contemporaneous mark was specified.

36. A method as in claim 34, wherein:

the step of identifying further comprises identifying the specification of a predictive mark; and

the step of storing further comprises storing marking data associating the predictive mark with the recording data obtained at a marked time subsequent to the marking time at which the non-contemporaneous mark was specified.

37. A method as in claim 34, wherein the marking data defines the marking time and a duration of time, the marked time being the time different from the marking time by the amount of the duration of time.

38. A method as in claim 34, wherein the marking data defines the marked time directly.

39. A method as in claim 34, wherein the value of the confidence level defines a range of time relative to the marked time.

40. A method as in claim 34, wherein the marking data further defines a range of time relative to the marked time.

41. A method as in claim 34, wherein the step of identifying further comprises:

identifying an indication that a voice mark is to be imminently specified; and

identifying a voice mark in response to an indication that a voice mark is to be imminently specified.