Information modeling method and database searching method using the information modeling method

• US 7,325,010 B1
• Filed: 05/20/2000
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chungtae Kim
• Original Assignee: Chungtae Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Chungtae
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Paul
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sharon; Ayal
• Application Number:
  US10/168,466
• Time in Patent Office: 2,810 Days
• Field of Search: 703/22, 707/100, 707/104.1, 725/53
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

An information modeling method receives various kinds of data; analyzes the data into semantic elements, that is, temporal information data including temporal information, spatial information data including spatial information indicating locations, object information data including object information which is an object of the function of data other than the temporal information data and the spatial information data and which interacts with the other data, and thing information data including the remaining thing information other than the temporal information, the spatial information and the object information; and establishes a database which is composed of an action including at least one among the temporal information data, spatial information data, object information data and thing information data, a module which is a higher group of the action, and a situation which is a higher group of the module, using the analyzed data. In a search system constructed according to this information modeling method, information input by a user is connected to a database and is analyzed into semantic elements such as time, space, situation name and keyword. Then, the database is searched for actions, modules and situations including the semantic elements so that the information requested by the user can be extracted.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a user to search for a selected portion of a moving image from a database, the method comprising

selecting a multimedia file including a moving image;

analyzing the multimedia file so that the multimedia file is divided into a plurality of actions, the action being a minimum semantic unit that is meaningful for the user and each action being associated with at least one keyword;

establishing a hierarchical database comprising a plurality of actions and at least one module, each module including at least two actions;

accepting an input from the user including a search keyword and designating granularity to search for at least one of action and module; and

generating a search result using the search keyword at an action level or at a module level based on the designated granularity, whereby a data size of the search result is controlled by the user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the hierarchical database further comprises at least one situation that includes at least two modules, the designated granularity indicates at least one of action, module and situation, and the search result is generated at an action level, at a module level or at a situation level based on the designated granularity.

2. A multimedia database system comprising:

a data storage for storing multimedia data organized in a hierarchical structure of a plurality of actions and at least one module, the action being a minimum semantic unit of the multimedia data that is meaningful for the user and each action being associated with at least one keyword, each module including at least two actions;

an input device for accepting a user input, the user input including a search keyword and designating a granularity to search for one of action and module; and

a processor for performing a search to generate an output including based on the search keyword and the designated granularity, the output being generated at an action level or at a module level in accordance with the designated granularity, whereby a data size of the output is controlled by the user.

4. The multimedia database system of claim 2 wherein the hierarchical structure further includes at least one situation that includes at least two modules, the designated granularity indicates at least one of action, module and situation, and the processor performs the search at an action level, at a module level or a situation level in accordance with the designated granularity.