Data processing device and method for selecting media segments on the basis of a score

• US 7,559,015 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Munetsugu, Toshihiko, Etoh, Minoru, Emura, Koichi, Araki, Shouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ries; Laurie
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Maikhanh
• Application Number:
  US10/733,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20040133569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: 715/514, 715/501.1, 715/513, 715/516, 715/500, 715/526, 715/716, 715/723, 715/200, 715/204, 715/207, 715/234, 715/255, 715/256, 715/273, 715/713, 715/719, 715/730, 715/760, 715/850, 715/968, 715/FOR.211, 715/FOR.224, 345/713, 345/730, 707/2, 707/3, 707/100, 707/103.R, 707/200, 707/E17.013, 707/E17.014, 707/E17.015, 707/E17.103, 707/E17.118, 707/E17.14
• US Class Current: 715/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/71 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/739 in form of a video summary, e.g. the video summary being a video sequence, a composite still image or having synthesized frames
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A context of media content is represented by hierarchical context description data for describing a plurality of segments. Each of the segments represents a scene of media content. Scores that are attribute information of the media content, and for representing a degree of importance of each of the plurality of segments based on a context of the media content including scenes, is input and/or appended, as an attribute, to a number of the hierarchical layers of the description data. The description data also includes a viewpoint of said media content represented by at least one keyword describing the scenes. One of said plurality of segments is selected based on the viewpoint and/or said the One of the plurality of segments can then be selected based upon the scores.

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus for processing media content comprised of a plurality of scenes, said apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

an input unit operable to input context description data including a plurality of segments each for describing one of said plurality of scenes of media content, said context description data further including;

a context attribute having a value for describing a context of said media content, and

a plurality of importance attributes each associated with one of said segments and having a value representing a degree of contextual importance of said corresponding one of said segments; and

an output unit operable to output at least one of said segments based on at least one of said importance attributes,

wherein said context description data further includes a plurality of time attributes each associated with a corresponding one of said segments for determining a start time and one of an end time or a duration of the scene associated with said corresponding segment.

2. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of segments are hierarchically described.

3. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said context description data includes supplemental information.

4. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the media content corresponds to video data and/or audio data.

5. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of segments is provided with linkage information for linking to dominant data that represents said segment.

6. The data processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said dominant data is one or more of text data, image data and audio data.

7. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of context attributes and a plurality of importance attributes are associated with one segment.

8. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said context description data is previously generated outside of said data processing apparatus prior said inputting.

9. The data processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said output unit is operable to output in response to a user query regarding the context.

10. A data processing method, performed by a computer system, for processing media content comprised of a plurality of scenes, said method comprising:

inputting context description data including a plurality of segments each for describing one of said plurality of scenes of media content, said context description data including;

a context attribute having a value for describing a context of said media content, and

a plurality of importance attributes each associated with one of said segments and having a value representing a degree of contextual importance of said corresponding one of said segments; and

outputting at least one of said segments based on at least one of said importance attributes,

wherein said context description data further includes a plurality of time attributes each associated with a corresponding one of said segments for determining a start time and one of an end time or a duration of the scene associated with said corresponding segment.

11. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein said plurality of segments are hierarchically described.

12. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein said context description data includes supplemental information.

13. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein the media content corresponds to video data and/or audio data.

14. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein each of said plurality of segments is provided with linkage information for linking to dominant data that represents said segment.

15. The data processing method according to claim 14, wherein said dominant data is one or more of text data, image data and audio data.

16. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of context attributes and a plurality of importance attributes are associated with one segment.

17. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein said context description data is previously generated prior said inputting.

18. The data processing method according to claim 10, wherein said output unit is operable to output in response to a user query regarding the context.

19. A data processing apparatus for processing media content comprised of a plurality of scenes, said apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

input means for inputting context description data describing said plurality of scenes, said context description data being arranged in a hierarchy and including;

a plurality of section elements each having either one or more of said plurality of section elements as children, or having one or more of a plurality of segment elements as children;

said plurality of segment elements each being a child of one of said section elements and also being associated with a corresponding one of said plurality of scenes;

a plurality of context attributes each being associated with one or more of said segment elements and/or section elements, each of said context attributes having a value for describing a context of said media content and including at least one keyword for describing the contents of the scenes described by the associated one or more of said segment elements;

a plurality of importance attributes each associated with one of said context attributes and also associated with one of said segment elements that are associated with said one of said context attributes, and having a value representing a degree of importance of the scene associated with said one of said segment elements in relation to the context of said context attribute, and

a plurality of time attributes each associated with a corresponding one of said segments for determining a start time and one of an end time or a duration of the scene associated with said corresponding segment;

input means for inputting said media content;

selection means for selecting one or more of said segments based on an analysis of said importance attributes; and

output means for outputting one or more of said plurality of scenes based on one or more of the selected segments.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said context description data is previously generated and stored in a database prior said inputting.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said selecting is in response to a user query regarding the context.

22. A data processing method, performed by a computer system, for processing media content comprised of a plurality of scenes, said method comprising:

inputting hierarchically arranged context description data that describes a plurality of scenes of the media contents of one or more media files, said context description data including;

a plurality of segment elements each for describing one of said plurality of scenes,

a plurality of section elements each having either one or more of said plurality of section elements as children, or having one or more of said plurality of segment elements as children,

a plurality of context attributes each having a value for describing a corresponding context of said media content and each being an attribute associated with one or more of said segment elements and including at least one keyword for describing the contents of the scenes described by the associated one or more of said segment elements, and

a plurality of importance attributes each associated with a corresponding one of said segment elements and having a value representing a degree of importance of the scene corresponding to said corresponding segment element in relation to one context attribute that is also associated with corresponding segment element;

selecting one or more of said segment elements based on an analysis of one or more of said context attributes and the associated importance attributes;

inputting said media content; and

outputting one or more of said plurality of scenes based on the selected segment elements.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said section elements are each associated with some corresponding portion of said media contents, and wherein said context description data further includes:

another plurality of context attributes each having a value for describing a corresponding context of said media content and each being an attribute associated with one or more of said section elements and including at least one keyword for describing the contents of the corresponding portion described by the associated one or more of said section elements, and

another plurality of importance attributes each associated with a corresponding one of said section elements and having a value representing a degree of importance of the portion corresponding to said corresponding section element in relation to one of the another context attributes that is also associated with the corresponding section element.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein each segment element can be a child of only one section element, and wherein each section element can be a child of only one other section element, and further wherein when a child of any of said section elements includes a segment, that section element can only have additional segment elements as children.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein a given section element describes that portion of the media contents that is described by the compilation of the children elements of said given section element.