Log note system for digitally recorded audio

• US 7,617,445 B1
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Issued: 11/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FTR Labs Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Ftr Pty Ltd (Record Holdings Pty Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fewings, Stephen J., Hickling, Henry, Williams, Derrill P., Townsend, Steven L., Jones, Neil R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughn; Gregory J
• Application Number:
  US11/223,342
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/201, 715/203, 715/229, 715/232, 715/233, 715/255
• US Class Current: 715/232
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 specifically adapted for audio data

Abstract

A system which is primarily of use for lawyers, judges and electronic court reporters operates to correlate personal log notes with digitally recorded audio proceedings, such as courtroom proceedings. The notes may be made in conjunction with the computer actually recording the courtroom proceedings; or they may be made on personal computers separate from the computer recording the court proceedings. Identification of the proceedings is made on both the digitally recorded proceedings, as well as on the log notes; so that they are correlated. Each time a note is entered, the time at which the note is entered is placed as a time stamp in conjunction with the note. When the log notes are synchronized with the recorded court proceedings (either at the time the proceedings begin, or at any subsequent time), reference subsequently to that note time stamp allows direct immediate access to the same running time on the court proceedings, for subsequent review of either the recorded audio or a transcription made of that audio carrying the same time references.

Claims

1. A system for creating and entering log notes each time-linked to the recording times of a digital audio transcription record, including in combination:

a) at least one selected source of digitally recorded audio signals;

b) a computer including a memory for storing the digitally recorded audio signals and for allowing the stored digitally recorded audio signals to be played back, the digitally recorded audio signals associated with a running time corresponding to the times at which each of the audio signals were recorded;

c) the computer including a memory for storing digital signals corresponding to the specific individual log notes time linked to the digitally recorded audio signals, the computer associating a time stamp corresponding to the actual recording time of each of the log notes;

d) a display coupled to the computer, with the computer allowing the display to indicate file entries corresponding to the digitally recorded audio signals and corresponding to the log notes associated with unique file entries corresponding to the digitally recorded audio signals;

e) a play-back selection means associated with the computer allowing a user to play a desired file entry of digitally recorded audio signals associated with the corresponding log notes;

f) the computer being responsive to the play-back selection means for effecting the playing of the digitally recorded audio signals corresponding to the selected file entry; and

g) means responsive to selection by a user of a specific associated log note for effecting a time link of the time stamp associated with the selected log note to the running time of the digitally recorded audio signal and for automatically causing playing of that portion of the digitally recorded audio signal corresponding to the selected log note.

2. The system according to claim 1 further including means for automatically linking the time stamps of the log notes with the corresponding running time of the digitally recorded audio.

3. The system according to claim 2 wherein the means for linking the time stamp of the log notes with the corresponding file entry for the digital audio signals operates in response to specific identifying indicia for the log notes corresponding to the file entry with which the log notes are associated.

4. The system according to claim 3 further including means for synchronizing the time stamps of all log notes associated with a specific file entry in response to selection of a specific log note linked to a current play time of a portion of a digitally recorded audio recording causing the time stamps of all of the log notes associated with the file entry for that recording to be changed and synchronized with the selected recording.

5. The system according to claim 4 wherein selection of a specific log note time stamp by a user causes the playing of the corresponding digitally recorded audio signals to automatically jump to the running time linked to the selected time stamp to permit playing of the particular audio signals associated with the log note time stamp.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein the digital signals corresponding to specific individual log notes further include file identification indicia.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the digital signals corresponding to specific individual log notes stored in the memory of the computer further include location information indicating the location at which a recording corresponding to the log notes was made.

8. The system according to claim 3 wherein selection of a specific log note time stamp by a user causes the playing of the corresponding digitally recorded audio signals to automatically jump to the running time linked to the selected time stamp to permit playing of the particular audio signals associated with the log note time stamp.

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein the digital signals corresponding to specific individual log notes stored in the memory of the computer also include the date on which such log notes were recorded.

10. The system according to claim 1 wherein the digital signals corresponding to specific individual log notes stored in the memory of the computer also include the date on which such log notes were recorded.

11. The system according to claim 1 further including means for synchronizing a date and the time stamps of all log notes associated with a specific file entry in response to selection of a specific log note linked to a current play time of a portion of a digitally recorded audio recording causing the time stamps of all of the log notes associated with the file entry for that recording to be changed and synchronized with the time of the selected recording.

12. The system according to claim 1 wherein selection of a specific log note time stamp by a user causes the playing of the corresponding digitally recorded audio signals to automatically jump to the running time linked to the selected time stamp to permit playing of the particular audio signals associated with the log note time stamp.

13. The system according to claim 1 wherein the digital signals corresponding to specific individual log notes further include file identification indicia.

14. The system according to claim 1 wherein the digital signals corresponding to specific individual log notes stored in the memory of the computer further include location information indicating the location at which a recording corresponding to the log notes was made.

15. The system according to claim 1 wherein said digitally recorded audio signals comprise at least one file having at least one file attribute which includes the start time at which the digitally recorded audio signals were first recorded.

16. The system according to claim 1 wherein said digitally recorded audio signals comprise at least one file having a unique file name which includes the start time at which the digitally recorded audio signals were first recorded.

17. A system for creating and entering log notes correlated in real time to a transcription record, including, in combination;

a) at least one selected source of recorded signals, the recorded signals associated with a date and a running time corresponding to the time at which the signals were recorded;

b) a computer including a memory for storing digital signals corresponding to specific individual log notes time linked to the running time of the recorded signals, the computer associating a time stamp with the recording of each of the log notes;

c) a display coupled to the computer with the computer allowing the display to indicate file entries of the recorded signals and corresponding to the log notes associated with a unique file entry corresponding to the recorded signals;

d) a selection means associated with the computer allowing a user to select a desired file entry from a list of file entries associated with the corresponding log notes;

e) means for correlating log notes corresponding to a specific file entry; and

f) means responsive to selection by a user of a specific log note for automatically causing the computer to locate that portion of the recorded signal time linked to the time stamp of the selected log note.

18. The system according to claim 17 further including means for automatically linking the time stamps of the log notes with the corresponding running time of the recorded signals when the same computer recording the signals is used simultaneously for storing digital signals corresponding to the specific individual log notes.

19. The system according to claim 18 wherein the means for correlating the log notes with the corresponding file entry for the recorded signals operates in response to specific identifying indicia for the log notes corresponding to the file entry with which the log notes are associated.

20. The system according to claim 17 further including means for synchronizing a date and the time stamps of all log notes associated with a specific file entry in response to selection of a specific log note linked to a current time of a portion of recorded signals causing the time stamps of all of the log notes associated with the file entry for that recorded signal to be changed and synchronized with the time of the recorded signals.

21. The system according to claim 17 wherein the digital signals corresponding to specific individual log notes further include file identification indicia.

22. The system according to claim 21 wherein the file identification indicia is location information indicating the location at which a recording corresponding to the log notes was made.

23. The system according to claim 17 wherein the file identification indicia includes the date on which such log notes were recorded.

24. The system according to claim 17 wherein the means for correlating the log notes with the specific file entry for the recorded signals operates in response to specific identifying indicia for the log notes corresponding to the file entry with which the log notes are associated.

25. The system according to claim 17 wherein the digital signals corresponding to specific individual log notes stored in the memory of the computer further include location information indicating the location at which a recording corresponding to the log notes was made.

26. A system for correlating a record of events occurring over time to recorded signals associated with a running time, including in combination:

a) at least one selected source of recorded signals associated with a running time corresponding to the time at which the signals were recorded;

b) a computer including a memory for storing digital signals corresponding to a record of events linked to the running time of the recorded signals, the computer associating a time stamp of the record of events with the stored digital signals of the record of events;

c) means for linking the time stamp of the record of events with the running time of the recorded signals; and

d) means responsive to selection by a user of a specific portion of a record of events for automatically causing the computer to locate the running time of that portion of the recorded signals linked to the time stamp of the selected portion of the record of events.

27. The system according to claim 26 further including means for automatically linking the time stamps of the record of events with the corresponding running time of the recorded signals when the same computer stores the recorded signals and simultaneously stores digital signals corresponding to the record of events.

28. The system according to claim 27 wherein the means for linking the time stamps of the record of events with the corresponding running time of the recorded signals operates in response to specific identifying indicia for the record of events corresponding to the file entry with which the record of events are associated.

29. The system according to claim 26 further including means for synchronizing a date and the time stamps of all record of events associated with the recorded signals in response to selection of a specific portion of a record of events linked to a current time of a portion of the recorded signals causing the time stamps of all of the record of events associated with that recorded signal to be changed and synchronized with the running time of the recorded signals.

30. The system according to claim 26 wherein the digital signals corresponding to specific individual record of events further include file identification indicia.

31. The system according to claim 26 wherein the digital signals corresponding to specific individual record of events stored in the memory of the computer further include location information indicating the location at which the recorded signals corresponding to the record of events was made.

32. The system according to claim 26 wherein the digital signals corresponding to specific individual record of events stored in the memory of the computer also include the date on which the record of events was stored.