System for and method of visual representation and review of media files

• US 7,739,255 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2006
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MA Capital LLLP
• Original Assignee: MA Capital LLLP
• Inventors: Stroot, Paul, Hansen, Jonathan, Hengel, Charles, Longval, J. Brent
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali; Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): PENG, HUAWEN A
• Application Number:
  US11/469,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20080071827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 5, 707/102, 707/104.1, 715/205
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

This document describes, among other things, systems and methods for visual representation and review of media files. A method comprises: 1) accessing a media file that includes at least an audio track; accessing a media review file, wherein the media review file is associated with the media file and further wherein the media review file includes annotation data, the annotation data including two or more users'"'"' annotation comments; 2) presenting the media file and the media review file using a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface includes a vertical time bar, wherein the vertical time bar includes an indicator to indicate a position in the audio track included in the media file and further wherein annotation data displayed in the user interface vertically scrolls in synchronization with the indicator on the vertical time bar; and 3) saving any modifications to annotation data in the media review file.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for reviewing media files within a media file review application, the method comprising:

accessing a media file that includes an audio track;

analyzing the media file with automated analysis software on one or more computers, wherein the automated analysis software creates one or more automatically-generated annotations related to content in the media file;

storing the one or more automatically-generated annotations in a database;

presenting the media file for manual review within a media file review application, wherein presenting the media file includes;

extracting at least one of the one or more automatically-generated annotations from the database;

loading the media file into the media file review application;

determining temporal locations of the at least one of the one or more automatically-generated annotations;

displaying a vertical time bar in a user interface provided by the media file review and annotation application, the vertical time bar being a temporal representation of the media file and including a time marker indicating a current playback position within the audio track of the media file and further including one or more comment marks representing the temporal locations of at least one of the one or more automatically-generated annotations displayed along the length of the vertical time bar, wherein the positions of the one or more comment marks correspond to the respective temporal locations;

displaying, in the user interface, one or more controls that allow a user to add, edit, or remove annotations associated with the media file; and

providing one or more navigation controls that allow the user to manipulate a temporal location within the media file, wherein the time marker is linked to the navigation controls;

selecting a temporal position within the media file using one of the navigation controls to provide a selected temporal position;

determining the one or more comment marks in temporal proximity with the selected temporal position;

synchronizing annotations displayed within a comment control window to correspond with the comment marks determined to be in temporal proximity with the selected temporal position;

editing an annotation associated with the media file at the selected temporal position to provide an annotation edit; and

saving the annotation edit in the database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein editing further comprises:

receiving an instruction provided by the user to add an annotation of the media file to the media review file;

receiving content of the annotation to be added; and

storing the content of the annotation to be added in the media review file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein editing further comprises:

receiving an instruction provided by the user to modify an existing annotation of the media file in the media review file;

receiving revised content of the annotation to be modified; and

storing the revised content in the media review file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein editing further comprises:

receiving an instruction provided by the user to delete an existing annotation of the media file from the media review file;

receiving a confirmation to delete the existing annotation; and

removing the existing annotation from the media review file.

5. A computer implemented method of reviewing media files, the method comprising:

accessing, using one or more computers, a media file that includes an audio track;

analyzing the media file with automated analysis software using the one or more computers, wherein the automated analysis software stores in a media review file one or more automatically-generated annotations of content in the media file;

accessing a media review file associated with the media file, wherein the media review file includes a plurality of annotations, the plurality of annotations including the one or more automatically-generated annotations;

presenting the media file within a media file review application, wherein presenting the media file includes;

determining temporal locations within the media file that correspond with each of the annotations contained in the media review file;

displaying a vertical time bar in a user interface of the media file review application, the vertical time bar being a time-based length representation of the audio track within the media file and including a time marker indicating a current playback position within the audio track in the media file;

displaying, along the vertical time bar, comment marks representing the temporal locations of each of the annotations;

displaying one or more controls that allow a user to add, edit, or remove annotations associated with the media file; and

providing a navigation control that allows the user to manipulate a temporal location within the media file, wherein the time marker is linked to the navigation control;

selecting a temporal position within the media file using the navigation control;

displaying annotations within a comment control window;

determining the one or more comment marks in temporal proximity with the selected temporal position;

synchronizing the annotations displayed within the comment control window to correspond with the comment marks determined to be in temporal proximity with the selected temporal position; and

editing an annotation associated with the media file at the selected temporal position.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein displaying annotations within a comment control window further comprises displaying color-coded annotations, the color-coded annotations each having a color code indicative of a comment category.