Media editing system

• US 7,870,488 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2005
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Transcript Associates, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Transcript Associates, Inc.
• Inventors: Kirkpatrick, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Manglesh M
• Application Number:
  US11/055,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20060179403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,161 Days
• Field of Search: 715/723, 715206-208, 715/200, 715/720, 715/721
• US Class Current: 715/720
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/323 Time code signal, e.g. on a cue track as SMPTE- or EBU-time code

Abstract

An audio and video editing system is disclosed. The editing system uses a displayable object document that comprises: (i) a verbal transcript of an audio recording (e.g., a stored version of a recorded interview, etc.), and (ii) one or more hyperlinks into one or more video recordings, where each video recording is a stored version of a video recording (e.g., of a participant in a interview, etc.). Each hyperlink in the object document associates a portion of the stored video recording with a hyperlink caption in the object document. Each time code that appears in the object document is a hyperlink caption that points to a different portion of the video recording. A user can access a desired portion of the video recording by selecting the associated hyperlink caption in the object document.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) displaying a first object document that comprises;

(i) a verbal transcript of a first audio recording, and

(ii) a plurality of hyperlinks into a first video recording that is temporally synchronized with said first audio recording;

(b) receiving a first signal that selects one of said hyperlinks into said first video recording;

(c) displaying the portion of said first video recording associated with said hyperlink selected by said first signal; and

(d) displaying, as a result of displaying the first object document, an index document that comprises an index of hyperlink captions;

wherein the verbal transcript comprises a text of a temporal sequence of words and a first time code that is associated with a first word in said temporal sequence of words; and

wherein estimating a second time code for a second word in said temporal sequence of words is based on said text and said first time code.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each of said hyperlinks into said first video recording associates a portion of said first video recording with a hyperlink caption in said first object document;

and

wherein said hyperlink caption in said first object document is at least one of the first time code and the second time code.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each hyperlink of said plurality of hyperlinks comprises a hyperlink reference that comprises at least one of the first time code and the second time code.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said first object document further comprises (iii) a plurality of hyperlinks into a second video recording that is temporally synchronized with said first audio recording, wherein each of said hyperlinks into said second video recording associates a portion of said second video recording with a hyperlink caption in said first object document.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said hyperlink captions in said index is associated with a hyperlink into said first object document and a second object document.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

(e) receiving a second signal that selects one of said hyperlinks into said second object document; and

(f) displaying the portion of said second object document associated with said hyperlink selected by said second signal;

wherein said second object document comprises;

(i) a verbal transcript of a second audio recording, and

(ii) a plurality of hyperlinks into a second video recording that is temporally synchronized with said second audio recording, wherein each of said hyperlinks into said second video recording associates a portion of said second video recording with a hyperlink caption in said second object document.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

(g) receiving a third signal that selects one of said hyperlinks in said second object document into said second video recording; and

(h) displaying the portion of said second video recording associated with said hyperlink selected by said third signal.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said first video recording and said second video recording are recorded during different interviews.

9. A method comprising:

(a) displaying an index document that comprises an index of hyperlink captions, wherein at least one of said hyperlink captions is associated with a hyperlink into a first object document, wherein said first object document comprises;

(i) a verbal transcript of a first audio recording, and

(ii) a plurality of hyperlinks into a first video recording that is temporally synchronized with said first audio recording;

(b) receiving a first signal that selects one of said hyperlinks in said index document; and

(c) displaying the portion of said first object document associated with said hyperlink selected by said first signal;

wherein the verbal transcript comprises a text of a temporal sequence of words and a first time code that is associated with a first word in said temporal sequence of words; and

wherein estimating a second time code for a second word in said temporal sequence of words is based on said text and said first time code.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein each of said hyperlinks into said first video recording associates a portion of said first video recording with a hyperlink caption in said first object document;

and

wherein said hyperlink caption in said first object document is at least one of the first time code and the second time code.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein each of said plurality of hyperlinks in said first object document comprises a hyperlink reference that comprises at least one of the first time code and the second time code.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

(d) receiving a second signal that selects one of said hyperlinks in said first object document into said first video recording; and

(e) displaying the portion of said first video recording associated with said hyperlink selected by said second signal.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein at least one of said hyperlink captions in said index document is associated with a hyperlink into a second object document, wherein said second object document comprises:

(i) a verbal transcript of a second audio recording, and

(ii) a plurality of hyperlinks into a second video recording that is temporally synchronized with said second audio recording, wherein each of said hyperlinks into said second video recording associates a portion of said second video recording with a hyperlink caption in said second object document; and

further comprising;

(d) receiving a second signal that selects one of said hyperlinks in said index document; and

(e) displaying the portion of said second object document associated with said hyperlink selected by said second signal.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said first audio recording and said second audio recording are recorded during different interviews.

15. A method comprising:

(a) displaying a first object document that comprises;

(i) a verbal transcript of an audio recording, and

(ii) a plurality of hyperlinks into a first video recording that is temporally synchronized with said first audio recording; and

displaying an index document that comprises;

(i) an index of hyperlink captions, and

(ii) a plurality of hyperlinks into said first object document and a second object document;

wherein the verbal transcript comprises a text of a temporal sequence of words and a first time code that is associated with a first word in said temporal sequence of words; and

wherein estimating a second time code for a second word in said temporal sequence of words based on said text and said first time code.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the first object document also comprises:

(iii) a first graphical object that is associated with a portion of said audio recording and a portion of a first video recording, and

(iv) a second graphical object that is associated with a portion of said audio recording and a portion of a second video recording.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

(b) adding to a composite recording, before displaying the index document, a portion of said first video recording associated with said first graphical object and a portion of said second video recording associated with said second graphical object.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising displaying said representation of said composite recording;

wherein the representation depicts the relative ordering of the portion of said first video recording and the portion of said second video recording; and

wherein each of said hyperlinks into said first object document associates a portion of said first object document with a hyperlink caption in said index.

19. A method comprising:

receiving a text of a temporal sequence of words and a first time code that is associated with a first word in said temporal sequence of words; and

estimating a second time code for a second word in said temporal sequence of words based on said text and said first time code;

wherein said text is a verbal transcript of an audio recording; and

wherein said verbal transcript is part of a object document that comprises a plurality of hyperlinks into a video recording that is temporally synchronized with said audio recording; and

wherein each of said hyperlinks into said video recording associates a portion of said video recording with a hyperlink caption in said object document.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising displaying said object document, wherein one of said hyperlinks into said video recording associates a portion of said video recording with said second word in said object document.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising receiving an audio recording of said temporal sequence of words;

and

wherein the estimating of said second time code for said second word in said temporal sequence of words is also based on said audio recording.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising receiving a third time code that is associated with a third word in said temporal sequence of words;

and

wherein the estimating of said second time code for said second word in said temporal sequence of words is also based on said third time code.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said second time code is based on the interpolation of said first time code, said third time code, and the relative positions of said first word, said second word, and said third word in said temporal sequence of words.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein said second time code is based on the interpolation of said first time code, said third time code, and the number of characters in said temporal sequence of words.