BROWSER FOR USE IN NAVIGATING A BODY OF INFORMATION, WITH PARTICULAR APPLICATION TO BROWSING INFORMATION REPRESENTED BY AUDIOVISUAL DATA

• US 20070204319A1
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brygg Ullmer, Christopher Horner, Emanuel Farber, Neal Bhadkamkar, Paul A. Freiberger, Philippe P. Piernot, Steve Cousins, Subutai Ahmad
• Original Assignee: Brygg Ullmer, Christopher Horner, Emanuel Farber, Neal Bhadkamkar, Paul A. Freiberger, Philippe P. Piernot, Steve Cousins, Subutai Ahmad
• Inventors: Piernot, Philippe, Ahmad, Subutai, Freiberger, Paul, Cousins, Steve, Farber, Emanuel, Horner, Christopher, Bhadkamkar, Neal, Ullmer, Brygg
• Granted Patent: US 8,176,515 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/738 Presentation of query results
• 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: G06F 16/7834 using audio features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7844 using original textual content or text extracted from visual content or transcript of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/785 using colour or luminescence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

The invention facilitates and enhances review of a body of information (that can be represented by a set of audio data, video data, text data or some combination of the three), enabling the body of information to be quickly reviewed to obtain an overview of the content of the body of information and allowing flexibility in the manner in which the body of information is reviewed. In a particular application of the invention, the content of audiovisual news programs is acquired from a first set of one or more information sources (e.g., television news programs) and text news stories are acquired from a second set of one or more information sources (e.g., on-line news services or news wire services). In such a particular application, the invention can enable the user to access the news stories of audiovisual news programs in a random manner so that the user can move quickly among news stories or news programs. The invention can also enable the user to quickly locate news stories pertaining to a particular subject. Additionally, when the user is observing a particular news story in a news program, the invention can identify and display related news stories. The invention can also enable the user to control the display of the news programs by, for example, speeding up the display, causing a summary of one or more news stories to be displayed, or pausing the display of the news stories. Additionally, the invention can indicate to the user which news story is currently being viewed, as well as which news stories have previously been viewed.

Claims

1-62. -62. (canceled)

63. A method for reviewing a body of audiovisual information that can vary with time, comprising the steps of:

displaying the audiovisual information with a display device;

controlling review of the body of audiovisual information with a user control device, the user control device being physically separate from the display device, the user control device including a graphical user interface for enabling specification of control instructions; and

displaying secondary information using the user control device.

64. A computer readable medium or media encoded with one or more computer programs for enabling review of a body of audiovisual information that can vary with time, comprising:

instructions for displaying the audiovisual information with a display device;

instructions for controlling review of the body of audiovisual information with a user control device, the user control device being physically separate from the display device, the user control device including a graphical user interface for enabling specification of user control instructions by a user; and

instructions for displaying secondary information using the user control device.

65. A system for acquiring and reviewing a body of information, wherein the body of information includes a plurality of segments, each segment representing a defined set of information in the body of information, the system comprising:

means for acquiring data representing the body of information;

first display means for generating a display of a first segment of the body of information as the data representing the first segment is acquired by the means for acquiring;

means for comparing data representing a segment of the body of information to data representing a different segment of the body of information to determine whether, according to one or more predetermined criteria, the compared segments are related; and

second display means for generating a display of a portion of, or a representation of, a second segment of the body of information, wherein the second display means displays the portion or representation of the second segment in response to the display by the first display means of a first segment to which the second segment is related.

66. A system as in claim 65, wherein:

the means for comparing is adapted to determine whether the first segment is related to other segments of the body of information as the data representing the first segment is acquired by the means for acquiring; and

the second display means displays the portion or representation of the second segment during the display of the related first segment by the first display means.

67. A system as in claim 65, wherein one or more segments of the body of information have previously been categorized by identifying each of the one or more segments with one or more subject matter categories, the system further comprising means for categorizing the first segment according to subject matter, the means for categorizing comprising:

means for determining the degree of similarity between the subject matter content of the first segment and the subject matter content of each of the previously categorized segments;

means for identifying one or more of the previously categorized segments as relevant to the first segment based upon the determined degrees of similarity of, subject matter content between the first segment and the previously categorized segments; and

means for selecting one or more subject matter categories with which to identify the first segment based upon the subject matter categories used to identify the relevant previously categorized segments.

68. A system as in claim 67, wherein the means for categorizing is adapted to operate as the data representing the first segment is acquired by the means for acquiring.

69. A system as in claim 67, wherein the means for determining the degree of similarity comprises means for performing a relevance feedback method.

70. A system as in claim 65, wherein:

the means for acquiring data further comprises means for acquiring television broadcast signals; and

the first segment is represented by television broadcast signals.

71. A system as in claim 70, wherein:

the means for acquiring data further comprises means for acquiring computer-readable data over a computer network from an information providing site that is part of the network; and

the second segment is represented by computer-readable data.

72. A system as in claim 71, wherein the second display means displays a text display of a portion or representation of the second segment.

73. A system as in claim 71, wherein:

the first display means is a television; and

the second display means is a computer display monitor.

74. A system as in claim 70, wherein the second segment is represented by television broadcast signals.

75. A system as in claim 74, further comprising means for selecting a segment for which a portion or representation is displayed by the second display means, wherein selection of such segment causes the first display means to display the selected segment.

76. A system as in claim 65, wherein the first and second display means are physically separate.

77. A system as in claim 65, further comprising means for controlling operation of the system.

78. A system as in claim 77, wherein the means for controlling is physically separate from the first display means.

79. A system as in claim 78, wherein the means for controlling is portable.

80. A system as in claim 78, further comprising means for enabling wireless communication between the first display means and the means for controlling.

81. A system as in claim 77, wherein the means for controlling and the second display means are embodied in the same apparatus.

82. A system as in claim 77, wherein the means for controlling comprises a graphical user interface for enabling specification of control instructions.