INTERACTIVE DIGITAL VIDEO LIBRARY

• US 20100057644A1
• Filed: 09/03/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ramamoorthy, Venkatesan, Barton, Kerri Ann, Lee, Susan Elise, Walker, Keith Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia

Abstract

A system for increasing user interaction with a digital video library. In response to receiving a question by an interactive digital video library server from a user regarding course material being presented from a digital video library, it is determined whether the question is in an audio format. In response to determining that the question is in an audio format, the question is converted into a text format. The course material is searched in a time sliced video index database for an answer to the question using keywords found in the text format of the question. Also, other course materials similar to the course material are searched in a video knowledge base. A weight is assigned to each search result hit found in the course material and the other course materials. Search result hits are outputted in a priority order according to assigned weight and user preference.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for increasing user interaction with a digital video library, the computer implemented method comprising:

responsive to receiving a question by an interactive digital video library server from a user regarding course material being presented from a digital video library, determining whether the question is in an audio format;

responsive to determining that the question is in an audio format, converting the question from the audio format to a text format;

searching the course material in a time sliced video index database for an answer to the question using keywords found in the text format of the question;

searching other course materials similar to the course material in a video knowledge base for the answer to the question using the keywords found in the text format of the question;

assigning a weight to each search result hit found in the course material and the other course materials; and

outputting search result hits in a priority order according to assigned weight and user preference.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the user selected one or more search result hits as a possible answer for the question;

responsive to determining that the user did select one or more search result hits, outputting the answer to the question based on the user selection; and

responsive to determining that the user did not select one or more search result hits, receiving feedback from the user regarding the search result hits.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving raw search results, increasing the weight of the search result hits found in the course material in close inline proximity to other questions asked at a same point in a video presentation of the course material.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving raw search results, increasing the weight of the search result hits found in the other course materials similar to the course material being presented.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive digital video library server records a question and answer exchange between the user and the interactive digital video library server regarding the course material being presented and a timestamp location within a video presentation of the course material where the question and answer exchange occurred.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 5, wherein the interactive digital video library server embeds an icon that links to the recorded question and answer exchange at the timestamp location where the user posed the question regarding the course material being presented so that other interested users may link to the recorded question and answer exchange to review.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive digital video library server notifies a content developer to send an e-mail to the user with a correct answer to the question in response to the correct answer not being found in the course material by the interactive digital video library server.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive digital video library server automatically detects two or more users taking the course material at a same time and automatically links the two or more users together to allow collaboration between the two or more users.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the interactive digital video library server includes an interactive component, a video search engine, the time sliced video index database, a confirmation component, and a feedback component.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the interactive component includes a speech-to-text converter, and wherein the video search engine includes a weighting component that assigns weights to the search result hits, and wherein the confirmation component confirms that the user is authorized to receive the course material.

11. A data processing system for increasing user interaction with a digital video library, comprising:

a bus system;

a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to determine whether a question from a user regarding course material being presented from a digital video library is in an audio format in response to receiving the question by an interactive digital video library server;

convert the question from the audio format to a text format in response to determining that the question is in an audio format;

search the course material in a time sliced video index database for an answer to the question using keywords found in the text format of the question;

search other course materials similar to the course material in a video knowledge base for the answer to the question using the keywords found in the text format of the question;

assign a weight to each search result hit found in the course material and the other course materials; and

output search result hits in a priority order according to assigned weight and user preference.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit executes a further set of instructions to determine whether the user selected one or more search result hits as a possible answer for the question;

output the answer to the question based on user selection in response to determining that the user did select one or more search result hits; and

receive feedback from the user regarding the search result hits in response to determining that the user did not select one or more search result hits.

13. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit executes a further set of instructions to increase the weight of the search result hits found in the course material in close inline proximity to other questions asked at a same point in a video presentation of the course material in response to receiving raw search results.

14. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit executes a further set of instructions to increase the weight of the search result hits found in the other course materials similar to the course material being presented in response to receiving raw search results.

15. A computer program product stored in a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therein for increasing user interaction with a digital video library, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code configured to determine whether a question from a user regarding course material being presented from a digital video library is in an audio format in response to receiving the question by an interactive digital video library server;

computer usable program code configured to convert the question from the audio format to a text format in response to determining that the question is in an audio format;

computer usable program code configured to search the course material in a time sliced video index database for an answer to the question using keywords found in the text format of the question;

computer usable program code configured to search other course materials similar to the course material in a video knowledge base for the answer to the question using the keywords found in the text format of the question;

computer usable program code configured to assign a weight to each search result hit found in the course material and the other course materials; and

computer usable program code configured to output search result hits in a priority order according to assigned weight and user preference.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to determine whether the user selected one or more search result hits as a possible answer for the question;

computer usable program code configured to output the answer to the question based on user selection in response to determining that the user did select one or more search result hits; and

computer usable program code configured to receive feedback from the user regarding the search result hits in response to determining that the user did not select one or more search result hits.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to increase the weight of the search result hits found in the course material in close inline proximity to other questions asked at a same point in a video presentation of the course material in response to receiving raw search results.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to increase the weight of the search result hits found in the other course materials similar to the course material being presented in response to receiving raw search results.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the interactive digital video library server records a question and answer exchange between the user and the interactive digital video library server regarding the course material being presented and a timestamp location within a video presentation of the course material where the question and answer exchange occurred.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the interactive digital video library server embeds an icon that links to the recorded question and answer exchange at the timestamp location where the user posed the question regarding the course material being presented so that other interested users may link to the recorded question and answer exchange to review.