Browser for use in navigating a body of information, with particular application to browsing information represented by audiovisual data

• US 6,263,507 B1
• Filed: 12/05/1996
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Interval Licensing LLC
• Original Assignee: Interval Research Corporation
• Inventors: Cousins, Steve B., Horner, Christopher D., Ahmad, Subutai, Freiberger, Paul A., Bhadkamkar, Neal A., Piernot, Philippe P., Farber, Emanuel E., Ullmer, Brygg A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John W.
• Application Number:
  US08/761,030
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 709/217-219, 348/6, 348/7, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/8, 455/3.1, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 725/37-41, 725/43, 725/86, 725/87, 725/100, 725/109, 725/110, 725/131, 725/133, 725/134, 725/139, 725/141, 725/142, 725/151, 725/153
• 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. 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;

means for storing the acquired data;

first display means for generating a display of a first segment of the body of information from data that is part of the stored data;

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 from data that is part of the stored data, 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.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein the second display means displays the portion or representation of the second segment substantially coextensive in time with the display of the related first segment by the first display means.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein:

at least a portion of the body of information is represented by audiovisual data;

the first segment is represented by audiovisual data;

the first display means displays an audiovisual display of the first segment; and

the second segment is represented by audiovisual data.

4. A system as in claim 3, 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 an audiovisual display of the selected segment.

5. A system as in claim 1, wherein:

at least a portion of the body of information is represented by audiovisual data;

the first display means displays an audiovisual display of the first segment; and

the second display means displays a text display of a portion or representation of the second segment.

6. A system as in claim 1, wherein:

the first display means is an analog display device; and

the second display means is a digital display device.

7. A system as in claim 1, wherein:

the first display means is a television; and

the second display means is a computer display monitor.

8. A system as in claim 1, further comprising means for identifying the subject matter content of a segment of the body of information, wherein the means for comparing further comprises means for determining the similarity of the subject matter content of a segment to the subject matter content of a different segment, the predetermined criteria including a predefined degree of similarity with respect to which the relatedness of the compared segments is determined.

9. A system as in claim 8, wherein the means for determining the similarity of the subject matter of segments further comprises means for performing a relevance feedback method.

10. A system as in claim 1, wherein the means for acquiring data further comprises means for acquiring television broadcast signals.

11. A system as in claim 1, wherein the means for acquiring data further comprises means for acquiring radio broadcast signals.

12. A system as in claim 1, wherein the means for acquiring data further comprises means for acquiring computer-readable data files over a computer network from an information providing site that is part of that network.

13. A system as in claim 1, wherein the means for acquiring data further comprises:

means for acquiring television broadcast signals; and

means for acquiring computer-readable data files over a computer network from an information providing site that is part of that network.

14. A system as in claim 13, wherein:

the first segment is represented by data produced from the television broadcast signals; and

the second segment is represented by data from the computer-readable data files.

15. A system as in claim 1, further comprising means for identifying an instruction from a user to begin displaying at least some of the body of information, wherein the first display means begins displaying a segment in response to the user instruction.

16. A system as in claim 1, wherein the first and second display means are physically separate.

17. A system as in claim 1, wherein the means for storing the acquired data, the first display means and the second display means are interconnected to a conventional computer bus that enables the devices to communicate with each other such that the devices do not require wire communication over network communication lines to communicate with each other.

18. A system as in claim 1, wherein at least some of the acquired data is digital data, the means for acquiring data further comprising means for acquiring digital data.

19. A system as in claim 1, wherein at least some of the acquired data is analog data, the means for acquiring data further comprising means for acquiring analog data.

20. A method 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 method comprising the steps of:

acquiring data representing the body of information;

storing the acquired data;

generating a display of a first segment of the body of information from data that is part of the stored data;

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

generating a display of a portion of, or a representation of, a second segment of the body of information from data that is part of the stored data, wherein the display of the portion or representation of the second segment is generated in response to the display of a first segment to which the second segment is related.

21. A method as in claim 20, further comprising the step of causing the display of the portion or representation of the second segment to occur substantially coextensive in time with the display of the related first segment.

22. A method as in claim 20, wherein:

the step of acquiring data representing the body of information further comprises the step of acquiring audiovisual data representing at least a portion of the body of information, wherein the first and second segments are represented by audiovisual data; and

the step of generating a display of a first segment of the body of information further comprises the step of generating an audiovisual display of the first segment.

23. A method as in claim 22, further comprising the step of identifying the selection of a second segment for which a portion or representation is being displayed, wherein selection of such second segment causes an audiovisual display of the selected second segment to be produced.

24. A method as in claim 20, wherein:

the step of acquiring data representing the body of information further comprises the step of acquiring audiovisual data representing at least a portion of the body of information;

the step of generating a display of a first segment of the body of information further comprises the step of generating an audiovisual display of the first segment; and

the step of generating a display of a portion of, or a representation of, a second segment of the body of information further comprises the step of generating a text display of the portion or representation of the second segment.

25. A method as in claim 20, wherein:

the step of generating a display of a first segment of the body of information further comprises the step of generating a display of the first segment on an analog display device; and

the step of generating a display of a portion of, or a representation of, a second segment of the body of information further comprises the step of generating a display of the portion or representation of the second segment on a digital display device.

26. A method as in claim 20, wherein:

the step of generating a display of the first segment on an analog display device further comprises the step of generating a display of the first segment on a television; and

the step of generating a display of the portion or representation of the second segment on a digital display device further comprises the step of generating a display of the portion or representation of the second segment on a computer display monitor.

27. A method as in claim 20, further comprising the step of identifying the subject matter content of a segment of the body of information, wherein the step of comparing further comprises the step of determining the similarity of the subject matter content of a segment to the subject matter content of a different segment, the predetermined criteria including a predefined degree of similarity with respect to which the relatedness of the compared segments is determined.

28. A method as in claim 27, wherein the step of determining the similarity of the subject matter of segments further comprises the step of performing a relevance feedback method.

29. A method as in claim 20, wherein the step of acquiring data further comprises the step of acquiring television broadcast signals.

30. A method as in claim 20, wherein the step of acquiring data further comprises the step of acquiring radio broadcast signals.

31. A method as in claim 20, wherein the step of acquiring data further comprises the step of acquiring computer-readable data files over a computer network from an information providing site that is part of that network.

32. A method as in claim 20, wherein the step of acquiring data further comprises the steps of:

acquiring television broadcast signals; and

acquiring computer-readable data files over a computer network from an information providing site that is part of that network.

33. A method as in claim 32, wherein:

the first segment is represented by data produced from the television broadcast signals; and

the second segment is represented by data from the computer-readable data files.

34. A method as in claim 20, further comprising the step of identifying an instruction from a user to begin displaying at least some of the body of information, wherein the display of a first segment is begun in response to the user instruction.

35. A method as in claim 20, wherein the first and second segments are displayed on physically separate display devices.

36. A method as in claim 20, wherein the steps of storing the acquired data, generating a display of a first segment of the body of information, and generating a display of a portion of, or a representation of, a second segment of the body of information are performed by devices interconnected to a conventional computer bus that enables the devices to communicate with each other such that the devices do not require wire communication over network communication lines to communicate with each other.

37. A method as in claim 20, wherein at least some of the acquired data is digital data, the step of acquiring data further comprising the step of acquiring digital data.

38. A method as in claim 20, wherein at least some of the acquired data is analog data, the step of acquiring data further comprising the step of acquiring analog data.

39. A method for categorizing according to subject matter an uncategorized segment of a body of information that includes a plurality of segments, each segment representing a defined set of information in the body of information, one or more segments of the body of information having previously been categorized by identifying each of the one or more segments with one or more subject matter categories, the method comprising the steps of:

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

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

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

40. A method as in claim 39, wherein the step of determining the degree of similarity is accomplished using a relevance feedback method.

41. A method as in claim 39, wherein the step of identifying one or more of the previously categorized segments as relevant to the uncategorized segment further comprises the steps of:

identifying a plurality of the previously categorized segments that are the most similar to the uncategorized segment;

determining the degree of similarity between each of the plurality of previously categorized segments and each other of the plurality of previously categorized segments;

for each pair of previously categorized segments of the plurality of previously categorized segments having greater than a predefined degree of similarity, eliminating one of the pair of previously categorized segments from the plurality of previously categorized segments, wherein the previously categorized segment or segments remaining after the step of eliminating are similar and distinct previously categorized segments; and

identifying one or more of the similar and distinct previously categorized segments as relevant previously categorized segments.

42. A method as in claim 39, wherein the step of selecting one or more subject matter categories further comprises selecting the most frequently occurring subject matter category or categories associated with the relevant previously categorized segments.

43. A method as in claim 39, wherein the uncategorized segment has been acquired from a first data source and the previously categorized segment or segments have been acquired from a second data source that is different than the first data source.

44. A method as in claim 43, wherein:

the data acquired from the first data source are television or radio broadcast signals; and

the data acquired from the second data source are computer-readable data files.

45. A method for determining whether a first set of information represented by a set of data of a first type is relevant to a second set of information represented by a set of data of a second type, the first and second sets of information being different from each other, the method comprising the steps of:

deriving a set of data of the second type from the set of data of the first type, the derived set of data of the second type also being representative of the first set of information;

determining the degree of similarity between the set of data of the second type representing the second set of information and the derived set of data of the second type representing the first set of information; and

determining whether the first set of information is relevant to the second set of information based upon the degree of similarity between the set of data of the second type representing the second set of information and the derived set of data of the second type representing the first set of information.

46. A method as in claim 45, wherein the first type of data is audiovisual data and the second type of data is text data.

47. A method as in claim 46, wherein the step of determining the degree of similarity is accomplished using a relevance feedback method.

48. A method as in claim 45, wherein a plurality of sets of information, each different from the other sets of the plurality of sets of information, are each represented by an associated set of data of the second type, the method enabling determination of which, if any, of the plurality of sets of information represented by a set of data of the second type are relevant to the first set of information represented by the set of data of the first type, the method further comprising the steps of:

determining the degree of similarity between each set of data of the second type representing one of the plurality of sets of information and the derived set of data of the second type representing the first set of information;

identifying which, if any, of the sets of data of the second type representing one of the plurality of sets of information have greater than a predefined degree of similarity to the derived set of data of the second type representing the first set of information, the sets of data of the second type so identified being termed similar sets of data of the second type;

determining the degree of similarity between each similar set of data of the second type and each other similar set of data of the second type;

for each pair of similar sets of data of the second type having greater than a predefined degree of similarity, eliminating one of the pair of similar sets of data of the second type from the set of similar sets of data of the second type, wherein the set or sets of similar data of the second type remaining after the step of eliminating are similar and distinct sets of data of the second type; and

identifying the set or sets of information corresponding to one or more of the similar and distinct sets of data of the second type as relevant to the second set of information.

49. A method as in claim 48, wherein the step of identifying the relevant set or sets of information further comprises identifying no more than a predetermined number of relevant sets of information, the predetermined number of relevant sets of information corresponding to the sets of data of the second type having the greatest degree of similarity to the derived set of data of the second type.

50. A method as in claim 45, wherein the first type of data is analog data and the second type of data is digital data.

51. A method for identifying the boundaries of segments in a body of information, each segment comprising a contiguous related set of information in the body of information, wherein the body of information is represented by at least a set of text data and a set of video data, the method comprising the steps of:

performing a coarse partitioning method, the coarse partitioning method further comprising the steps of;

identifying time-stamped markers in the set of text data; and

determining approximate segment boundaries within the body of information as the times of occurrence of the time-stamp markers;

for each approximate segment boundary, specifying a range of time that includes the time of occurrence of the approximate segment boundary;

extracting subsets of video data from the set of video data that occur during the specified ranges of time;

performing a fine partitioning method to identify one or more breaks in the set of video data; and

selecting the best break that occurs in each subset of video data, the time of occurrence of the best break in each subset being designated as a boundary of a segment in the body of information.

52. A method as in claim 51, wherein the step of performing a fine partitioning method further comprises identifying the best breaks using a process that includes scene break identification.

53. A method as in claim 51, wherein the step of fine partitioning is performed on the entire set of video data to identify all of the breaks in the set of video data.

54. A method as in claim 51, wherein the step of fine partitioning is performed only on the subsets of video data to identify only breaks that occur in the subsets.

55. A method as in claim 51, wherein the best break of each subset is determined according to the criteria of the fine partitioning method used.

56. A method as in claim 51, wherein the best break of each subset is the break occurring closest in time to the time of occurrence of the segment boundary in the text data that corresponds to that subset.

57. A method as in claim 51, wherein the body of information is represented by a set of text data, a set of audio data and a set of video data, the method further comprising the steps of:

ascertaining a synchronization of the audio data and the video data; and

determining the location of the segment boundaries in the set of audio data using the previously determined location of the segment boundaries in the set of video data and the synchronization of the audio data and video data.

58. A method for identifying the boundaries of segments in a body of information, each segment comprising a contiguous related set of information in the body of information, wherein the body of information is represented by a set of text data, a set of video data, and a set of audio data, the method comprising the steps of:

performing a coarse partitioning method, the coarse partitioning method further comprising the steps of;

identifying time-stamped markers in the set of text data; and

determining approximate segment boundaries within the body of information as the times of occurrence of the time-stamp markers;

for each approximate segment boundary, specifying a range of time that includes the time of occurrence of the approximate segment boundary;

extracting subsets of audio data from the set of audio data that occur during the specified ranges of time;

performing a fine partitioning method to identify one or more breaks in the set of audio data;

selecting the best break that occurs in each subset of audio data, the time of occurrence of the best break in each subset being designated as a boundary of a segment in the body of information;

ascertaining a synchronization of the audio data and the video data; and

determining the location of the segment boundaries in the set of video data using the previously determined location of the segment boundaries in the set of audio data and the synchronization of the audio data and video data.

59. A method as in claim 58, wherein the step of performing fine partitioning further comprises identifying the best breaks using a process that includes pause recognition.

60. A method as in claim 58, wherein the step of performing fine partitioning further comprises identifying the best breaks using a process that includes voice recognition.

61. A method as in claim 58, wherein the step of performing fine partitioning further comprises identifying the best breaks using a process that includes word recognition.

62. A method as in claim 58, wherein the step of performing fine partitioning further comprises identifying the best breaks using a process that includes music recognition.

63. A computer readable medium encoded with one or more computer programs for enabling acquisition and review of 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, comprising:

instructions for acquiring data representing the body of information;

instructions for storing the acquired data;

instructions for generating a display of a first segment of the body of information from data that is part of the stored data;

instructions 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

instructions for generating a display of a portion of, or a representation of, a second segment of the body of information from data that is part of the stored data, wherein the display of the portion or representation of the second segment is generated in response to the display of a first segment to which the second segment is related.

64. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, further comprising instructions for causing the display of the portion or representation of the second segment to occur substantially coextensive in time with the display of the related first segment.

65. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, wherein:

the instructions for acquiring data representing the body of information further comprise instructions for acquiring audiovisual data representing at least a portion of the body of information, wherein the first and second segments are represented by audiovisual data; and

the instructions for generating a display of a first segment of the body of information further comprise instruction for generating an audiovisual display of the first segment.

66. A computer readable medium as in claim 65, further comprising instructions for identifying the selection of a second segment for which a portion or representation is being displayed, wherein selection of such second segment causes an audiovisual display of the selected second segment to be produced.

67. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, wherein:

the instructions for acquiring data representing the body of information further comprise instructions for acquiring audiovisual data representing at least a portion of the body of information;

the instructions for generating a display of a first segment of the body of information further comprise instructions for generating an audiovisual display of the first segment; and

the instructions for generating a display of a portion of, or a representation of, a second segment of the body of information further comprise instructions for generating a text display of the portion or representation of the second segment.

68. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, wherein:

the instructions for generating a display of a first segment of the body of information further comprise instructions for generating a display of the first segment on an analog display device; and

the instructions for generating a display of a portion of, or a representation of, a second segment of the body of information further comprise instructions for generating a display of the portion or representation of the second segment on a digital display device.

69. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, wherein:

the instructions for generating a display of the first segment on an analog display device further comprise instructions for generating a display of the first segment on a television; and

the instructions for generating a display of the portion or representation of the second segment on a digital display device further comprise instructions for generating a display of the portion or representation of the second segment on a computer display monitor.

70. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, further comprising instructions for identifying the subject matter content of a segment of the body of information, wherein the instructions for comparing further comprise instructions for determining the similarity of the subject matter content of a segment to the subject matter content of a different segment, the predetermined criteria including a predefined degree of similarity with respect to which the relatedness of the compared segments is determined.

71. A computer readable medium as in claim 70, wherein the instructions for determining the similarity of the subject matter of segments further comprise instructions for performing a relevance feedback method.

72. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, wherein the instructions for acquiring data further comprise instructions for acquiring television broadcast signals.

73. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, wherein the instructions for acquiring data further comprise instructions for acquiring radio broadcast signals.

74. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, wherein the instructions for acquiring data further comprise instructions for acquiring computer-readable data files over a computer network from an information providing site that is part of that network.

75. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, wherein the instructions for acquiring data further comprise:

instructions for acquiring television broadcast signals; and

instructions for acquiring computer-readable data files over a computer network from an information providing site that is part of that network.

76. A computer readable medium as in claim 75, wherein:

the first segment is represented by data produced from the television broadcast signals; and

the second segment is represented by data from the computer-readable data files.

77. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, further comprising instructions for identifying an instruction from a user to begin displaying at least some of the body of information, wherein the display of a first segment is begun in response to the user instruction.

78. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, wherein the first and second segments are displayed on physically separate display devices.

79. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, wherein the instructions for storing the acquired data, generating a display of a first segment of the body of information, and generating a display of a portion of, or a representation of, a second segment of the body of information are executed by devices interconnected to a conventional computer bus that enables the devices to communicate with each other such that the devices do not require wire communication over network communication lines to communicate with each other.

80. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, wherein at least some of the acquired data is digital data, the instructions for acquiring data further comprising instructions for acquiring digital data.

81. A computer readable medium as in claim 63, wherein at least some of the acquired data is analog data, the instructions for acquiring data further comprising instructions for acquiring analog data.

82. A computer readable medium encoded with one or more computer programs for enabling categorization according to subject matter of an uncategorized segment of a body of information that includes a plurality of segments, each segment representing a defined set of information in the body of information, one or more segments having previously been categorized by identifying each of the one or more segments with one or more subject matter categories, comprising:

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

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

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

83. A computer readable medium as in claim 82, wherein the instructions for determining the degree of similarity further comprise instructions for performing a relevance feedback method.

84. A computer readable medium as in claim 82, wherein the instructions for identifying one or more of the previously categorized segments as relevant to the uncategorized segment further comprise:

instructions for identifying a plurality of the previously categorized segments that are the most similar to the uncategorized segment;

instructions for determining the degree of similarity between each of the plurality of previously categorized segments and each other of the plurality of previously categorized segments;

instructions for eliminating, for each pair of previously categorized segments of the plurality of previously categorized segments having greater than a predefined degree of similarity, one of the pair of previously categorized segments from the plurality of previously categorized segments, wherein the remaining previously categorized segment or segments are similar and distinct previously categorized segments; and

instructions for identifying one or more of the similar and distinct previously categorized segments as relevant previously categorized segments.

85. A computer readable medium as in claim 82, wherein the instructions for selecting one or more subject matter categories further comprise instructions for selecting the most frequently occurring subject matter category or categories associated with the relevant previously categorized segments.

86. A computer readable medium as in claim 82, wherein the uncategorized segment has been acquired from a first data source and the previously categorized segment or segments have been acquired from a second data source that is different than the first data source.

87. A computer readable medium as in claim 86, wherein:

the data acquired from the first data source are television or radio broadcast signals; and

the data acquired from the second data source are computer-readable data files.

88. A computer readable medium encoded with one or more computer programs for enabling determination of whether a first set of information represented by a set of data of a first type is relevant to a second set of information represented by a set of data of a second type, the first and second sets of information being different from each other, comprising:

instructions for deriving a set of data of the second type from the set of data of the first type, the derived set of data of the second type also being representative of the first set of information;

instructions for determining the degree of similarity between the set of data of the second type representing the second set of information and the derived set of data of the second type representing the first set of information; and

instructions for determining whether the first set of information is relevant to the second set of information based upon the degree of similarity between the set of data of the second type representing the second set of information and the derived set of data of the second type representing the first set of information.

89. A computer readable medium as in claim 88, wherein the first type of data is audiovisual data and the second type of data is text data.

90. A computer readable medium as in claim 89, wherein the instructions for determining the degree of similarity further comprise instructions for performing a relevance feedback method.

91. A computer readable medium as in claim 88, wherein a plurality of sets of information, each different from the other sets of the plurality of sets of information, are each represented by an associated set of data of the second type, the one or more computer programs enabling determination of which, if any, of the plurality of sets of information represented by a set of data of the second type are relevant to the first set of information represented by the set of data of the first type, the one or more computer programs further comprising:

instructions for determining the degree of similarity between each set of data of the second type representing one of the plurality of sets of information and the derived set of data of the second type representing the first set of information;

instructions for identifying which, if any, of the sets of data of the second type representing one of the plurality of sets of information have greater than a predefined degree of similarity to the derived set of data of the second type representing the first set of information, the sets of data of the second type so identified being termed similar sets of data of the second type;

instructions for determining the degree of similarity between each similar set of data of the second type and each other similar set of data of the second type;

instructions for eliminating, for each pair of similar sets of data of the second type having greater than a predefined degree of similarity, one of the pair of similar sets of data of the second type from the set of similar sets of data of the second type, wherein the remaining set or sets of similar data of the second type are similar and distinct sets of data of the second type; and

instructions for identifying the set or sets of information corresponding to one or more of the similar and distinct sets of data of the second type as relevant to the second set of information.

92. A computer readable medium as in claim 91, wherein the instructions for identifying the relevant set or sets of information further comprise instructions for identifying no more than a predetermined number of relevant sets of information, the predetermined number of relevant sets of information corresponding to the sets of data of the second type having the greatest degree of similarity to the derived set of data of the second type.

93. A computer readable medium as in claim 88, wherein the first type of data is analog data and the second type of data is digital data.

94. A computer readable medium encoded with one or more computer programs for enabling identification of the boundaries of segments in a body of information, each segment comprising a contiguous related set of information in the body of information, wherein the body of information is represented by at least a set of text data and a set of video data, comprising:

instructions for performing a coarse partitioning method, the coarse partitioning instructions further comprising;

instructions for identifying time-stamped markers in the set of text data; and

instructions for determining approximate segment boundaries within the body of information as the times of occurrence of the time-stamp markers;

instructions for specifying, for each approximate segment boundary, a range of time that includes the time of occurrence of the approximate segment boundary;

instructions for extracting subsets of video data from the set of video data that occur during the specified ranges of time;

instructions for performing a fine partitioning method to identify one or more breaks in the set of video data; and

instructions for selecting the best break that occurs in each subset of video data, the time of occurrence of the best break in each subset being designated as a boundary of a segment in the body of information.

95. A computer readable medium as in claim 94, wherein the instructions for performing a fine partitioning method further comprise instructions for identifying the best breaks using a process that includes scene break identification.

96. A computer readable medium as in claim 94, wherein the fine partitioning method is performed on the entire set of video data to identify all of the breaks in the set of video data.

97. A computer readable medium as in claim 94, wherein the fine partitioning method is performed only on the subsets of video data to identify only breaks that occur in the subsets.

98. A computer readable medium as in claim 94, wherein the best break of each subset is determined according to the criteria of the fine partitioning method used.

99. A computer readable medium as in claim 94, wherein the best break of each subset is the break occurring closest in time to the time of occurrence of the segment boundary in the text data that corresponds to that subset.

100. A computer readable medium as in claim 94, wherein the body of information is represented by a set of text data, a set of audio data and a set of video data, the one or more computer programs further comprising:

instructions for ascertaining a synchronization of the audio data and the video data; and

instructions for determining the location of the segment boundaries in the set of audio data using the previously determined location of the segment boundaries in the set of video data and the synchronization of the audio data and video data.

101. A system for categorizing according to subject matter an uncategorized segment of a body of information that includes a plurality of segments, each segment representing a defined set of information in the body of information, one or more segments of the body of information having previously been categorized by identifying each of the one or more segments with one or more subject matter categories, the system comprising:

means for determining the degree of similarity between the subject matter content of the uncategorized 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 uncategorized segment based upon the determined degrees of similarity of subject matter content between the uncategorized segment and the previously categorized segments; and

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

102. A system as in claim 101, wherein the means for determining the degree of similarity further comprises means for performing a relevance feedback method.

103. A system as in claim 101, wherein the means for identifying one or more of the previously categorized segments as relevant to the uncategorized segment further comprises:

means for identifying a plurality of the previously categorized segments that are the most similar to the uncategorized segment;

means for determining the degree of similarity between each of the plurality of previously categorized segments and each other of the plurality of previously categorized segments;

means for eliminating, for each pair of previously categorized segments of the plurality of previously categorized segments having greater than a predefined degree of similarity, one of the pair of previously categorized segments from the plurality of previously categorized segments, wherein the remaining previously categorized segment or segments are similar and distinct previously categorized segments; and

means for identifying one or more of the similar and distinct previously categorized segments as relevant previously categorized segments.

104. A system as in claim 101, wherein the means for selecting one or more subject matter categories further comprises means for selecting the most frequently occurring subject matter category or categories associated with the relevant previously categorized segments.

105. A system as in claim 101, wherein the uncategorized segment has been acquired from a first data source and the previously categorized segment or segments have been acquired from a second data source that is different than the first data source.

106. A system as in claim 105, wherein:

the data acquired from the first data source are television or radio broadcast signals; and

the data acquired from the second data source are computer-readable data files.

107. A system for determining whether a first set of information represented by a set of data of a first type is relevant to a second set of information represented by a set of data of a second type, the first and second sets of information being different from each other, the system comprising:

means for deriving a set of data of the second type from the set of data of the first type, the derived set of data of the second type also being representative of the first set of information;

means for determining the degree of similarity between the set of data of the second type representing the second set of information and the derived set of data of the second type representing the first set of information; and

means for determining whether the first set of information is relevant to the second set of information based upon the degree of similarity between the set of data of the second type representing the second set of information and the derived set of data of the second type representing the first set of information.

108. A system as in claim 107, wherein the first type of data is audiovisual data and the second type of data is text data.

109. A system as in claim 108, wherein the means for determining the degree of similarity further comprises means for performing a relevance feedback method.

110. A system as in claim 107, wherein a plurality of sets of information, each different from the other sets of the plurality of sets of information, are each represented by an associated set of data of the second type, the system enabling determination of which, if any, of the plurality of sets of information represented by a set of data of the second type are relevant to the first set of information represented by the set of data of the first type, the system further comprising:

means for determining the degree of similarity between each set of data of the second type representing one of the plurality of sets of information and the derived set of data of the second type representing the first set of information;

means for identifying which, if any, of the sets of data of the second type representing one of the plurality of sets of information have greater than a predefined degree of similarity to the derived set of data of the second type representing the first set of information, the sets of data of the second type so identified being termed similar sets of data of the second type;

means for determining the degree of similarity between each similar set of data of the second type and each other similar set of data of the second type;

means for eliminating, for each pair of similar sets of data of the second type having greater than a predefined degree of similarity, one of the pair of similar sets of data of the second type from the set of similar sets of data of the second type, wherein the remaining set or sets of similar data of the second type are similar and distinct sets of data of the second type; and

means for identifying the set or sets of information corresponding to one or more of the similar and distinct sets of data of the second type as relevant to the second set of information.

111. A system as in claim 110, wherein the means for identifying the relevant set or sets of information further comprises means for identifying no more than a predetermined number of relevant sets of information, the predetermined number of relevant sets of information corresponding to the sets of data of the second type having the greatest degree of similarity to the derived set of data of the second type.

112. A system as in claim 107, wherein the first type of data is analog data and the second type of data is digital data.

113. A computer readable medium encoded with one or more computer programs for identifying the boundaries of segments in a body of information, each segment comprising a contiguous related set of information in the body of information, wherein the body of information is represented by a set of text data, a set of video data, and a set of audio data, comprising:

instructions for performing a coarse partitioning method, the instructions for performing a coarse partitioning method further comprising;

instructions for identifying time-stamped markers in the set of text data; and

instructions for determining approximate segment boundaries within the body of information as the times of occurrence of the time-stamp markers;

instructions for specifying, for each approximate segment boundary, a range of time that includes the time of occurrence of the approximate segment boundary;

instructions for extracting subsets of audio data from the set of audio data that occur during the specified ranges of time;

instructions for performing a fine partitioning method to identify one or more breaks in the set of audio data;

instructions for selecting the best break that occurs in each subset of audio data, the time of occurrence of the best break in each subset being designated as a boundary of a segment in the body of information;

instructions for ascertaining a synchronization of the audio data and the video data; and

instructions for determining the location of the segment boundaries in the set of video data using the previously determined location of the segment boundaries in the set of audio data and the synchronization of the audio data and video data.

114. A computer readable medium as in claim 113, wherein the instructions for performing fine partitioning further comprise instructions for identifying the best breaks using a process that includes pause recognition.

115. A computer readable medium as in claim 113, wherein the instructions for performing fine partitioning further comprise instructions for identifying the best breaks using a process that includes voice recognition.

116. A computer readable medium as in claim 113, wherein the instructions for performing fine partitioning further comprise instructions for identifying the best breaks using a process that includes word recognition.

117. A computer readable medium as in claim 113, wherein the instructions for performing fine partitioning further comprise instructions for identifying the best breaks using a process that includes music recognition.

118. A system for identifying the boundaries of segments in a body of information, each segment comprising a contiguous related set of information in the body of information, wherein the body of information is represented by at least a set of text data and a set of video data, the system comprising:

means for performing a coarse partitioning method, the means for performing a coarse partitioning method further comprising;

means for identifying time-stamped markers in the set of text data; and

means for determining approximate segment boundaries within the body of information as the times of occurrence of the time-stamp markers;

means for specifying, for each approximate segment boundary, a range of time that includes the time of occurrence of the approximate segment boundary;

means for extracting subsets of video data from the set of video data that occur during the specified ranges of time;

means for performing a fine partitioning method to identify one or more breaks in the set of video data; and

means for selecting the best break that occurs in each subset of video data, the time of occurrence of the best break in each subset being designated as a boundary of a segment in the body of information.

119. A system as in claim 118, wherein the means for performing a fine partitioning method further comprises means for identifying the best breaks using a process that includes scene break identification.

120. A system as in claim 118, wherein the fine partitioning method is performed on the entire set of video data to identify all of the breaks in the set of video data.

121. A system as in claim 118, wherein the fine partitioning method is performed only on the subsets of video data to identify only breaks that occur in the subsets.

122. A system as in claim 118, wherein the best break of each subset is determined according to the criteria of the fine partitioning method used.

123. A system as in claim 118, wherein the best break of each subset is the break occurring closest in time to the time of occurrence of the segment boundary in the text data that corresponds to that subset.

124. A system as in claim 118, wherein the body of information is represented by a set of text data, a set of audio data and a set of video data, the system further comprising:

means for ascertaining a synchronization of the audio data and the video data; and

means for determining the location of the segment boundaries in the set of audio data using the previously determined location of the segment boundaries in the set of video data and the synchronization of the audio data and video data.

125. A system for identifying the boundaries of segments in a body of information, each segment comprising a contiguous related set of information in the body of information, wherein the body of information is represented by a set of text data, a set of video data, and a set of audio data, the system comprising:

means for performing a coarse partitioning method, the means for performing a coarse partitioning method further comprising;

means for identifying time-stamped markers in the set of text data; and

means for determining approximate segment boundaries within the body of information as the times of occurrence of the time-stamp markers;

means for specifying, for each approximate segment boundary, a range of time that includes the time of occurrence of the approximate segment boundary;

means for extracting subsets of audio data from the set of audio data that occur during the specified ranges of time;

means for performing a fine partitioning method to identify one or more breaks in the set of audio data;

means for selecting the best break that occurs in each subset of audio data, the time of occurrence of the best break in each subset being designated as a boundary of a segment in the body of information;

means for ascertaining a synchronization of the audio data and the video data; and

means for determining the location of the segment boundaries in the set of video data using the previously determined location of the segment boundaries in the set of audio data and the synchronization of the audio data and video data.

126. A system as in claim 125, wherein the means for performing a fine partitioning method further comprises means for identifying the best breaks using a process that includes pause recognition.

127. A system as in claim 125, wherein the means for performing a fine partitioning method further comprises means for identifying the best breaks using a process that includes voice recognition.

128. A system as in claim 125, wherein the means for performing a fine partitioning method further comprises means for identifying the best breaks using a process that includes word recognition.

129. A system as in claim 125, wherein the means for performing a fine partitioning method further comprises means for identifying the best breaks using a process that includes music recognition.