Technique for ranking multimedia annotations of interest

An apparatus for accessing an item of interest within a particular one of a plurality of stored representations of data, the apparatus comprising:

• a first processor for searching a plurality of stored annotations corresponding to different items within the plurality of stored representations of data to locate an annotation of interest corresponding to the item of interest, the annotation of interest having an associated data identifier and an associated location identifier, the associated data identifier corresponding to the particular one of the plurality of stored representations of data, the associated location identifier corresponding to a location of interest within the particular one of the plurality of stored representations of data;
• a second processor for searching a plurality of stored data identifiers associated with the plurality of stored annotations to locate the associated data identifier and an associated address identifier, the associated address identifier corresponding to an address of the particular one of the plurality of stored representations of data within the plurality of stored representations of data;
• and
• a third processor for accessing the item of interest at the location of interest using the associated address identifier and the associated location identifier.

An article of manufacture for accessing an item of interest within a particular one of a plurality of stored representations of data, the article of manufacture comprising:

• a computer readable storage medium;
• and
• computer programming stored on the storage medium;
• wherein the stored computer programming is configured to be readable from the computer readable storage medium by a computer and thereby cause the computer to operate so as to:
• search a plurality of stored annotations corresponding to different items within the plurality of stored representations of data to locate an annotation of interest corresponding to the item of interest, the annotation of interest having an associated data identifier and an associated location identifier, the associated data identifier corresponding to the particular one of the plurality of stored representations of data, the associated location identifier corresponding to a location of interest within the particular one of the plurality of stored representations of data;
• search a plurality of stored data identifiers associated with the plurality of stored annotations to locate the associated data identifier and an associated address identifier corresponding to an address of the particular one of the plurality of stored representations of data within the plurality of stored representations of data;
• and
• access the item of interest at the location of interest using the associated address identifier and the associated location identifier.