Annotating temporally-dimensioned multimedia content

A method for managing temporal annotations of a multimedia document, the multimedia document comprising temporally-dimensioned content, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a post request which specifies (i) identification data representing an identifier of the multimedia document, (ii) content data representing substantive content of a temporal annotation, and (iii) relative time data representing a range of relative time within the temporally-dimensioned content with which the temporal annotation is associated;
• forming a temporal annotation entry which includes the content data and the relative time data;
• and
• storing the temporal annotation entry in a pre-existing temporal annotation database such that the temporal annotation entry is associated with the multimedia document.

A method for selectively incorporating display of a temporal annotation in a display of a multimedia document, the method comprising the steps of:

• requesting one or more temporal annotations which are related to the multimedia document from a temporal annotation server;
• receiving the one or more temporal annotations from the temporal annotation server;
• displaying temporally-dimensioned content of the multimedia document to a user;
• filtering the one or more temporal annotations according to filtering criteria selected by the user to identify a selected temporal annotation;
• and
• incorporating display of the selected temporal annotation over a range of relative time within the display of the temporally-dimensioned content.

A computer readable medium useful in association with a computer which includes a processor and a memory, the computer readable medium including computer instructions which are configured to cause the computer to display a multimedia document by performing the steps of:

• retrieving the multimedia document from a first computer system, the multimedia document comprising temporally-dimensioned content;
• determining, from an identifier of the multimedia document, that a temporal annotation is associated with the multimedia document;
• retrieving the temporal annotation;
• displaying the temporally-dimensioned content;
• and
• while displaying the temporally-dimensioned content, displaying the temporal annotation over a range of relative time within the temporally-dimensioned content.

A computer readable medium useful in association with a computer which includes a processor and a memory, the computer readable medium including computer instructions which are configured to cause the computer to manage temporal annotations of a multimedia document comprising temporally-dimensioned content by performing the steps of:

• receiving a post request which specifies (i) identification data representing an identifier of the multimedia document, (ii) content data representing substantive content of a temporal annotation, and (iii) relative time data representing a range of relative time within the temporally-dimensioned content with which the temporal annotation is associated;
• forming a temporal annotation entry which includes the content data and the relative time data;
• and
• storing the temporal annotation entry in a pre-existing temporal annotation database such that the temporal annotation entry is associated with the multimedia document.

A computer readable medium useful in association with a computer which includes a processor and a memory, the computer readable medium including computer instructions which are configured to cause the computer to selectively incorporate display of a temporal annotation in a display of a multimedia document by performing the steps of:

• requesting one or more temporal annotations which are related to the multimedia document from a temporal annotation server;
• receiving the one or more temporal annotations from the temporal annotation server;
• displaying temporally-dimensioned content of the multimedia document to a user;
• filtering the one or more temporal annotations according to filtering criteria selected by the user to identify a selected temporal annotation;
• and
• incorporating display of the selected temporal annotation over a range of relative time within the display of the temporally-dimensioned content.

A computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory operatively coupled to the processor;
• and
• a temporal annotation manager which executes in the processor from the memory and which, when executed by the processor, causes the computer to display a multimedia document by performing the steps of:
• retrieving the multimedia document from the computer system, the multimedia document comprising temporally-dimensioned content;
• determining, from an identifier of the multimedia document, that a temporal annotation is associated with the multimedia document;
• retrieving the temporal annotation;
• displaying the temporally-dimensioned content;
• and
• while displaying the temporally-dimensioned content, displaying the temporal annotation over a range of relative time within the temporally-dimensioned content.

A computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory operatively coupled to the processor;
• and
• a temporal annotation manager which executes in the processor from the memory and which, when executed by the processor, causes the computer to manage temporal annotations of a multimedia document comprising temporally-dimensioned content by performing the steps of:
• receiving a post request which specifies (i) identification data representing an identifier of the multimedia document, (ii) content data representing substantive content of a temporal annotation, and (iii) relative time data representing a range of relative time within the temporally-dimensioned content with which the temporal annotation is associated;
• forming a temporal annotation entry which includes the content data and the relative time data;
• and
• storing the temporal annotation entry in a pre-existing temporal annotation database such that the temporal annotation entry is associated with the multimedia document.

A computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory operatively coupled to the processor;
• and
• a multimedia document player which executes in the processor from the memory and which, when executed by the processor, causes the computer to selectively incorporate display of a temporal annotation in a display of a multimedia document by performing the steps of:
• requesting one or more temporal annotations which are related to the multimedia document from a temporal annotation server;
• receiving the one or more temporal annotations from the temporal annotation server;
• displaying temporally-dimensioned content of the multimedia document to a user;
• filtering the one or more temporal annotations according to filtering criteria selected by the user to identify a selected temporal annotation;
• and
• incorporating display of the selected temporal annotation over a range of relative time within the display of the temporally-dimensioned content.

A method of annotating a multimedia document, comprising:

• displaying temporally-dimensioned content of the multimedia document;
• and
• synchronizing a temporal annotation to a range of relative time within the temporally-dimensioned content, wherein the synchronizing comprises associating the temporal annotation with the multimedia document, the associating further comprising:
• submitting a temporal annotation post request that includes (i) an identifier of the multimedia document, (ii) substantive content of the temporal annotation, and (iii) the range of relative time within the temporally-dimensioned content with which the temporal annotation is associated;
• forming a temporal annotation entry that includes the substantive content and the range of relative time;
• and
• storing the temporal annotation entry in a pre-existing temporal annotation database such that the temporal annotation entry is associated with the multimedia document.

A method of displaying a multimedia document, comprising:

• retrieving the multimedia document from a first computer;
• determining from an identifier of the multimedia document that a temporal annotation is associated with the multimedia document;
• retrieving the temporal annotation;
• displaying temporally-dimensioned content of the multimedia document;
• and
• over a range of relative time within the temporally-dimensioned content, displaying the temporal annotation,
• wherein the identifier of the multimedia document is a globally unique identifier (GUID) that identifies one or more components of the multimedia document, the GUID comprising:
• an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a capturing computer that captured the temporally-dimensioned content of the multimedia document;
• and
• a time stamp representing the time the temporally-dimensioned content of the multimedia document was captured.

A method of recursively annotating a multimedia document, comprising:

• displaying temporally-dimensioned content of the multimedia document;
• while displaying the temporally-dimensioned content of the multimedia document, displaying a first temporal annotation associated with the multimedia document;
• and
• synchronizing a second temporal annotation to a range of relative time within the first temporal annotation,
• wherein the synchronizing comprises associating the second temporal annotation with the multimedia document, the associating further comprising:
• submitting a temporal annotation post request that includes (i) an identifier of the multimedia document, (ii) substantive content of the second temporal annotation, and (iii) the range of relative time within the first temporal annotation with which the second temporal annotation is associated;
• forming a temporal annotation entry that includes the substantive content and the range of relative time;
• and
• storing the temporal annotation entry in a pre-existing temporal annotation database such that the temporal annotation entry is associated with the multimedia document.

A method of displaying a multimedia document, comprising:

• retrieving the multimedia document from a first computer, the multimedia document comprising temporally-dimensioned content;
• determining from an identifier of the multimedia document that one or more temporal annotations are associated with the multimedia document;
• displaying a table of contents associated with the multimedia document, the table of contents comprising the one or more temporal annotations;
• based on a selection of a temporal annotation from the table of contents, initiating a display of the temporally-dimensioned content at a relative time within the temporally-dimensioned content, the temporal annotation being synchronized to the relative time.

A method for displaying a multimedia document comprising the steps of:

• retrieving the multimedia document from a first computer system, the multimedia document comprising temporally-dimensioned content;
• determining, from an identifier of the multimedia document, that one or more temporal annotations are associated with the multimedia document, each of the one or more temporal annotations being associated with a range of relative time within the temporally-dimensioned content;
• retrieving the one or more temporal annotations;
• displaying the temporally-dimensioned content;
• and
• displaying the one or more temporal annotations.