System and method for linking an audio stream with accompanying text material

A computer implemented system for automatically associating audio from at least one audio source with text from at least one text document related to the audio, the system including a query system comprising:

• means for accessing at least one text document;
• mean for accessing at least one audio stream generated contemporaneously with a display of at least a portion of the text document;
• means for automatically associating at least portions of the audio with at least respective portions of the text document;
• means for permitting a user to specify at least one query word or phrase using a computer input device;
• means for presenting in summary form, on a computer output device, at least some occurrences if any of the word or phrase in the text document and the audio stream;
• and
• means for determining, for at least portions of the text document, information representative of times when the portions were presented on a large screen display.

A computer system, comprising:

• a data store holding at least one audio stream and at least one text source, the audio stream being based on audio associated with the text source;
• and
• a processor receiving a query for data in the audio stream or text source and in response enabling a user to access at least portions of tile audio stream and text source or symbols representative of one or more thereof simultaneously, wherein the processor extracts at least one of:
• text, and keywords, from the audio stream along with timing information representative of temporal location of at least some of the text and keywords in the audio stream, the processor further extracting at least one of:
• text, and keywords, from the text source along with position information representative of the position of at least some of the text and keywords in the text source.

A computer program product comprising:

• a computer program storage device readable by a computer;
• and
• a program on the program storage device and including program code elements embodying instructions executable by the computer for performing method steps for associating at least portions of a text document with at least portions of an audio signal or transcript of the audio signal, the audio signal having been generated contemporaneously with a large screen display of the text document, the method steps comprising:
• simultaneously presenting, via a computer output device, at least symbols representative of the text document and audio signal to a user, such that the user can navigate between the text document and audio signal;
• and
• for at least portions of the text document, determining information representative of times when the portions were presented on a large screen display;
• extracting at least one of text and keywords, from the audio signal along with timing information representative of the temporal location of at least some of the text and keywords in the audio signal,
• extracting at least one of text and keywords, from the text document along with position information representative of the position of at least some of the text and keywords in the text document,
• and wherein linking the audio with the text document is accomplished by associating at least a first portion of the text document with at least a first portion of the audio when both first portions include at least one key word in a user query.

A computer-implemented method for associating audio from at least one audio source with at least one text document relating to the audio, the text document having been presented contemporaneously with the generation of the audio, comprising:

• linking the audio with the text document;
• associating at least portions of the audio with at least respective portions of the text document such that associated portions can be presented simultaneously on a computer output device;
• and
• for at least portions of the text document, determining information representative of times when the portions were presented on a large screen display;
• extracting at least one of text and keywords, from the audio signal along with timing information representative of the temporal location of at least some of the text and keywords in the audio signal,
• extracting at least one of text and keywords, from the text document along with position information representative of the position of at least some of the text and keywords in the text document,
• and wherein linking the audio with the text document is accomplished by associating at least a first portion of the text document with at least a first portion of the audio when both first portions include at least one key word in a user query.