US 6,665,490 B2 · Obtaining and using data associating annotating activities with portions of recordings

Abstract

Annotating activities are associated with portions of recordings by activity/recording data such as a table in which annotation identifiers are paired with timestamps. To obtain activity/recording data, an image input device, such as a manually positionable scanner or a fixed position camera, can produce an image signal set with information about a manual annotating activity and a recording/playback device can provide a recording portion signal, such as a timestamp, with information about a portion of a recording. The image signal set and the recording portion signal can then be used to automatically obtain the activity/recording data, associating information about the manual annotating activity with information identifying the portion of the recording. The information about the manual annotating activity can be an annotation identifier that includes information about the position or shape of the annotation. The activity/recording data can also include, for each annotation identifier, an image of the annotation. Activity/recording data can be used to playback a portion of a recording. Another image signal set can be obtained with information about a manual request activity, for example, and if the manual request activity is sufficiently similar to a manual annotating activity, the associated portion can be played back. Or a user can provide a selection signal indicating one of the annotations to obtain playback of the associated portion of the recording. If the annotating activity was performed with a keyboard or other user input device, the annotations can be printed, and the user can use a hand-held scanner to select an annotation to obtaining playback.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A method for obtaining data associating manual annotating activities with portions of recordings, the method comprising:

using an image input device to produce an image signal set, the image signal set defining a set of one or more images that include information about a manual annotating activity that occurs during a period of time within which a portion of a recording is made or played;
using a recording/playback device to obtain a recording portion signal providing information about the portion of the recording;
and
using the image signal set and the recording portion signal to automatically obtain activity/recording data that associate information about the manual annotating activity with information identifying the portion of the recording;
in which the manual annotating activity is performed in a region of a marking medium that bears machine-readable markings encoding a position identifier for the region;
the machine-readable markings existing in the region of the marking medium before the manual annotating activity is performed;
and
in which the image signal set defines a set of one or more images of the region of the marking medium;
the act of using the image signal set and the recording portion signal to automatically obtain activity/recording data comprising:
using the image signal set to obtain position data indicating the position identifier.

7 more elements

A system for obtaining and using data associating manual annotating activities with portions of recordings, the system comprising:

recording/playback circuitry for making or playing recordings;
an image input circuitry for providing image signals defining images;
and
processing circuitry connected for receiving image signals from the image input circuitry and connected for receiving information about a recording being made or played by the recording/playback circuitry;
the processing circuitry operating to:
receive an image signal set from the image input circuitry, the image signal set defining a set of one or more images that include information about a manual annotating activity that occurs during a period of time within which a portion of a recording is made or played;
receive a recording portion signal from the recording/playback circuitry providing information about the portion of the recording;
and
using the image signal set and the recording portion signal to automatically obtain activity/recording data that associate information about the manual annotating activity with information identifying the portion of the recording;
in which the processing circuitry is further connected for causing the recording/playback circuitry to play back portions of the recording;
the processing circuitry further operating to:
receive a second image signal set from the image input circuitry;
the second image signal set providing information about a manual request activity;
use the second image signal set to automatically obtain activity data that include information about the manual request activity;
if the information about the manual request activity and the information about one of the manual annotating activities meets a similarity criterion, use the activity data and the activity/recording data to obtain portion identifying data identifying the portion of the recording associated with the manual annotating activity;
and
use the portion identifying data to provide a portion playback signal to the recording/playback circuitry causing playback of the portion of the recording.

14 more elements

A method for using activity/recording data associating annotating activities with portions of recordings to play back portions of recordings, the method comprising:

using an image input device to produce an image signal set, the image signal set defining a set of one or more images of a marking medium that include information about a manual activity relating to the marking medium;
using the image signal set to automatically obtain activity data including information about the manual activity;
using the activity data and the activity/recording data to obtain portion identifying data identifying a portion of the recording;
the activity/recording data associating information about an annotating activity with the identified portion of the recording;
the information about the manual activity included in the activity data and the information about the annotating activity meeting a similarity criterion;
and
using the portion identifying data to provide a portion playback signal to playback circuitry causing playback of the identified portion of the recording;
in which the manual activity is performed in a region of the marking medium that bears machine-readable markings encoding a position identifier for the region and the image signal set defines a set of one or more images of the region of the marking medium;
the machine-readable markings existing in the region of the marking medium before the manual activity is performed;
the act of using the image signal set to automatically obtain activity data comprising:
using the image signal set to obtain position data indicating the position identifier.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Obtaining and using data associating annotating activities with portions of recordings

Life of this patent

Obtaining and using data associating annotating activities with portions of recordings

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23