Method for Automatically Providing a Compressed Rendition of a Video Program in a Format Suitable for Electronic Searching and Retrieval

Abstract

A compressed rendition of a video program is provided in a format suitable for electronic searching and retrieval. An electronic pictorial transcript representation of the video program is initially received. The video program has a video component and a second information-bearing media component associated therewith. The pictorial transcript representation includes a representative frame from each segment of the video component of the video program and a portion of the second media component associated with the segment. The electronic pictorial transcript is transformed into a hypertext format to form a hypertext pictorial transcript. The hypertext pictorial transcript is subsequently recorded in an electronic medium.

1 . A method for generating a compressed rendition of a video program on the World Wide Web in a manner suitable for an intended use, that being printing the compressed rendition, for storing the compressed rendition for subsequent retrieval and displaying, printing, or transmitting the compressed rendition, where said video program comprises full motion video and other information that is synchronized to said full motion video, said method comprising the steps of:
 receiving an electronic signal representative of said video program;   dividing said signal into segments, each of which depicting a video scene, comprising a plurality of video frames and a portion of said other information that is synchronized with said plurality of frames;   selecting a representative video frame for each of said segments;   compressing said segments by discarding video frames of said segments other than said representative video frames of said segments;   transforming the compressed segments into a format that is suitable for said intended use, with the collection of the transformed compressed segments forming a pictorial transcript; and   applying the pictorial transcript to said intended use.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  where said step of dividing detects scene changes in said video program. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  where said other information is closed caption text. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  where said other information is sound. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  where said format is hypertext markup language (HTML) or hypercard scripting language. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  where said format is hypertext markup language (HTML), and said method further comprises the step of dividing said pictorial transcript into two or more HTML pages. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  where size of pages is limited to a selected number of compressed segments. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  where the division into pages is based on story, or topic, that is addressed in said segments. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6  where said pages are connected by hypertext links. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising a step, prior to said step of applying, of reducing number of bits that are required to store said pictorial transcript. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  where said step of reducing eliminates a number of said representative video frames in accordance with a selected algorithm. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  where said algorithm finds a first of said representative frames that is substantially the same as a second of said representative frames and replaces said second representative frame with a link to said first representative frame. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  where said algorithm discards representative frames based on size of file defining said frames. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  where said algorithm discards representative frames based on duration of respective segments of said representative frames. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11  where said algorithm discards representative frames based on content of respective segments of said representative frames. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  where said format is suitable for a server push, which is a mechanism that allows an HTML page to undergo changes while it is being viewed with a browser. 
     
     
         17 . A method comprising the steps of:
 receiving an electronic signal representative of a video program, which comprises full motion video and text that is synchronized to said full motion video;   dividing said signal into segments, each of which depicting a video scene that includes a plurality of video frames and a portion of said other information that is synchronized with said plurality of frames;   selecting a representative video frame for each of said segments;   compressing said segments by discarding video frames of said segments other than said representative video frames of said segments;   transforming the compressed segments into a format that is suitable for searching with a browser, with the collection of the transformed compressed segments forming a pictorial transcript; and   storing said pictorial transcript in a memory.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  further comprising the step of a person performing a key word search on text stored in pictorial transcripts stored in said memory.