EP0782085A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Video browsing on the world wide web
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1996-12-05
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-12-05
Abstract
Abstract A system and method are provided for supporting video browsing over a communication network such as the Internet/World Wide Web. A graphical user interface is provided through a client software tool such as a Web browser. A client/user selects a video data object stored at a remote server. A set of points (52) within the object are displayed at the client's graphical user interface display, as representations, preferably thumbnail images, of the points within the object. The user selects an interval (56) defined by the representations, preferably the interval between two temporally adjacent representations. Responsive to this selection, a new set of points, falling within the selected interval, are chosen, and representations of those points are generated and displayed. By doing so repeatedly, the user can easily browse through the video data object, and quickly and easily zero in on a desired portion of the video data object. <IMAGE>
Inventors
- 👤 David Aaron Steele
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 23:39
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N7/00; H04N7/16; H04N7/173; H04N7/17309; H04N7/17318; G; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/70; G06F16/73; G06F16/738; G06F16/739; H04N21/00; H04N21/20; H04N21/23; H04N21/234; H04N21/2343; H04N21/234336; H04N21/40; H04N21/45; H04N21/462; H04N21/4622; H04N21/47; H04N21/472; H04N21/482; H04N21/4828; H04N21/80; H04N21/81; H04N21/8146; H04N21/8153; H04N21/41; H04N21/426; H04N5/00; H04N5/14; H04N5/147
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
A method for facilitating user examination and browsing of video data object information pertaining to a stored video data object (Object), the Object including a beginning point, an end point, and points therebetween, the method comprising the steps of: providing (30), to a user interface, a sequence of representations, each representation corresponding with one of the points in the Object; a user utilizing a user interface to select (60) an interval of the Object in terms of a first one of the points; and responsive to user selection of such an interval, providing (62) a subsequence of representations, each representation of the subsequence corresponding with a respective point in the Object, each of the respective points falling within the selected interval.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of providing (30) a sequence of representations includes communicating, through a network communication medium (7), with a video repository (14) having video data objects, including the Object, stored therein.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a sequence of representations includes displaying (32) still images representative of content of the Object at respective ones of the points in the Object.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
51 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a sequence of representations includes: generating thumbnail images based on content of the Object at respective ones of the points in the Object; and providing thumbnail images representing still frames of the video object at the respective points therein.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of providing a user interface includes: displaying a representation of the Object in its entirety; and displaying a representation of a portion of the Object covered by the displayed representations of points in the Object.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
56 words
A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein: the step of displaying the representation in its entirety includes displaying a slider bar (54); and the step of displaying a representation of a portion of the Object covered by the displayed representations of points in the Object includes displaying a marker (56) on the slider bar (54).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
93 words
A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein: the step of selecting (60) an interval includes moving the marker (56) along the slider bar (54) from a first position thereon to a second position thereon; and the step of displaying the sequence of representations (52) includes the step (62), responsive to movement of the marker along the slider, of displaying representations of points within the Object corresponding with the second position of the marker, in place of previously displayed representations of points within the Object corresponding with the first position of the marker.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of selecting an interval includes selecting one of the representations of still images which forms a boundary of the interval to be selected.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
48 words
A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of selecting an interval further includes selecting one of the representations of still images which forms a first boundary of the interval to be selected, a next one of the representations forming a second boundary of the interval.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
173 words
A system for facilitating user examination and browsing of video data object information pertaining to a stored video data object (Object), the Object including a beginning point, an end point, and points therebetween, the system comprising: a display unit; an interface for coupling the display unit with a network communication medium (7), the medium being coupled to a video repository (14) having video data objects, including the Object, stored therein; means for sending, through the interface and over the medium, a request to view the Object; means, responsive to receipt of a response to the request to view, for displaying a sequence of representations (52), each representation corresponding with one of the points in the Object; means (56) for selecting an interval in terms of a first one of the points; and means, operable responsive to operation of the means for selecting an interval, for providing a subsequence of representations, each representation of the subsequence corresponding with a respective point in the Object, each of the respective points falling within the selected interval.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein: the network communication medium (7) includes the Internet; the interface includes an Internet interface; and the video repository (14) includes a server on the Internet.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
23 words
A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the beginning point, the end point, and the points are temporal points within the Object.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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