Abstract: The invention segments detector input according to the time and the level of activity in different geographic regions of a locality. In one embodiment of the invention the detector input is comprised of video stream from one or more cameras to identify activity in the video. In one embodiment of the invention the detector input is comprised of sensor outputs such as RFID, pressure plates, etc. Various embodiments of the invention include identifying boundaries based on the level of activity. In embodiments of the invention, the boundaries can be used to select time dimensions. In one embodiment, by recognizing time dimensions with distinctive activity patterns, systems can better present overviews of activity over time.

Abstract: A method and system provide additional detail to a video sequence in response to user input. The system allows a user to generate a link from an anchor point in a source video sequence to a target point in a destination video sequence. A video sequence may be constructed from a single video clip or a video composite comprised of video clips and other video composites. Video composites may be used as objects to create video sequences. Links between video source and destination points may span one or more levels in a hierarchical video structure. A user may configure the anchor point and target point to be at different locations within corresponding video sequences.

Abstract: A hypervideo summary comprised of multiple levels of related content and appropriate navigational links can be automatically generated from a media file such as a linear video. A number of algorithms and selection criteria can be used to modify how such a summary is generated. Viewers of an automatically-generated hypervideo summary can interactively select the amount of detail displayed for each portion of the summary. This selection can be done by following explicit navigational links, or by changing between media channels that are mapped to the various levels of related content. This description is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention. Other features, aspects, and objects of the invention can be obtained from a review of the specification, the figures, and the claims.

Abstract: A system and method for identifying query-related keywords in documents found in a search using latent semantic analysis. The documents are represented as a document term matrix M containing one or more document term-weight vectors d, which may be term-frequency (tf) vectors or term-frequency inverse-document-frequency (tf-idf) vectors. This matrix is subjected to a truncated singular value decomposition. The resulting transform matrix U can be used to project a query term-weight vector q into the reduced N-dimensional space, followed by its expansion back into the full vector space using the inverse of U. To perform a search, the similarity of qexpanded is measured relative to each candidate document vector in this space. Exemplary similarity functions are dot product and cosine similarity. Keywords are selected with the highest values in qexpanded that are also comprised in at least one document. Matching keywords from the query may be highlighted in the search results.

Abstract: The invention provides for quickly browsing through a large set of video clips to locate video clips of interest. In an embodiment of the present invention, hierarchical clustering of the video clips can be undertaken enabling the user to successively identify the subgroup of video clips of interest. This approach generates a video summary for the contents of each cluster by selecting representative video clips from individual videos and lower level clusters within the cluster. Links are added between the more general, higher-level clusters and the elements they contain. Thus, starting at the top of the set of videos being browsed or returned by the search engine and continuing at each subsequent cluster level, the user is presented with video summaries for the relevant parts of videos and those of next lower-level clusters. The user can then follow the navigational link to the desired video or lower-level cluster.

Abstract: An interface and display of video from multiple fixed-position cameras is provided. A main video stream captured by a camera is selected to be the main video stream and is displayed to the interface. Video streams captured by the set of cameras and the main camera that are temporally related to the displayed main video stream are selected, including playback positions from one or more of a first segment of time in each of their respective video streams at the time of the main video stream, a second segment of time in each of their respective video streams prior to the time of the main video stream, and a third segment of time in each of their respective video streams after the time of the main video stream. The selected video streams are displayed to the interface in temporal relation to the display of the main video stream.

Abstract: A system for providing a dynamic audio-visual environment using an eSurface situated in a room environment; a projector situated for projecting images onto the eSurface; a camera situated to picture the room environment; a central processor coupled to the eSurface, the projector and the camera. The processor receives pictures from the camera for detecting the location of the eSurface; and controls the projector to aim its projection beam onto the eSurface. The eSurface is a sheet-like surface having the property of accepting optically projected image when powered, and retaining the projected image after the power is turned off.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide the ability to navigate, view, and manipulate a collection of digital images utilizing a GUI that has the familiar context of a calendar. Graphical objects representative of digital images are displayed within a particular day displayed in a calendar-based GUI. A user may group digital images into groups, modify the date with which a digital image is associated and perform various other manipulations using embodiments of a calendar-based GUI.

Abstract: A method of extracting audio excerpts comprises: segmenting audio data into a plurality of audio data segments; setting a fitness criteria for the plurality of audio data segments; analyzing the plurality of audio data segments based on the fitness criteria; and selecting one of the plurality of audio data segments that satisfies the fitness criteria. In various exemplary embodiments, the method of extracting audio excerpts further comprises associating the selected one of the plurality of audio data segments with video data. In such embodiments, associating the selected one of the plurality of audio data segments with video data may comprise associating the selected one of the plurality of audio data segments with a keyframe.

Abstract: Systems and methods for filtering and viewing collaborative indexes of annotations of multimedia or video streams can include obtaining a multimedia or video stream, obtaining user indexes of annotations of the multimedia or video stream, merging the indexes, associating portions of the multimedia or video stream with the annotations, determining high-value annotations and displaying the high value annotations. Systems and methods for providing useful visualizations of the indexes of annotations and high value annotations are also provided.

Abstract: A method, system, and apparatus for easily creating a video collage from a video is provided. By segmenting the video into a set number of video segments and providing an interface for a user to select images which represent the video segments and insert the selected images into a video collage template, a video collage may be easily created in a short amount of time. The system is designed to assign values to the video inserted in a video collage and compact the video based on these values thereby creating a small file which may be easily stored or transmitted.

Abstract: A system that represents a video sequence comprising plurality of video clips as a number of images. The plurality of video clips is represented as a reduced representation of video images. A video clip is represented as a keyframe, wherein multiple keyframes may then be arranged according to chronological order. All or only a representative portion of the video clips can be represented as keyframes. The size of the keyframe may be configured to represent the length or importance of the video clip. The keyframe may depict an entire frame of a video clip, or a region of meaningful information within a frame of a video clip. Multiple keyframes may be arranged in a two dimensional array, in an S-shaped curve, or some other pattern. The keyframes may depict motion of an object occurring over time in the video clip by configuring groups of pixels in the key frame.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing multi-resolution video to multiple users under hybrid human and automatic control. Initial environment and close-up images are captured using a first camera and a PTZ camera. The initial images are then stored in memory. Current environment and close-up images are captured and the an estimated difference between the initial and current images and the true image is determined. The estimated differences are weighted and compared and the stored images are updated. A close-up image is then provided to each user of the system. The close-up camera is then directed to a portion of the environment image having high distortion, and current environment and close-up images are captured again.

Abstract: A heuristically derived unsuitability score is computed and used as an input for metaphorical springs in which each selected video segment from recorded video of a video camera is associated with a metaphorical spring that maintains the selected segment at an optimal length while being responsive to a global system spring whose spring strength determines a final length of a final edited output video. Accordingly, user-specified changes to the final length of the final output video automatically lengthen or shorten the lengths of individual segments in such a way that high quality video segments having low unsuitability scores are emphasized over low quality video segments having high unsuitability scores.

Abstract: The present invention analyzes recorded video from a video camera to identify camera and object motion in the recorded video. Keyframes representative of clips of the recorded video are displayed on a user interface that allows a user to manipulate an order of the keyframes. Editing rules are then applied to the keyframes to intelligently splice together portions of the representative clips into a final output video.

Abstract: Systems and methods for bookmarking multimedia documents include displaying multiple multimedia streams, creating bookmarks comprising time signatures and snapshots of each multimedia stream based upon single action cues from a user, associating snapshots with portions of multimedia streams, displaying bookmarks and displaying portions of a multimedia stream associated with selected snapshots.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide the ability to navigate, view, and manipulate a collection of digital images utilizing a GUI that has the familiar context of a calendar. Graphical objects representative of digital images are displayed within a particular day displayed in a calendar-based GUI. A user may group digital images into groups, modify the date with which a digital image is associated and perform various other manipulations using embodiments of a calendar-based GUI.

Abstract: Systems and methods for filtering and viewing collaborative indexes of annotations of multimedia or video streams can include obtaining a multimedia or video stream, obtaining user indexes of annotations of the multimedia or video stream, merging the indexes, associating portions of the multimedia or video stream with the annotations, determining high-value annotations and displaying the high value annotations. Systems and methods for providing useful visualizations of the indexes of annotations and high value annotations are also provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing multi-resolution video to multiple users under hybrid human and automatic control. Initial environment and close-up images are captured using a first camera and a PTZ camera. The initial images are then stored in memory. Current environment and close-up images are captured and the an estimated difference between the initial and current images and the true image is determined. The estimated differences are weighted and compared and the stored images are updated. A close-up image is then provided to each user of the system. The close-up camera is then directed to a portion of the environment image having high distortion, and current environment and close-up images are captured again.

Abstract: A method and system provide additional detail to a video sequence in response to user input. The system allows a user to generate a link from an anchor point in a source video sequence to a target point in a destination video sequence. A video sequence may be constructed from a single video clip or a video composite comprised of video clips and other video composites. Video composites may be used as objects to create video sequences. Links between video source and destination points may span one or more levels in a hierarchical video structure. A user may configure the anchor point and target point to be at different locations within corresponding video sequences.