Media Asset Timeline Visualization with Content Descriptors

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional media asset classification systems oversimplify content types, making it difficult for users to distinguish and avoid undesirable segments and target desirable ones within media assets.

Innovation Solution

A system that generates a timeline associating content descriptors with time segments of media assets, allowing users to visualize and interact with content types across different segments, enabling the identification of undesirable and desirable content.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If conventional systems classify content of media assets as a whole using coarse-grained approaches, then classification simplicity is improved, but content type distinction precision deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveclassification simplicityVSAvoidcontent type distinction precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides a media asset into multiple time segments and generates separate content descriptors for each segment. This segmentation allows the system to maintain overall classification simplicity while achieving precise content type distinction at the segment level, resolving the contradiction between ease of classification and precision of content differentiation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different content descriptors to different time segments of the same media asset based on their specific content characteristics. This local quality approach enables precise content type distinction for each segment while maintaining a unified classification system at the overall level, thus resolving the contradiction between simplicity and precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Measurement precision

If detailed content descriptors are generated for each time segment, then content type distinction precision is improved, but system complexity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent type distinction precisionVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a unified content descriptor generation system that processes different time segments through the same mechanism. This universal approach achieves precise content type distinction for each segment without requiring separate complex systems for each segment, thus resolving the contradiction between precision and system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent generates content descriptors by processing user-generated messages and creating standardized representations for each time segment. This copying approach allows precise content characterization without requiring complex original analysis for each segment, reducing system complexity while maintaining precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Measurement precision

If user-generated messages are processed to generate content descriptors, then content description accuracy is improved, but processing time deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent description accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent processes user-generated messages in advance to generate content descriptors for different time segments before the user needs to view them. This preliminary action ensures accurate content description is ready when needed, resolving the contradiction between accuracy and processing time by performing the time-consuming task beforehand.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent leverages user-generated messages as self-provided data sources for content description. By using messages that users have already created and posted, the system obtains accurate content descriptions without requiring additional processing time for data collection, thus resolving the contradiction between accuracy and processing time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS9672865B2Systems and methods for temporal visualization of media asset content

Publication Date: 2017.06.06 ROVI PRODUCT CORP

AI summary

Methods and systems described herein provide for visualizing content across different time segments of a media asset. Information about content within a particular time segment of a media asset is retrieved. This content information is generated by processing user-generated messages corresponding to the particular time segment. Content descriptors are generated based on the received content information corresponding to the particular time segment. A timeline is generated, independently of presenting a media asset, wherein the timeline visually associates content descriptors with their corresponding time segments of the media asset. When these content descriptors are selected by a user, the user-generated messages corresponding to the content descriptor at the corresponding time segment are displayed to the user.