Mixed Media Document System Indexing Printed Features
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a gap between the physical world of printed media and the virtual multimedia-based world, as users lack the tools to seamlessly integrate information from both environments, missing out on the benefits of both tactile and digital media.
Innovation Solution
A Mixed Media Reality (MMR) system that generates an electronic representation of printed documents, identifies key features, and indexes them to facilitate access to digital content, allowing users to retrieve information, execute commands, or interact with multimedia through a content-based retrieval database.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users rely solely on printed media, then tactile interaction and permanency are provided, but portability and ease of transmission are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines printed media with electronic media into a hybrid document system. Printed documents include machine-readable codes (barcodes, QR codes) that link to digital content, allowing users to retain the tactile experience of paper while accessing the portability and interactivity of digital media through the same physical document.
Solution Approach 2:
Machine-readable codes serve as intermediaries between printed and digital media. These codes embedded in printed documents act as bridges that connect the physical tactile experience with digital content accessibility, enabling seamless transition between media types without sacrificing either tactile interaction or digital portability.
2Weight of moving object
If users rely solely on digital media, then portability and ease of transmission are improved, but tactile interaction and permanency are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges digital and printed media characteristics into a single document format. Digital content is associated with printed documents through machine-readable codes, allowing users to access digital portability benefits while maintaining the tactile experience of handling physical documents.
Solution Approach 2:
The document is segmented into two functional parts: the printed physical component providing tactile interaction and permanency, and the associated digital component providing portability and ease of transmission. This segmentation allows each medium to fulfill its strengths while working together as an integrated system.
3Adaptability or versatility
If printed documents are converted to electronic representation with feature indexing, then access to digital content is enabled, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-generating electronic representations of printed documents and pre-indexing their features during document creation or initial processing. This upfront work enables rapid content access later without requiring complex real-time analysis, reducing operational system complexity while maintaining high adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates electronic copies of printed documents with indexed features. These copies serve as searchable databases that enable content access without requiring the original printed document, simplifying the access mechanism while maintaining versatility through the indexed electronic representations.
4Measurement precision
If comprehensive feature indexing is performed on printed documents, then content retrieval accuracy is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Feature indexing is performed as a preliminary action during document creation or initial processing. By completing the indexing work upfront, the system achieves high content retrieval accuracy without incurring processing time delays during actual content access, as the indexing structure is already in place for immediate querying.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the level of indexing based on document characteristics and access patterns. Frequently accessed documents receive more comprehensive indexing for higher accuracy, while less critical documents use lighter indexing, optimizing the balance between retrieval accuracy and processing time across the document corpus.
Data Source
AI summary
A Mixed Media Reality (MMR) system and associated techniques are disclosed. The MMR system provides mechanisms for forming a mixed media document that includes media of at least two types (e.g., printed paper as a first medium and digital content and/or web link as a second medium). In one particular embodiment, the MMR system includes a content-based retrieval database configured with an index table to represent two-dimensional geometric relationships between objects extracted from a printed document in a way that allows look-up using a text-based index. A ranked set of document, page and location hypotheses can be computed given data from the index table. The techniques effectively transform features detected in an image patch into textual terms (or other searchable features) that represent both the features themselves and the geometric relationship between them. A storage facility can be used to store additional characteristics about each document image patch.