Patent Application
20170185595
The invention relates to the field of search engines. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and system for filtering speech and other multimedia information, rather than text information.
Prior art search engines provide the results according to texts to be searched. The results may constitute texts, pictures, audio files, video files, and other multimedia information.
However, the search is based on the texts contained within the files. This dependency limits the searching capabilities, either in the case in which text is not accompanied with the multimedia information, and also in the case in which accompanied text is not directed for searching the image or the other type of the multimedia information.
In embodiments of the invention a method and system is provided for filtering information from multimedia information, especially from speech files, where text is not accompanied thereto.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.
In one aspect, the invention is directed to a method for filtering information within a database, the method comprising the steps of:
The reference numbers have been used to point out elements in the embodiments described and illustrated herein, in order to facilitate the understanding of the invention. They are meant to be merely illustrative, and not limiting. Also, the foregoing embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated in conjunction with systems and methods thereof, which are meant to be merely illustrative, and not limiting.
Embodiments, features, aspects and advantages of the invention are described herein in conjunction with the following drawings:
It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
The invention will be understood from the following detailed description of embodiments, which are meant to be descriptive and not limiting. For the sake of brevity, some well-known features, methods, systems, procedures, components, circuits, and so on, are not described in detail.
An information search system 10, according to one embodiment of the invention, allows searching within multimedia information. For example, file 30 contains audio information, such as of speech, and file 32 contains information of pictures. Information search system 10 allows searching within files 30 and 32, like a text file 34, even if they do not contain any text.
At the first step, a diagnosing tool 36 diagnoses the type of the informational files, either it is 30 or 32 or 34 is diagnosed, for selecting a decoding tool 40A from available decoding tools 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D.
The decoding tool selected by block 36 for file 30 may be an audio recognition tool, either a speech recognition tool and/or a speaker recognition tool and/or music information retrieval tool.
The decoding tool selected by block 36 for file 32 constitutes a visual pattern recognition tool, either an optical character recognition (OCR) tool for converting an image of letters to text, and/or another pattern recognition tool, which may recognize familiar patterns, e.g., of human beings, dogs, cats, maps, etc. and describe them by text.
According to the example, decoding tool 40A has been selected.
At the second step, the selected decoding tool(s) 40A analyzes the content of the file 30 or 32 or 34, and produces a text file 42A, for describing the various forms 44A of file 30 or of file 32 or of file 34.
For example, text file 42A may describe the picture of the person appearing in file 32 by the words “nose”, “eyes”, etc. According to this example, file 44A may include one subsidiary picture of the nose 26, and another subsidiary picture of the eyes, each attached to the respective text of text file 42A. Thus, file 44A is a multimedia file of file 30 or 32. However, files 42A and 44A are linked one to the other by links 56. According to the example the subsidiary picture of the nose is linked to the text “nose”.
Upon recognizing the familiar patterns, such as the nose and the eyes within the multimedia information 32, the application may further analyze relationships of the familiar patterns, for example, decide whether it is an old or young person. The text 42A may then add the word “old” or “young” to be searched by the public.
Various information providers may apply various encoding tools, for producing the texts 42A and the links to the multimedia information.
For example, computed tomography (CT) image files may be searched based on text produced therefor and linked thereto.
In contrast to the above-mentioned encoding tools which merely encode, system 10 produces texts 42A in view of the searching step, to be conducted later. The production of texts in view of the searching step may apply addition of key words, addition of titles, adapted to the searches, and analysis of the information. For example, the application preparing the text may search the date and cardinal results within the picture or the speech, and produce a title, including this date and results.
According to a simplified embodiment, system 10 allows searching within one or more types only, for example, only within the news. Then, only a single encoding tool 40A, being a speech recognition tool, is applied, for producing the text file 42A of the news file 44A.
Regarding the example of the news file 44A, text 42A, such as “OBAMA SAID” produced by the speech recognition tool, is divided into segments 14A, 14B, 14C, etc., for example, 14A of “OBAMA” and 14B of “SAID”. Links are 56A, 56B, 56C, etc. are provided to each segment, for linking the segment to the appropriate portion of the news file 44A. According to the example, link 56A is provided to segment 14A and link 56B is provided to segment 14B. Link 56A links to the portion 12A of multimedia news file 44A, being the signal of “OBAMA”; and link 56B links to the portion 12B of multimedia news file 44A, being the signal of “SAID”.
Referring again to
Searching the main database 46 includes searching file(s) 42A and 44A, such that searching the multimedia content of file(s) 44A will be accompanied by the linked texts of file(s) 42A.
Like conventional databases, the organization of the information in the main database 46 as well is dynamic, being a function of the searches conducted by the public. Unlike conventional databases, text files 42A, multimedia files 44A, and links 56 therebetween must be organized dynamically, according to the searches being conducted.
For example, at the third step, multimedia file 44A, and text file 42A, including letters “ABC” being linked to multimedia file 44A by link 56, are organized by a data organizer 48, and stored in the main database 46, being ready for being searched.
At the fourth step, a user using a search engine 58, searches the letters “ABC” within the global texts of main database 46, and finds the “ABC”, being segment 14C of text file 42A. Upon retrieving segment 14C, system 10 retrieves as well portion 12C of multimedia file 44A, which was linked to the text “ABC”, being segment 14C of text file 42A.
At the next step, the rest of text file 42A, or at least the adjacent texts thereof, and the portions of multimedia file 44A linked to these adjacent text, are as well presented to the user.
Thus, the user accesses portions of the multimedia information, even without text linked thereto, but rather through indirect text searching.
Thus, the picture of file 32 of
At the fifth step, since the “ABC” was found to be demanded information, data organizer 48 advances this text and also portion 12C, being linked thereto.
As mentioned above, in contrast to the above-mentioned encoding tools and others, system 10 produces texts 42A in view of the searching step, to be conducted later, i.e., for being maximally searchable. Thus, the second step of producing the text file 42A may be repeated for improving the efficiency of the search made in the fourth step.
According to another application, the user may filter multimedia contents through the text attached to the multimedia contents.
Conventionally, a radio 24 plays all the contents thereof. However, a smartphone 50 may retrieve the sound through the internet from the World Wide Web, being the main database 46, and filter it.
According to the example, main database 46 contains multimedia file 44A, and text file 42A linked thereto, and also multimedia file 44B, and text file 42B linked thereto. According to the text files 42A and 42B, smartphone 50 may reject text file 42B, thus retrieving only multimedia file 44A, which will be played by radio 24 as depicted in
At the first step, people from the public, who have listened to multimedia information (44A), recommend to remove some of the information.
The following steps “learn” from these reports, removal of additional information, by applying the following steps:
At the second step,
At the third step,
At the fourth step,
Steps 1 to 4 are based on the basic method for searching information within a database (46), the method comprising the steps of:
Another basic method for searching information within a database (46), the method comprising the steps of:
Thus, in one aspect, the invention is directed to a method for filtering information within a database (46), the method comprising the steps of:
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a method for filtering information within a database (46), the method comprising the steps of:
The step of producing (40A) the texts (42A) describing the multimedia information (44A) may comprise the steps of:
The method may further comprise the steps of:
The step of producing (40A) the texts (42A) may comprise the step of adding textual details being substantially included in the multimedia information (44A), for improving the step of searching the texts (42A).
The step of producing (40A) the texts (42A) describing the multimedia information (44A) may comprise:
The step of producing links (56), for linking the texts (42A) to the multimedia information (44A) may comprise the steps of:
The step of retrieving the text (14A) of the texts (42A) from the database (46) may comprise retrieving at least one of the segments (12A).
The method may further comprise the step of:
The step of searching may comprise filtering by using the texts (42A), thereby filtering information from the multimedia information (44A) linked to the texts (42A),
thereby filtering the multimedia information (44A) within the database (46) through the texts (42A), which are not supplied with the multimedia information (44A).
In another aspect, the invention is directed to an information filtering system (10) for filtering information within a database (46), the system (10) comprising:
The information filtering system (10) may further comprise:
The decoding tool (40A) may comprise a tool for recognizing familiar patterns within the multimedia information (44A), and for producing texts (42A) describing the familiar patterns.
The decoding tool (40A) may comprise one or more tools selected from a group including:
In the figures and/or description herein, the following reference numerals (Reference Signs List) have been mentioned:
In the description herein, the following references have been mentioned:
The foregoing description and illustrations of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the above description in any form.
Any term that has been defined above and used in the claims, should to be interpreted according to this definition.
The reference numbers in the claims are not a part of the claims, but rather used for facilitating the reading thereof. These reference numbers should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any form.
