Alta Vista Company

Digital Equipment Corporation

Yahoo! Inc.

Compaq Computer Corporation, Inc.

Overture Services, Inc.

Brian S Eberman

David E Kovalcin

Michael Sokolov

Arjen P deVries

Leonidas Kontothanassis

Frederic Dufaux

William D Goldenthal

Leondias Kontothanassis

Arjen P De Vries

Christopher M Weikart

Kenneth F Alden

Debajit Ghosh

A technique for processing data in a network is disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the technique may be realized as a method for processing data in a network having a plurality of network stations. The method comprises receiving a first representation of data at a first of the plurality of network stations, processing the first representation so as to generate a second representation of the data, and transmitting the second representation from the first network station to a second of the plurality of network stations for storage therein, wherein the second representation is stored at an address within the second network station. The method also comprises receiving the address at the first network station, and transmitting the address from the first network station to a third of the plurality of network stations for storage therein.

Technique for processing data in a network

According to the present invention, a technique for locating an item of interest within a stored representation of data is disclosed. The item of interest is preferably located within a particular one of a plurality of stored representations of data in a network having a plurality of network stations. In one embodiment, the technique is realized by first searching a plurality of stored annotations corresponding to different items within a plurality of stored representations of data to locate an annotation of interest corresponding to the item of interest, wherein the annotation of interest has an associated search identifier. A search request is then transmitted, from a first of the plurality of network stations to a second of the plurality of network stations, for the search identifier and an associated address identifier corresponding to a location of the particular one of the plurality of stored representations of data within the plurality of stored representations of data. The address identifier is then received at the first network station.

Technique for locating an item of interest within a stored representation of data

A technique for organizing data information in a network having a plurality of network stations is disclosed. In one embodiment, the technique is realized by having a first processing device store a representation of data at an address of a first of the plurality of network stations. A second processing device then stores the address at a second of the plurality of network stations in association with an identifier of the data. A third processing device then stores the data identifier at a third of the plurality of network stations in association with an annotation of the data.

Technique for organizing data information in a network

To annotate media, one or more particular times within a period defined by a start time and an end time of a media stream forming an item of audio or video media, are identified. The identified times are those at which content within the media stream corresponds to an annotation value. The annotation value is associated with the identified times to annotate the media.

Technique for annotating media

In a computerized method a continuous signal is segmented in order to determine statistically stationary units of the signal. The continuous signal is sampled at periodic intervals to produce a timed sequence of digital samples. Fixed numbers of adjacent digital samples are grouped into a plurality of disjoint sets or frames. A statistical distance between adjacent frames is determined. The adjacent sets are merged into a larger set of samples or cluster if the statistical distance is less than a predetermined threshold. In an iterative process, the statistical distance between the adjacent sets are determined, and as long as the distance is less than the predetermined threshold, the sets are iteratively merged to segment the signal into statistically stationary units.

Method and apparatus for clustering-based signal segmentation

A method for matching a query to a portion of media, includes receiving a query relating to media of interest and searching, based upon the query, an index of annotations. Each of the annotations represents a respective item of available media and includes a plurality of annotation values. Each of the plurality of annotation values represents a portion of the represented item of available media. By matching the query to an annotation value within the index, the start time of a media stream forming the portion of the item of available media represented by the identified annotation value can be identified. The identified media stream start time can then be provided in response to the query, allowing the appropriate portion of the applicable item of available media to be directly accessed.

Technique for matching a query to a portion of media

A technique for processing data is disclosed. In one embodiment, the technique is realized by receiving a first representation of data at a processing device, which then processes the first representation of data so as to generate a second representation of data. The second representation of data includes a plurality of dependent data representations and a plurality of independent data representations. Each of the plurality of dependent data representations is substantially aligned in time with a corresponding one of the plurality of independent data representations.

Technique for processing data

A technique for indexing data in a network having a plurality of network stations is disclosed. In one embodiment, the technique is realized by receiving a data identifier at a first of the plurality of network stations from a second of the plurality of network stations. The data identifier is then stored at the first network station. The first network station then receives an annotation from the second network station, wherein the annotation is associated with the data identifier. The annotation is then stored at the first network station in association with the data identifier.

Technique for indexing data in a network

A method for locating a particularly relevant position within a multimedia steam includes identifying a multimedia stream based upon a query. The locations relevant to the query within the multimedia stream are also identified. The relevance of each of the identified locations is ranked and a particularly relevant one of the identified locations within the multimedia stream is determined based upon the ranking.

Technique for accessing an item of interest within a stored representation of data

A method for storing data information in a network having a plurality of network stations includes receiving, at a first of the plurality of network stations from a second of the plurality of network stations, an address identifier corresponding to a location of a representation of data at a third of the plurality of network stations. The address identifier is then stored in association with a data identifier.

Technique for storing data information within a network

In a computerized method for messaging, a Web page includes an embedded tag specifying a message extension program. The Web page is requested from a Web server by a Web browser of a first client computer connected to the Web server computer by a communications network. The extension program corresponding to the message tag is retrieved. A multimedia message is recorded as digital signals in a file of the client computer using the extension program. The file is sent to a second client computer as an electronic mail message.

Browser-based electronic messaging

Speech signals from speakers having known identities are used to create sets of acoustic models. The acoustic models along with their corresponding identities are stored in a memory. A plurality of sets of cohort models that characterize the speech signals are selected from the stored sets of acoustic models, and linked to the set of acoustic models of each identified speaker. During a testing session speech signals produced by an unknown speaker having a claimed identity are processed to generate processed speech signals. The processed speech signals are compared to the set of models of the claimed speaker to produce first scores. The processed speech signals are also compared to the sets cohort models to produce second scores. A subset of scores are dynamically selected from the second scores according to a predetermined criteria. The unknown speaker is validated as the claimed speaker if the difference between the first and a combination of the subset of scores is greater than a predetermined threshold value.

Two-staged cohort selection for speaker verification system

A technique for accessing an item of interest within a particular one of a plurality of stored representations of data is disclosed. In one embodiment, the technique is realized by having a processing device searching a plurality of stored annotations corresponding to different items within the plurality of stored representations to locate an annotation of interest corresponding to the item of interest. The annotation of interest has an associated search identifier and an associated location identifier corresponding to a location of interest within the particular one of the plurality of stored representations. The processing device then searches a plurality of stored search identifiers associated with the plurality of stored annotations to locate the search identifier and an address identifier corresponding to a location of the particular one of the plurality of stored representations within the plurality of stored representations. The processing device then accesses the item of interest at the location of interest using the address identifier and the location identifier.

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Newton, MA, United States of America

Brian S Eberman