Multimedia document using time box diagrams

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of drawing a multimedia story including at least one episode is provided which represents a plurality of multimedia fries (e.g., text, sound, video, and picture files) graphically in a 'time-box' which can be connected to other time boxes to for a time box diagram. A user can easily stretch or shrink, reposition, delete, or otherwise manipulate the fries graphically using the time boxes in order to produce a final multimedia story within given temporal (time) constraints. The method according to the invention includes steps of inputting to a processor story data having at least one episode, and, for each episode, generating first and second events and temporal constraints. Thereafter, from the temporal constraints, first coordinates of each of the first and second events for each of the episodes are determined, and the first and second events are assigned to layers based on a temporal position of the first and second events such that for each episode the first and second events are temporally connected. Thereafter, an order of events on each layer of the layers is permuted, and, from the order of the events on each layer and the temporal constraints, second coordinates of each of the first and second events for each of the episodes are determined. Finally, a layout of the story is generated.