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Description  |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for retrieving and
displaying information on videotapes and, more particularly, to a process
and apparatus for quickly and precisely retrieving and displaying specific
images and testimony in a videotaped deposition by indexing a
computer-generated transcript of the deposition proceedings with a video
timecode number address on the videotape.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the field of litigation, a deposition is a proceeding in which an
attorney asks oral questions of a witness, and a word-for-word record of
the questions asked and the answers given is called the deposition
transcript. Historically, a deposition was recorded by a stenographer so
that the only record comprised a written transcript of the questions and
answers. However, recent trends, particularly in major and/or complex
litigation cases, is to videotape depositions so that the deposition
record comprises a videotape along with the customary written transcript.
From time to time during the trial of a lawsuit, it becomes necessary or
desirable to present to the court and/or jury a specific part of a
deposition. Historically, when the record of the deposition comprised only
a written transcript, reference to the specific part of the deposition was
made by referring to the appropriate page and line of the written
transcript and reading that particular part of the deposition. However,
when the deposition has been videotaped, and the deposition is being used
to impeach, or to expose an inconsistency between a witness, deposition
and trial testimony, it is highly desirable to let the court and jury view
and hear the witness, prior inconsistent testimony. Prior to the present
invention, attorneys have been reluctant to use video depositions to
impeach witnesses because the act of locating a specific part of the
witness, testimony was a game of hit and miss involving use of the video
recorder's fast-forward and fast-rewind controls to locate the impeaching
testimony. In addition to being a boring and time-consuming process, this
prior practice involved an inherent danger in that it was an inexact
process that was performed in the presence of the jury so that if some
objectionable or inadmissible testimony by the witness was inadvertently
played for the jury, the attorney risked having his judgment overturned or
being involved in a long and costly appeal. Also, many complex and/or
major litigation cases involve the taking of numerous depositions, many of
which require the use of several video tapes and fill hundreds of pages of
recorded transcripts. Consequently, such a hit and miss process for
locating specific parts of videotaped deposition testimony was highly
impractical and unworkable.
While videotape retrieval systems are known, and videotape technology has
been applied in many fields of use, no successful attempt has been made to
adapt videotape technology to the field of litigation. The successful
adaptation of videotape technology to the litigation field requires that
the video information be precisely indexed and that the system have the
capacity to quickly and precisely access specific deposition testimony
occurring anywhere in the deposition without prior programming
(preselection) of the access locations.
Prior video retrieval systems require the user to pre-program a limited
number of deposition passages onto the tape or laser disk for later
presentation. If the laser disk or tape is for courtroom use, this is
unacceptable because the attorney has no flexibility to use deposition
segments other than those pre-recorded on the laser disk or tape. However,
an attorney rarely knows in advance whether it will be necessary to
impeach a witness at trial with a prior inconsistent statement, or exactly
what part or parts of a deposition transcript will be necessary and useful
for impeachment purposes.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable to have a process and an apparatus
capable of quickly and selectively presenting any deposition part, i.e.,
any particular question and answer, from any part of a videotaped
deposition.
Examples of prior art video systems are U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,989 which
discloses a video system capable of accessing specific tape locations, but
not capable of accessing specific recorded data. Also, this system lacks
precision in that it is designed to display information appearing for
approximately one-half a second before a desired frame. U.S. Pat. No.
4,634,386 discloses a video teaching system which limits the user to a
specific number of preselected tape locations, rather than providing the
user with the capacity to structure a presentation including as many of
the videotape segments as desired. U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,367 discloses a
video information presentation system which only identifies tape
locations, but has no capacity to search the contents of the videotape to
allow the user to determine which tape locations shall be accessed. U.S.
Pat. No. 4,641,203 discloses a video recorder and computer system
combination in which each component records and displays where related
information is stored in its own mechanism as well as in its counterpart
mechanism. This system is simply a means of storing various types of
images onto a videotape and keeping a record of the image locations on a
computer connected to the videotape recorder. The system does no
anticipate video applications such as depositions where the images will
remain static and audio track will have to be indexed to a transcript of
the proceedings. In the legal arena, it is quick access to a specific word
or passage location that determines a system's usefulness, rather than the
ability to locate a visual image. U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,387 discloses a
system by which a stenographer can control a video camera so that one
stenographer can stenographically record a deposition while simultaneously
operating a video camera and recorder from the stenographer's work
station. This system's main objective is to provide a system to accurately
record a deposition and not to precisely locate and present specific
passage of the videotape deposition.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a video
retrieval process and apparatus which avoids the above-mentioned problems
of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a video
information retriever which provides the user with the capacity to access
any information on the videotape.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a video transcript
retriever process and apparatus for use in litigation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a video transcript
retriever having the capacity to allow the selective replay of precise
information in a pre-recorded videotaped program.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a video transcript
retriever process and apparatus having the capacity to correlate a
computer transcript of a deposition with the deposition videotape to allow
selective, exclusive presentation of any deposition question and answer
from any part of the videotape.
To provide the preceding objects and others, a video transcript retriever
process and apparatus according to the present invention includes a video
cassette recorder/player, a control computer, a video timecode
generator/reader, a video monitor, a computer monitor, software
controlling the timecode generator/reader and the video cassette
recorder/player, and software containing the deposition transcript.
Starting with a videotaped deposition, a control signal from the timecode
generator/reader is recorded onto the videotape. The software controlling
the timecode generator/reader and the video cassette recorder/player may
or not be used to aid in the recording of this control signal onto the
videotape. The timecode control track assigns a numerical address or
designation to each segment of the videotape. Once the control track has
been recorded on the videotape, the numerical designation for each segment
of the tape corresponding to the beginning of each deposition question is
transferred from the software controlling the timecode generator/reader
and video cassette recorder/player to the software containing the
deposition transcript and correlated therewith. To display a specific
question and answer on the videotape the computer generated transcript of
the deposition is searched for the key words of the desired question and
answer. Once the desired question and answer of the transcript to be
displayed is located on the software containing the deposition, the
timecode number corresponding to the desired question is transferred from
the software containing the deposition transcript to the software
controlling the video cassette recorder/player, and the desired videotape
part is located and displayed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the logic components of the video
transcript retriever process and apparatus according to the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a software block diagram of the video transcript retriever;
FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the video transcript retriever operating modes.
FIG. 4A shows the format of the video signals and the timecode numerical
address on a videotape.
FIG. 4B shows the format of a question and answer as it appears in a
computer-generated transcript, including information location in terms of
page and line and timecode address.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The video transcript retriever apparatus is shown in block diagram in FIG.
1 and consists of 4 operating subsystems including a control unit 10, a
control interface 20, a tape unit 30, and a display unit 40. The control
unit 10 comprises a personal computer and customized software, and
provides the capability of performing text searches throughout the
deposition transcript and controlling the operation of the tape unit 30.
The control interface 20 comprises a commercially available video deck
controller which functions to translate the request signals from the
control unit 10 into signals understandable to the tape unit 30. The tape
unit 30 comprises a videotape recorder/player which functions to record or
play information on the videotape. The display unit 40 comprises 2
monitors which serve to display the computer output and the videotape
output.
Control Unit Software
The control unit 10 includes a software package (FIG. 2) consisting of
Control Software, Text Software and Edit Software. From the logical
standpoint, in normal operation mode, the computer is simultaneously
running all three pieces of software. Each software has certain
characteristics which enables their cooperation and makes system
integration possible.
The Control Software has the capacity to supervise the other two softwares.
In operation, the Control Software constitutes a multi-program environment
under which multiple programs can be run simultaneously without knowing or
affecting each other. Because the system must have the capacity to rapidly
access and search the written testimony to locate and decide which video
images to display, and to display such video images, the system must allow
the simultaneous operation of the Text Software involving the storing and
searching of voluminous documents and the Edit Software involving the
precise operation of the tape unit 30.
The Text Software must have the capability of rapidly searching large text
documents. Ideally, the Text Software will provide many sophisticated
methods of searching through large text documents and many sophisticated
methods of specifying the object of the search because, in applying video
retrieval methods to litigation situations, it can never be anticipated
which of literally hundreds of thousands of statements included in
numerous depositions will become crucial.
The Edit Software has the capability of controlling the tap unit 30, and
functions together with the Control Interface 20 to permit operation of
the tape unit 30 with extreme precision, i.e., to permit movement of the
videotape to within 1/30 of a second of the desired testimony. The
capacity to start an information presentation within 1/30 of a second of
the precise location of that information on a videotape essentially
eliminates the presentation of extraneous information.
Control Unit Software Integration
The operational features which the video transcript retriever requires are
not found in a single software. Thus, a multi-program software environment
consisting of the Control Software, Text Software and Edit Software is
necessary to provide all of the desired system features. Each of the
software selected has certain characteristics which enable them to
cooperate in creating an integrated operational environment. The Control
Software permits the transfer of display data from one program to another,
and provides the system capability of viewing at least a portion of the
deposition transcript while operating the tape unit 30 via the Edit
Software. The Text Software at any time can provide the exact location of
specific testimony within the searched document in terms of page number
and line number and the timecode numerical address corresponding thereto.
In a litigation situation, this is very important because, while a
retrieval system could be devised simply to note the tape location of
certain key words, such a system would not establish the testimony
location relative to other testimony with the degree of certainty and
precision required. For example, often a deposition text search will
reveal several passages containing the same key words. If the attorney
does not know exactly which passage to refer to, all of the possible
choices must be reviewed. However, if the system is capable of referring
to the testimony by page and line number, this allows the attorney the
feature of relative time references. Usually, the attorney will know that
the desired passage occurred before or after another passage which has
just been read. In that event, the page and line location of the recently
reviewed passage serves as a starting point for the text search. In
complex litigation searches it is highly desirable to have as many
reference points and indexing methods as possible available to help the
user rapidly search through the hundreds of thousands of questions and
answers included in the many deposition transcripts/videotapes. In effect,
such additional reference points for testimony permit the user to
triangulate the location of the desired testimony.
The Edit Software has the capacity to read the timecode number addresses
pre-recorded on the videotape, and this feature permits the user to build
a simple database file in which the videotape's timecode number can be
treated as the primary key. This permits generation of a database in which
the primary key (the timecode number) is indexed to the page and line
location of the testimony as well as to the first portion (key words) of
every question. Because the Edit Software is incapable of both importing
the entire transcript deposition and performing the advanced text search
application of the Text Software, only a portion of each question and
answer exchange will be available in the Edit Software display Thus, if
the page and line location of a particular question and answer exchange
are known, the timecode number for that particular testimony will be
readable, even if the desired testimony appears beyond the end point of
the Edit Software's limited database entry for that testimony. Once such a
database file is built, the primary key can be accessed via the page and
line location of the words contained in the database entry reflecting the
first portion of each question. A simple search feature allows for single
key word searches.
Data Preparation
The video transcript retriever data set consists of two logical files: a
Text File formatted for use with the Text Software and an Edit Database
File formatted for use with the Edit Software. The Text File and the Edit
Database File are prepared according to the following steps:
1. A raw ASCII document containing the deposition transcript taken by the
stenographer from the source videotape is formatted for use with the Text
Software;
2. A Text File is created which reflects the Text Software's image of the
loaded document after formatting;
3. The Edit Database File is created based on the Text File contents. This
process involves reading the Text File, finding the text references
constituting selected key phrases and recording such key phrases in the
comments part of the Edit Database along with the page and line location
and the timecode numerical address of such key phrases within the
document. Finally, a search is conducted for such page and line
references. The selected key phrases will simply be the first few words of
each question and answer passage, or a single key word within a question
and/or answer;
4. A timecode address is recorded on the source tape containing the
videotaped deposition corresponding to the original ASCII document;
5. In the event that several two-hour videotapes are required to store the
video images corresponding to the Text File, the Edit Database containing
the page and line locations and the key phrases must be divided into
smaller files corresponding to each tape, so each videotape will have a
separate database; and
6. Using the Edit Software, the Edit Database File is stamped with the
timecode corresponding to the comment entries.
System Operational Modes
Referring to FIG. 3, the video transcript retriever at any time operates in
one of the following modes:
1. A start mode provides the operating environment similar to PC-DOS. In
order to continue operation, the system processes have to be started and
data sets have to be selected.
2. A text mode provides the system with the capability to perform
sophisticated searches/retrievals of the information from the subject
document. This is the default mode.
3. The edit mode permits control of the tape unit 30. In this mode, the
system behavior closely resembles a videotape edit system with many
customized features.
4. The search mode is very similar to the edit mode with the exception that
it is treated as an interruption initiated from the text mode. The search
mode is addressed separately because it is activated while the user is
also actively operating in the edit mode, even through the search mode
operations are identical to the edit mode operations. In the search mode
the user exits the edit mode while it is running and looks at the entire
transcript displayed in the Text Software. Once the transcript has been
displayed using the Text Software, the same software is used to initiate
text searches. Once the location of the passage has been found, the search
mode finds and displays the corresponding videotape segment. Usually the
search mode is canceled after playing the appropriate tape passage.
After the initial startup decisions concerning the selection of the
text/video program to be processed, the video transcript retriever system
is put in the Text Mode, and from there on, a typical dialogue might be as
follows:
______________________________________
User Action System Mode
______________________________________
Searches text TEXT
Retrieves information
TEXT
Finds next passage SEARCH
Decides to issue the find
command in order to display the
corresponding video program
System positions the tape and
SEARCH
gets ready to EDIT
Plays, pauses, rewinds or forwards
SEARCH
the tape
Decides to resume the text search
SEARCH
Searches text TEXT
Retrieves information
TEXT
______________________________________
Operation
Considering operation of the system generally, the user works with the Text
Software in the Text Mode to locate the desired passage of a document, and
then issues the Find command. The Find command initiates the Control
Software which takes over operation of the system, suspends the execution
of the Text Software, activates the Edit Software and registers/displays
the page and line location of the current text. Next, the Control Software
initiates the Edit Database search for the comment entry corresponding to
the page and line location reference found from the Text software. If such
a reference is found, the tape deck is sent to the corresponding timecode
location and is placed in Pause Mode. At this point, the user can activate
play or any other function. When the presentation of the tape images is
completed, the Control Software suspends the Edit Software and reactivates
the Text Software at the point where it left off, i.e., upon the Find
command.
Considering operation of the video transcript retriever more specifically,
the software/hardware environment is integrated into the following steps
of litigation and preparation:
1. The deposition is recorded by stenographers and/or videographers. The
end product of this deposition step will be a videotape (FIG. 4A) of the
proceedings, a written transcript (not shown), and a computer-generated
transcript (FIG. 4B) on an ASCII file.
Referring to FIG. 4A, the numeral 50 generally refers to a portion of the
videotape which includes a video track 52, an audio track 54, and a
timecode control track 56 on which the timecode numerical address signals
58 are striped at intervals of each 1/30 of a second along the videotape
50. Five such address control signals are shown in FIG. 4A and are
designated 58a, 58b, 58c, 58d and 58e.
The video signals on the video track 50 are graphically illustrated by skew
video tracks 60a-60h. The eight skew video tracks illustrated in FIG. 4A
correspond to the eight lines of the question and answer illustrated in
FIG. 4B. The first line of the question which appears at line 10 on page
490 of the computer-generated transcript corresponds to the timecode
numerical address 58a on the control track 56 of the videotape 50 which
might be, for example, 01:26:12:02.
Referring to FIG. 4B, there is graphically illustrated the question and
answer which begin at line 10 of page 490 of a computer-generated
transcript of a videotaped deposition. The timecode numerical address of
01:26:12:02 which marks the beginning of the question on the videotape 50
also appears on the computer transcript at 62.
The key phrase for a data base preparation and search will be "Section 12".
This key word will be assigned the timecode numerical address of
01:26:12:02 which is the numerical address which is closest to the
location of the start of the question in which the key phrase appears on
the videotape 50.
2. After the deposition has been recorded, the videotape 50 must be striped
with the timecode numerical addresses 58a through 58e. This process
produces a signal on the videotape that assigns a numerical address for
every 1/30 of a second segment of the videotape.
3. Using the control unit 10, the control interface 20, the tape unit 30
and the display unit 40, the operator indexes the words from the
transcript to the words spoken on the videotape by assigning a timecode
number, e.g., 01:26:12:02, to the videotape segment, e.g., 60a, where each
question and answer segment begins. The system can be customized to
segment the testimony into different groupings such as "questions" and
"answers". This phase ends when all of the testimony segments have been
indexed to videotape address codes.
4. The final step or presentation phase is accomplished by identifying the
testimony's specific videotape address using the text, search and edit
modes, whereupon the operator presents the desired information on the
display unit.
The Computer Program
The program appended to this specification represents the Control Software
which creates an environment in which the Text Software and Edit Software
function. The Text and Edit Software are both commercially available. An
example of the Text Software is Discovery 3.01 by Data Dynamics, Inc. An
example of the Edit Software is Logmaster 1.4 by Comprehensive Video
Supply Corporation.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above among those made
apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and,
since certain changes may be made in the above system, apparatus, process,
articles and programs without departing from the scope of the invention,
it is intended that all matter contained in the above description are
shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative
and not in a limiting sense.
It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover
all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein
described, and all statements of the scope of the invention, which as a
matter of language, might be said to fall there between.
* * * * *
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