U.S. patent application number 11/559251 was filed with the patent office on 2007-12-13 for audio and video transcription system for manipulating real-time testimony.
This patent application is currently assigned to ENGATE INCORPORATED. Invention is credited to James D. Bennett, Lawrence M. Jarvis.
Application Number | 20070286573 11/559251 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38266933 |
Filed Date | 2007-12-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070286573 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bennett; James D. ; et
al. |
December 13, 2007 |
Audio And Video Transcription System For Manipulating Real-Time
Testimony
Abstract
A transcription network having linked computer terminals for a
court reporter and for examining, defending, and associate
attorneys is disclosed. Based on the hardware present, the court
reporter terminal automatically selects the most appropriate
synchronization and audio and video transcript delivery schemes for
the other terminals. A multi-mode synchronization scheme provides
for various levels of synchronization of the textual transcript
with the audio and video transcripts of the proceeding. A first-in
first-out arrangement is provided for controlling the video and
audio storage space so that a window of available audio and video
can be specifically marked and retrieved for post-proceeding
review.
Inventors: |
Bennett; James D.; (Chicago,
IL) ; Jarvis; Lawrence M.; (Wheaton, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SCHWEGMAN, LUNDBERG & WOESSNER, P.A.
P.O. BOX 2938
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402
US
|
Assignee: |
ENGATE INCORPORATED
1302 E. Forest Avenue
Wheaton
IL
60187
|
Family ID: |
38266933 |
Appl. No.: |
11/559251 |
Filed: |
November 13, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09332317 |
Jun 14, 1999 |
7249026 |
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11559251 |
Nov 13, 2006 |
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09144576 |
Aug 31, 1998 |
5940800 |
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09332317 |
Jun 14, 1999 |
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08518102 |
Aug 22, 1995 |
5815392 |
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09144576 |
Aug 31, 1998 |
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08326742 |
Oct 20, 1994 |
5444615 |
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08518102 |
Aug 22, 1995 |
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08073809 |
Jun 7, 1993 |
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08326742 |
Oct 20, 1994 |
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08036488 |
Mar 24, 1993 |
5369704 |
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08073809 |
Jun 7, 1993 |
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09185114 |
Nov 3, 1998 |
6023675 |
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09332317 |
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08818402 |
Mar 12, 1997 |
5949952 |
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09185114 |
Nov 3, 1998 |
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08066948 |
May 24, 1993 |
5878186 |
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08818402 |
Mar 12, 1997 |
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08036488 |
Mar 24, 1993 |
5369704 |
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08066948 |
May 24, 1993 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
386/225 ;
386/304; 704/E15.005 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/10 20130101;
G06Q 50/18 20130101; G10L 15/04 20130101; G06F 16/332 20190101;
G06F 16/338 20190101; G11B 27/28 20130101; G11B 27/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
386/085 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/00 20060101
G06Q010/00 |
Claims
1. In a computer network having an attorney terminal and an outline
library, a method used by the attorney terminal for preparing for
examination of a witness in a legal proceeding comprising the steps
of: providing access to an outline library comprised of a plurality
of categorization entries; enabling selection of at least one of
said plurality of categorization entries; and providing access to
the selected ones of said plurality of categorization entries
during a legal proceeding.
2-5. (canceled)
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a down-line transcription system
used by attorneys for reviewing real-time transcription during a
proceeding such as a trial or deposition; and more particularly, to
a method and apparatus for providing real-time use and manipulation
of audio and video transcripts by attorneys, judges, court
reporters, witnesses and clients.
[0002] As is well known, legal proceedings such as a deposition or
trial involve the participation of, among others, an examining
attorney who asks questions and a witness who must answer
("testify") while under oath. These answers ("testimony") are
recorded by the court reporter, along with the associated questions
and related conversation, using a stenographic recorder. A
stenographic recorder is a machine which provides a set of keys
which are stroked by the court reporter in various combinations and
sequences to represent a spoken word. To provide a backup to the
key-strokes, court reporters use a tape recorder to record the
entire proceeding.
[0003] Newer versions of stenographic recorders have been developed
and linked to computer aided transcription ("CAT") systems to help
automate the manual transcription process. Instead of solely using
paper tape recording methods, the stenographic recorder also
electronically stores key-strokes in built-in memory or on disk.
After using such a newer recorder, the court reporter returns to
his office and transfers the electronically stored key-strokes to
his CAT system for transcription. Although the bulk of
electronically stored key-strokes may be translated automatically,
the court reporter still works interactively with the CAT system to
translate those key-strokes which the CAT system did not
recognize.
[0004] For the transcription system mentioned above, court
reporters often use the tape recorder to aid in translating
untranscribed key-strokes. In a manual process, the court reporter
repeatedly searches forward and backward and listens to the tape to
identify the section of the tape that corresponds to the
untranscribed key-stroke(s). In locating the corresponding audio,
the court reporter wastes a great deal of time.
[0005] In addition to transcribing the proceeding using automatic,
post-processed transcription and audio taping, a court reporter may
use a video recorder to record the entire proceeding for a similar
purpose. In addition to aiding transcription, video or audio
recording of a proceeding provides other advantages. For example,
during a trial, an attorney often admits into evidence testimony
from a prior proceeding, such as a deposition. This is normally
done by reading the desired portion of the written deposition
transcript into the trial record. However, there are times when
this process may become tiresome and cause the jury to lose
interest. To keep the jury interested, an attorney may instead want
to play the actual video or audio of the desired testimony.
[0006] Video or audio recordings of prior testimony also offer
other benefits at trial. Unlike a written transcript, video or
audio enable an attorney to convey to the jury the demeanor of the
witness. For example, if a witness hesitates before answering a
deposition question and is then visibly and audibly uncomfortable
in answering, the jury may question the witness's credibility. It
is virtually impossible to convey the same to the jury from prior
written testimony.
[0007] In addition, an attorney may want to play video or audio of
prior testimony by a trial witness to ask the witness to clarify
the prior testimony in view of his present testimony or to impeach
the witness.
[0008] Despite the desirability of video or audio recordings, their
use in court proceedings has been very limited due to various
problems. For example, if an attorney wants to use prior video or
audio testimony at trial, he must, as part of pre-trial
preparation, consult the written transcript and then manually
search through any number of tapes to find the desired material.
The attorney may also want to edit out any undesired material. Most
attorneys, however, do not have the equipment or time (especially
immediately prior to or during a trial) to perform these tasks.
Consequently, an attorney often must send the tapes to an editing
company, or court reporter, that specializes in video and audio
editing. Besides being time consuming, this alternative process is
also expensive and forces the attorney to rely on the accuracy and
dependability of the editing company or court reporter. Mistakes
often occur that are not discovered until trial when it is too
late.
[0009] In addition, video and audio recordings present problems
associated with storing, accessing, and annotating a large volume
of material. An attorney at trial normally must sift through many
hours of testimony including that from numerous depositions,
previous trial testimony, and possibly from a preliminary
injunction or other hearing. All this testimony must be stored on
tapes, creating the problem of accessing desired testimony at the
desired time. The trial process is often unpredictable and an
attorney cannot have video or audio testimony prepared for all
possible contingencies or potential uses.
[0010] Furthermore, even if an attorney could have prior testimony
prepared for use at any given time during the trial, he is still
unable to access previous video or audio trial testimony given the
same day. Say, for example, an attorney wants to revisit testimony
given a half hour earlier. To do so would require the court
reporter to stop taping and manually rewind to find the desired
testimony and eventually fast forward to reset the tape in order to
continue the proceeding. Because it is time consuming and
burdensome, this process is not practicable in a fast paced trial
setting.
[0011] If, for example, an attorney does not understand an answer,
the video and audio taping proceeds while the court reporter reads
the answer back from the paper tape record. This requires the court
reporter to stop recording, pick up the paper tape output from the
stenographic recorder, search for the portion of the record at
issue, and read the stenographic key strokes. This reading is often
broken with misplaced delays in pronunciation between phonemes and
words making it difficult to understand. Furthermore, because
searching for a portion of the record in a series of printed
key-strokes proves to be very difficult and time consuming,
attorneys are forced to limit requests to have only the most recent
Q & A's read back.
[0012] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a method and apparatus which will provide real-time
synchronization of a written transcript with audio and video.
[0013] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
method and apparatus which will provide virtual real-time access to
prior audio or video testimony.
[0014] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
method and apparatus which will provide virtual real-time marking
and annotation of audio or video.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] These and other objects of the present invention are
achieved in a transcription network having a terminal that
transcribes signals representative of spoken words into
corresponding alphabetic and numeric text. The terminal is linked
to a tape recorder and, via the link, creates associations between
recorded spoken words and the corresponding alphabetic and numeric
text. Analysis is provided to synchronize the associations created
by the terminal.
[0016] Other objects are achieved in a transcription system having
a terminal that selectively plays back spoken words recorded on the
tape recorder using the synchronized associations. The terminal
also provides a digital synchronization signal using the tape
recorder. In addition, the terminal provides an audible
synchronization signal using the tape recorder.
[0017] Other objects are also achieved in a transcription system
having a video camera for recording a proceeding. A means is
provided for synchronizing the visual recording by creating
associations with the corresponding signals representative of
spoken words.
[0018] Other objects and further aspects of the present invention
will become apparent in view of the following detailed description
and claims with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an overall
transcription system according to the present invention for
providing a first level of synchronization of textual, audio and
video transcripts.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of an audio
and video synchronization system according to the present invention
which illustrates selectable multi-mode operation.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a timing diagram illustrating the functionality of
default synchronization of the present invention for automatically
providing a second level of synchronization of the textual, audio
and video transcripts.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a timing diagram illustrating the functionality of
dead zone synchronization of the present invention for
automatically providing an additional level of synchronization of
the textual, audio and video transcripts.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a timing diagram illustrating the functionality of
speaker detection synchronization of the present invention for
automatically providing an additional level of synchronization of
the textual, audio and video transcripts.
[0024] FIG. 6 is a diagram of the fundamental record of the data
structure used in the present invention providing storage and
access to the synchronization information according to the present
invention.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of
the present invention not only providing for review and analysis of
synchronized audio, video and textual transcripts, but also
providing video on demand via a remote relaying and storage
system.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an overall audio and
video synchronization system configuration according to the present
invention. A stenographic recorder 11 is used by a court reporter
at a deposition, hearing or other transcription proceeding to
record digital coded signals representative of verbal
communications as they are spoken. Using a communication link 19,
the stenographic recorder 11 transfers the representative signals
to a computer aided transcription ("CAT") system 13, a computer
terminal used by the court reporter, for automated transcription.
In virtual real-time, the CAT system 13 produces a textual record
of the proceeding which corresponds to the actual words spoken.
[0027] Although an independent stenographic recorder 11 is
illustrated, the functionality of the recorder 11 may be directly
added to the CAT system 13. Similarly, instead of using
stenographic keystroking as the vehicle for recording the
proceeding, the present invention also contemplates the use of
voice or shorthand recording and transcription methods to create
the textual record (the "textual transcript").
[0028] A video camera 361 and/or a tape recorder 351 may also be
used to create video and audio records (the "audio and video
transcripts") of the proceeding. The court reporter always utilizes
the audio record for completing the automated transcription
process, i.e., to manually transcribe words that the CAT system 13
fails to transcribe. If the video camera 361 provides for audio
recording, the independent tape recorder 351 is not necessary.
Similarly, often times video taping is not required. In such
circumstances, only the tape recorder 351 is used. Moreover, in
some modes of operation, where the full storage of the audio and
video occurs via the database 360, the camera 361 and recorder 351
may be used only as a backup, or may be completely replaced by
video and audio pick-up devices having no taping capabilities.
[0029] The CAT system 13 stores the textual transcript in a
database 360 via communication link 358. As described in detail
below, the CAT system 13 also stores synchronization information in
the database 360. Additionally, depending on the mode of operation,
the database 360 may also be used to store all or portions of the
audio and/or video transcripts. The database 360 may be local
(i.e., within the CAT system 13 itself, or otherwise), remote, or
be distributed between the two (i.e., part local and part
remote).
[0030] The CAT system 13 also communicates the textual transcript
as it is created (in "real-time") along a communication link 20 to
a variety of remote or local terminals, such as attorney terminals
15 and 17, for review. Depending on the mode of operation, the
audio and video transcripts or portions thereof are also made
available to the terminals 15-17 for real-time and/or
post-proceeding review.
[0031] Specifically, during the proceeding, the court reporter
produces a keystroke, or a series of keystrokes, to indicate a
change in speakers. Hereinafter, such keystroke(s) are referred to
as a "transition marker". The CAT system 13 uses transition markers
to separate portions of the textual record as originating from the
appropriate speaker. For example, one transition marker indicates
that a following portion of text originated from the witness and
should thus be considered an answer. Similarly, another transition
marker indicates that a subsequent portion of text, a question,
originated from the examining attorney. However, the transition
markers only separate text, not the corresponding actual audio or
video. Hereinafter, the portion of the audio and video transcript
corresponding to a single question, answer, etc., will be referred
to as a "unit of speech".
[0032] Although they provide a relatively close estimate, the
transition markers do not appropriately identify units of speech
due to inherent synchronization in the textual transcription
process. In particular, a transition marker provides only a rough
estimate of the time at which a unit of speech begins and ends. For
example, typically, the court reporter finishes recording a unit of
speech, and may wait during several minutes of silence (the "sound
gap") before being sure in that unit of speech has been completed.
Either the same speaker could continue the unit of speech ending
the sound gap, or an alternate speaker could begin an new unit of
speech indicating a need for a transition marker. In the latter
instance, upon hearing the alternate speaker, the court reporter
responds to enter the transition marker. However, the court
reporter's response is not instantaneous. Therefore, in such
instances, the received transition marker provides a delayed
indication of the beginning of the new unit of speech, and a very
late indication of the end of the previous unit of speech.
[0033] Other situations provide for further synchronization of the
transition markers. For example, the court reporter may be forced
to provide a transition marker well after the actual transition
because of either speaker overlap (two persons talking at the same
time), or due to the court reporter's falling behind. In either
situation, the actual end and beginning transitions cannot be
identified using the court reporter's transition markers. Without
actual beginning and ending transitions, units of speech in the
corresponding audio and video transcripts cannot be fully
synchronized with the textual transcript. Full synchronization is
accomplished in a variety of ways with the present invention, as
described in more detail below with regards to FIG. 2.
[0034] The CAT system 13 stores each textual counterpart to a unit
of speech as a programming object in the database 360. As each new
unit of speech is transcribed, the CAT system 13 creates a new
object and stores it in sequential order in the database 360. In
addition, upon receiving a beginning transition marker from the
stenographic recorder 11, the CAT system 13 retrieves information
regarding the current tape position of both the tape recorder 351
and the video camera 361, and stores it in the object representing
the unit of speech. When the ending transition marker is received,
the CAT system 13 again retrieves and stores the current tape
positions with the object. Thus, the series of objects provides an
association constituting a first level of synchronization of the
textual transcript with the audio and video transcripts.
[0035] Although additional levels of synchronization may be
implemented, with the CAT system 13 can be used to play back only
the portions of audio and video which correspond to the textual
counterpart to a selected unit, or several units, of speech.
Basically, if the court reporter desires to replay the audio and
video for a specific question and answer, upon locating the text of
the question and answer, the CAT system 13 locates the
corresponding audio and/or video using the programming object for
replay. Although this process may occur manually, preferably, the
CAT system 13 automatically locates and replays the audio and video
via control through the link 356, or via the database 360 if the
desired audio and video is stored there.
[0036] Tape positions are received directly from the tape recorder
351 and the video camera 361 via the link 356. In the alternative,
it is also contemplated that the CAT system 13 might send a signal
representing an upcoming Q & A number to the recorder 351 for
recording. This signal may be either a voice-synthesized indication
of the unit of speech sequence number aiding manual searching, or a
digital data stream that is detectable using the recorder 351
during low or high speed searching directed via the CAT system
13.
[0037] Upon a request from a judge or attorney to read back a Q
& A, the court reporter may play back the associated audio and
video by merely locating the requested Q & A on reporter
terminal 13, by stepping back through the Q & A's or through a
lexical search, and selecting a play-back command. With
synchronization, the court reporter can avoid the clumsy and time
consuming searching through the audio and videotape to locate Q
& A's. In other words, the court reporter can quickly and
easily locate desired audio and video on the respective tapes.
[0038] In the illustrated configuration, the terminals such as the
terminals 15 and 17 provide opportunities for attorneys to freely
mark and annotate the textual, audio, and video transcripts during
and/or after the proceeding. Further detail regarding the marking
and annotating of desired testimony through the attorney terminals
15-17 can be found in the pending parent U.S. application Ser. No.
08/036,488, filed Mar. 24, 1993, which is incorporated herein by
reference.
[0039] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the present
invention which provides multiple modes of operation for performing
further levels of synchronization of the textual, audio and video
transcripts. In this embodiment, the CAT system 13 may include
video and sound processing boards 49 and 51, respectively. Also
within the CAT system 13, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 47
detects the presence or absence of the processing boards 49 and 51,
and, based thereon, offers one or more modes of synchronization
functionality to the court reporter. If, for example, the absence
of the audio and video boards 51 and 49 is detected, the CAT system
13 automatically selects a first or minimally functional mode for
performing synchronization. This mode is described in detail with
regards to FIG. 1.
[0040] Where at least the audio processing board 51 is present, the
CAT system 13 offers the court reporter two additional modes of
operation. First, a space saving mode can be selected. In the space
saving mode, the CPU 47 uses the audio board 51 only for
synchronization purposes, and not for sound reproduction. Without
providing for sound reproduction, the storage space on the database
360 can be conserved. While in the saving mode, the CPU 47 ignores
the video board 49 whether installed or not. Second, a fully
functional mode may also be selected. In this mode, the CAT system
13 analyzes the space available on the database 360 and suggests an
allocation of storage space for providing audio (and possibly
video) synchronization and reproduction. The suggested storage
space allocation may be accepted or reduced as may be desired.
[0041] More specifically, in the minimal functionality mode, the
CPU 47 manages marking of the audio and video via a control link
372. As described in detail regarding. FIG. 1, the CPU 47 of the
reporter terminal 13 provides for synchronization through the
sequence of unit of speech objects stored in the database 360.
These objects provide direct synchronization between the court
reporter's transition markers and the corresponding tape positions
of the camera 361 and recorder 351. Although this mode of
synchronization only provides the court reporter with a good
starting point, local manual searching can provide for
identification of the actual transitions.
[0042] To aid manual searching for actual transitions, the CAT
system 13 sequentially steps through each unit of speech in the
textual transcript and provides the court reporter with an
interactive opportunity to search for actual transitions. In
particular, the CAT system 13: 1) displays a unit of speech; 2)
locates the corresponding tape positions from the programming
object; 3) controls the positioning of the tape recorder 351 and
video camera 361 to a position about three (3) seconds before the
located tape positions indicate; 4) begins to play the tapes (while
providing fast-forward, rewind, pause, etc., and other typical
audio and video reviewing commands; and 5) awaits the court
reporter's selection of the actual transition mark. As each actual
transition mark is selected, the CAT system 13 adds the actual
transition marks (i.e., the newly retrieved tape positions) to the
corresponding programming object. Afterwards, during review
periods, the CAT system 13 utilizes the actual transition marks to
fully synchronize the audio and video transcript with the textual
transcript.
[0043] To aid in the synchronization process associated with the
first mode of operation, the CAT system 13 uses a default setting
to offset the court reporter's transition markers to help minimize
the amount of manual interaction that is needed to identify the
exact transition points. Specifically, instead of using a court
reporter's transition marker as a starting point of a unit of
speech, the transition marker is offset by a maximum reporter
reaction time. Upon play-back, instead of always having to rewind
to find the beginning of a unit of speech, the offset generally
provides a sufficient header to the transition marker to capture
the beginning of a unit of speech. Rewinding and often times exact
transition identification becomes unnecessary. Detail regarding
this offsetting is provided below in regards to FIG. 3.
[0044] In the saving mode, the audio board 51 is used to aid in
automatically providing a more exact synchronization of the video,
audio and textual transcripts. In this mode, the CPU 47 uses the
audio board 51 to provide digital samples of the audio signals
representing the words being spoken. The CAT system 13 analyzes the
audio samples in a variety of ways to identify the actual timing of
the units of speech. Based on the identified timing, the tape
positions associated with each unit of speech is adjusted and
stored in the corresponding programming object. Thereafter, the CAT
system 13 utilizes the adjusted tape positions to provide for
play-back synchronization of the audio and video transcripts per
any given unit of speech recorded in the textual transcript.
Additionally, although not usually necessary, the court reporter
may interactively override the automatically adjusted tape
positions with actual transition marks as described above.
[0045] Particularly, among other circuitry, the audio board 51
contains an analog to digital (A-D) converter which preferably
operates on analog audio signals from both a left and right
microphone 201 and 202 via respective links 203 and 204. A single
microphone or an audio-tape from the recorder 351 might alternately
be used with lesser synchronization functionality as will become
apparent. The left microphone 201 is physically positioned near or
on the witness, while the right microphone 202 is located near or
on the examining attorney.
[0046] The audio board 51 digitally samples the audio signals
generated by the left and right microphones 201 and 202. By
comparing and analyzing the resultant samples, the CAT system 13
identifies more exact timing (i.e., synchronization) for the units
of speech. Specifically, by comparing the amplitude of left and
right samples, the CAT system 13 determines which speaker is
speaking and when each unit of speech takes place. This
determination provides the CAT system 13 with sufficient
information to provide for a more exact synchronization of the
audio and video transcripts with the textual transcript.
[0047] Where only a single audio pick-up is used, such as a single
microphone or the recorder 351, the CAT system 13 analyzes the
samples to identify sound gaps (or "dead zones") between one
speaker and the next. The beginning and ending of the dead zones
indicate when each unit of speech takes place. Based on the
indications, the CAT system 13 also provides a more exact
synchronization of textual, audio and video transcripts.
[0048] Synchronization based on the analysis of the differential
signal and the dead zone are described in more detail below.
[0049] Because the audio samples in the space saving mode are only
used to aid in the synchronization of the units of speech, a
sampling rate of only about ten hertz (10 Hz) with eight (8) bit
resolution is needed. Numerous companies provide suitable audio
boards, such as, for example, Creative Labs of Santa Clara, Calif.
However, for this mode, only a very basic dual-channel, eight(8)
bit A/D converter board is needed.
[0050] In the fully functional mode, the terminal 13 not only
provides the functionality described in the saving mode, but also
provides real-time digital audio and video to the terminals 15 and
17. If storage space in the database 360 permits, the audio and
video taping by the camera 361 and the recorder 351 would be
unnecessary. However, as illustrated, taping is preferred not only
as a backup, but also where the database 360 cannot provide for
complete storage of the audio and video of the entire
proceeding.
[0051] The audio board 51 accepts audio signal input from either
the microphones 201 and 202, from a single microphone (not shown),
or directly from the audio tape recorder 351 (not shown). Because
the human voice ranges from about 300 to 3000 Hz, to provide the
speech reproduction quality of about that offered by a telephone
network, an eight (8) bit sampling rate of 8000 Hz is chosen. A
higher sampling rate or bit resolution may be selected upon setup
configuration for better sound reproduction at the expense of
storage space. For synchronization purposes, however, the CAT
system 13 only considers one (1) out of every eight hundred (800)
of these samples, although various averaging schemes might also be
used.
[0052] The video processing board 49 accepts video signals from
video camera 361 along the link 366. The video board 49 samples the
incoming video signals into discrete video frames. The sampling
occurs at a high enough rate (at least 24 frames per second,
preferably 30) so that when played back, the video appears
completely animated to the human eye. Numerous companies provide
video processing boards for performing such functionality, as for
example, the Intel Corporation's Indeo.RTM. video recorder
board.
[0053] Upon receiving a transition marker, the CPU 47 obtains
pointers to: 1) the current frame generated by the video processing
board 49; and 2) the current sample generated by the audio
processing board 51. The CPU 47 associates the pointers with the
transition marker in the programming objects for the previous and
the new units of speech. In the previous unit of speech, the
association provides an indication of the end of the previous unit
of speech. In the new unit of speech, the association indicates the
beginning of the new unit of speech. Further levels of
synchronization occur in a similar way as with the space saving
mode.
[0054] All of the audio and video samples are then stored, via the
link 358, in the database 360. However, if the storage space taken
up by the samples reaches the storage space allocation (configured
upon setup as described above), the CAT system 13 begins to treat
the database 360 allocation as a FIFO (first in first out device)
so as not to exceed the allocated storage space. In effect, where
the video and audio samples exceeds the storage space allocation,
the database 360 acts as a window of opportunity for instant access
to the samples.
[0055] The attorney terminals 15 and 17 may independently store all
of the audio and video samples generated if local memory permits.
However, because a majority of a deposition or trial testimony has
little value, the attorneys using the terminals 15 and 17 are more
likely to only want to store the important audio and video for
review and annotation. To do this, upon identifying an important
series of units of speech, attorneys merely select the units of
speech and request audio and/or video via an attorney terminal,
such as terminals 15 and 17. The audio and video samples are
extracted from the database 360 either directly via the link 362 or
indirectly via the CAT system 13 acting as a file server. The
requesting attorney terminal stores the extracted samples, and
associates them with the textual transcript. The extraction process
may occur during and after the proceeding.
[0056] If the space allocation does not permit full storage of the
samples in the database 360, the attorneys can only access the most
recent window of audio and video. Typically, a window of
opportunity lasting about an hour proves sufficient for such
marking, because attorneys identify most important questions and
answers usually within minutes of their occurrence.
[0057] As illustrated in FIG. 3, in the minimal functionality mode,
an offset feature is provided for aiding in the synchronization
process. FIG. 3 is a timing diagram which represents an exemplary
question and answer interchange between an attorney and a witness
in the minimal functionality mode of operation. Specifically, a
time line 401 illustrates an exemplary window in time of the taking
of testimony in a proceeding. Time periods 403, 405, 407 represent
units of speech during which the attorney asks questions.
Similarly, time periods 409 and 411 represent units of speech
during which the witness is testifying (i.e., answering the
questions). Time periods 413, 415, 417 and 419 represent sound gaps
or "dead zones" between question and answer units of speech during
which no one is talking. While dead zones are the normal transition
between questions and answers, there may also be other transition
situations. For example, at the trailing end of question 405, there
is a simultaneous transition to answer 411 (i.e., where the witness
begins testifying immediately at the end of the question). Overlap
of question and answer units of speech may also occur, as is shown
with respect to the transition between answer 411 and question 407.
Overlap occurs where two speakers talk at the same time.
[0058] A time line 501 illustrates the court reporter's keystroke
recording of the units of speech of the time line 401. Arrowheads
indicate the receipt of transition markers. Time periods 523, 525
and 527 represent the court reporter's reaction time delay. Time
period 529 represents a delay due to the court reporter's falling
behind. Time period 531 represents a delay caused by the
overlapping speakers.
[0059] More specifically, the court reporter responds to the
question 403 after the reaction time 523 with a transition marker
indicated by the upward pointing arrowhead. Thereafter, the court
reporter completes the keystroking of the question 403 and waits
for the next unit of speech, both during a time period 503. At the
beginning of the answer 409, the court reporter responds some
reaction time 525 later with a transition marker indicated by the
downward pointing arrowhead. The court reporter then strokes the
answer 409 and again awaits a new unit of speech, both during a
time period 509. This process illustrates the ordinary interaction
of the attorney and the witness, providing insight into the core
synchronization problems due to: 1) the court reporter's reaction
time; and 2) the failure to mark the actual end of a unit of
speech.
[0060] In addition, upon hearing the beginning of the question 405,
the reporter reacts after the time period 527 and begins to
keystroke the question 405 during a time period 505. However, the
court reporter is unable to finish stroking the question 405,
before the witness begins the answer 411. The court reporter
finishes the question 405 some variable time period, the time
period 529, after the answer 411 has begun. The court reporter
registers a transition marker and begins stroking the answer during
a period 511.
[0061] To complicate matters, the attorney begins the question 407
while the witness is still finishing the answer 411. Again, at some
time after the overlap, the court reporter finishes the answer 411
and begins the question 407 during a period 507. As can be
appreciated, the court reporter's own keystroking delay time causes
an offset from the true speaker transition points in cases such as
between the question 405 and the answer 411 or the overlapping
regions, such as between the answer 411 and the question 407.
[0062] In the minimal functionality mode if the CAT system 13 uses
the actual transition markers to provide an indication of the
beginning of a unit of speech, it can be appreciated that upon
play-back the beginning of each unit of speech will be missed.
Rewinding will always have to occur. In anticipation of this
problem, a time line 601 illustrates how an offset is used to
minimize having to rewinding. Particularly, a standard offset value
of about three (3) seconds is subtracted from the transition
markers when determining the beginning of a unit of speech. As
illustrated, offsets 623, 625 and 627 help ensure that the
beginning of the questions 403, 405 and 407 are not be missed.
However, in circumstances where overlap continues for a period
longer than the offset, such as between the answer 411 and the
question 407, rewinding will still be required. In most instances
however, the offset provides the court reporter with a sufficient
lead time to capture the beginning of most units of speech without
rewinding.
[0063] FIG. 4 is a timing diagram of the dead zone synchronization
scheme of the present invention. The time lines 401 and 501 are
identical to that found and described in regards to FIG. 3. They
are duplicated to provide time referencing with the dead zone
timing of a time line 701. By identifying the beginning and ending
of dead zones, the CAT system 13 can automatically identify
appropriate beginnings and endings for most all units of speech
recorded during the proceeding. In fact, if no speaker overlap
exists, exact synchronization is possible for all recorded units of
speech. For overlapping situations without dead zones, the CAT
system 13 reverts to the default offset to help identify an
appropriate, although not exact, beginning as described in detail
above with regards to FIG. 3.
[0064] The CAT system 13 performs dead zone synchronization by
first identifying the dead zones. This is accomplished by: (1)
continuously computing the average value of the noise level during
each unit of speech recorded; (2) using the average value to
compute a threshold value below which noise is considered ambient;
and (3) checking the noise level during a window of time before
each of the court reporter's transition markers to locate the dead
zones, i.e., a period of time during which the noise level is below
the threshold value.
[0065] The end of each dead zone provides a beginning marker for
the beginning of a new unit of speech. Similarly, the beginning of
each dead zone provides an ending marker for the end of the
previous unit of speech. A lead-in time period is subtracted from
the beginning markers, while a trailer time period is added to all
ending markers. The trailer and lead-in (both about 1 second)
ensure that the full unit of speech is captured. All of these
calculations are performed by the CPU 47 within the CAT system
13.
[0066] More specifically, the average value in step (1) above may
be calculated by the following equation:
AVERAGE=((n-1)/n)*N.sub.avg+(1/n)*N.sub.n where:
[0067] n=sample number;
[0068] N.sub.avg=current average noise level; and
[0069] N.sub.n=noise level associated with sample n
If, for example, the threshold value of step (2) above is selected
as one quarter (1/4) of the average noise level during questions
and answers, the equation becomes:
THRESHOLD=((n-1)/n)*N.sub.avg+(0.25/n)*N.sub.n By this equation,
the threshold noise level is continuously updated during the
proceeding to compensate for speakers of various voice levels.
[0070] Next, to accomplish step (3) above, average noise levels
during a window of time before each court reporter's transition
marker must first be calculated. If, for example, the sampling rate
is 10 Hz and averaging is desired at every half second interval,
the average for each interval may be computed by simply dividing
the noise level associated with each sample during the half second
interval (5 samples) by 5 and then adding them together. Although
only a 10 Hz sampling is used, higher sampling rates with further
averaging might be used to increase the accuracy of detection of
dead zone edges. Moreover, even though the sampling rate might
increase to rates sufficient to accommodate sound reproduction, the
majority of these samples might be skipped when performing dead
zone identification. For example, only one (1) actual sample might
be considered out of every eight hundred (800) incoming so as to
simulate a 10 Hz sampling rate for dead zone calculations.
[0071] The duration of the time window must next be selected, and
may vary depending on the efficiency of the court reporter. If a
court reporter has traditionally experienced a longer stroking
delay, a longer time window may be chosen. The time window provides
a time period during which the CAT system 13 may search for a dead
zone. By confining the area of dead zone searching, incorrect
identification of pauses between words or sentences in a single
unit of speech as being dead zones can be avoided. The time window
is adjusted to a time period slightly larger than the default
offset described above with regard to FIG. 3. For illustrative
purposes, a three second time window is chosen here.
[0072] Beginning at the court reporter's transition marker for a
new unit of speech, by checking the calculated average noise level
against the threshold value over a 11/2 second interval, a dead
zone is determined to exist. Upon detecting a dead zone, the CAT
system 13 subtracts a one second lead-in time from the ending edge
of the dead zone, and associates the results with the programming
object corresponding to the new unit of speech. The results
constitute the beginning of the new unit of speech.
[0073] Once a dead zone has been detected, the three second window
is ignored, and the CAT system 13 begins to further trace back
until a beginning of the dead zone is identified. The court
reporter's transition marker for the previous unit of speech sets
an absolute barrier beyond which tracing back will not occur. If,
prior to reaching the absolute barrier, the average noise level
rises above the threshold value, the beginning edge of a dead zone
is detected. The CAT system 13 adds a one second trailer time from
the beginning edge of the dead zone and then associates the results
with the programming object corresponding to the previous unit of
speech. The results constitute the end of the previous unit of
speech.
[0074] If the absolute barrier is reached before identifying the
beginning of a dead zone, the CAT system 13 first indicates to the
court reporter that two units of speech by the same speaker have
been indicated. If the absolute barrier is reached twice in a row,
the CAT system 13 determines that there is a system problem and
warns the court reporter of this status.
[0075] If, however, no dead zone is detected during the three
second window, the CAT system 13 subtracts the default offset (FIG.
3) from the reporter's transition marker, and associates the
results with the programming object of the new unit of speech as
the beginning thereof. The CAT system 13 also associates the court
reporter's transition marker plus a trailer time (1 second) with
the programming object corresponding to the previous unit of
speech. The results constitute the end of the previous unit of
speech.
[0076] It is also contemplated that dead zone identification may
occur during the sampling process. For example, the beginning of a
potential dead zone could be detected, followed by a potential end.
Only if the end of the potential dead zone occurs during the three
second window would the CAT system 13 conclude that the sound gap
actually constitutes a gap between speakers. The advantages of this
approach would be to instantly provide synchronization information
upon detecting a court reporter's transition marker. The
disadvantages include the additional calculation overhead resulting
from analysis outside of the three second window.
[0077] While three seconds may be chosen as an initial value for
the time window, the CAT system 13 may keep track of the court
reporter's average delay time and adjust the value accordingly. For
example, if no more than two seconds is ever required to detect a
transition (i.e., the trailing edge of a dead zone) then the time
window may be reduced to two seconds.
[0078] FIG. 5 is a timing diagram of the differential signal
synchronization scheme of the present invention. The time lines 401
and 501 are identical to that found and described above in regards
to FIG. 3. Their duplication provides time referencing for the
differential signal timing of a time line 801.
[0079] The time line 801 illustrates a synchronization scheme in
which separate microphones and recording channels are used, one for
the attorney and another for the witness, to provide
differentiation between question and answer units of speech. For
example, when the attorney asks a question 403, the CAT system 13
detects that the attorney's microphone produces a larger audio
signal than the witness's microphone. Similarly, when the witness
answers, the CAT system 13 detects that the witness's microphone
produces the largest audio signal. When neither party talks, the
CAT system 13 detects that amplitude of both microphones being very
low and categorizes the region as a dead zone. During periods of
overlap, the CAT system 13 detects high amplitudes on both
microphones and categorizes the period appropriately.
[0080] In particular, the time line 801 illustrates an exemplary
categorization made by the CAT system 13 using the differential
analysis of the two microphones. As can be seen, exact
synchronization can be achieved for ordinary situations such as the
question 403, answer 409 and questions 405 interchange which
correspond directly to differential signals 803, 809 and 805.
Furthermore, during periods such as the period 843, the
differentiation scheme also provides for identification of the
beginning and ending of units of speech which overlap.
[0081] Referring back to FIG. 2, the two microphones 201 and 202
are positioned at trial as follows: one at the podium or attached
to the attorney, and another at the witness stand. In a deposition,
the microphones 201 and 202 would be placed directly in front of
the attorney and the witness. Each of the microphones 201 and 202
records on a separate channel. The audio board 51, via
communication link 509, receives the analog audio signals on each
channel and digitizes it (i.e., through sampling as discussed
above). After sampling, the digital audio data on each channel is
stored in the database 360.
[0082] Thereafter, the CAT system 13 performs differential
amplitude calculations upon receiving each transition marker so as
to provide for more accurate synchronization of the audio and video
transcripts with the textual transcript. As with the dead zone
calculations, it is not necessary that the CAT system 13 consider
all of the data samples on each channel to adequately perform these
calculations. Instead, the CAT system 13 may only consider a sample
every tenth of a second (10 Hz), for example.
[0083] In essence, using the samples, the CAT system 13 looks for
amplitude transitions from one channel to the other to determine
when an actual transition occurs. Specifically, when the CAT system
13 receives a transition marker from the court reporter terminal
11, the CAT system 13 traces back until it finds a beginning
transition of the new unit of speech. Thereafter, the CAT system 13
continues tracing back until the ending transition of the previous
unit of speech is identified. For the tracing back, the previous
transition marker is the absolute barrier for both the beginning
and ending transition identifications. In addition, trailer and
lead-in times are appropriately added as described above in
relation to dead zone synchronization.
[0084] If, while tracing back, the CAT system 13 does not encounter
a second transition before it reaches the absolute barrier, it uses
the transition marker (i.e. the one from which it was originally
tracing) as a default setting for the end of the previous unit of
speech. Although this situation could occur during periods of
speaker overlap, the CAT system 13 generally prevents such
occurrences by evaluating the amplitude levels of the signals on
both channels. If questionable periods of overlap seem at issue,
the CAT system 13 responds by using the default offset procedure
described in relation to FIG. 3.
[0085] The CAT system 13 identifies actual transitions by first
subtracting the signals to determine which one predominates, i.e.,
is greater. The average difference is then compared to a threshold
value to determine whether the average difference is great enough
to constitute a voice signal on the predominant channel. A
transition occurs when a new channel predominates and the resulting
signal on the new predominating channel is above the threshold
value. The average difference and threshold value are calculated in
a manner similar to that discussed above with regard to the dead
zone synchronization scheme.
[0086] It should be understood that the dead zone and differential
signal synchronization schemes can be used together to further
ensure accurate synchronization of the audio and video transcripts
with the textual transcript. In addition, whether one or both
embodiments are used, a court reporter may still, after the
proceeding, manually review the tape and set new markers, if
necessary.
[0087] FIG. 6 illustrates the programming object used to store all
of the synchronization information described heretofore regarding a
single unit of speech. In particular, the CAT system 13 utilizes a
transcribed text time frame (TTTF) record 901, a programming
object, to associate a variety of synchronization information.
Although other types of objects and additional fields are
contemplated, the TTTF record 911 provides the preferred
synchronization storage structure for the present invention.
[0088] Basically, the CAT system 13 uses record 901 to associate
the transcribed text of each individual question and answer units
of speech with the corresponding audio and video. Particularly, the
TTTF record 901 associates: (1) a unit of speech field 903 for
storing an identifier for identifying the specific textual
counterpart to a specific unit of speech, such as whether the text
is a question or answer and the associated question or answer
number; (2) a beginning transition marker field 905 for storing a
frame or sample number associated with the court reporter's first
transition marker; (3) an ending transition marker field 907 for
storing a frame or sample number associated with the court
reporter's subsequent transition marker; (4) a computed beginning
marker field 909 for storing a frame or sample number associated
with the beginning of the unit of speech as computed by the CAT
system 13; (5), a computed ending marker field 911 for storing a
frame or sample number associated with the end of the unit of
speech as computed by the CAT system 13; (6) a selected beginning
marker field 913 for storing a sample or frame number associated
with the beginning of the unit of speech as manually selected by
the court reporter after the proceeding; and (7) a selected ending
marker field 915 for storing a sample or frame number associated
with the end of the unit of speech as manually set by the court
reporter after the proceeding.
[0089] The illustrated TTTF record 901 provides for association of
the textual transcript with a combined audio and video transcript.
To accommodate independent audio and video transcripts, the fields
905 through 915 are merely duplicated, with the duplicate fields
being assigned to the video information and the original fields
being assigned to the audio. In either configuration, a single TTTF
record 901 is used for each unit of speech transcribed during the
proceeding.
[0090] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of
the present invention not only providing for review and analysis of
synchronized audio, video and textual transcripts, but also
providing real-time audio and video on demand via a remote relaying
and storage system 955. The CAT system 13 receives audio and video
signals from the video recorder 957, processes and transmits them
to the remote relaying and storage system 955. Synchronization
information and the textual record are also transmitted.
[0091] The first function of the system 955 is to provide repeater
functionality wherein the incoming signal is relayed to any number
of selected communication ports providing access to remote
terminals. In this way, the remote terminals, such as remote
terminals 951 and 953, may receive virtual real-time video and
audio on demand. In addition, the system 955 performs storage and
play-back of the video and audio transcripts along with the textual
transcript and synchronization information so that the transcript
can be selectively parsed and reviewed during and after the
proceeding.
[0092] To store the video transcript, the system 955 first converts
the incoming video signals into any one of a number of established
bit-parallel digital interface formats for component video. The
CCIR recommendation 601, the SMPTE RP 125, and the SMPTE 240M-1988
standards are exemplary formats which may be adopted. For example,
to achieve the CCIR recommendation 601 standard, the CAT system 13
divides the video signal into three components, a luminance signal
(Y) and two color difference signals (R-Y, B-Y). The luminance
component is sampled into the digital domain at 13.5 MHz and the
color difference components are sampled at 6.75 MHz each. One byte
of color difference is transmitted (byte serial over eight
differential conductor pairs with a ninth pair carrying a clock
signal of 27 MHz) followed by a luminance byte which is then
followed by the second color difference component. The net result
is a 27 Mbytes/second digital data stream that can pass through
hundreds of meters of cables and through many stages of processing
without degradation.
[0093] To capture and play-back the video, the storage system 955
incorporates a series of storage disks arranged in parallel. This
might be accomplished by combining several heads in a single large
disk or by combining several small disks (often referred to as RAID
architecture). However, preferably, the system 955 incorporates
real time disks grouped in a modular fashion. For example, two
subsystems of six disks combined to transfer at a sustained rate of
26.8 Mbytes/second will support the CCIR 601 standard. Recognition
Concepts, Inc., manufactures a DataSTORE.RTM. Real Time Disk series
for such purposes.
[0094] A variety of input devices, including video camera 951 might
also be converted to the CCIR standard. Encoders and decoders are
available to allow inputs and outputs from PAL, NTSC, RGB, YUV, and
CCIR 601, permitting many different formats to be conveniently
reformatted into a single standard digital path for temporary or
permanent storage onto magnetic disk or tape.
[0095] In addition, the storage system 955 may act as a "warehouse"
for storage of the audio, video and textual transcripts for
post-proceeding review. Individuals may, via remote terminals such
as the terminals 951 and 953, access any prior stored data. Because
the system 955 also provides storage for the synchronization
information as mentioned above, the video and audio transcript can
be fully synchronized with the corresponding textual record.
[0096] It is obvious that the embodiments of the present invention
described hereinabove are merely illustrative and that other
modifications and adaptations may be made without departing from
the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *