Digital content reproduction, data acquisition, metadata management, and digital watermark embedding

• US 20020194480A1
• Filed: 05/07/2002
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nagao, Katashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,227,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention provides methods, apparatus and systems to embed pointer information for metadata in content using a method that will not delete the information, so that metadata correlated with content can be correctly obtained, even after the contents have been edited. In an example embodiment, a user terminal for reproducing multimedia content comprises: a pointer information detector, for detecting pointer information that is embedded in the content and that points to the location of metadata in which information concerning the content is written; a network interface, for employing the pointer information to obtain the metadata via a network; and an index information generator, for employing the metadata to generate index information that is correlated with the data structure of the digital content.

Claims

1. A digital contents reproduction apparatus for reproducing digital contents comprising:

a detector to detect pointer information that is embedded in digital contents and that points to the location of metadata in which information concerning said digital contents is written;

a metadata acquisition unit to employ said pointer information detected by said detector to obtain said metadata via a network; and

an index information generator to employ said metadata to generate index information that is correlated with the data structure of said digital contents.

2. The digital contents reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when said digital contents includes timing elements, said index information generator compares time code detected in said digital contents accompanying said metadata to generate index information that is appropriate for said time code.

3. The digital contents reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an address acquisition unit to employ pointer information detected by said detector to obtain for said metadata an address on a network,

wherein said metadata acquisition unit is connected to a network and obtains said metadata from said address obtained by said address acquisition unit.

4. The digital contents reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an index information display unit to display, in correlation with a state wherein digital contents are reproduced, index information that is generated by said index information generator.

5. A digital contents reproduction apparatus comprising:

contents reproduction means to reproduce video digital contents; and

index information display means to display index information corresponding to a scene in said video digital contents based on time code for said video digital contents.

6. The digital contents reproduction apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, when said video digital contents are edited, said index information display means especially reflects, in said index information, the state wherein said video digital contents are edited.

7. A digital contents reproduction apparatus for reproducing digital contents comprising:

management information detection means, for detecting management information that is embedded in said digital contents and that is related to said digital contents;

missing portion detection means, for detecting a missing portion in said digital contents, based on metadata in which information concerning said digital contents is written, and said management information detected in said digital contents; and

contents complement means connected to a network, for obtaining said missing portion of said digital contents from a contents server on said network.

8. A data acquisition system comprising:

a metadata server connected to a network, for storing metadata in which information concerning digital contents is written; and

a reproduction apparatus, for reproducing said digital contents,

wherein said reproduction apparatus detects information that is embedded as a digital watermark in said digital contents and that is related to metadata having a structure information consonant with said digital contents, and employs said information related to said metadata to receive metadata corresponding to said digital contents from said metadata server via said network.

9. The data acquisition system according to claim 8, further comprising:

a contents server connected to said network, for storing digital contents,

wherein, when in predetermined digital contents there is a missing portion, said reproduction apparatus obtains from said contents server digital contents corresponding to said metadata, based on information that is obtained from said metadata server concerning the location of said predetermined digital contents.

10. A digital contents reproduction method for reproducing video digital contents comprising the steps of:

detecting pointer information that is embedded in said video digital contents and that points to the location of metadata in which information concerning said video digital contents is written;

employing said pointer information to obtain said metadata via a network;

employing said metadata to generate index information corresponding to a scene in said video digital contents; and

displaying said index information and said video digital contents in correlation with each other.

11. The digital contents reproduction method according to claim 10, wherein said step of generating said index information includes the steps of:

detecting time code from said video digital contents; and

comparing time code detected in said digital contents accompanying said metadata, and generating index information that is appropriate for said time code.

12. The digital contents reproduction method according to claim 10, wherein said step of obtaining said metadata includes the steps of:

employing pointer information detected by said detector to obtain for said metadata an address on a network; and

establishing a connection to a network and obtaining said metadata from said address obtained by said address acquisition unit.

15. The metadata management method according to claim 14, wherein, at said step of embedding information in said digital contents, said structure information and said pointer information are embedded as digital watermarks.

16. The metadata management method according to claim 14, wherein, when said digital contents are edited, pointer information for the edited metadata is additionally embedded in said digital contents.

27. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for reproducing video digital contents, said method steps comprising the steps of claim 10.

13. A digital contents reproduction method for reproducing digital contents comprising the steps of:

detecting management information that is embedded in and is related to said digital contents;

detecting a missing portion in said digital contents based on metadata in which information concerning said digital contents is written and on said management information detected in said digital contents;

establishing a connection to a network and obtaining said missing portion of said digital contents from a contents server on said network; and

synthesizing said obtained missing portion with said digital contents and reproducing the resultant digital contents.

28. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for reproducing digital content, said method steps comprising the steps of claim 13.

14. A metadata management method comprising the steps of:

storing, in a metadata server provided on a network, metadata in which information concerning predetermined digital contents is written;

setting pointer information pointing to the location of said metadata on said network; and

embedding, in digital contents corresponding to said metadata, corresponding structure information as written both in said metadata and said pointer information.

17. A digital watermark embedding method for embedding watermark information in video digital contents comprising the steps of:

embedding, throughout the video digital contents, metadata identification information for identifying metadata for said video digital contents; and

embedding, in each scene of said video digital contents, scene identification information for identifying said scene.

18. A computer control program that permits a computer to function as:

a detection means, for detecting pointer information that is embedded in digital contents and that points to the location of metadata in which information concerning said digital contents is written;

a metadata acquisition means, for employing said pointer information to obtain said metadata via a network; and

an index information generation means, for employing said metadata to generate index information for said digital contents.

19. A computer control program that permits a computer to function as:

contents reproduction means, for reproducing video digital contents; and

index information display means, for displaying index information corresponding to a scene in said video digital contents based on time code for said video digital contents.

20. A computer control program which permits a computer to function as:

management information detection means, for detecting management information that is embedded in said digital contents and that is related to said digital contents;

missing portion detection means, for detecting a missing portion in said digital contents, based on metadata in which information concerning said digital contents is written, and said management information detected in said digital contents; and

contents complement means connected to a network, for obtaining said missing portion of said digital contents from a contents server on said network.

21. A computer control program, for embedding watermark information in video digital contents, which permits a computer to perform:

a process for embedding, throughout the video digital contents, metadata identification information for identifying metadata for said video digital contents; and

a process for embedding, in each scene of said video digital contents, scene identification information for identifying said scene.

22. A recording medium on which are recorded digital contents, structure information for said digital contents, and pointer information that is embedded in said digital contents and that points to the location on a network of metadata concerning said digital contents.

23. The recording medium according to claim 22, wherein said pointer information and said structure information are embedded as digital watermarks in said digital contents.

24. A recording medium on which a program for controlling a computer to output process results for input data is stored, said program permitting said computer to perform:

a process for detecting pointer information that is embedded in digital contents and that points to the location of metadata in which information concerning said digital contents is written;

a process for employing said pointer information to obtain said metadata via a network; and

a process for employing said metadata to generate index information for said digital contents.

25. A recording medium on which a program for controlling a computer to output process results for input data is stored, said program permitting said computer to perform:

a process for reproducing video digital contents; and

a process for displaying index information corresponding to a scene in said video digital contents based on time code for said video digital contents.

26. A recording medium on which a program for controlling a computer to output process results for input data is stored, said program permitting said computer to perform:

a process for detecting management information that is embedded in said digital contents and that is related to said digital contents;

a process for detecting a missing portion in said digital contents, based on metadata in which information concerning said digital contents is written, and said management information detected in said digital contents; and

a process for establishing a connection to a network, and for obtaining said missing portion of said digital contents from a contents server on said network.