Method of enabling browse and search access to electronically-accessible multimedia databases
First Claim
1. A system for facilitating access to descriptions of multimedia items from a plurality of content providers of said items, wherein information required by said descriptions is stored in corresponding metadata collections associated with said multimedia items, said system comprising:
- (a) a metadata server associated with each said content provider and operable as a description-generating process for communicating with one or more description-receiving processes, each said metadata server being configured, for each said content provider, to perform the steps of;
(i) receiving a request for said descriptions from one of said description-receiving processes in a predetermined request format;
(ii) interpreting said received request according to said predetermined request format;
(iii) accessing said information about said multimedia items in said metadata collection of said content provider in response to said interpreted request;
(iv) formatting said accessed information as a description according to a predetermined scheme, said resulting description containing at least one link which represents a return request to said metadata server;
(v) sending said formatted description to the said description-receiving process; and
(b) at least one said description-receiving process accessible to and operable by potential customers of said content providers and providing said potential customers with a single user interface to access descriptions of multimedia items generated from said multiple metadata servers.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system is described including a media browser (101) for providing a user with a single user interface for browsing and searching different metadata collections over the Internet (102). A metadata server (212) is associated with each of the metadata collections. When the metadata server (212) receives a request, the metadata server (212) interprets the request and replies with a description that satisfies the request and according to a predetermined scheme. The description contains at least one link which represents a return link which represents a return request to the metadata server (212).
240 Citations
62 Claims
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1. A system for facilitating access to descriptions of multimedia items from a plurality of content providers of said items, wherein information required by said descriptions is stored in corresponding metadata collections associated with said multimedia items, said system comprising:
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(a) a metadata server associated with each said content provider and operable as a description-generating process for communicating with one or more description-receiving processes, each said metadata server being configured, for each said content provider, to perform the steps of;
(i) receiving a request for said descriptions from one of said description-receiving processes in a predetermined request format;
(ii) interpreting said received request according to said predetermined request format;
(iii) accessing said information about said multimedia items in said metadata collection of said content provider in response to said interpreted request;
(iv) formatting said accessed information as a description according to a predetermined scheme, said resulting description containing at least one link which represents a return request to said metadata server;
(v) sending said formatted description to the said description-receiving process; and
(b) at least one said description-receiving process accessible to and operable by potential customers of said content providers and providing said potential customers with a single user interface to access descriptions of multimedia items generated from said multiple metadata servers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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19. A system for providing a plurality of users access to multimedia items associated with a plurality of content providers, each said content provider having a legacy database in which descriptions of corresponding said items are stored, a content database in which said corresponding multimedia items are stored, and a database manager for controlling access to said descriptions and corresponding multimedia items from said respective databases, said system comprising:
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a media browser application accessible to each of said users and configured to generate user requests for descriptions of said multimedia items, said requests being generated in a predetermined request format;
a metadata server application associated with each said content provider and configured to translate each said user request received by said metadata server from said predetermined request format into a specific format of said database manager to thereby provide for said database manager to query said legacy database and return at least one response description to said metadata server, said metadata server translating said at least one response description into said predetermined description format and returning the translated description to the requesting said media browser for presentation to said user.
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25. A system for facilitating access to structured information from a plurality of heterogeneous information sources, said system comprising:
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(a) an information server associated with each said information source and operable as a structured information generating process for communicating with one or more structured information receiving processes, each information server being configured to perform, for an information source, the steps of;
(i) receiving a request for said structured information from one of said structured information receiving processes in a predetermined request format;
(ii) interpreting said received request according to said predetermined request format;
(iii) accessing information in said associated information source in response to said interpreted request;
(iv) formatting said accessed information as said structured information according to a predetermined scheme, said resulting structured information containing at least one link which represents a return request to said information server;
(v) sending said structured information to said structured information receiving process; and
(b) at least one structured information receiving process accessible to and operable by potential users of said information sources with a single user interface to access and interpret said structured information from said multiple information servers.
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37. A metadata server operable as a description-generating process for communicating with one or more description-receiving processes, said metadata server being configured to perform the steps of:
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(i) receiving a request for descriptions of multimedia items from one of said description-receiving processes in a predetermined request format, wherein information required by said descriptions is stored in corresponding metadata collections associated with said multimedia items;
(ii) interpreting said received request according to said predetermined request format;
(iii) accessing said information about said multimedia items in said metadata collection of said content provider in response to said interpreted request;
(iv) formatting said accessed information as a description according to a predetermined scheme, said resulting description containing at least one link which represents a return request to said metadata server; and
(v) sending said formatted description to the said description-receiving process.
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49. An information server operable as a structured information generating process for communicating with one or more structured information receiving processes, said information server being configured to perform the steps of:
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(i) receiving a request for said structured information from one of said structured information receiving processes in a predetermined request format;
(ii) interpreting said received request according to said predetermined request format;
(iii) accessing information in response to said interpreted request;
(iv) formatting said accessed information as said structured information according to a predetermined scheme, said resulting structured information containing at least one link which represents a return request to said information server; and
(v) sending said structured information to said structured information receiving process.
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61. A computer readable medium, having a program recorded thereon, where the program is configured to make a metadata server operable as a description-generating process for communicating with one or more description-receiving processes, said program comprising:
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code for receiving a request for descriptions of multimedia items from one of said description-receiving processes in a predetermined request format, wherein information required by said descriptions is stored in corresponding metadata collections associated with said multimedia items;
code for interpreting said received request according to said predetermined request format;
code for accessing said information about said multimedia items in said metadata collection of said content provider in response to said interpreted request;
code for formatting said accessed information as a description according to a predetermined scheme, said resulting description containing at least one link which represents a return request to said metadata server; and
code for sending said formatted description to the said description-receiving process.
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62. A computer readable medium, having a program recorded thereon, where the program is configured to make an information server operable as a structured information generating process for communicating with one or more structured information receiving processes, said program comprising:
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code for receiving a request for said structured information from one of said structured information receiving processes in a predetermined request format;
code for interpreting said received request according to said predetermined request format;
code for accessing information in response to said interpreted request;
code for formatting said accessed information as said structured information according to a predetermined scheme, said resulting structured information containing at least one link which represents a return request to said information server; and
code for sending said structured information to said structured information receiving process.
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Specification