Media identifier registry

• US 20040034650A1
• Filed: 08/15/2002
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Toussaint, Keith Maurice, Springer, Thomas Brian Jr., McCartney, Jason E.D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,136,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A media identifier registry for managing metadata records. The registry stores a unique logical identifier for each of the records as well as a base type corresponding to each of the logical identifiers. The base types are representative of the information contained in the respective metadata records for the corresponding logical identifiers. The registry further defines associations between the logical identifiers and base types. Improvements in identifying media content and related information according to the invention permit building a media data warehouse capable of aggregating data from many different sources, uniquely identify the same piece of content from different data providers, in different cultures, and in different physical forms to allow a consistent set of data to be stored and retrieved.

Claims

1. A method of managing metadata comprising:

maintaining a database of metadata records, said metadata records each corresponding to one or more media files and containing information relating to content of the corresponding media files, said media files being adapted for rendering by a media player program executed on one or more client computers;

generating a unique logical identifier for each of the metadata records, said logical identifiers being configured for use in querying the metadata database;

defining a base type corresponding to each of the logical identifiers, said base types being representative of the information contained in the respective metadata records for the corresponding logical identifiers;

storing the logical identifiers and the base types in an ID registry; and

defining associations between the logical identifiers and the base types.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising retrieving from the metadata database each metadata record that corresponds to a specific media file being rendered by the media player program executed on one of the client computers, said metadata record being retrieved as a function of the logical identifier.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising formatting the retrieved metadata record for rendering by the media player program, said retrieved metadata record being formatted by a server associated with the metadata database, said server and said client computer executing the media player program being coupled to a data communication network, and further comprising returning the formatted metadata record to the client computer via the data communication network for rendering with the corresponding specific media file.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing information representative of the base types in respective bit fields associated with the corresponding logical identifiers.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the base type is selected from one or more of the following:

performer, primary artist, album, track, title, and genre.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising mapping each of the logical identifiers to one or more identifiers from a different domain of identifiers.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising maintaining data integrity by one-to-one mapping of unique identifiers from the different domain of identifiers to the logical identifiers.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising mapping each of the logical identifiers to one or more physical identifiers in the ID registry, said physical identifiers each being representative of physical characteristics of one of the media files.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising searching the metadata database for metadata records corresponding to a specific media file being rendered by the media player program executed on one of the client computers, said metadata database being searched as a function of the logical identifier mapped to the physical identifier that represents physical characteristics of the specific media file.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the specific media file includes digital content of one or more tracks of a compact disc and wherein the physical identifier is representative of offset of the tracks on the disc.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the specific media file includes digital content of a digital versatile disc and wherein the physical identifier is representative of menu information on the disc.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the information relating to the content of the media files contained in the metadata records is provided by a third party data provider, said third party data provider using provider identifiers for identifying the information, and further comprising mapping the logical identifiers to the provider identifiers in the ID registry.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising defining a mapping table, said mapping table having a schema containing a column for the logical identifiers, a column for the provider identifiers, and a column for the base types.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein mapping the logical identifiers to the provider identifiers includes mapping a single logical identifier to a plurality of provider identifiers.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising re-mapping the logical identifiers when the respective provider identifiers become obsolete.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising defining an associations table of the ID registry, said associations table having a schema containing a column for the logical identifiers and a column for source identifiers.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the source identifiers are representative of information selected from one or more of the following:

provider identifiers and physical identifiers representative of physical characteristics of the media files.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the associations table of the ID registry manages hierarchical associations.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising defining an associations table of the ID registry, said associations table having a schema containing a column for the logical identifiers, a column for collection identifiers representative of a media collection, and a column for ordinal values representative of order within the media collection.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising embedding each logical identifier in a specific media files being rendered by the media player program executed on one of the client computers, said embedded logical identifier being independent of physical characteristics of the specific media file.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the logical identifiers are globally unique identifiers.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the metadata records each contain content-related data and wherein the content-related data is selected from one or more of the following:

title, composer, performer, genre, studio, director, rating, art, and description of content of the corresponding media file.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

24. A system for managing metadata comprising:

a server coupled to a data communications network;

a database of metadata records, said metadata records each corresponding to one or more media files and containing information relating to content of the corresponding media files, said media files being adapted for rendering by a media player program executed on one or more client computers, said client computers being coupled to the data communications network; and

an ID registry storing a unique logical identifier for each of the metadata records, said logical identifiers being configured for use by the server in querying the metadata database, said ID registry further storing a base type corresponding to each of the logical identifiers and associated therewith in the ID registry, said base types being representative of the information contained in the respective metadata records for the corresponding logical identifiers.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the server is responsive to one of the logical identifiers for retrieving from the metadata database each metadata record that corresponds to a specific media file being rendered by the media player program executed on one of the client computers.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the ID registry includes information representative of the base types stored in respective bit fields associated with the corresponding logical identifiers.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein the base type is selected from one or more of the following:

performer, primary artist, album, track, title, and genre.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the ID registry maps each of the logical identifiers to one or more identifiers from a different domain of identifiers.

29. The system of claim 24 wherein the ID registry maps each of the logical identifiers to one or more physical identifiers in the ID registry, said physical identifiers each being representative of physical characteristics of one of the media files.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the server searches the metadata database for metadata records corresponding to a specific media file being rendered by the media player program executed on one of the client computers, said metadata database being searched as a function of the logical identifier mapped to the physical identifier that represents physical characteristics of the specific media file.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein the specific media file includes digital content of one or more tracks of a compact disc and wherein the physical identifier is representative of offset of the tracks on the disc.

32. The system of claim 29 wherein the specific media file includes digital content of a digital versatile disc and wherein the physical identifier is representative of menu information on the disc.

33. The system of claim 24 wherein at least a portion of the information relating to the content of the media files contained in the metadata records is provided by a third party data provider, said third party data provider using provider identifiers for identifying the information, and wherein the logical identifiers are mapped to the provider identifiers in the ID registry.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein the ID registry includes a mapping table, said mapping table having a schema containing a column for the logical identifiers, a column for the provider identifiers, and a column for the base types.

35. The system of claim 33 wherein a single logical identifier is mapped to a plurality of provider identifiers.

36. The system of claim 33 wherein the ID registry includes an associations table, said associations table having a schema containing a column for the logical identifiers and a column for source identifiers.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the source identifiers are representative of information selected from one or more of the following:

provider identifiers and physical identifiers representative of physical characteristics of the media files.

38. The system of claim 36 wherein the associations table of the ID registry manages hierarchical associations.

39. The system of claim 24 wherein the ID registry includes an associations table, said associations table having a schema containing a column for the logical identifiers, a column for collection identifiers representative of a media collection, and a column for ordinal values representative of order within the media collection.

40. The system of claim 24 wherein each logical identifier is embedded in a specific media files being rendered by the media player program executed on one of the client computers, said embedded logical identifier being independent of physical characteristics of the specific media file.

41. The system of claim 24 wherein the logical identifiers are globally unique identifiers.

42. The system of claim 24 wherein the metadata records each contain content-related data and wherein the content-related data is selected from one or more of the following:

title, composer, performer, genre, studio, director, rating, art, and description of content of the corresponding media file.

43. One or more computer-readable media having a data structure stored thereon comprising:

a first field containing unique logical identifiers, said logical identifiers each corresponding to a metadata record, said metadata records each corresponding to one or more media files and containing information relating to content of the corresponding media files, said media files being adapted for rendering by a media player program executed on one or more client computers;

said logical identifiers being configured for use in querying the metadata database; and

a second field containing base types associated with the logical identifiers, said base types each corresponding to one of the logical identifiers, said base types being representative of the information contained in the respective metadata records for the corresponding logical identifiers.

44. The data structure of claim 43 wherein the second field stores information representative of the base types in respective bit fields associated with the corresponding logical identifiers.

45. The data structure of claim 43 wherein the base type is selected from one or more of the following:

performer, primary artist, album, track, title, and genre.

46. The data structure of claim 43 wherein each of the logical identifiers is mapped to one or more identifiers from a different domain of identifiers.

47. The data structure of claim 43 further comprising a third field containing physical identifiers, said physical identifiers each being representative of physical characteristics of one of the media files, said logical identifiers each being mapped to one or more of the physical identifiers.

48. The data structure of claim 47 wherein the specific media file includes digital content of one or more tracks of a compact disc and wherein the physical identifier is representative of offset of the tracks on the disc.

49. The data structure of claim 47 wherein the specific media file includes digital content of a digital versatile disc and wherein the physical identifier is representative of menu information on the disc.

50. The data structure of claim 43 wherein at least a portion of the information relating to the content of the media files contained in the metadata records is provided by a third party data provider, said third party data provider using provider identifiers for identifying the information, and further comprising a fourth field containing provider identifiers, said logical identifiers being mapped to the provider identifiers.

51. The data structure of claim 50 wherein the fields define a mapping table, said mapping table having a schema containing a column for the logical identifiers, a column for the provider identifiers, and a column for the base types.

52. The data structure of claim 50 wherein the fields define an associations table, said associations table having a schema containing a column for the logical identifiers and a column for source identifiers.

53. The data structure of claim 52 wherein the source identifiers are representative of information selected from one or more of the following:

provider identifiers and physical identifiers representative of physical characteristics of the media files.

54. The data structure of claim 52 wherein the associations table manages hierarchical associations.

55. The data structure of claim 43 wherein the fields define an associations table, said associations table having a schema containing a column for the logical identifiers, a column for collection identifiers representative of a media collection, and a column for ordinal values representative of order within the media collection.

56. The data structure of claim 43 wherein the logical identifiers are globally unique identifiers.