Data structure

• US 20040044680A1
• Filed: 03/24/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kydd, Andrew David, Govan, Barney, Williams, Michael John, Thorpe, Jonathan Richard, McGrath, Mark John, Roberts, Timothy Stuart, Miller, Alexander John James
• Granted Patent: US 7,587,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/71 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7343 Query language or query format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/78 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2516 Hard disks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/455 said record carriers being in one device and being used as primary and secondary/backup media, e.g. HDD-DVD combo device, or as source and target media, e.g. PC and portable player
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A data structure for representing metadata describes the content of at least one shot or sub-shot of information material. The data structure comprises a volume identification defining a data carrier on which the information material is contained, at least one shot identification defining the shot or sub-shot within the material, and at least one type of metadata associated with the content of the shot or sub-shot. The volume identification is arranged at a first hierarchical level and the shot identification is arranged at a lower hierarchical level and the metadata describing the shot is arranged with respect to the shot hierarchical level. The data structure provides an efficient facility for communicating metadata between metadata nodes including application programs which use the metadata. The metadata is identified on the basis of a shot and volume on which the information material which the metadata describes is contained. By arranging the volume identifier at a first hierarchical level, the shot identifier at a lower hierarchical level and the metadata related to the shot or sub-shot within the shot level, a systematic and compatible format for interrogating and retrieving metadata is provided.

Claims

1. A data structure for representing metadata describing the content of at least one shot or sub-shot of information material, said data structure comprising

a volume identification defining a data carrier on which said information material is contained,

at least one shot identification defining said at least one shot or sub-shot within said information material, and

at least one type of metadata associated with the content of the shot or sub-shot, wherein the volume identification is arranged at a first hierarchical level and the shot identification is arranged at a lower hierarchical level and said metadata describing the shot or sub-shot is arranged with respect to said shot hierarchical level.

2. A data structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said volume identification and said shot identification are defined as tree nodes in accordance with said first and said lower hierarchical levels, said volume identification having a start point and an end point defining a volume node and said shot has a start point and an end point defining a shot node.

3. A data structure as claimed in claims 1, wherein said metadata comprises volume metadata describing the content or attributes associated with the material contained on the volume and shot metadata describing the content or attributes associated with the shot or sub-shot.

4. A data structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of shots are arranged within said lower hierarchical level.

5. A data structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein said hierarchy of said volume and shot nodes are arranged to the effect that the hierarchy is defined by a schema in accordance with predetermined rules, the rules being established to separate and extract metadata of different types in accordance with said hierarchy.

6. A data structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said schema is defined in accordance with a mark-up language.

7. A data structure as claimed in claim 6 wherein said mark-up language is XML or the like.

8. A data structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said metadata contained within the shot node includes a resource identifier providing a location address of a metadata resource representing a substantial amount of data.

9. A data structure as claimed in claim 8, wherein said address of the resource is a Uniform Resource Identifier address allowing access to the resource from a networked device via the World Wide Web.

10. A data structure as claimed in claim 8, wherein said information material includes a/v material, the metadata resource being proxy video data.

16. A signal representing the data structure according to any preceding claim.

17. A data carrier containing the signal claimed in claim 16.

11. Metadata describing audio and/or video material content or attributes represented in a form of a mark-up language defined with respect to a volume identifier and a shot identifier.

12. A data structure for representing metadata, said data structure including

a field for a material identifier providing a unique or quasi-unique identifier of material, and

a field providing a Uniform Resource Identifier address from which a representation of said material can be accessed.

13. A data structure as claimed in claim 12, wherein said data structure comprises

a volume identification identifying a data carrier on which said material is contained, and

at least one shot identification defining said at least one shot or sub-shot, wherein the volume identification and the shot identification are arranged in a hierarchical format such that the volume identification is arranged at a different level to the shot identification and said metadata describing the shot is arranged in association with said shot hierarchical level.

14. A data structure as claimed in claim 12, wherein said unique address is a Unique Material Identifier (UMID).

15. A data structure as claimed in claim 12, wherein said unique or quasi-unique address is a Universally Unique Identifier.