Streaming media search system

• US 20040177096A1
• Filed: 03/15/2004
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Aviv Eyal, George Aposporos
• Original Assignee: Aviv Eyal, George Aposporos
• Inventors: Eyal, Aviv, Aposporos, George
• Application Number:
  US10/800,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20040177096A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• 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: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention include a method to access a web site. A plurality of links are identified using a web browser component, where the links are selectable to open a corresponding web resource of a specified data type on the web site. The plurality of links are made available to a plurality of Internet enabled devices that select one or more of the links.

Claims

1. A method to locate media resources on a network, the method comprising:

making a verification determination, at one or more moments, for each link in a plurality of links in order to identify a set of two or more verified links, wherein making the verification determination includes using each link in the plurality of links to determine an indication of whether a corresponding media resource for that link is available at a particular moment;

from the plurality of links, making available for playback on a network enabled device the set of verified links;

responsive to a search request from at least one of one or more components that are configured to use links to initiate continuous and automatic playback of media resources identified by those links, wherein the one or more components include a media player residing on the network enabled device, performing the steps of;

identifying, from the set of verified links, at least a first link and a second link corresponding to a criteria of the search request, wherein the first link can be used to access a first media resource on the network, and the second link can be used to access a second media resource on the network; and

cooperating with at least one of the one or more components in order to communicate the first link and the second link to the media player, so that at least one of the one or more components can subsequently initiate playback of the first media resource using the media player, and in response to termination of playback of the first media resource, automatically initiate playback of the second media resource using the media player;

wherein performing the step of making the verification determination increases a likelihood that the first media resource and the second media resource are each available when playback of the first media resource and playback of the second media resource are each initiated by the one or more components, so that playback of the second media resource is more likely to be successful when initiated automatically and continuously after playback of the first media resource as a result of the second link being from the set of verified links, when compared to another link that is not in the set of verified links.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing the plurality of links in one or more memory devices on the network.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying one or more classes of information about at least some of the plurality of links; and

storing the at least some of the plurality of links in association with the one or more classes of information.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of making the one or more classes of information available to the network enabled device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of identifying the plurality of links using a crawler module, the crawler module identifying at least some of the plurality of links from a web site.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein corresponding media resources in the set of verified links include media resources having one of an audio data type, a video data type, or a combination of audio and video types.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of making a verification determination includes attempting to open the corresponding media resource of each link in the plurality of links using a media playback component.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of identifying the plurality of links by programmatically controlling a media playback component through an application programmable interface of the media playback component to access media resources that are identified by at least some of the plurality of links.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein programmatically controlling a media playback component through an application programmable interface includes configuring the media playback component to not display a user interface.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein programmatically controlling a media playback component through an application programmable interface includes configuring the media playback component to reduce functionality in at least one of displaying, playing audio and processing portions of an accessed media resource.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein making a verification determination includes making the verification determination for each of the plurality of links to determine which of the links in the plurality of links are selectable to open the corresponding media resource of a specified data type.

12. A machine-readable medium for locating media resources on a network, the machine-readable medium including one or modules which when executed by one or more processors, perform the steps of:

making a verification determination, at one or more moments, for each link in a plurality of links in order to identify a set of two or more verified links, wherein making the verification determination includes using each link in the plurality of links to determine an indication of whether a corresponding media resource for that link is available at a particular moment;

from the plurality of links, making available for playback on a network enabled device the set of verified links;

responsive to a search request from at least one of one or more components that are configured to use links to initiate continuous and automatic playback of media resources identified by those links, wherein the one or more components include a media player residing on the network enabled device, performing the steps of;

identifying, from the set of verified links, at least a first link and a second link corresponding to a criteria of the search request, wherein the first link can be used to access a first media resource on the network, and the second link can be used to access a second media resource on the network; and

cooperating with at least one of the one or more components in order to communicate the first link and the second link to the media player, so that at least one of the one or more components can subsequently initiate playback of the first media resource using the media player, and in response to termination of playback of the first media resource, automatically initiate playback of the second media resource using the media player;

wherein performing the step of making the verification determination increases a likelihood that the first media resource and the second media resource are each available when playback of the first media resource and playback of the second media resource are each initiated by the one or more components, so that playback of the second media resource is more likely to be successful when initiated automatically and continuously after playback of the first media resource as a result of the second link being from the set of verified links, when compared to another link that is not in the set of verified links.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, comprising at least one module, that when executed by the one or more processors, perform the step of storing the plurality of links in one or more memory devices on the network.

14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13, comprising at least one module, that when executed by the one or more processors, performs the steps of

identifying one or more classes of information about at least some of the plurality of links;

and

storing the at least some of the plurality of links in association with the one or more classes of information.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, comprising at least one module, that when executed by the one or more processors, performs the step of making the one or more classes of information available to the network enabled device.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, comprising at least one module, that when executed by the one or more processors, performs the step of using a crawler module to identify at least some of the plurality of links from a web site.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein corresponding media resources in the set of verified links include media resources having one of an audio data type, a video data type, or a combination of audio and video types.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, comprising at least one module, that when executed by the one or more processors, performs the step of making a verification determination by attempting to open the corresponding media resource of each link in the plurality of links using a media playback component.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, comprising at least one module, that when executed by the one or more processors, performs the step of identifying the plurality of links by programmatically controlling a media playback component through an application programmable interface of the media playback component to access media resources that are identified by at least some of the plurality of links.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, comprising at least one module, that when executed by the one or more processors, performs the step of programmatically controlling a media playback component through an application programmable interface by configuring the media playback component to not display a user interface.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, comprising at least one module, that when executed by the one or more processors, performs the step of programmatically controlling a media playback component through an application programmable interface by configuring the media playback component to reduce functionality in at least one of displaying, playing audio and processing portions of an accessed media resource.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 12, comprising at least one module, that when executed by the one or more processors, performs the step of making a verification determination for each of the plurality of links to determine which of the links in the plurality of links are selectable to open the corresponding media resource of a specified data type.