Strategies for consuming resource items based on a resource item list

• US 20050267949A1
• Filed: 05/27/2004
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Scott, Samuel Thomas III
• Granted Patent: US 7,640,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor

Abstract

Strategies are described for creating a resource item list, for transferring the resource item list from one user to another user or to another destination, and for retrieving resource items from an operations center based on resource descriptors specified in the resource item list. The resource item list can include a number of attributes which are used to identify matching resource items in a content store of the operations center. A schema defines the contents and organization of entries in the resource item list. The use of resource item lists helps users discover and consume resource items of interest extracted from a larger pool of resource items.

Claims

1. A method for providing plural resource items from a content store, comprising:

receiving a resource item list from a client processing device, the resource item list including plural resource item descriptors that identify resource items provided in the content store;

automatically retrieving the resource items identified by the resource item descriptors from the content store; and

providing the retrieved resource items to the client processing device for presentation thereat.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resource item list is expressed in a markup language.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the markup language is the Extensible Markup Language (XML).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a schema governs the contents and organization of the resource item list.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein each resource item descriptor includes at least one attribute.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein each resource item descriptor includes plural attributes, a subset of which are optional.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resource item list includes information that specifies an order in which the resource items are to be presented.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the retrieving determines, in one case, that at least two resource items match at least one of the resource item descriptors in the resource item list.

9. The method according to claim 8, further including selecting one of said at least two resource items based on at least one consideration.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said at least one consideration pertains to a presentation feature of a rendering client presentation device that will render the selected resource item.

11. A computer readable medium including machine readable instructions for implementing the receiving, retrieving and providing of claim 1.

12. A method for retrieving plural resource items from a content store of an operations center, comprising:

obtaining, at a client processing device, a resource item list, the resource item list including plural resource item descriptors that identify respective resource items provided in the content store of the operations center;

forwarding the resource item list to the operations center;

receiving the resource item list at the operations center;

retrieving the resource items identified by the resource item descriptors from the content store; and

providing the retrieved resource items to the client processing device for presentation thereat.

13. The method according to claim 12, where the obtaining includes receiving the resource item list from a source entity.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the source entity is another computer processing device.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the obtaining involves creating the resource item list.

16. A computer readable medium including machine readable instructions for implementing the obtaining, forwarding, receiving, retrieving and providing of claim 12.

17. A server apparatus for providing plural resource items, comprising:

a content store providing plural resource items;

logic configured to receive a resource item list from a client processing device, the resource item list including plural resource item descriptors that identify resource items provided in the content store;

logic configured to automatically retrieve the resource items identified by the resource item descriptors from the content store; and

logic configured to provide the retrieved resource items to the client processing device for presentation thereat.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the resource item list is expressed in a markup language.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the markup language is the Extensible Markup Language (XML).

20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein a schema governs the contents and organization of the resource item list.

21. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein each resource item descriptor includes at least one attribute.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein each resource item descriptor includes plural attributes, a subset of which are optional.

23. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the resource item list includes information that specifies an order in which the resource items are to be presented.

24. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the logic for retrieving is configured to determine, in one case, that at least two resource items match at least one of the resource item descriptors in the resource item list.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, further including logic configured to select one of said at least two resource items based on at least one consideration.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said at least one consideration pertains to a presentation feature of a rendering client presentation device that will render the selected resource item.

27. A computer readable medium including machine readable instructions for implementing the logic for receiving, logic for retrieving, and logic for providing of claim 17.

28. A system for retrieving plural resource items, comprising:

a computer processing device, including;

logic configured to obtain a resource item list, the resource item list including plural resource item descriptors that identify respective resource items; and

logic configured to forward the resource item list to an operations center;

the operations center including;

a content store for storing resource items;

logic configured to receive the resource item list;

logic configured to retrieve the resource items identified by the resource item descriptors in the resource item list from the content store; and

logic configured to provide the retrieved resource items to the client processing device for presentation thereat.

29. The system according to claim 28, where the logic for obtaining is configured to receive the resource item list from a source entity.

30. The system according to claim 29, wherein the source entity is another computer processing device.

31. The system according to claim 28, wherein the logic for obtaining is configured to create the resource item list.

32. A computer readable medium including machine readable instructions for implementing the logic for obtaining, logic for forwarding, logic for receiving, logic for retrieving and logic for providing of claim 28.

33. A computer related media including, stored thereon, a resource item list having at least one resource item descriptor, wherein said at least one resource item descriptor links to at least one resource item stored in a content store, comprising:

a first field that identifies an order in which resource items associated with said at least one resource item descriptor are to be presented to the user;

a second field that identifies said at least one resource item descriptor, wherein the second field includes at least one attribute that specifies a property of said at least one resource item descriptor.

34. The computer readable media according to claim 33, wherein said at least one attribute includes an attribute which specifies where to locate a resource item corresponding to said at least one resource item descriptor in the content store.

35. The computer readable medium according to claim 34, wherein said at least one attribute includes at least one additional attribute, selected from:

a first attribute that specifies a title of a matching resource item;

a second attribute that specifies an airing date on which the matching resource item was aired;

a third attribute that specifies an airing service that aired the matching resource item;

a fourth attribute which specifies an airing time at which the matching resource item was aired; and

a fifth attribute which specifies a duration of the matching resource item.

36. The computer readable medium according to claim 35, wherein at least one of said first through fifth attributes is optional.