Occasion for media objects

• US 20050289163A1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: University of Southern California
• Original Assignee: University of Southern California
• Inventors: Gordon, Eric, Lacour, Victor, Gilman, Chris
• Application Number:
  US11/145,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20050289163A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A media database which stores media of various types including movies, still images, and sounds, along with user comments about the media and links to other media. The user comments and links collectively form a composition about the media clip that others can view.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

forming a database of digital, computer-based media, each item of media having an identifier associated therewith; and

enabling each of a plurality of viewers from a plurality of separated clients to view said media and enabling each of said plurality of viewers to provide comments on said media, and links between different items of said media collectively forming a composition relating to said media, and also enabling each of said plurality of viewers to view said compositions associated with said media.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said database includes specified categories associated with each of certain media, and said comments are associated with said categories.

3. A method as in claim 2, further comprising defining a plurality of user groups, and defining a first set of categories with the first user group for said media, and the second set of categories for said user group for the same said media.

4. A method as in claim 3, wherein users within one user group can use separately comments provided by users in the same user group and provided by users in a different user group.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein said comments are associated with at least one of a plurality of categories associated with said media, said categories collectively forming a concept palette.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

A server computer, storing a database of digital, computer-based media, and storing a plurality of identifiers, respectively associated with said database of media, said server computer forming a user interface which enables each of a plurality of viewers from a plurality of separated client computers to view said media from said database, and to provide comments on said media, and links between different items of said media to collectively forming a composition relating to said media, and also enabling each of said plurality of viewers to view said compositions associated with said media.

7. An apparatus as in claim 6, wherein said database includes specified categories associated with each of certain media, and said comments are associated with said categories.

8. An apparatus as in claim 7, wherein said database includes a definition of a plurality of user groups, including a first set of categories with a first user group for said media, and a second set of categories for said user group for the same said media.

9. An apparatus as in claim 8, wherein users within one user group can use separately comments provided by users in the same user group and provided by users in a different user group.