Method and means for finding recorded data in a database

• US 20060069681A1
• Filed: 09/27/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Swisscom AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Original Assignee: Swisscom Mobile AG (Government of Switzerland)
• Inventors: Lauper, Eric
• Application Number:
  US11/236,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A method and means for finding recorded data in a database are described. For this, a user of a mobile telephone with integrated digital camera can for example on the basis of a first digital image initiate over a mobile radio network a search for further images of other users in the database. To digital images, metafiles are appended whose metadata contain among others spatial, temporal, etc. information about the record. In case of partial correlation between the metadata of a first digital image with metadata of the further images of the database, the images from the database over the mobile radio network are forwarded to and displayed on the reproducing device of the mobile telephone.

Claims

1. Method for finding digital recorded data, preferably camera images, in a database,

wherein recorded data are stored by a plurality of users over a telecommunication network in said database,

wherein at least certain recorded data are recorded with mobile recording devices,

wherein in the database metadata are allocated to at least certain recorded data of users,

wherein the metadata contain automatically determined location information,

characterized in that

a record is made by a first user with a mobile device and a metafile relating to the record is generated, and the metafile is used as search criterion by a first user for searching the recorded data of different users in the database.

2. The method of claim 1, characterized in that said location information indicates the location of said mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, characterized in that said location information indicates a location of a recorded object, that can be determined for example on the basis of the location of the mobile device, of a recording direction to the object, with recording movement and—

for focused image recording—

the distance to the object, or instead of the location of the recorded object at least another location defined by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, characterized in that said location information is indicated as geographical coordinates.

5. The method of claim 1, characterized that said location information is determined in the mobile radio network.

6. The method of claim 1, characterized that said location information includes geographical place names that are determined automatically on the basis of geographical coordinates.

7. The method of claim 1, characterized that further to said location information, additional location information, such as street names or numbers, the surrounding of places or a zone around a geographical point, can be entered manually by the user in the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, characterized in that further to said location information, the metadata of at last one record include at least one of the following further indications:

a name of a user group of the database or of the photographer

a time, such as a year date, a month, a day, a time of day,

a recording characteristic of the recorded data such as setting parameters of the mobile device such as focal length, optical aperture, exposure time or a recording position or movement,

a characteristic of the recorded data such as a color or shape aspect,

further adjustable information of the mobile recording device such as a particularity of the recorded object or historical or cultural data.

9. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the location information of the metadata are determined by means of a position determining means such as a GPS or network-based localization means.

10. The method of claim 1, characterized in that recorded data contain video images or sound sequences.

11. The method of claim 1, characterized in that on one of the reproducing devices connected with the database a—

preferably software-assisted—

reproduction of a group of records with partly correlated metadata occurs according to one of the metadata as spatial, alphabetical, chronological reproduction sequence or as two- or three-dimensional panorama of the records.

12. The method of claim 11, characterized in that by comparing approximately similar areas between recorded data, a combination of the recorded data can be made as a panorama.

13. The method of claim 1, characterized in that a mobile radio network service provider bills to a user the transmission costs of the recorded data and metadata between the database and a mobile device for recording and/or reproducing recorded data.

14. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the database operator bills storage and administration costs of the recorded data and metadata to the user for the storing or the desired downloading of recorded data after the search.

15. The method of claim 13, characterized in that on the basis of technical services of the mobile radio network service provider and the database operator there is a financial agreement between them through a telephone bill at a lower price and/or on the other hand through increased memory space.

16. The method of claim 13, characterized in that a reward, preferably as private additional memory space and/or telephone credit, is awarded to a user who as contractor contributes to designing the database with recorded data and metadata.

17. The method of claim 13, characterized in that a reward, preferably as private additional memory space with the database operator and/or telephone credit with the mobile radio network service provider, is awarded to a user who contributes to designing part of the database with private recorded data and metadata if as many further users as possible search and possibly download his private records and metadata in the database.

18. The method of claim 1, characterized in that access rights to a user'"'"'s record stored in the database are awarded to further users for downloading this record.

19. The method of claim 1, characterized in that recorded data and metadata with different data types for images, videos or sounds such as *.jpeg, *.mpeg, *.raw, *.wav, *.gif can be transmitted between a mobile device and the database over different channels such as WEB, WAP etc. as integrated part of e-mails, MMS etc. and over communication networks GSM, UMTS, Internet, Bluetooth, and in that when downloading recorded data and metadata into the mobile device corresponding conversion means outside the database adapt the format required by the mobile device.

20. System with the following characteristics:

a database for storing and classifying several recorded data with metadata, having certain recorded data with metadata of different users,

a mobile device with a recording device of a first user, that is connected over a mobile radio network with the database,

a metadata generating module for generating a first metafile during a recording with the mobile device that has at least one location information of the record,

characterized by

a data administration system, where the metafile of the record can be used as criteria for searching for other records of further users in the database.

21. System according to claim 20, characterized in that for receiving other recorded data coming from the database, a reproducing device is connected the data administration system over a communication network, preferably the mobile radio network.

22. System according to claim 21, characterized in that the mobile device with a recording device and the reproducing device are integrated in a single mobile communication device such as a mobile telephone, a camera, a PDA.

23. System according to claim 20, characterized in that at least one billing unit is provided in the mobile radio network for the costs for storing the recorded data in the database and the costs for transmitting the recorded data and/or the metadata between the mobile device and the database and if necessary between the database and the reproducing device.

24. Mobile communication device with at least one recording device and one reproducing device, suitable for recorded data with metadata resp. for reproduced data with metadata,

wherein certain metadata comprise location information,

characterized in that

metadata-based search data from the recording device of a first user can be directed to a data administration system with a database, and metadata-based recorded data of other users of the database build search results to the search data, that can be directed to the reproducing device of the first user.

25. Mobile communication device according to claim 24, characterized in that the recording device with automatic metadata-generating means such as an internal or a mobile radio network-related navigation and/or orientation system is connected with or includes time or data generating means.

26. Mobile communication device according to claim 24, characterized in that the recording device resp. devices include manually adjustable metadata generating means and electronic input means for a name, a position, etc.

27. Mobile communication device according to claim 26, characterized by an input module for characterizing metadata for a user-based selection of certain metadata.

28. Mobile communication device according to claim 24, characterized in that the reproducing device has several representation means for the imported recorded data, allowing a temporal sequencing or different 2D to 3D combinations of recorded data on the basis of their metadata and in that the representation means include monitors, image projectors or other reproducing devices as well as corresponding software for controlling these reproducing devices.

29. Mobile communication device according to claim 28, characterized by an interpretation module for recognizing recorded data to be reproduced, wherein this module initiates a software-based user interface of the reproducing according to metadata.

30. Mobile communication device according to claim 24, characterized in that the data administration system is built as software-based user interface of the mobile communication device and the database is integrated in or connected to a memory module in the mobile communication device.