Digital asset data type definitions

• US 20070208720A1
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Home Box Office Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Home Box Office Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hixson, Carl, Moroney, Anne, Probst, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 7,739,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• 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 16/80 of semi-structured data, e.g. markup language structured data such as SGML, XML or HTML content-based retrieval of web data G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/84 Mapping; Conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/914 Video
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• 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

Abstract

Data definitions for digital assets, such as, for example, audio, video, photographs, graphics, and electronic documents, are provided that allow these different asset types to be stored in a single database. The definitions are preferably in XML and can be used as a standardized dictionary to more efficiently and economically manage digital assets, thus improving system interoperability between companies or organizations within a company. A digital asset ordering interface, hardware system, software arrangement, and application interface configuration advantageously using these data definitions are also provided.

Claims

1. A method of storing digital assets, the digital assets comprising at least three different types of digital assets selected from the group consisting of still images, video recordings, movies, audio recordings, graphics, promos, voiceovers, and text, the method comprising:

arranging metadata of a first type of digital asset in accordance with a document type definition (DTD) comprising declared elements and attributes for at least three different types of digital assets, at least a first type selected from the group consisting of video recordings and audio recordings and at least one other type selected from the group consisting of still images, movies, graphics, promos, voiceovers, and text;

arranging metadata of a second type of digital asset in accordance with the DTD, the second type different from the first type;

arranging metadata of a third type of digital asset in accordance with the DTD, the third type different from the first type and the second type;

storing a first digital asset of the first type in a database;

storing a second digital asset of the second type in the same database as the first digital asset; and

storing a third digital asset of the third type in the same database as the first and second digital assets.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the metadata of the first, second, and third types of digital assets in the same database as the first, second, and third digital assets.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the arranging of metadata for a first type of digital asset comprises arranging metadata of a first type of digital asset in accordance with a DTD comprising declared elements and attributes for photographs wherein the photograph metadata attributes comprise at least one of:

a definition for black/white;

a definition for color;

a definition for caption; and

a definition for legal restrictions associated with a photograph.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the arranging of metadata for a first type of digital asset comprises arranging metadata of a first type of digital asset in accordance with a DTD comprising declared elements and attributes for audio recordings wherein the audio metadata attributes comprise at least one of:

a definition for music;

a definition for track title;

a definition for duration;

a definition for compact disc (CD) number;

a definition for CD title; and

a definition for rights issues regarding use of an audio recording.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the arranging of metadata for a first type of digital asset comprises arranging metadata of a first type of digital asset in accordance with a DTD comprising declared elements and attributes for movies wherein the movie metadata attributes comprise at least one of:

a definition for title;

a definition for version;

a definition for rating;

a definition for minutes;

a definition for release date;

a definition for run time;

a definition for color;

a definition for synopsis;

a definition for director;

a definition for cast; and

a definition for allowable usage of a movie.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the arranging of metadata for a first type of digital asset comprises arranging metadata of a first type of digital asset in accordance with a DTD comprising declared elements and attributes for video recordings wherein the video-recordings-metadata attributes comprise a definition for rights issues regarding use of a video recording.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the definition for rights issues comprises at least one of:

a contract identifier;

an availability start date;

an availability end date;

an allowed number of plays per agreement;

a copyright holder identifier; and

a worldwide rights identifier.

8. A method of retrieving digital assets from a digital asset library, the digital assets comprising at least three different types of digital assets selected from the group consisting of still images, video recordings, movies, audio recordings, graphics, promos, voiceovers, and text, the method comprising:

receiving a request for at least one digital asset, the request comprising criteria to which the requested digital asset is to conform;

accessing a document type definition (DTD) of digital assets stored in the digital asset library, the DTD comprising declared elements and attributes for at least three different types of digital assets, at least a first type selected from the group consisting of video recordings and audio recordings and at least one other type selected from the group consisting of still images, movies, graphics, promos, voiceovers, and text, the DTD further comprising declared elements and attributes for rights management of at least three different types of digital assets selected from the group consisting of still images, video recordings, movies, graphics, promos, and voiceovers;

searching a database of the digital asset library for the requested digital asset, the database comprising a plurality of records identifying digital assets of at least three different types selected from the group consisting of still images, video recordings, movies, audio recordings, graphics, promos, voiceovers, and text; and

returning a list of at least two digital assets in response to the two digital assets each conforming to the criteria, the two digital assets each being of a different asset type selected from the group consisting of still images, video recordings, movies, audio recordings, graphics, promos, voiceovers, and text.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the criteria comprises a keyword.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the criteria comprises a product ID and a version ID.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving a request for a copy of one of the two digital assets conforming to the criteria;

accessing the one of the two digital assets stored in a computer storage device of the digital asset library; and

creating a copy of the one of the two digital assets in compliance with the request for a copy.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the DTD is encoded in extensible markup language (XML).

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the plurality of database records corresponds to the DTD.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the DTD comprises declared elements and attributes for rights management of at least two different types of digital assets selected from the group consisting of video recordings, movies, audio recordings, graphics, and text.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein the DTD comprises declared elements and attributes for still images, video recordings, and audio recordings.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein the DTD comprises declared elements and attributes for movies, graphics, and voiceovers.

17. A method of retrieving digital assets stored in a single database, the digital assets comprising at least three different types of digital assets selected from the group consisting of still images, video recordings, movies, audio recordings, graphics, promos, voiceovers, and text, the method comprising:

receiving a request for at least one digital asset, the request comprising criteria to which the requested digital asset is to conform;

accessing a document type definition (DTD) comprising declared elements and attributes for all the types of digital assets stored in the single database, the DTD comprising declared elements and attributes for a first type of asset selected from the group consisting of video recordings and audio recordings and at least one other type selected from the group consisting of still images, movies, graphics, promos, voiceovers, and text, the DTD further comprising declared elements and attributes for rights management of at least three different types of digital assets selected from the group consisting of still images, video recordings, movies, graphics, promos, and voiceovers;

searching the database for the requested digital asset, the database comprising a plurality of records identifying digital assets of at least three different types selected from the group consisting of still images, video recordings, movies, audio recordings, graphics, promos, voiceovers, and text; and

returning a list of at least two digital assets in response to the two digital assets each conforming to the criteria, the two digital assets each being of a different asset type selected from the group consisting of still images, video recordings, movies, audio recordings, graphics, promos, voiceovers, and text.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the criteria comprises a keyword.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the criteria comprises a product ID and a version ID.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the criteria comprises a name of an actor.