Application program interface to manage media files

• US 20070294311A1
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gates, Matthijs A., Reneris, Kenneth, Sather, Dale
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G11B 2220/25 characterised in that the disc is based on a specific recording technology
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/32 on separate auxiliary tracks of the same or an auxiliary record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

An application program interface to manage media files may be described. An apparatus may comprise a media processing sub-system having a processor and a memory. The memory may store an application program interface software library having multiple software objects. The processor may execute the software objects in response to application program interface commands in order to manage a virtual file comprising a hierarchy of name-value pairs used to store media content from multiple media streams. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An article comprising a machine-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a system to receive an application program interface command corresponding to a software object from a software library, and access a virtual file with media information for multiple media streams stored using a hierarchy of name-value pairs with said software object.

2. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a file create command to create said virtual file, create said virtual file with a file handle in response to said file create command, and send said file handle for said virtual file.

3. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a get file information command, and send file information for said virtual file in response to said get file information command.

4. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a get root container command, and send a list of name-value pairs from a root container.

5. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a container read command, and read a name-value pair from a container.

6. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a container write command, and write a name-value pair to a container.

7. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a value reader command, and read a short value or a long value from a container.

8. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a value writer command, and write a short value or a long value to a container.

9. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a read lock command, and lock a short value or a long value for reading.

10. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a write lock command, and lock a short value or a long value for writing.

11. An apparatus comprising a media processing sub-system having a processor and a memory, said memory storing an application program interface software library having multiple software objects, said processor to execute said software objects in response to application program interface commands in order to manage a virtual file comprising a hierarchy of name-value pairs used to store media content from multiple media streams.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, said application program interface software library including at least one of a file create object responsive to a file create command, a file information object responsive to a get file information command, a root container object responsive to a get root container command, a container read object responsive to a container read command, a container write object responsive to a container write command, a value reader object responsive to a value reader command, a value writer object responsive to a value writer command, a read lock object responsive to a read lock command, or a write lock object responsive to a write lock command.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, comprising a media application reader to read a name-value pair from said virtual file using said application program interface software library.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, comprising a media application writer to write a name-value pair to said virtual file using said application program interface software library.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, comprising a media file manager to manage said virtual file.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving an application program interface command corresponding to a software object from a software library; and

accessing a virtual file with media information for multiple media streams stored using a hierarchy of name-value pairs with said software object.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising writing media information to said virtual file with a first software object from said software library.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising reading media information from said virtual file with a second software object from said software library.

19. The method of claim 16, comprising creating said virtual file with a third software object from said software library.

20. The method of claim 16, comprising creating said name-value pair with a fourth software object from said software library.