System and method for managing access to media assets

• US 20080155079A1
• Filed: 12/22/2006
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energetic Power Investment Limited
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Spiegelman, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,908,270 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists

Abstract

Methods and systems for managing a library of media assets, such as songs and videos, associated with a particular user are described in this disclosure. Through the systems described, a user will have access via a network to the user'"'"'s collection of media assets, as well as having local access to the same assets, regardless of where the assets actually reside on the network. Media assets, regardless of their location, may be added to the user'"'"'s collection by adding them to a master list maintained by a media asset manager on a remote device. The media asset manager can then provide the user access to any listed media asset regardless of the user'"'"'s location and device. The media asset manager further may update the user'"'"'s local collection to reflect any changes made to the master list.

Claims

1. A method of managing access to media assets comprising:

maintaining, for a user, an associated asset list, the associated asset list containing one or more cataloged asset identifiers, each cataloged asset identifier identifying a cataloged media asset in a library;

receiving, from the user, an association request to associate a second media asset with the user, the second media asset located at a remote network location remote from the library;

determining if the second media asset is a cataloged media asset in the library based on information contained in the association request; and

adding an asset identifier to the associated asset list, the asset identifier identifying the second media asset.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the associated asset list to a browser on the first remote computing device, wherein the user can render, via the browser from the first remote computing device, any cataloged media asset and second media asset identified in the user'"'"'s associated asset list based on the information provided in the associated asset list.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that the second media asset is a cataloged media asset in the library with a corresponding cataloged asset identifier; and

using the cataloged asset identifier corresponding to the second media asset as the asset identifier added to the user'"'"'s associated asset list.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that the second media asset is not a cataloged media asset; and

using a location identifier as the asset identifier, the location identifier identifying the remote network location from which the second media asset can be obtained.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the location identifier is contained in the association request.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving an association request further comprises:

synchronizing a remote asset list with the associated asset list, the remote asset list associated with the user and maintained on a device remote from the associated asset list; and

determining, based on the synchronizing, that the second media asset has been added by the user to the remote asset list.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the association request includes a cataloged asset identifier for the second media asset.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a play request from a first remote computing device associated with the user; and

selecting, based on the user'"'"'s associated asset list, the second media asset to be transmitted to the first remote computing device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the play request is generated by a browser on the first remote computing device.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein retrieving further comprises:

causing the second media asset to be transmitted from the network location from which the second media asset can be obtained to the first remote computing device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein causing further comprises:

retrieving, the second media asset from the network location from which the second media asset can be obtained; and

transmitting the second media asset to the first remote computing device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the network location is a second remote computing device associated with the user and retrieving comprises:

accessing the second remote computing device; and

retrieving the second media asset from the second remote computing device.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein transmitting further comprises:

streaming the second media asset to the remote computing device associated with the user.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving further comprises:

receiving the association request from a request generation module on a remote computing device associated with the second media asset; and

associating, with the asset identifier of the second media asset added to the user'"'"'s associated asset list, a source identifier identifying the request generation module.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

compensating a party associated with the request generation module.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

providing a module for generating association requests to the party.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

synchronizing the remote asset list with the associated asset list, the remote asset list associated with the user and maintained on a device remote from the associated asset list;

determining, based on the synchronizing, that the second media asset has not been added by the user to the remote asset list; and

adding the asset identifier of the second media asset to the remote asset list.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the second media asset is a cataloged media asset and adding the asset identifier of the second media asset to the remote asset list further comprises:

using the cataloged asset identifier for the second media asset as the asset identifier added to the remote asset list; and

transmitting the copy of the second media asset obtained from the library to the device remote from the associated asset list.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the second media asset is not contained in the library,

retrieving the second media asset based on information provided in the association request; and

preventing access to the second media asset by any party other than the user.

20. (canceled)

21. A system for managing access to media assets comprising:

a library of cataloged media assets;

a media asset identifier that, based on a request from a user to add a second media asset to the user'"'"'s associated asset list, determines if the second media asset is a cataloged media asset in the library and generates an asset identifier for the second media asset;

an asset list manager that maintains the user'"'"'s associated asset list and that adds asset identifiers received from the media asset identifier to the user'"'"'s associated asset list; and

wherein the asset list manager transmits the user'"'"'s associated asset list to a browser on a first remote computing device associated with the user and, in response to a user render requests, causes cataloged media assets and second media assets identified by the user'"'"'s associated asset list to be delivered to the first remote computing device.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein each cataloged media asset has an associated cataloged asset identifier and wherein if the media asset identifier determines that the second media asset is a cataloged media asset, the media asset identifier uses the cataloged asset identifier associated with the second media asset as the asset identifier.

23. The system of claim 21 wherein if the media asset identifier determines that the second media asset is not a cataloged media asset, the media asset identifier uses a location identifier associated with the second media asset as the asset identifier, the location identifier identifying a network location remote from the library from which the second media asset may be obtained.

26. The system of claim 21 wherein the request is received from a request generation module on a remote computing device, and the request includes a cataloged asset identifier of the second media asset and a source identifier associated with the remote computing device, and further comprising:

a compensation module that compensates a party associated with the request generation module in response to the asset list manager adding the asset identifier of the second media asset to the user'"'"'s associated asset list.

27. The system of claim 21 wherein the request is received from a request generation module on a remote computing device, and the request includes a cataloged asset identifier of the second media asset and a source identifier associated with the remote computing device, and further comprising:

a compensation module that compensates a party associated with the request generation module in response to the asset list manager causing the second media asset identified by the asset identifier to be delivered to the first remote computing device.

24-25. -25. (canceled)

28. A computer-readable medium encoding computer-executable instructions for a method of managing access to media assets, the method comprising:

maintaining, for a user, an associated asset list, the associated asset list containing one or more cataloged asset identifiers, each cataloged asset identifier identifying a cataloged media asset in a library;

receiving, from the user, an association request to associate a second media asset with the user, the second media asset located at a remote network location remote from the library;

determining if the second media asset is a cataloged media asset in the library based on information contained in the association request; and

adding an asset identifier to the associated asset list, the asset identifier identifying the second media asset.

29-34. -34. (canceled)