Techniques for Correlating Events to Digital Media Assets

• US 20090089249A1
• Filed: 10/01/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Miller, Mark, Verosub, Ellis M., Hwang, Yoon Sub, Rossell, Joseph M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,682,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation

Abstract

Improved approaches to intelligently refer users of one online media store to another online store are disclosed. The inter-store referral can permit a user of an online media store, such as an online media store that offers digital media assets for purchase, to easily access related information, such as event information, from another online store. According to another aspect, improved approaches to access and present event information are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for informing a user of related information, said method comprising:

(a) receiving a request for media item information from an online media store;

(b) determining whether there is available related information at a partner online store that is related to the media item information; and

(c) responding, if it is determined that there is available related information at a partner online store, to the request with a response that includes at least the media item information as well as the available related information or an indication thereto.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

(d) responding, if it is determined that there is no available related information at a partner online store, to the request with a response that includes at least the media item information and does not include the available related information or the indication thereto.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the indication to the available related information is a hyperlink.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the response includes the media item information as well as the indication to the available related information.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein said determining (b) comprises:

(b1) determining an artist associated with the media item information being requested; and

(b2) determining, based on the determined artist, whether the partner online store has available related information that is related to the media item information.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the partner online store is provided by a business partner, and

wherein said determining (d2) comprises examining a data file provided by the partner that specifies artists that the partner online store has available related information therefor.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the requested media item information concerns a song or collection of songs available for purchase on the online media store.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the available related information pertains to an event.

9. A computer readable medium including executable computer program code tangibly stored therein for responding to a request for information regarding a digital media item, said computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for receiving a media item information request concerning a requested media item;

computer program code for retrieving media item information responsive to the media item information request;

computer program code for determining an attribute associated with the requested media item;

computer program code for determining whether event information pertaining to the determined attribute is available;

computer program code for obtaining a reference to the event information if event information is determined to be available; and

computer program code for returning the media item information and the reference to the event information if event information is determined to be available.

10. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 9,

wherein the event information pertains to tickets available from a partner online store,

wherein the requested media item pertains to a song or a collection of songs, and

wherein said method further comprises:

returning the media item information without the reference to the event information if event information is determined not to be available.

11. A method for responding to a request for a digital media item, said method comprising:

receiving a media item information request concerning a requested media item;

retrieving media item information responsive to the media item information request;

determining an artist associated with the requested media item;

determining whether concert information pertaining to the determined artist is available;

obtaining a reference to the concert information if concert information is determined to be available; and

returning the media item information and the reference to the concert information if concert information is determined to be available.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein said method further comprises:

returning the media item information without the reference to the concert information if concert information is determined not to be available.

13. A method as recited in claim 12,

wherein said method further comprises:

determining whether concert information is to be provided with the media item information if available, and

wherein said determining of the artist associated with the requested media item, said determining whether concert information pertaining to the determined artist is available, and said obtaining the reference to the concert information are not performed if it is determined that concert information is not to be provided with the media item information.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein said method further comprises:

returning the media item information without the reference to the concert information if it is determined that concert information is not to be provided with the media item information.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the concert information pertains to available concert tickets.

16. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the requested media item is a digital media asset.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the digital media asset pertains to a a song, a collection of songs, or a video.

18. A computing system that supports an online media store, said computing system comprising:

means for processing a request for media item information;

means for determining whether there is available related information at a partner online store that is related to the media item information; and

means for responding to the request with a response that includes at least the media item information as well as the available related information or an indication thereto.

19. A computing system as recited in claim 18,

wherein the available related information is event information from the partner online store, and

wherein the requested media item pertains to a song or a collection of songs.

20. A method for presenting event information, said method comprising:

receiving an event information request from a requester;

obtaining event information;

processing the event information based on user interests; and

providing the processed event information to the requester.

21. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein said processing comprises filtering the event information based on user criteria to limit the processed event information.

22. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein the user criteria includes at least one of location and media assets associated with the requester.

23. A method as recited in claim 20,

wherein the requestor is a client device or its user,

wherein a media management application operates on the client device, and

wherein said providing provides the processed event information to the client device where the client device displays the processed event information.

24. A method as recited in claim 20,

wherein the event information is concert information, and

wherein said processing restricts the event information to information pertaining to those events that are geographically proximate to the requestor.

25. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein said processing determines a subset of the event information that pertains to events in which an artist associated with the event is an artist in the media library or purchase history associated with the requestor.