METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MULTI-FORMAT DATA EXCHANGE

• US 20090327369A1
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Krull, Richard Donald, Murching, Anil Madhav, Mc Donnell, Niall Seamus
• Application Number:
  US12/310,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327369A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures

Abstract

Multi-format file transfer can be accomplished, without the need for storing files in each of a plurality of formats, by linking a plurality asset-containing first folders (16₁-16_m), each having a first format, to a plurality of virtual non-asset containing second folders (14₁-14_n) each having a second format. A client seeking an asset in a particular format does so by accessing one of the virtual second folders associated with the asset in the requested format. The access request to the second folder maps to a linked first folder containing the asset in a base format. The asset then undergoes conversion into the requested format. In this way, an FTP server (10) need only store assets in a base format.

Claims

1. A method for enabling multi-format file access, comprising the steps of:

linking a first, asset-containing file having a first format to at least one non-asset containing second file of a second format;

responsive to a request to access the second file, accessing the first file linked to the requested second file; and

converting the asset of the first file from the first format to the format of the requested second file for delivery.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the asset contained within the first file comprises one of:

digital media, an electronic document or a static image.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the second format comprises one of the GXF, MXF, QuickTime, AVI, or Windows ASF formats.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the first format comprises a base format different than one of the GXF, MXF, QuickTime, AVI, or Windows ASF formats.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of examining the request for access to determine whether the format of the requested second file constitutes an accessible format.

6. The method according to claim 15 further comprising the step of generating an alert message when the format of the requested second file does not constitutes an accessible format.

7. A method for enabling multi-format file access, comprising the steps of:

routing a request to access an asset in a first format to a file folder containing the asset in a second format

converting the asset in the file folder from the second format to the first format for delivery.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the asset contained within the file folder comprises one of:

digital media, an electronic document or a static image.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein the first format comprises one of GXF, MXF, QuickTime, AVI, or Windows ASF formats.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the second format comprises a base format different than one of the GXF, MXF, QuickTime, AVI, or Windows ASF formats.

11. The method according to claim 7 further comprising the step of examining the request for access to determine whether the first format constitutes an accessible format.

12. The method according to claim 11 further comprising the step of generating an alert message when the first format does not constitutes an accessible format.

13. An file server comprising:

a root node;

a first plurality of non-asset containing first file folders linked to the root node, each non-asset first file folder having a first format; and

a plurality of asset-containing second file folders, each having an asset of a second format and each second file folder linked to at least one first file folder to enable routing a request to access an asset in a first format to one of the second file folders containing the asset in a second format; and

means for converting the asset in the file folder from the second format to the first format for delivery.