SYSTEM FOR MANAGING DISTRIBUTED ASSETS AND MEDADATA

• US 20100198888A1
• Filed: 01/30/2009
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Swanbeck, Wendy, Blomstedt, Linda C., Sakey, Louis J., Schwartz, Michael S., Schreckengast, James O., Rourke, Anne C., Parry, Charles E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,832,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/827
• 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

Abstract

A system for managing distributed digital assets and related metadata in a network, including several interconnected nodes, each of the interconnected nodes providing accessibility to the distributed digital assets via user controlled stores and caching subsystems such that the management of the assets and related metadata is based on predetermined criteria. Each node includes a caching subsystem, a metadata store, a controller, a user-controlled asset component, and a networking subsystem for communication between each of the nodes. The interconnected nodes provide support for platform operation of client applications.

Claims

1. A system for managing distributed digital assets and related metadata in a network, comprising:

a plurality of interconnected nodes, each of the interconnected nodes providing accessibility to the distributed assets via user controlled stores and caching subsystems such that the management of the assets and related metadata is based on predetermined criteria;

wherein each node in the plurality of interconnected nodes includes a caching subsystem, a metadata store, a controller, a user-controlled asset component a networking subsystem for communication between each of the nodes, and wherein the plurality of interconnected nodes provide support for platform operation of client applications.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined criteria for management of the distributed digital assets includes node availability, node capability, asset popularity and demand, asset safety requirements, and asset availability priority requirements.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of interconnected nodes are independently configured.

4. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller provides application program interface (API) for the client applications to access and manage the distributed digital assets and related metadata.

5. The system claimed in claim 1, wherein synchronization among one or more interconnected nodes is initiated as a result of changes to at least one node.

6. The system claimed in claim 2, wherein the management of the related metadata further comprises synchronizing one or more nodes so that the related metadata is reconciled according to the predetermined criteria that governs behavior associated with each of the interconnected nodes, independently

7. The system claimed in claim 2, wherein the management of the assets further comprises synchronizing one or more nodes so that the assets are reconciled according to the predetermined criteria that govern behavior associated with each of the interconnected nodes, independently.

8. The system claimed in claim 5, wherein a substantial number of pairs of nodes are synchronized with each other.

9. The system claimed in claim 8, wherein a node that has been offline for a predetermined amount of time updates itself with new metadata when the node comes back online.

10. A method of providing access to data assets between a plurality of users, comprising the steps of:

providing a network for sharing the data assets among at least a first user and a second user;

enabling an invitation to share the data assets, said invitation to be sent from the first user to the second user;

enabling an acceptance of the invitation by the second user;

causing sharing metadata corresponding to shared data assets to be produced;

sending a copy of the sharing metadata to enable sharing of the data assets between the first and second users; and

synchronizing the sharing metadata where the sharing metadata has been changed such that, at a minimum, recent metadata changes are reflected.

11. The method claimed in claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

requesting a replica of data assets, by the second user.

determining whether at least one node having a replica of requested data assets is available;

transferring a new copy of data assets to the second user; and

recording existence of additional data assets located at a specified node to reflect the new copy of data assets.

12. The method claimed in claim 11, wherein the step of synchronization includes location of all replicas.

13. The method claimed in claim 11, wherein the new copy of data assets is placed in a cache.

14. A method for determining duplicate data assets, comprising the steps of:

determining an added asset at a monitored disconnected node;

evaluating whether the added asset is a duplicate of an existing asset;

categorizing any found duplicate asset at the monitored disconnected node as an additional replica;

where no duplicate asset is found at the disconnected node, then, when the disconnected node reconnects;

contacting all other known user nodes to determine if the duplicate asset exists at those nodes;

categorizing any found duplicate asset at the other known user nodes as an additional replica; and

categorizing the added asset as a new asset where there is no existence of the added asset at the known user nodes.

15. The method claimed in claim 14, wherein some of the known user nodes are offline and the added asset is recorded as a provisional new asset.

16. The method claimed in claim 15, wherein as each known user node comes back online, further comprising the step of determining the existence of the duplicate asset at the returning online known user node.

17. The method claimed in claim 16, further comprising the step of categorizing a detected duplicate asset as a replica.

18. A system for managing metadata associated with shared digital assets across a plurality of nodes, comprising:

a) a node controller that controls access to the metadata associated with shared assets and the shared digital assets;

b) a metadata store that holds metadata relating to local nodes and corresponds to assets in a user'"'"'s collection; and

c) a workflow manager for control processing of the node controller.

19. The system claimed in claim 18, wherein the metadata associated with shared assets includes information about assets in a user'"'"'s distributed digital collection.

20. The system claimed in claim 18, wherein metadata generated on any one node is communicated to other nodes through a node synchronization process, and wherein said metadata include images and audio clips as thumbnails and passwords.