SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AND ORGANIZING METADATA ASSOCIATED WITH ON-LINE CONTENT

• US 20130036364A1
• Filed: 07/25/2012
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deacon Johnson
• Original Assignee: Deacon Johnson
• Inventors: Johnson, Deacon
• Granted Patent: US 8,732,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1062 Editing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1066 Hiding content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/197 Version control for software G06F8/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for controlling metadata associated with content on an electronic device that includes displaying interface screens for user entry of metadata control instructions, accepting user instructions, modifying metadata of applicable content, and associating the modified metadata with the applicable content. The system can export and/or store the applicable content along with modified metadata. The system can automatically modify metadata according to one or more profiles. Relevant profiles can be determined based on the export mechanism, destination or type of content. The system can add watermarks to indicate metadata modification. The system can display metadata for user modification. The content can include photos, videos or other content. The system can display metadata and geolocation indicators for each content item that indicate whether that item has associated metadata and geolocation information. The user can selectively modify metadata of selected content.

Claims

1. A system for controlling metadata associated with content on an electronic device, the system comprising:

a user interface comprising screens for display on the electronic device for entry of instructions regarding metadata control;

an input mechanism accepting the instructions through the user interface;

a metadata modification component modifying metadata associated with applicable content in accordance with the instructions; and

a metadata association component associating the modified metadata with the applicable content.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the metadata association component makes an electronic copy of original content, associates the modified metadata with the electronic copy, and does not modify the metadata associated with the original content, the electronic copy being the applicable content.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a sharing component preparing the applicable content along with the modified metadata for export from the electronic device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the sharing component prepares the applicable content and the modified metadata for electronic mailing over a network.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the sharing component prepares the applicable content and the modified metadata for uploading to a website over a network.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the sharing component prepares the applicable content and the modified metadata for electronic sharing with a third party.

7. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a memory storing the applicable content along with the modified metadata; and

a marking component marking the applicable content to indicate that the associated metadata has been modified.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the marking component adds a watermark to the applicable content.

9. The system of claim 1,

wherein the user interface comprises screens for entry of a profile including instructions regarding metadata control;

and

wherein the input mechanism accepts the profile.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a sharing component preparing the applicable content along with the modified metadata for export from the electronic device; and

wherein the metadata modification component automatically makes the modifications described in the profile before providing the applicable content and the modified metadata to the sharing component.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sharing component preparing the applicable content along with the modified metadata for export from the electronic device; and

wherein the input mechanism accepts a plurality of profiles, each profile including instructions regarding metadata control; and

wherein the metadata modification component determines any relevant profiles of the plurality of profiles, and automatically modifies metadata associated with applicable content in accordance with the instructions in the relevant profiles before providing the applicable content and the modified metadata to the sharing component.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the metadata modification component determines relevant profiles based on a user-selected mechanism for exporting the applicable content.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the metadata modification component determines relevant profiles based on a user-selected destination for exporting the applicable content.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the metadata modification component determines relevant profiles based on a type of content for the applicable content.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein when no relevant profiles are found the metadata modification component notifies the user that no relevant profiles were found for modification of the metadata of the applicable content, and enables the user to manually modify the metadata of the applicable content before providing the applicable content to the sharing component.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a display component displaying a plurality of content items on the screen of the electronic device; and

wherein the input mechanism accepts user selection of the applicable content by sensing user selection of one or more content items of the plurality of content items.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a marking component marking modified content items, the metadata associated with the modified content items having been modified by the system; and

wherein the display component displays a watermark identifying the modified content items of the plurality of content items.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the content items include photos stored on the electronic device.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the content items include videos stored on the electronic device.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the display component displays a metadata indicator for each content item of the plurality of content items, the metadata indicator indicating whether that content item has associated metadata information.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the display component displays a geolocation indicator for each content item of the plurality of content items, the geolocation indicator indicating whether that content item has associated metadata information that includes geolocation information.

22. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a metadata display component displaying metadata information associated with the applicable content on the display of the electronic device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the metadata modification component enables user editing of displayed metadata information associated with the applicable content, and associates the edited metadata information with the applicable content.

24. The system of claim 22,

wherein the user interface includes a map with a pin indicating a desired location;

and

the metadata modification component modifies the metadata location information of the applicable content to be the desired location.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes an include author selection and an author entry field;

and the metadata modification component;

deletes the author information from the metadata of the applicable content when the include author selection is not selected,

overwrites the author information in the metadata of the applicable content with the entry from the author entry field when the include author selection is selected and the author entry field has an entry, and

does not modify the author information in the metadata of the applicable content when the include author selection is selected and the author entry field has no entry.

26. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a marking component for marking content to indicate that the metadata associated with that content has been modified; and

wherein the user interface includes a watermark selection field, the marking component adding a watermark to the applicable content when the watermark selection field is selected and the associated metadata of the applicable content is modified, and the marking component not adding a watermark to the applicable content when the watermark selection field is not selected.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a filename field;

and the metadata modification component changes the filename in the metadata of the applicable content to include the entry in the filename field when the filename field has an entry, and does not change the filename in the metadata of the applicable content when the filename field has no entry.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a remove date/time selection;

and the metadata modification component removes the date/time information from the metadata of the applicable content when the remove date/time selection is selected, and does not modify the date/time information in the metadata of the applicable content when the remove date/time selection is not selected.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a remove location selection;

and the metadata modification component removes the location information from the metadata of the applicable content when the remove location selection is selected, and does not modify the location information in the metadata of the applicable content when the remove location selection is not selected.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a remove all selection;

and the metadata modification component removes all of the identifying information from the metadata of the applicable content when the remove all selection is selected, and does not remove all of the identifying information from the metadata of the applicable content when the remove all selection is not selected.