METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENRICHING MEDIA WITH META-INFORMATION

• US 20130136416A1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Sathish, Sailesh Kumar, Mate, Sujeet Shyamsundar
• Granted Patent: US 8,687,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

An approach is provided for enriching media with meta-information blocks. Specifically, one or more segments of one or more media files are processed to determine meta-information (e.g., topics, annotations, meta-data, etc.) related to the one or more segments. Based on the determined meta-information, other media or related meta-information is determined, analyzed, and appended to the original media as one or more meta-blocks. One or more relationships among the original and other media is then determined. Based on the determination of the one or more relationships, topic blocks (i.e., multi-topic links) are generated and associated with the original and other media. The addition of the meta-blocks and topic blocks to the original media enables either a renderer or a service to generate one or more composite media (e.g., a video mashup) based on the navigation and analysis of media determined as a result of traversing the one or more topic blocks.

Claims

1. A method comprising facilitating a processing of and/or processing (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal, the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal based, at least in part, on the following:

a processing of one or more media segments of one or more media files to determine characterization data associated with the one or more media segments;

a processing of the characterization data to determine one or more other media files, one or more other media segments, or a combination thereof; and

at least one determination to associate the one or more other media files, the one or more other media segments, or a combination thereof to the one or more media segments, the one or more media file, or a combination thereof as meta-information.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one determination of a request from a device to render the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, or a combination thereof; and

a processing of (1) the meta-information;

(2) context information associated with a device, a user of the device, or a combination thereof;

or (3) a combination thereof to determine whether to cause, at least in part, a rendering of the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof.

3. A method of claim 1, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one determination of one or more rendering rules for the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof; and

an inclusion of the one or more rendering rules in the meta-information.

4. A method of claim 3, wherein the one or more rendering rules include, at least in part, one or more criteria for initiating a rendering of the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof.

5. A method of claim 3, wherein the one or more rendering rules specify, at least in part, one or more user interface elements for interacting with the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof.

6. A method of claim 1, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

a determination of one or more relationships among the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof

a generation of one or more topic blocks based, at least in part, on the one or more relationships to link the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof; and

one or more associations of the one or more topic blocks with the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof.

7. A method of claim 6, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

a traversal, an aggregation, or a combination of the one or more topic blocks to determine one or more composite topic blocks; and

a processing of the one or more composite topic blocks to cause, at least in part, a generation of one or more composite media files, one or more composite media segments, or a combination thereof from among the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof.

8. A method of claim 7, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one determination of a depth of the traversal, the aggregation, or the combination of the one or more topic blocks based, at least in part, on a predetermined number of hops among the one or more topic blocks.

9. A method of claim 6, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one determination of a hierarchy of the one or more topic blocks,

wherein one or more levels of the hierarchy are associated with one or more granularity levels of one or more topics associated with the one or more topic blocks.

10. A method of claim 6, wherein the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one determination to model one or more user interests based, at least in part, on use information, popularity information, or a combination thereof associated with the one or more topic blocks; and

at least one determination to generate one or more recommendations of the one or more topic blocks based, at least in part, on the model.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

process and/or facilitate a processing of one or more media segments of one or more media files to determine characterization data associated with the one or more media segments;

process and/or facilitate a processing of the characterization data to determine one or more other media files, one or more other media segments, or a combination thereof; and

determine to associate the one or more other media files, the one or more other media segments, or a combination thereof to the one or more media segments, the one or more media file, or a combination thereof as meta-information.

12. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine a request from a device to render the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, or a combination thereof;

process and/or facilitate a processing of (1) the meta-information;

(2) context information associated with a device, a user of the device, or a combination thereof or (3) a combination thereof to determine whether to cause, at least in part, a rendering of the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof.

13. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine one or more rendering rules for the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof and

cause, at least in part, an inclusion of the one or more rendering rules in the meta-information.

14. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more rendering rules include, at least in part, one or more criteria for initiating a rendering of the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof.

15. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more rendering rules specify, at least in part, one or more user interface elements for interacting with the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof.

16. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine one or more relationships among the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof;

cause, at least in part, a generation of one or more topic blocks based, at least in part, on the one or more relationships to link the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof; and

cause, at least in part, one or more associations of the one or more topic blocks with the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof.

17. An apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

cause, at least in part, a traversal, an aggregation, or a combination of the one or more topic blocks to determine one or more composite topic blocks; and

process and/or facilitate a processing of the one or more composite topic blocks to cause, at least in part, a generation of one or more composite media files, one or more composite media segments, or a combination thereof from among the one or more media segments, the one or more media files, the one or more other media segments, the one or more other media files, or a combination thereof.

18. An apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine a depth of the traversal, the aggregation, or the combination of the one or more topic blocks based, at least in part, on a predetermined number of hops among the one or more topic blocks.

19. An apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine a hierarchy of the one or more topic blocks,

wherein one or more levels of the hierarchy are associated with one or more granularity levels of one or more topics associated with the one or more topic blocks.

20. An apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine to model one or more user interests based, at least in part, on use information, popularity information, or a combination thereof associated with the one or more topic blocks; and

determine to generate one or more recommendations of the one or more topic blocks based, at least in part, on the model.

21-48. -48. (canceled)