Method and apparatus management of multimedia assets

• US 6,199,060 B1
• Filed: 05/12/1998
• Issued: 03/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: University of Southern California
• Original Assignee: Survivors of The THOR Visual History Foundation
• Inventors: Gustman, Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/076,504
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104, 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5, 370/338, 370/395, 370/367, 370/452, 370/231, 395/500, 395/200.7, 395/38, 395/49, 395/79, 345/352, 709/216, 710/74, 712/220
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• 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: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

The invention is a generalized solution for management of multimedia assets. Generalized interfaces are used between a browser component, indexing server, archive server, tertiary storage manager, and method player components. The generalized interface defines a communication protocol that can be used by any browser, indexing server, archive server, tertiary storage manager, or method player component. Thus, system components supplied by multiple vendors can be interconnected to form a multimedia system that communicates using the generalized interfaces of the invention. A browser component can accept input such as search requests and display multimedia data. An indexing server component includes a data catalogue that catalogues multimedia data. The catalogue can be used to identify catalogue elements associated with data that can satisfy a search request. A search mechanism is used to identify the desired multimedia data. A search mechanism can create additional catalogues that are a subset of the catalogue provided on the indexing server. An archive server identifies a tertiary storage manager that manages the store containing the multimedia data. The tertiary storage manager retrieves the corresponding multimedia data from its store and sends it to a method play which plays it in a display region of the browser. The invention retains the content and results of a search such that it is only necessary to perform a search once. Search elements are used to store the content of a search, i.e., search criteria. A segment element is used to store the results of a search.

Claims

1. A method of interfacing components in a multimedia system comprising:

defining a generalized protocol for interfacing components of a multimedia system, said generalized protocol comprising commands configured to access multimedia data, said multimedia data associated with a catalogue;

invoking a search request using said generalized protocol, said search request configured to initiate a search of said catalogue to identify multimedia data;

communicating between at least two of said components using said generalized protocol;

returning a search response using said generalized protocol, said search response identifying a plurality of catalogue elements;

invoking a retrieval request using said generalized protocol, said retrieval request specifying at least one of said plurality of said catalogue elements;

invoking a transmit request using said generalized protocol, said transmit request configured to transmit multimedia data identified by said at least one of said plurality of catalogue elements.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said generalized protocol is an application programming interface.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said components comprise a browser, an index server, an archive server and a method player.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said invoking said search request is communicated between said browser and said index server.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein invoking said retrieval request is communicated between said browser and said archive server.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said invoking said transmit request is communicated between said browser and said method player.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said catalogue comprises a plurality of catalogue elements and a plurality of segment elements, each of said plurality of segment elements identifying at least one of said plurality of catalogue elements, said request comprising a request for data associated with at least one of said plurality of segment elements.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said data associated with at least one of said plurality of segment elements comprises an identification of a plurality of catalogue elements, a plurality of index elements and a plurality of segment elements contained in said at least one of said plurality of segment elements.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said catalogue further comprises a plurality of catalogue elements and a plurality of segment elements, each of said plurality of segment elements associated with a search of said catalogue, said each of said plurality of segment elements identifying at least one of said plurality of catalogue elements, said communicating between at least two of said components further comprising:

generating a search response to said search request, said search response identifying one of said segment elements.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said catalogue comprises a plurality of catalogue elements, said request comprising a request for data associated with at least one of said plurality of catalogue elements.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said catalogue comprises a plurality of index elements, said request comprising a request for data associated with at least one of said plurality of index elements.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said catalogue further comprises a plurality of catalogue elements, said data associated with at least one of said plurality of index elements identifying at least one association between said at least one of said plurality of index elements and at least one of said plurality of catalogue elements.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said catalogue further comprises a plurality of segment elements, each of said plurality of segment elements identifying at least one of said plurality of catalogue elements, said sending a request comprising a request for data associated with at least one of said plurality of index elements further comprising:

sending a request using said generalized protocol, said request comprising a request to identify those of said plurality of segment elements associated with said at least one of said plurality of index elements.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said catalogue comprises a plurality of index elements, said catalogue further comprises a plurality of type elements, said plurality of type elements comprising a classification scheme used in classifying said plurality of index elements, said request comprising a request for data associated with at least one of said type elements.

15. A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein configured to interface components in a multimedia system comprising;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to define a generalized protocol for interfacing components of a multimedia system, said generalized protocol comprising commands configured to access multimedia data, said multimedia data associated with a catalogue;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to invoke a search request using said generalized protocol, said search request configured to initiate a search of said catalogue to identify multimedia data;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to communicate between at least two of said components using said generalized protocol;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to return a search response using said generalized protocol, said search response identifying a plurality of catalogue elements;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to invoke a retrieval request using said generalized protocol;

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to invoke a transmit request using said generalized protocol, said transmit request configured to transmit multimedia data identified by said at least one of said plurality of catalogue elements.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein said retrieval request specifies at least one of said plurality of said catalogue elements.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein said catalogue further comprises a plurality of catalogue elements and a plurality of segment elements, each of said plurality of segment elements associated with a search of said catalogue, said each of said plurality of segment elements identifying at least one of said plurality of catalogue elements.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein said catalogue comprises a plurality of index elements, and a plurality of type elements, said plurality of type elements comprising a classification scheme used in classifying said plurality of index elements, said retrieval request comprising a request for data associated with at least one of said type elements.