System, method and apparatus for converting and integrating media files

• US 7,039,643 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Lynch, Kevin, Sena, Raffaele, Kitani, Keith, Monson, Nathaniel D.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, CAM Y T
• Application Number:
  US09/833,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20030033331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,848 Days
• Field of Search: 215/500, 215/504.1, 215/513, 215/522, 707/100, 707/3, 707/5, 707/102, 707/104.1, 707/10, 707/200, 707/201, 707/101, 705/500, 705/1, 705/573, 715/523, 715/513, 715/514, 382/298, 382/305, 358/445, 386/101, 386/129
• US Class Current: 707/691
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/952 Malicious software
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

The present invention teaches a digital media file conversion and integration system including a server coupled to the Internet to allow users to download media files to a server the Internet. The system contains devices to screen, compress, and update the media files, devices to break down the media files into low level components, devices to convert one or media files to an intermediate format and then combine the intermediate formats to create an output format, devices to convert output formats to a presentation file, electronic storage to allow third party access to the presentation file through the Internet or email. Presentation files can be created for electronic devices such as portable digital assistants or cellular phones. Users can choose from several output formats. Users can subscribe to the presentation service or pay per use. In an alternate embodiment, users can author digital media files on a personal computer and download the authored file to the presentation conversion system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for converting multi-media content into a plurality of target formats to deliver to one or more selected output devices, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving one or more input multi-media content files;

checking said one or more input multi-media files for viruses and errors;

performing de-virusing on said one or more input multi-media content files if said one or more input multi-media content files have said viruses;

performing error-correction on said one or more input multi-media content files if

said one or more input multi-media content files have said error;

automatically identifying multi-media type primitive components in said one or more input multi-media content files after said checking, said performing de-virusing or said performing error-correction, wherein said multi-media type primitive components include audio primitive components, picture primitive components, graphic primitive components, and supporting material primitive components;

automatically decomposing said multi-media type primitive components into sub-components;

automatically converting each of said sub-components of said decomposed multi-media type primitive components into corresponding intermediate format components;

integrating said intermediate format components into a single output representation file corresponding to each target format of said plurality of target formats, wherein the integrating said intermediate format components includes adding timing information and presentation support information;

adapting and routing a final output to corresponding output device, wherein adapting includes adjusting said output presentation file to fit bandwidth requirements of each selected output device; and

controlling, scheduling conversion and integration processes associated with producing said final output corresponding to each target format of a plurality of target formats.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprises adapting said single output presentation file corresponding to each target format for viewing by a third party using different networking technologies, including wired, guided or line-of-sight optical, and radio frequency networking over any network including a wide area network, a local area network, a wireless network, a public switched telephone network, or the Internet.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprises requiring monetary remuneration in exchange for converting said multi-media content into said plurality of target formats.

4. A computer implemented multi-media conversion and integration system for converting multi-media content into a plurality of target formats to deliver to one or more selected output devices, the system comprising:

an input handler for;

receiving one or more input multi-media content files;

checking said one or more input multi-media files for viruses and errors;

performing de-virusing on said one or more input multi-media content files if said one or more input multi-media content files have said viruses;

performing error-correction on said one or more input multi-media content files if

said one or more input multi-media content files have said errors;

updating and compressing one or more input multi-media files;

a publishing manager module for controlling, scheduling conversion and integration processes associated with producing a final output file corresponding to each target format of a plurality of target formats;

a translation module for;

automatically identifying multi-media type primitive components in said one or more input multi-media content files after said checking, said performing de-virusing or said performing error-correction, wherein said multi-media type primitive components include audio primitive components, video primitive components, animation primitive components, text primitive components, picture primitive components, graphic primitive components, and supporting material primitive components;

automatically decomposing said multi-media type primitive components into sub-components;

automatically converting each of sub-components of said decomposed multi-media type primitive components into corresponding intermediate format components;

integrating said intermediate format components into a single output presentation file corresponding to each target format of said plurality of target formats, wherein the integrating said intermediate format components includes adding timing information and presentation support information; and

an output device building module for adapting and routing a final output to corresponding output device, wherein adapting includes adjusting said output presentation file to fit bandwidth requirements of each selected output device.

5. A computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequence of instructions for converting multi-media content into a plurality of target formats to deliver to one or more selected output devices, wherein execution of the one or more sequence of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to perform:

receiving one or more input multi-media content files;

checking said one or more input multi-media content files for viruses and errors;

performing de-virusing on said one or more input multi-media content files if said one or more input multi-media content files have said viruses;

performing error-correction on said one or more input multi-media content files if

said one or more input multi-media content files have said errors;

automatically identifying multi-media type primitive components in said one or more input multi-media content files after said checking, said performing de-virusing or said performing error-correction, wherein said multi-media type primitive components include audio primitive components, video primitive components, animation primitive components, text primitive components, picture primitive components, graphic primitive components, and supporting material primitive components;

automatically decomposing said multi-media type primitive components into sub-components;

automatically converting each of said sub-components of said decomposed multi-media type primitive components into corresponding intermediate format components;

integrating said intermediate format components into a single output representation file corresponding to each target format of said plurality of target formats, wherein the integrating said intermediate format components includes adding timing information and presentation support information;

adapting and routing a final output to corresponding output device, wherein adapting includes adjusting said output presentation file to fit bandwidth requirements of each selected output device; and

controlling, scheduling conversion and integration processes associated with producing said final output corresponding to each target format of a plurality of target formats.

6. A computer implemented multi-media conversion and integration system for converting multi-media content into a plurality of target formats to deliver to one or more selected output devices, the system comprising:

means for receiving one or more input multi-media content files;

means for checking said one or more input multi-media content files for viruses and errors;

means for performing de-virusing on said one or more input multi-media content files if said one or more input multi-media content files have said viruses;

means for performing error-correction on said one or more input multi-media

content files if said one or more input multi-media content files have said errors;

means for automatically identifying multi-media type primitive components in said one or more input multi-media content files after said checking, said performing de-virusing or said performing error-correction, wherein said multi-media type primitive components include audio primitive components, video primitive components, animation primitive components, text primitive components, picture primitive components, graphic primitive components, and supporting material primitive components;

means for automatically decomposing said multi-media type primitive components into sub-components;

means for automatically converting each of said sub-components of said decomposed multi-media type primitive components into corresponding intermediate format components;

means for integrating said intermediate format components into a single output representation file corresponding to each target format of said plurality of target formats, wherein the integrating said intermediate format components includes adding timing information and presentation support information;

means for adapting and routing a final output to corresponding output device, wherein adapting includes adjusting said output presentation file to fit bandwidth requirements of each selected output device; and

means for controlling, scheduling conversion and integration processes associated with producing said final output corresponding to each target format of a plurality of target formats.