Media content descriptions

• US 7,073,193 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2002
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Marsh, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ortiz, Belix M.
• Application Number:
  US10/125,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20030195863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 725/114, 725/138, 725/144, 705/14
• US Class Current: 725/114
• 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: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A media content description system receives media content descriptions from one or more metadata providers. The media content description system associates each media content description with the metadata provider that provided the description. The media content description system may generate composite descriptions based on the received media content descriptions. The media content description system provides data associated with the media content descriptions to one or more program data providers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a plurality of descriptions including element values of a media content from a plurality of metadata providers;

determining an element associated with the media content;

associating, in storage, individual descriptions with individual metadata providers that provided the descriptions;

associating individual trust levels with individual metadata providers; and

generating in the storage a composite description of the media content based on the descriptions provided by individual metadata providers and the trust levels associated with individual metadata providers, wherein the generating comprises;

for individual element values, determining a sum of trust levels associated with individual metadata providers of the individual element values;

setting a composite element value equal to the distinct element value that is associated with an individual metadata provider having a largest sum of trust levels.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media content comprises at least one of a movie, a television program, a song, a talk radio show, a sound effect, a photograph, a digital image, an art image, or a home movie.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the descriptions comprise at least one of content identification data, an associated person, genre data, media content description data, a critic review, a popularity, a broadcast ubiquity, a censor parental rating, a censor rating associated with adult content, a censor rating associated with bad language, a censor rating associated with violence, a censor rating associated with nudity, a censor rating associated with drug abuse, technical details data, production details data, enhancement data, language data, or associated media.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the trust levels indicate a ranking of the metadata providers.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the trust levels indicate degrees to which metadata provided by metadata providers is trusted.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the descriptions comprise element values, and the generating comprises:

determining an element associated with the media content;

determining one or more distinct element values of one or more descriptions of the media content, wherein the element values describe the element;

for each distinct element value, determining a sum of trust levels associated with the metadata provider of the distinct element value; and

setting a composite element value equal to the distinct element value that is associated with the metadata provider having the largest sum of trust levels.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising sending the composite description of the media content to end users for display through an electronic programming guide.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

modeling media content descriptions with a database schema;

representing an identity of media content by a media identification class in the database schema;

representing at least one media content attribute by an attribute class in the database schema; and

creating an association between the media identification class and the attribute class, the association representing media content descriptions.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the identity of media content is selected from a group of identifiers comprising a media content identifier, an alternate media content identifier, a title, an episode name, an album name, a version reason, a version description, a part number, and a total number of parts.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the at least one media content attribute is selected from a group of attributes comprising an associated person, genre data, media content description data, a critic review, a popularity, a broadcast ubiquity, a censor parental rating, a censor rating associated with adult content, a censor rating associated with bad language, a censor rating associated with violence, a censor rating associated with nudity, a censor rating associated with drug abuse, technical details data, production details data, enhancement data, language data, and associated media.

11. A computer-implemented method comprising:

modeling media content descriptions with a database schema;

representing an identity of media content by a media identification class in the database schema;

representing persons associated with media content by a person class in the database schema;

representing at least one media content attribute by an attribute class in the database schema;

creating an association between the media identification class and the attribute class, the association representing media content descriptions; and

creating an association between the attribute class and the person class, the association representing descriptions of persons associated with the media content.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the identity of media content is selected from a group of identifiers comprising a media content identifier, an alternate media content identifier, a title, an episode name, an album name, a version reason, a version description, a part number, and a total number of parts.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the person class comprises one or more person attributes selected from a group of person attributes comprising a person identifier, a name, a gender, a marital status, an ethnic origin, a religion, a height, a birth date, a birth place, an alive indicator, a death date, a death cause, a citizenship, a residence place, a related person, a short biography, a long biography an official home page URL, a fan site URL, a more information URL, an email address, an office phone number, a home phone number, a fax number, an associated artwork, and an associated video.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the attribute class comprises one or more media content attributes selected from a group of media content attributes comprising genre data, media content description data, a critic review, a popularity, a broadcast ubiquity, a censor parent rating, a censor rating associated with adult content, a censor rating associated with bad language, a censor rating associated with violence, a censor rating associated with nudity, a censor rating associated with drug abuse, technical details data, production details data, enhancement data, language data, and associated media.

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:

modeling media content descriptions with a database schema;

representing an identity of media content by a media identification class in the database schema;

representing at least one media content attribute by an attribute class in the database schema;

representing a plurality of metadata providers by a provider class in the database schema;

creating an association between the media identification class and the attribute class, the association representing descriptions of media content and

creating an association between the attribute class and the provider class, the association representing media content descriptions from the plurality of metadata providers.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising ranking the plurality of metadata providers.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising assigning a trust level to a metadata provider, the trust level indicating a degree to which metadata from the metadata provider is trusted.

18. The method as recited claim 17, wherein the trust level is associated with one of the media content attributes.

19. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the trust level is associated with a plurality of media content attributes.

20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the trust level is associated with at least one of a title, an episode, a version, a part, an artist, a director, a producer, an editor, a script writer, a lyrics writer, a music composer, a location, a date, a duration, a format, a genre degree, a genre program type, a genre intent, a target audience description, a genre attribute, a review, a censor rating, an extended censor rating, an origination, a feature, a copyright, a textual description, or a link.

21. A computer-implemented method comprising:

modeling media content descriptions with a database schema;

representing an identity of media content by a media identification class in the database schema;

representing at least one media content attribute by an attribute class in the database schema;

representing people associated with media content by a person class in the database schema;

representing a plurality of metadata providers by a provider class in the database schema;

creating an association between the media identification class and the attribute class, the association representing media content descriptions;

creating an association between the attribute class and the person class, the association representing descriptions of persons associated with the media content;

creating an association between the attribute class and the provider class, the association representing media content descriptions from the plurality of metadata providers; and

creating an association between the person class and the provider class, the association representing descriptions of persons associated with media content from the plurality of metadata providers.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising ranking the plurality of metadata providers.

23. The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising assigning a trust level to a metadata provider, the trust level indicating a degree to which metadata from the metadata provider is trusted.

24. The method as recited claim 23, wherein the trust level is associated with one of the media content attributes.

25. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the trust level is associated with a plurality of media content attributes.

26. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the trust level is associated with at least one of a title, an episode, a version, a part, an artist, a director, a producer, an editor, a script writer, a lyrics writer, a music composer, a location, a date, a duration, a format, a genre degree, a genre program type, a genre intent, a target audience description, a genre attribute, a review, a censor rating, an extended censor rating, an origination, a feature, a copyright, a textual description, or a link.

27. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving first metadata describing media content from a first metadata provider;

receiving second metadata describing the media content from a second metadata provider; and

storing the first and second metadata according to a data structure, such that the first metadata is associated with the first metadata provider and the second metadata is associated with the second metadata provider.

28. The method as recited in claim 27, further comprising creating composite metadata describing the media content, wherein the composite metadata is based on the first and second metadata.

29. The method as recited in claim 27, further comprising creating composite metadata describing the media content, wherein the composite metadata is based on one or mare trust levels associated with the first and second metadata providers.

30. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the first and second metadata each comprises first and second categories, further comprising:

determining first category trust levels associated with the first and second metadata providers;

determining second category trust levels associated with the first and second metadata providers;

creating a composite first category that comprises metadata associated with the first category from the first metadata provider where the first category trust level associated with the first metadata provider is higher than the first category trust level associated with the second metadata provider; and

creating a composite second category that comprises metadata associated with the second category from the second metadata provider where the second category trust level associated with the second metadata provider is higher than the second category trust level associated with the first metadata provider.

31. The method as recited in claim 27, further comprising:

receiving a request for metadata associated with the media content; and

providing a composite metadata associated with the media content, the composite metadata comprising at least a portion of the first and second metadata.

32. A computer-implemented method comprising:

generating a media content identifier comprising a representation of a series, a representation of an episode, a representation of a version, and a representation of a part; and

associating significances with the representation of the series, the representation of the episode, the representation of the version, and the representation of the part.

33. The method as recited in claim 32, wherein the significance associated with the representation of the series is the greater than the significances associated with the representations of the episode, version, and part.

34. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving metadata describing media content;

determining whether the metadata comprises data that describes a person associated with the media content;

in an event that the metadata comprises data that describes a person associated with the media content, populating a first data structure that represents people associated with media content; and

populating a second data structure that represents descriptions of media content.

35. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein the populating a first data structure comprises:

storing the data that describes the person; and

generating a composite description of the person.

36. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein the populating a second data structure comprises:

storing the metadata;

generating a composite description of the media content.

37. The method as recited in claim 36, wherein the generating a composite description of the media content comprises:

determining an element associated with the data structure that represents descriptions of media content;

determining one or more distinct values stored in the data structure that are associated with the media content and are associated with the element;

for each distinct value, determining the sum of trust levels associated with providers of the distinct value; and

setting a composite element value to the distinct value that has the largest sum of trust levels.

38. A system comprising:

metadata provider interface configured to receive multiple descriptions of media content from different metadata providers;

content description data repository configured to store the descriptions in association with the metadata providers that provided the descriptions; and

a composite generator to generate a composite description of the media content using ones of the multiple descriptions.

39. The system as recited in claim 38, wherein the content description data repository is further configured to associate ranks with at least portions of the descriptions.

40. The system as recited in claim 39, wherein the ranks are based on one or more trust levels associated with ones of the metadata providers.

41. The system as recited in claim 39, wherein the composite generator selects portions of the multiple descriptions based on the ranks.

42. The system as recited in claim 38 further comprising:

a provider data repository configured to store one or more trust levels associated with the metadata providers.

43. The system as recited in claim 38 further comprising:

a media person data repository configured to store data describing a person associated with the media content.

44. The system as recited in claim 38 further comprising:

a program data provider interface configured to provide data that is stored in the content description data repository to a program data provider.