Information processing apparatus and method that determines effectiveness of metadata for editing information content

• US 7,287,222 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2003
• Issued: 10/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sohma, Hidetomo, Takata, Tomomi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Queler; Adam M.
• Application Number:
  US10/351,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20030142124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: 715/530, 715/513, 715/531, 715/501.1
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

Metadata corresponding to each segment is added to a content. Each metadata describes a metadata item such as the dominant color or person of the segment. Each metadata item describes metametadata for representing an editing content to the content that influences the effectiveness of the metadata item. When the content is edited, an information processing apparatus adds to the metametadata a description representing executed editing. From the metametadata, the information processing apparatus which processes the content can determine the effectiveness of each metadata item. As a result, the effectiveness of each metadata can be reliably determined.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

means for storing data on a computer-readable medium, said data having a content that is assigned metadata containing at least one item and having a first description, for each item, for representing an editing operation for the content that disables a corresponding item of the metadata;

editing means for editing the content;

description means for adding to the metadata a second description representing an editing operation that is performed by said editing means for the content; and

determination means for determining an effectiveness of each item of the metadata based on the first and second descriptions.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first description describes an access destination for acquiring the editing operation of disabling the corresponding item, and

said determination means acquires the editing operation of disabling the corresponding item from the access destination, and determines the effectiveness of the corresponding item based on the acquired editing operation and the editing operation represented by the second description.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising operation means for operating on the content by referring to the metadata, wherein said operation means excludes from a reference object an item that is determined by said determination means to be ineffective.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an operation on the content performed by said operation means includes a search of the content.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising update means for updating, based on a corresponding content, a content of an item that is determined by said determination means to be ineffective.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said update means registers an updated content of the item in the metadata.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising delete means for deleting an item that is determined by said determination means to be ineffective.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising change means for recalculating a metadata item that is determined by said determination means to be ineffective, and changing the metadata item in accordance with a result from said change means.

9. An information processing method comprising:

a holding step of holding data on a computer-readable medium, said data having a content that is assigned metadata containing at least one item and having a first description, for each item, for representing an editing operation for the content that disables a corresponding item of the metadata;

an editing step of editing the content;

a description step of adding to the metadata a second description representing an editing operation that is performed in said editing step for the content; and

a determination step of determining an effectiveness of each item of the metadata based on the first and second descriptions.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein

the first description describes an access destination for acquiring the editing operation of disabling the corresponding item, and

said determination step includes acquiring the editing operation of disabling the corresponding item from the access destination, and determining the effectiveness of the corresponding item based on the acquired editing operation and the editing operation represented by the second description.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein further comprising an operation step of operating on the content by referring to the metadata, wherein, in said operation step, an item that is determined in said determination step to be ineffective is excluded from a reference object.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein an operation on the content performed in said operation step includes a search of the content.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising an update step of updating, based on a corresponding content, a content of an item that is determined in said determination step to be ineffective.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said update step includes registering an updated content of the item in the metadata.

15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising a delete step of deleting an item that is determined in said determination step to be ineffective.

16. The method according to claim 9, further comprising a change step of recalculating a metadata item that is determined in said determination step to be ineffective, and changing the metadata item in accordance with a recalculation result.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing a control program that when executed causes a computer to perform an information processing method according to claim 9.