Associating image files with media content

• US 7,293,227 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2003
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Novak, Michael, Plastina, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, MANGLESH M
• Application Number:
  US10/622,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20050234983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500, 715/500.1, 382/100, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 715/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content

Abstract

Requesting and receiving image files associated with media content. The received image files are stored such that an identifier value associated with the media content is stored in the filenames of the received image files. The invention determines which of the image files is associated with specific media content by searching for the identifier value of the specific media content in the filenames of the image files.

Claims

1. A method for processing image files, said method comprising:

sending, from a computing device to a metadata provider, an identifier value associated with a media file, said identifier value being associated with an identifier, said identifier comprising WMCollectionID, said media file storing media content to be rendered with an application program executed by the computing device, wherein the media content comprises audio data;

receiving metadata corresponding to the media content stored in the media file from the metadata provider in response to the sent identifier value, said received metadata including an image file; and

storing the received image file in a directory with the media file, said received image file comprising album cover art associated with the audio data, said received image file having a filename, said filename comprising an identifier value corresponding to the media content stored in the media file, wherein storing the received image file in the directory with the media file comprises overwriting an existing image file stored in the directory with the received image file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application program comprises at least one of the following:

a media player and an operating system shell.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the identifier value from the metadata provider; and

generating the filename with the received identifier value.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating the identifier value; and

creating the filename with the generated identifier value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the image file comprises a reference to image data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the reference comprises a hyperlink.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier value comprises a globally unique identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata provider comprises at least one of the following:

a user, a local computing device, and a third party art provider.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more computer storage media have computer-executable instructions, and further comprising executing said computer-executable instructions to perform said sending, said receiving, and said storing.

10. A computer storage medium having stored thereon a data structure representing a file directory accessible by a computing device, said data structure comprising:

a media file storing media content for rendering with an application program executed by the computing device, said media file storing audio data; and

an image file corresponding to the media file, said image file storing album cover art associated with the audio data, said image file having a filename associated therewith, said filename comprising an identifier value associated with the media content in the media file corresponding thereto, wherein the application program displays the image file having the filename including the identifier value associated with the media file when the application program renders the media file, wherein said identifier value has an identifier associated therewith, said identifier comprising WM/WMCollectionID, wherein the image file is stored with the media file in the file directory by overwriting an existing image file stored in the file directory with the image file.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein the identifier value comprises a globally unique identifier.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 10, wherein the image file comprises a reference to image data.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 12, wherein the reference comprises a hyperlink.