Media content descriptions

• US 7,363,649 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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:
  US11/119,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20050192987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 725/114, 725/138, 725/144, 345/716
• 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. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions, that when, executed cause a computer to:

represent a plurality of metadata providers by a provider class in a schema independent of a particular broadcast instance;

represent a plurality of media content descriptions in a media content class of the schema; and

create an association to associate media content descriptions in the media content class of the schema with metadata providers in the provider class of the schema.

2. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the provider class represents at least one of a provider identifier, a company name, a company URL, a scheme details URL, an email contact, an address, or a provider trust level.

3. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 2, wherein the provider trust level indicates at least one of a ranking of the metadata providers or a degree to which metadata from a metadata provider is trusted.

4. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 2, wherein the provider trust level is associated with the at least a portion of the media content class.

5. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 2, wherein the provider 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, and a link.

6. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the a media content description comprises at least one of a media content identifier, content identifying data, an associated person, genre data, content description data, a critic review, a popularity, a broadcast ubiquity, censor rating data, technical details data, production details data, enhancement data, language data, or associated media.

7. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 6, wherein the media content identifier comprises:

a representation of a title;

a representation of an episode;

a representation of a version; and

a representation of a part.

8. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the representations of the title, episode, version, and part each have an associated significance.

9. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 7, wherein the representations of the title, episode name, version, and part each have an associated significance, and wherein the significance associated with the representation of the title is greater than the significances associated with the representations of the episode, version, and part.

10. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 6, wherein the content identifying data comprises at least one of an alternate content identifier, a title, an episode name, an album name, a version reason, a version description, a part number, or a total number of parts.

11. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 6, wherein the associated person comprises at least one of an identifier associated with a person, 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 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, or an associated video.

12. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 6, wherein the genre data comprises at least one of a genre program type, a genre degree, a genre intent, a target audience description, a year set, an era set, a location portrayed, an associated book, a degree of truth, a degree of two-dimensional animation, a degree of three-dimensional animation, a degree of puppet characters, a degree of international event, a degree of sophistication, a music genre, a photo genre, a home movie genre, or a format.

13. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the genre degree comprises at least one indicator of how well the media content fits into a genre, the genre comprising at least one of action, adventure, horror, comedy, death, mystery, police involvement, thriller, political intrigue, romance, erotica, science fiction, period setting, lives drama, sports interest, animal interest, medical interest, legal interest, religious interest, historical interest, war interest, epic production, fantasy folklore, musical, western, monsters, teenage college, ethnic interest, or soap.

14. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the genre intent comprises at least one indicator of a degree to which the media content is associated with an intent, the intent comprising at least one of education, entertainment, news, information, enrich, involve, or sell.

15. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 12, wherein the format comprises at least one of video movie cinema released, video drama mini series or TV movie, video sitcom, video soap, video sports, video games or reality, video talk show or non sitcom comedy, video news or current affairs, video documentary, video kids or other cartoon, video how to or educational, video religious local access or paid, video specials, video amateur, audio song track, audio talking book, audio amateur recording, audio other, photo amateur, photo professional, photo other, advert, collection video, collection audio, collection photo, or collection other.

16. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 6, wherein the technical details data comprises at least one of a capture mechanism, an image capture resolution, a video capture temporal rate frequency, a video captured using interlace indicator, sound capture sampling data, sound capture compression data, a camera used, image capture compression data, a recorded live indicator, a black and white indicator, a silent indicator, post production processing data, special electronic processing data, an aspect ratio, an aspect ratio implementation, pan and scan vectors, an origination note, a stereo sound indicator, or surround sound data.

17. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 6, wherein the production details data comprises at least one of a made for indicator, a budget, a box office success indicator, a production company, a distribution company, a principal country associated with a main production company, a capture location, copyright data, or a URL associated with a production company.

18. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 6, wherein the enhancement data comprises at least one of an ATVEF data enhancement indicator, an educational commands indicator, an educational informational enhancements indicator, a multiple camera angles indicator, a multiple story lines indicator, a phone in indicator, a URL enhancements indicator, a more information URL indicator, an associated phone number, an associated teletext page number, or a VCR programming code.

19. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 6, wherein the language data comprises at least one of a primary original language, an original segment language, a dubbed language, an audio track language, a burnt in text language, a text track language, a description track language, or data associated with a sign language track.

20. The one or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 6, wherein the associated media comprises at least one of content artwork, a video trailer, a chapter thumbnail, a time interval thumbnail, a script, lyrics, or an original storyboard.