Resolving metadata matched to media content

• US 7,392,477 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2003
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Brownell, Christopher K., Terrell, John Wesley, Novak, Michael, Plastina, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Debrow; James J
• Application Number:
  US10/623,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20050015712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500.1, 715/501.1, 715/511, 715/512, 715/530, 715/500, 715/516
• US Class Current: 715/210
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

Managing a plurality of states of metadata. Each of the states stores one or more items of metadata that have been automatically matched and obtained for media content (e.g., for rendering by a media player). The invention resolves the matched metadata by selectively applying some or all of the matched metadata items without user intervention (e.g., based on a user-specified threshold). In one embodiment, the invention selectively applies some or all of the matched metadata items based on a trustworthiness rating associated with the metadata match. The invention displays the remaining metadata items to the user for review and acceptance or rejection.

Claims

1. A method for processing data in a media player, said method comprising:

receiving one or more user-configurable reconciliation rules from a user, said reconciliation rules resolving metadata associated with media content;

rendering the media content in the media player;

generating an automatic request for metadata from a metadata provider in response to the media content being rendered in the media player, said requested metadata to be associated with the rendered media content;

receiving return metadata from the metadata provider in response to the automatically generated request for metadata;

receiving a trustworthiness rating corresponding to the return metadata, said receiving trustworthiness rating comprises receiving a plurality of trustworthiness ratings, and collectively displaying the received plurality of trustworthiness ratings to the user; and

performing an action specified by the reconciliation rules based on the received trustworthiness rating, said action including at least one of the following based on the received trustworthiness rating;

updating a media file associated with the media content, renaming the file, organizing a directory structure of one or more media files, storing the return metadata with the media content, storing the received trustworthiness rating with the media content, and prompting the user to accept the return metadata.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising replacing an existing metadata state with the received return metadata based on the received trustworthiness rating.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the return metadata comprises metadata determined by the metadata provider to be associated with the media content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the received trustworthiness rating represents a degree of relevance of the return metadata to the media content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the received trustworthiness rating comprises a percentage.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting, based on the received trustworthiness rating, the user to review the return metadata.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the received trustworthiness rating indicates that the return metadata matches the requested metadata, and further comprising storing the return metadata with the media content without intervention from the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the received trustworthiness rating indicates that the return metadata may not match the requested metadata, and further comprising prompting the user to accept or reject the return metadata.

9. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

10. A method of managing a plurality of metadata states, said plurality of metadata states including one metadata state and another metadata state, each of said metadata states comprising one or more items of metadata automatically matched to media content in response to the media content being rendered by a media player, said method comprising:

maintaining a history data structure in a file storing the media content, said history data structure storing the other metadata state;

receiving items of metadata associated with the other metadata state from a metadata provider, said metadata provider providing the items of metadata associated with the other metadata state that are determined to be relevant to the media content;

receiving a trustworthiness rating corresponding to the received items of metadata, said receiving trustworthiness rating comprises receiving a plurality of trustworthiness ratings, and collectively displaying the received plurality of trustworthiness ratings to a user;

receiving a request from the user to replace the one metadata state with the other metadata state; and

replacing each set of metadata items associated with the one metadata state with a corresponding set of metadata items associated with the other metadata state in response to the received request and as a user-configurable function of the received trustworthiness rating.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein each item of metadata comprises a value specific to the media content.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying the received items of metadata to the user for review.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing the received items of metadata in a file storing the media content.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the items of metadata associated with the one metadata state are stored in a file along with the media content.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein replacing each set of metadata items comprises replacing each set of metadata items associated with the one metadata state with a corresponding set of metadata items stored in the history data structure.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the history data structure defines an empty metadata state for the media content and wherein replacing each set of metadata items comprises replacing each set of metadata items associated with the one metadata state with a null value from the empty metadata state.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein replacing each set of metadata items comprises replacing a single item of metadata.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the other metadata state lacks metadata, and wherein replacing each set of metadata items comprises removing all metadata from the media content.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 10.

20. A system comprising one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable components for managing one or more items of metadata associated with media content being rendered by a media player, said components comprising:

a communications component for receiving metadata automatically matched to the media content in response to the media content being rendered, said communications component further receiving a trustworthiness rating associated with the received metadata, said receiving trustworthiness rating comprises receiving a plurality of trustworthiness ratings, and collectively displaying the received plurality of trustworthiness ratings to a user.

a user-configurable authoring module for selectly applying the received metadata to the media content based on a trustworthiness rating received via the communications component, wherein said authoring module is user-configurable to selectively apply the received metadata to the media content; and

a user interface component for displaying to the user for review, accept or reject, based on the received trustworthiness rating, the metadata received via the communications component.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the authoring module applies the received metadata by replacing each item of metadata associated with one metadata state with a corresponding item of the received metadata associated with another metadata state.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the communications component further receives a request from the user to store the received metadata with the media content.

23. The system of claim 20, further comprising a rollback module for maintaining a history data structure in the file, said history data structure storing the received metadata along with a previous metadata state associated with the media content.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the authoring module replaces each item of metadata associated with one metadata state with a corresponding item of metadata from another metadata state maintained in the history data structure by the rollback module.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the history data structure defines an empty metadata state for the media content and wherein the authoring module replaces each item of metadata associated with the one metadata state with a null value from the empty metadata state.

26. A method of updating metadata in a computer system having a user interface including a display and being responsive to a user interface selection device, said method comprising:

rendering media content by a media player,

receiving metadata automatically matched to the rendered media content from a metadata provider in response to the media content being rendered in the media player,

displaying the received metadata to a user on the display;

receiving, from the metadata provider, a trustworthiness rating associated with the received metadata, said receiving trustworthiness rating comprises receiving a plurality of trustworthiness ratings, and collectively displaying the received plurality of trustworthiness ratings to the user;

displaying the received trustworthiness rating to the user on the display,

receiving a selection request from the user via the user interface selection device, said selection request specifying acceptance or rejection of the displayed metadata by the user based on the received trustworthiness rating associated with the displayed metadata; and

performing an action on the displayed metadata in response to the received selection request.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the selection request specifies rejection of the received metadata, and wherein the selection request further comprises a request from the user to edit the received metadata.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the selection request specifies rejection of the received metadata, and wherein the selection request further comprises a request from the user to restore previously received metadata.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the selection request specifies rejection of the received metadata, and wherein the selection request further comprises a request from the user to discard the received metadata.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the selection request specifies rejection of the received metadata, and wherein the selection request further comprises a request from the user to search for additional metadata for the media content.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the selection request specifies acceptance of the received metadata, and wherein the selection request further comprises a request from the user to apply the received metadata by storing the received metadata with the media content.

32. The method of claim 26, further comprising storing the received metadata in a cache.

33. The method of claim 26, further comprising displaying one or more reconciliation rules on the display for selection by the user via the user interface selection device, each of said reconciliation rules specifying an action to perform in response to the received trustworthiness rating.

34. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 26.

35. A user interface enabling a user to select one of a plurality of values associated with a metadata item, said metadata item being automatically matched to media content in response to the media content being rendered by a media player, said user interface comprising:

one or more data fields, each of said data fields displaying a metadata value associated with the metadata item;

a rating field displaying a trustworthiness rating associated with the metadata value for the data fields, said displaying trustworthiness rating comprises receiving a plurality trustworthiness ratings, and collectively displaying the received plurality of trustworthiness ratings to the user;

a selection field for receiving a command from the user, said command selecting, based on the corresponding trustworthiness rating displayed in the rating field, one or more of the metadata values from the data fields for association with the metadata item and storage with the media content; and

a query field for receiving a search term from the user, said search term describing the media content and enabling determination of another metadata value relevant to the media item based on the received search term.

36. The user interface of claim 35, wherein at least one of the metadata values in the plurality of data fields is selected automatically based on a trustworthiness rating associated with the at least one metadata value.

37. The user interface of claim 35, wherein the selection field comprises a plurality of checkboxes, each of said checkboxes being associated with one of the plurality of data fields.

38. The user interface of claim 35, wherein the selection field comprises a button that indicates acceptance of the selected metadata value.

39. The user interface of claim 35, wherein the metadata item comprises at least one of the following:

an album title, an artist name, a song title, a genre, a composer name, a track number, a studio, a director, and a rating.

40. The user interface of claim 35, further comprising a reconciliation field for displaying one or more user-configurable reconciliation rules for selection by the user, each of said reconciliation rules specifying an action to perform in response to the trustworthiness rating displayed in the rating field.

41. The user interface of claim 35, wherein the user interface comprises a display device.