Method and apparatus for presenting multimedia content and for facilitating third party representation of an object

• US 7,478,163 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2004
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Andrew Viewkko Poystila, Anthony Arthur J. Alda, Brent Richard Bysouth, Carla Maureen Ulrich, David Brett Rudd, Lloyd Clayton Dwayne Bell, Ricardo J. Rosado, Ryan Michael Christiansen, Shazron Abdullah, Zubin Adi Balsara
• Original Assignee: Andrew Viewkko Poystila, Anthony Arthur J. Alda, Brent Richard Bysouth, Carla Maureen Ulrich, David Brett Rudd, Lloyd Clayton Dwayne Bell, Ricardo J. Rosado, Ryan Michael Christiansen, Shazron Abdullah, Zubin Adi Balsara
• Inventors: Bell, Lloyd Clayton Dwayne, Ulrich, Carla Maureen, Alda, Anthony Arthur J., Balsara, Zubin Adi, Rudd, David Brett, Abdullah, Shazron, Bysouth, Brent Richard, Poystila, Andrew Viewkko, Rosado, Ricardo J., Christiansen, Ryan Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): WINDER, PATRICE L
• Application Number:
  US10/771,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021754A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,805 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4488 Object-oriented

Abstract

A mapping method for converting objects in order to optimize utilization of a programming environment on an associated platform includes the steps of identifying a strongly typed object and a type of conversion. A name of a weakly typed object is based upon an attribute associated with a target object and reflection is used on the strongly typed object to obtain properties of the object input parameter. Default names are assigned and stored based upon the obtained properties in a dictionary cache. The dictionary cache is used to complete attributes associated with new object for use in the programming environment.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating third party representation of an object, the method comprising:

(a) maintaining a database of structured and unstructured data associated with a plurality of objects, said database being accessible through a computer;

(b) facilitating communications between said computer and a first communications appliance having a first set of access criteria to permit an operator of the first communications appliance to create, modify or delete said structured and unstructured data for at least some of said objects;

(c) facilitating communications between said computer and a second communications appliance having a second set of access criteria to permit an operator of the second communications appliance to group into a package said structured and unstructured data for at least some of said objects; and

(d) facilitating communications between said computer and a third communications appliance having a third set of access criteria to permit said structured and unstructured data for at least some of said objects in said package to be presented to an operator at said third communications appliance, wherein facilitating communications between said computer and the second communications appliance comprises transmitting at least one remoting environment program module from a second group of program modules to the second communications appliance, said at least one remoting environment program module from said second group being operable to cause the second communications appliance to receive operator input to cause the second communications appliance to communicate with said computer to cause at least some of said structured and unstructured data associated with at least one object to be presented at the second communications appliance, wherein said at least one remoting environment communications module from said second group is operable to cause the second communications appliance to simultaneously display at least some of said unstructured data associated with at least two objects to permit operator-comparison of said unstructured data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first, second and third sets of access criteria are different from each other.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said first set of access criteria includes an identification identifying an operator of said first communications appliance as a first type of operator, wherein said second set of access criteria includes an identification identifying an operator of said second communications appliance as a second type of operator and wherein said third set of access criteria includes an identification identifying an operator of said third communications appliance as a third type of operator.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein facilitating communications between said computer and the first communications appliance comprises transmitting at least one remoting environment program module from a first group of program modules to the first communications appliance, said at least one remoting environment program module from said first group being operable to cause an object profile to be displayed at the first communications appliance and populated with structured and unstructured data from said database.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said at least one remoting environment program module from said first group is operable to cause the first communications appliance to receive operator input and communicate said operator input to the computer to cause the computer to cause said structured and unstructured data at the database to be created, modified or deleted.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein simultaneously displaying at least some of said unstructured data comprises displaying thumbnail views of pictures defined by said unstructured data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one remoting environment communications module from said second group is operable to cause the second communications appliance to receive operator input identifying structured and unstructured data associated with at least one object to be grouped into said package.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said at least one remoting environment communications module from said second group is operable to cause the second communications appliance to receive and associate with said package an expiry time after which said package is no longer presentable at said third communications appliance.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one remoting environment communications module from said second group is operable to cause the second communications appliance to group identified structured and unstructured data associated with at least one object into said package.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said at least one remoting environment communications module from said second group is operable to cause the second communications appliance to transmit an identification of structured and unstructured data in said package to the third communications appliance.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein facilitating communications between said computer and the third communications appliance comprises transmitting at least one remoting environment program module from a third group of program modules to the third communications appliance, said at least one remoting environment program module from said third group being operable to cause said third communications appliance to receive operator input to cause said third communications appliance to receive from said computer structured and unstructured data associated with said at least one object, in said package, and to cause said structured and unstructured data associated with said at least one object to be presented at the third communications appliance.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said at least one remoting environment program module from the third group is operable to cause the third communications appliance to receive operator input identifying a list of requirements of a desired object and communicate said list of desired requirements to the computer for communication to the second communications appliance.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein said at least one remoting environment program module from the third group is operable to cause the third communications appliance to facilitate selection of structured and unstructured data from a plurality of different objects from a plurality of different packages.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising associating an operator of the first communications appliance with an object and associating an operator of the second communications appliance with said object and notifying said operators of said first and second communications appliances of selection by an operator of said third communications appliance of the object with which they are associated.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein facilitating communications between said computer and the second communications appliance comprises transmitting at least one remoting environment program module from a second group of program modules to the second communications appliance, said at least one remoting environment program module from said second group being operable to cause the second communications appliance to communicate with the computer to receive and display at the second communications appliance an object profile populated with structured and unstructured data from said database.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said at least one remoting environment program module from said second group is operable to cause the second communications appliance to receive operator input and communicate said operator input to the computer to cause the computer to cause said structured and unstructured data at the database to be created, modified or deleted.

17. An apparatus for facilitating third party representation of an object, the apparatus comprising:

a) a computer having access to a database operable to store structured and unstructured data;

(b) a first communications facility facilitating communications between said computer and a first communications appliance having a first set of database access criteria to permit said structured and unstructured data for at least some of said objects to be created, modified or deleted by an operator of said first communications appliance;

(c) a second communications facility facilitating communications between said computer and a second communications appliance having a second set of access criteria to permit an operator of said second communications appliance to group said structured and unstructured data for at least some of said objects into a package; and

(d) a third communications facility facilitating communications between said computer and a third communications appliance having a third set of access criteria to permit said structured and unstructured data for at least some of said objects in said package to be presented to an operator at said third communications appliance, wherein said computer has access to a second group of remoting environment program modules and wherein the second communications facility is operable to transmit at least one remoting environment program module from said second group of program modules to the second communications appliance, said at least one remoting environment program module from said second group being operable to cause the second communications appliance to receive operator input and communicate said operator input to said computer to cause the computer to cause at least some of said structured and unstructured data associated with at least one object identified by said operator input to be presented at the second communications appliance, wherein said at least one remoting environment communications module from said second group is operable to cause the second communications appliance to simultaneously display at least some of said unstructured data associated with at least two objects to permit operator-comparison of said unstructured data.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said first, second and third sets of access criteria are different from each other.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said first set of access criteria includes an identification identifying an operator of said first communications appliance as a first type of operator, wherein said second set of access criteria includes an identification identifying an operator of said second communications appliance as a second type of operator and wherein said third set of access criteria includes an identification identifying an operator of said third communications appliance as a third type of operator.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said computer is operable to access a first group of remoting environment program modules and wherein the first communications facility is operable to cause said computer to transmit at least one of said remoting environment program modules from said first group to the first communications appliance, said at least one remoting environment program module from said first group being operable to cause the first communications appliance to display an object profile populated with structured and unstructured data from said database.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said at least one remoting environment program module from said first group is operable to cause the first communications appliance to receive operator input and communicate said operator input to said computer to cause the computer to create, modify or delete said structured or unstructured data at the database.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said at least one remoting environment communications module from said second group is operable to cause the second communications appliance to display thumbnail views of pictures defined by said unstructured data.

23. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said at least one remoting environment communications module from said second group is operable to cause the second communications appliance to receive operator input identifying structured and unstructured data associated with at least one object to be grouped into said package and to cause the second communications appliance to communicate said operator input to said computer.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said at least one remoting environment communications module is operable to cause the second communications appliance to group identified structured and unstructured data associated with at least one object into said package.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said at least one remoting environment communications module is operable to cause said package to be transmitted from the second communications appliance to said third communications appliance.

26. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said at least one remoting environment communications module from said second group is operable to receive operator input specifying an expiry time after which said package is no longer presentable at said third communications appliance and to associate said expiry time with said package.

27. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said computer is operable to access a third group of remoting environment program modules and wherein the third communications facility is operable to cause at least one remoting environment program module from said third group of program modules to be transmitted from said computer to the third communications appliance, said at least one remoting environment program module from said third group being operable to cause the third communications appliance to communicate with said database to cause said structured and unstructured data associated with said at least one object, in said package, to be presented at the third communications appliance.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein said at least one remoting environment program module from the third group is operable to facilitate selection by an operator of the third communications appliance, of structured and unstructured data from a plurality of different objects from a plurality of different packages.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said computer is operable to associate an operator of the first communications appliance with an object and associate an operator of the second communications appliance with said object and notify said operators of said first and second communications appliances of selection by an operator of said third communications appliance of the object with which they are associated.

30. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the third communications facility is operable to cause said computer to receive from the third communications appliance a list of requirements of at least one desired object and wherein the third communications facility is operable to cause said computer to communicate said list of requirements to the second communications appliance.

31. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said computer is operable to access a second group of remoting environment program modules and wherein the second communications facility is operable to transmit at least one remoting environment program module from said second group of program modules to the second communications appliance, said at least one remoting environment program module from said second group being operable to cause an object profile to be displayed at the second communications appliance and populated with structured and unstructured data from said database.

32. The apparatus of claim 31 wherein said at least one remoting environment program module from said second group is operable to cause the second communications appliance to receive operator input and to communicate said operator input to said computer to cause said computer to create, modify or delete said structured and unstructured data associated with an object. communications appliance.