Live presentation searching

• US 7,565,440 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2004
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Omoigui, Nosakhare D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim; Krisna
• Application Number:
  US10/999,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20050076378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-205, 709/231, 725/105, 725/116, 725/146
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/914 Video
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/916 Audio
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

In a networked client/server system, live presentations can be streamed from an encoder or other server to a client computer. Additionally, information describing the presentation is registered with a search server. This information is made available for user searches only for as long as the information properly describes the live presentation. When the information no longer describes a current live presentation, the information is no longer available for searching.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information identifying a live presentation;

making the information available for searching only during a duration of the live presentation, wherein the making the information available for searching comprises;

adding the information to a database of currently available live presentations;

deleting the information from the database when the live presentation has ended;

receiving a user search request; and

accessing the database of currently available live presentations to determine whether a currently available live presentation matches the user search request;

maintaining a record of user search requests;

notifying a corresponding user when a new live presentation that satisfies a search request is available;

receiving, for each of the user search requests, an indication of how a user should be notified; and

notifying the user in accordance with the indication of how the user should be notified.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving information identifying a live presentation scheduled to occur in the future.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving information identifying a currently available live presentation.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the information from a same encoder as is presenting the information.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication, from an encoder that is presenting the information, that the live presentation is finished.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information identifying a current characteristic of the live presentation; and

making the current characteristic available for searching for as long as the current characteristic describes a currently presenting portion of the live presentation.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information identifying a current characteristic of the live presentation; and

making the current characteristic available for searching for as long as the current characteristic describes a currently presenting portion of the live presentation, wherein the making the current characteristic available for searching comprises;

adding the information identifying the current characteristic to the database of currently available live presentations; and

deleting the information identifying the current characteristic from the database when the characteristic no longer describes the currently presenting portion of the live presentation.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information identifying a current characteristic of the live presentation; and

making the current characteristic available for searching for as long as the current characteristic describes a currently presenting portion of the live presentation, and further comprising;

alerting a corresponding user when a new current characteristic that satisfies a search request describes the currently presenting portion of the live presentation.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information identifying a current characteristic of the live presentation;

making the current characteristic available for searching for as long as the current characteristic describes a currently presenting portion of the live presentation, wherein the making the current characteristic available for searching comprises;

adding the information identifying the current characteristic to the database of currently available live presentations; and

deleting the information identifying the current characteristic from the database when the characteristic no longer describes the currently presenting portion of the live presentation; and

further comprising;

checking the database of currently available live presentations to determine, based at least in part on the current characteristic in the database, whether a currently available live presentation matches the user search request.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information identifying a current characteristic of the live presentation; and

transmitting the information identifying the current characteristic of the live presentation to a client computer.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

generating, based at least in part on the information identifying the live presentation, descriptive information corresponding to the live presentation; and

adding the descriptive information to the database of currently available live presentations.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the live presentation includes an audio stream and a video stream.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information identifying the live presentation is generated manually.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein manual generation refers to an author writing textual information associated with the live presentation.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the information identifying the live presentation is generated automatically.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein automatic generation comprises speech-to-text conversion.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a bus;

a processor coupled to the bus; and

a memory, coupled to the bus, to store a plurality of instructions that are executed by the processor, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive information identifying a live presentation;

make the information available for searching only during a duration of the live presentation;

wherein to make the information available for searching comprises;

adding the information to a database of currently available live presentations;

deleting the information from the database when the live presentation is ended;

receiving a user search request; and

accessing the database of currently available live presentations to determine whether a currently available live presentation matches the user search request;

maintain a record of user search requests;

notify a corresponding user when a new live presentation that satisfies a search request is available;

receive, for each of the user search requests, an indication of how a user should be notified; and

notify the user in accordance with the indication of how the user should be notified.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to generate, based on the information identifying the live presentation, descriptive information to be added to the database.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the instructions to receive information identifying the live presentation are to receive information identifying the live presentation from an encoder at the time the information is received.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, further comprising a nonvolatile storage device, coupled to the bus, to record the information identifying the live presentation.

21. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to store the information identifying the live presentation in the database.

22. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the information identifying the live presentation includes a set of descriptive words and an indicator of a server from which the live presentation is available.

23. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the information identifying the live presentation includes a set of descriptive words and an indicator of a server from which the live presentation is available, and wherein the indicator of the server comprises a uniform resource locator (URL).

24. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

receive information identifying current characteristics of the live presentation;

maintain the information identifying the current characteristics for as long as the current characteristics describe the live presentation; and

use the information identifying the current characteristics to respond to searches from a plurality of client computers.

25. An apparatus as recited in claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to:

receive information identifying current topic information identifying a topic currently being presented as part of the live presentation;

receive an indication that the topic is no longer being presented;

maintaining the topic information for a period of time after receiving the indication that the topic is no longer being presented; and

using the current topic information to respond to searches from a plurality of computers during the period of time.

26. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a computer program that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform functions including:

receiving information identifying a live presentation;

making the information available for searching only during a duration of the live presentation, wherein the making the information available for searching comprises;

adding the information to a database of currently available live presentations;

deleting the information from the database when the live presentation has ended;

receiving a user search request; and

accessing the database of currently available live presentations to determine whether a currently available live presentation matches the user search request;

maintaining a record of user search requests;

notifying a corresponding user when a new live presentation that satisfies a search request is available;

receiving, for each of the user search requests, an indication of how a user should be notified; and

notifying the user in accordance with the indication of how the user should be notified.

27. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, wherein the live presentation includes an audio stream and a video stream.

28. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, wherein the receiving comprises receiving information identifying a live presentation scheduled to occur in the future.

29. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, wherein the receiving comprises receiving information identifying a currently available live presentation.

30. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

receiving information identifying a plurality of live presentations; and

for each live presentation, making the information identifying the live presentation available for searching only during a duration of the live presentation.

31. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

receiving information identifying a plurality of live presentations;

for each live presentation, making the information identifying the live presentation available for searching only for the duration of the live presentation.

32. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, wherein the receiving comprises receiving the information from a same encoder as is presenting the information.

33. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, further comprising receiving an indication, from an encoder that is presenting the information, that the live presentation is finished.

34. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

receiving information identifying a current characteristic of the live presentation; and

making the current characteristic available for searching for as long as the current characteristic describes a currently presenting portion of the live presentation.

35. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

receiving information identifying a current characteristic of the live presentation; and

making the current characteristic available for searching for as long as the current characteristic describes a currently presenting portion of the live presentation, wherein the making the current characteristic available for searching comprises;

adding the information identifying the current characteristic to the database of currently available live presentations; and

deleting the information identifying the current characteristic from the database when the current characteristic no longer describes the currently presenting portion of the live presentation.

36. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

receiving information identifying a current characteristic of the live presentation; and

making the current characteristic available for searching for as long as the current characteristic describes a currently presenting portion of the live presentation, and further comprising;

alerting a corresponding user when a new current characteristic that satisfies a search request describes the currently presenting portion of the live presentation.

37. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

receiving information identifying a current characteristic of the live presentation; and

transmitting the information identifying the current characteristic of the live presentation to a client computer.

38. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, further comprising:

generating, based at least in part on the information identifying the live presentation, descriptive information corresponding to the live presentation; and

adding the descriptive information to the database of currently available live presentations.

39. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, wherein the information identifying the live presentation is generated manually.

40. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 39, wherein manual generation refers to an author writing textual information associated with the live presentation.

41. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, wherein the information identifying the live presentation is generated automatically.

42. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 41, wherein automatic generation comprises speech-to-text conversion.