Advanced streaming format table of contents object

• US 7,676,495 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2005
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Qian, Richard Junqiang
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US11/107,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20060235880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/6, 707/101, 707/104.1, 707/205, 379/88.1, 725/22, 715/200, 715/201, 715/205, 715/209, 715/273, 715/716, 348/423.1, 348/462
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• 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: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A computer memory product having stored thereon a digital media file, the memory product comprising a computer readable memory, and a data file including at least two digital data portions; a header object including a table of contents (TOC) object containing data regarding the data file; and a second data object following the first header object containing data representing digital media wherein the TOC object is disposed between the first header object and the second data object.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium, having stored thereon a digital media file comprising:

a data object that contains data representing digital media content stored in the computer readable storage medium;

a header object that includes metadata corresponding to the digital media file, the header object further including a table of contents object, the table of contents object containing indexing data readable to provide semantic indexing of the digital media content, wherein the table of contents object comprises an object id which specifies a globally unique identifier for the table of contents object, an object size field which specifies the size of the table of content object and a table of contents field which includes a number of subfields, the subfields include a table of contents header and table of contents data, wherein the table of contents data is formed in a nested structure of entry lists which corresponds to chapters of the digital media content; and

an index object that includes a set of markers coupled to one or more points of the digital media content stored in the data object.

2. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising a header extension object that extends the header object and includes the table of contents object.

3. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, in which the digital media file is an ASF file.

4. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, in which the digital media file is an AVI file.

5. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, in which the table of contents object is uncompressed.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, in which the data object includes a plurality of data streams.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, in which the table of contents object includes a table of contents for each of the plurality of data streams.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, in which the table of contents object includes a table of contents.

9. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, in which the table of contents object includes a textual based description of the digital media.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 1, in which the table of contents object includes a thumbnail picture derived from the digital media.

11. A computer readable medium, having stored thereon a digital media file comprising:

a data object that contains data representing digital media content stored in the computer readable medium;

a header object that includes metadata corresponding to the digital media file;

a table of contents object that contains indexing data readable to provide semantic indexing of the digital media content, such that an index object further includes an object ID field which specifies a predefined globally unique identifier for the table of contents object; and

an index object that includes a set of markers coupled to one or more points of the digital media content stored in the data object.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, in which the predefined globally unique identifier for table of contents object is an ASF_TOC_Type_Playlist identifier or a ASF_TOC Type Editlist identifier or a ASF TOC User Bookmarks identifier or a ASF TOC Type DSP Metadata identifier.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, in which the digital media file is an ASF file.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, in which the digital media file is an AVI file.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, in which the table of contents object is uncompressed.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 11, in which the data object includes a plurality of data streams.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, in which the table of contents object includes a table of contents for each of the plurality of data streams.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 11, in which the table of contents object includes a table of contents.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 11, in which the table of contents object includes a textual based description of the digital media.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 11, in which the table of contents object includes a thumbnail picture derived from the digital media.