Accessing digital media

• US 7,698,297 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2004
• Issued: 04/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2003
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Jawa, Amandeep, Robbin, Jeffrey L., Heller, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Miranda
• Application Number:
  US10/799,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20040215611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,223 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-102, 707/104.1, 707200-204, 709/203, 709/231, 709217-219, 705/14, 705/27, 715/501.1, 715/513
• US Class Current: 707/713
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• 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 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Method and apparatus for accessing media across networks. The present invention generally allows for media to be provided across a network. A client requests media information from a server so the client can create a local representation of the server'"'"'s database. The client is then able to manage the media information locally. When the client selects the desired media, it requests the selection from across the network. The server then delivers the selected media.

Claims

1. A method of retrieving digital media comprising:

querying a server for database enumeration;

receiving a response to the database enumeration query that includes at least information about at least one digital media database coupled to the server, wherein the information about the at least one digital media database includes at least metadata about one or more remote records within the at least one digital media database, and wherein the one or more remote records pertain to one or more of digital media, digital media metadata or media collection data;

using the metadata to effectively provide a first representation of the one or more remote records;

querying the server for information required to populate one or more local records associated with the metadata after receiving the metadata;

receiving the information required to populate the one or more local records associated with the metadata in response to the querying of the server;

populating the one or more local records after receiving the information required to populate the one or more local records, thereby effectively providing one or more populated records based on the metadata associated with the one or more remote records;

using the one or more populated records to effectively provide a second representation of the one or more remote records; and

subsequently retrieving digital media associated with at least one of the populated records,

wherein the one or more local records are part of a local database, and wherein said populating of the one or more local records operates to replicate at least a portion of the digital media database to the local database, and

wherein the first representation provides a first level of detail with respect to the one or more remote records, wherein the second representation provides a second level of detail with respect to the one or more remote records, and wherein the second level of detail represents the one or more records in greater detail than the first level of detail.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote records pertain to both digital media metadata and media collections and multiple queries are required to populate the local records associated with the metadata.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising using a local database management system to manage the information contained in the local records of the local database, the local records including media collection data records and digital media metadata records.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is a remote device accessible across a network, and wherein said method further comprises:

querying the server for media collection enumeration with respect to the at least one digital media database; and

receiving a response to the media collection enumeration query that includes at least information about one or more media collections.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein, said retrieving of the digital media comprises:

requesting media from across a network; and

receiving the requested media across the network.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising presenting the received media at a client device, wherein presenting the received media includes playing the media for a user.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more populated records effectively provide a representation of the one or more remote records.

8. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the first representation represents the one or more remote records in accordance with a first aspect of representation;

and

wherein the second representation represents the one or more remote records in accordance with a second aspect of representation that is different than the first aspect of representation.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

querying the server for information required to provide a third representation of the one or more remote records.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

querying the server for information required to further populate the at least one record in order to effectively provide a third representation of the one or more remote records.

11. A computing system for retrieving digital media, wherein said computing system comprises:

a processing unit configured to provide at least;

means for querying a server for database enumeration;

means for receiving a response to the database enumeration query that includes at least information about at least one digital media database coupled to the server, wherein the information about the at least one digital media database includes at least metadata about one or more remote records within the at least one digital media database, wherein the metadata effectively represents the one or more remote records as a first representation, and wherein the one or more remote records pertain to one or more of digital media, digital media metadata or media collection data;

means for querying the server for information required to populate one or more local records associated with the metadata after receiving the metadata;

means for receiving the information required to populate the one or more local records associated with the metadata in response to the querying of the server;

means for populating the one or more local records after receiving the information required to populate the one or more local records, thereby effectively providing one or more populated records based on the metadata associated with the one or more remote records, wherein the one or more populated records effectively represents the one or more remote records as a second representation;

means for subsequently retrieving digital media associated with at least one of the populated records,

wherein the one or more local records are part of a local database, and wherein said means for populating of the one or more local records operates to replicate at least a portion of the digital media database to the local database, and

wherein the first representation provides a first level of detail with respect to the one or more remote records, wherein the second representation provides a second level of detail with respect to the one or more remote records, and wherein the second level of detail represents the one or more records in greater detail than the first level of detail.

12. A server for providing digital media to one or more devices, wherein said server comprises:

a processing unit configured to provide at least;

means for receiving a query from a device for database enumeration;

means for sending the features of the server to the device in response to the query, the features including enumeration data about at least one digital media database, wherein the information about the at least one digital media database includes at least metadata about one or more records within the at least one digital media database, wherein the metadata can be used by the device to locally present one or more local records at the device as a first local presentation of at least a portion of the at least one digital media database, and wherein the records pertain to one or more of digital media, digital media metadata or media collection data;

means for receiving a querying from the device for information required by the device to populate the one or more local records associated with the first local presentation;

means for sending the device information required to populate the one or more local records associated with the first local presentation, thereby allowing the device to populate the one or more local records after receiving the information required to populate the one or more local records in order to present the one or more local records as one or more populated records;

means for receiving a subsequent query from the device regarding at least one of the one or more populated records; and

means for sending digital media associated with the at least one populated record after receiving the second query from the device,

wherein the one or more local records are part of a local database provided at the device, and wherein population of the one or more local records at the device operates to replicate at least a portion of the digital media database to the local database,

wherein the one or more populated records can be used to locally present the portion of the at least one digital media database at the device as a second local presentation, and

wherein the first local presentation provides a first level of detail with respect to the one or more populated records, wherein the second local presentation provides a second level of detail with respect to the one or more populated records, and wherein the second level of detail represents the one or more records in greater detail than the first level of detail.

13. A computer readable storage medium including at least executable computer program code tangibly stored thereon for retrieving digital media, comprising:

computer program code for querying a server for database enumeration;

computer program code for receiving a response to the database enumeration query that includes at least information about at least one digital media database, wherein the information about the at least one digital media database includes at least metadata about one or more remote records within the at least one digital media database, wherein the metadata effectively represents the one or more remote records as a first representation, and wherein the one or more remote records pertain to one or more of digital media, digital media metadata or media collection data, the metadata being used to effectively provide a first representation of the one or more remote records;

computer program code for querying the server, based on the metadata, for information required to populate one or more of the local records associated with the metadata after receiving the metadata;

computer program code for receiving the information required to populate the one or more of the local records associated with the metadata in response to the querying of the server;

computer program code for populating the one or more local records after receiving the information required to populate the one or more local records, thereby effectively providing one or more populated records based on the metadata associated with the one or more remote records, the one or more populated records being used to effectively provide a second representation of the one or more remote records; and

computer program code for retrieving digital media associated with at least one of the populated records based on the populated one or more records,

wherein the one or more local records are part of a local database, and wherein said computer program code for populating of the one or more local records operates to replicate at least a portion of the digital media database to the local database, and

wherein the first representation provides a first level of detail with respect to the one or more remote records, wherein the second representation provides a second level of detail with respect to the one or more remote records, and wherein the second level of detail represents the one or more records in greater detail than the first level of detail.

14. A computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the remote records pertain to both digital media metadata and media collections and multiple queries are required to populate the local records associated with the metadata.

15. A computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 13,

wherein the first representation represents the one or more remote records in accordance with a first aspect of representation;

and

wherein the second representation represents the one or more remote records in accordance with a second aspect of representation that is different than the first aspect of representation.

16. A computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for querying the server for information required to provide a third representation of one or more remote records.

17. A computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for querying the server for information required to further populate the one or more local records in order to effectively provide a third representation of the one or more remote records.

18. A computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

computer program code for determining whether the digital media database has been updated since the one or more local records were populated from information provided by the digital media database.

24. A computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein said computer program code for determining whether the digital media database has been updated comprises:

computer program code for updating to a current revision indicator whenever the digital media database is modified;

computer program code for comparing the current revision indicator to a client-provided revision indicator, the client-provided revision indicator being provided with a request being received from a client, the request pertaining to the at least one digital media database and including a client-provided revision indicator; and

computer program code for responding to the request with a response that includes at least an identification of the current revision indicator if the client-provided revision indicator did not match the current revision indicator.

19. A computer readable storage medium including at least executable computer program code tangibly stored thereon for providing digital media to one or more devices, wherein said computer readable medium comprises:

computer program code for receiving a query from a device for database enumeration;

computer program code for sending the features of the server to the device in response to the query, the features including enumeration data about at least one digital media database, wherein the information about the at least one digital media database includes at least metadata about one or more records within the at least one digital media database, wherein the metadata can be used by the device to locally present one or more local records at the device as a first local presentation of at least a portion of the at least one digital media database, and wherein the records pertain to one or more of digital media, digital media metadata or media collection data;

computer program code for receiving a querying from the device for information required by the device to populate the one or more local records associated with the first local presentation;

computer program code for sending the device information required to populate the one or more records associated with the first local presentation, thereby allowing the device to populate the one or more local records after receiving the information required to populate the one or more local records in order to present the one or more local records as one or more populated records;

computer program code for receiving a subsequent query from the device regarding at least one of the one or more populated records; and

computer program code for sending digital media associated with the at least one populated record after receiving the second query from the device,

wherein the one or more local records are part of a local database, and wherein the population of the one or more local records at the device operates to replicate at least a portion of the digital media database to the local database,

wherein the one or more populated records can be used to locally present the portion of the at least one digital media database at the device as a second local presentation, and

wherein the first local presentation provides a first level of detail with respect to the one or more remote records, wherein the second local presentation provides a second level of detail with respect to the one or more remote records, and wherein the second level of detail represents the one or more records in greater detail than the first level of detail.

20. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

memory, operably connected with the processor;

wherein the processor is operable to perform instructions including connecting to a server, the server including media information;

querying the server for at least a portion of the media information;

receiving media information responsive to the query;

requesting at least one media item associated with the media information responsive to the query; and

receiving the media item,

wherein said querying includes a plurality of distinct queries to the server, and wherein said querying includes at least;

querying the server for database enumeration; and

wherein said receiving of the media information includes a plurality of distinct responses to the queries, and wherein said receiving includes at least;

receiving a response to the database enumeration query that includes descriptive information on at least one remote database, the descriptive information including how much media is available from the at least one remote database or how many media collections are available from the at least one remote database or both,

wherein said method further includes at least;

receiving the information required to populate the one or more of the local records associated with the metadata in response to the querying of the server;

populating the one or more local records after receiving the information required to populate the one or more local records, thereby effectively providing one or more populated records based on the metadata associated with the one or more remote records; and

retrieving digital media associated with at least one of the populated records based on the populated one or more records,

wherein the one or more local records are part of a local database, and wherein by population of the one or more local records, at least a portion of the remote database is replicated to the local database,

wherein the metadata being used to effectively provide a first representation of the one or more remote records, wherein the one or more populated records being used to effectively provide a second representation of the one or more remote records, and

wherein the first representation provides a first level of detail with respect to the one or more remote records, wherein the second representation provides a second level of detail with respect to the one or more remote records, and wherein the second level of detail represents the one or more records in greater detail than the first level of detail.

21. The computing device of claim 20,

wherein said querying includes at least:

querying the server for media collection enumeration, and

wherein said receiving includes at least;

receiving a response to the media collection enumeration query that includes descriptive information on at least one media collection available from the at least one database.

22. The computing device of claim 20,

wherein said querying includes at least:

querying the server for server capabilities, and

wherein said receiving includes at least;

receiving a response to the server capabilities query that describes the server capabilities.

23. The computing device of claim 20, wherein querying the server for at least a portion of the media information includes at least a request for an enumeration of at least a portion of the media collections.