Internet streaming media workflow architecture

• US 7,720,836 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2004
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Abajian, Aram Christian, Porter, Charles A., Lee, Scott Chao-Chueh, Derosa, John Anthony, Rehm, Eric Carl, Dahl, Austin David, Alexander, Robin Andrew, Sudanagunta, Srinivasan, Kolar, Jennifer Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): ABEL JALIL, NEVEEN
• Application Number:
  US10/886,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20050038809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,141 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• 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: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/908 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/923 Intellectual property
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• 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

Abstract

A method and system for utilizing metadata to search for media, such as multimedia and streaming media, includes searching for the media, receiving results, extracting metadata associated with the media, enhancing the extracted metadata, and grouping the search results in accordance with attributes of the enhanced metadata. Enhancing and grouping include adding related metadata to the database of metadata, iteratively using metadata to search for more media related data, removing duplicate URLs, collapsing URLs that are variants of each other, and masking out superfluous terms from URLs. The resultant metadata and media files are available to users and search engines.

Claims

1. A method for indexing media instances accessible on a communications network using a trusted database, comprising:

identifying a plurality of media instances accessible on the communications network; and

for each identified media instance;

extracting metadata related to the media instance from sources other than the trusted database;

in the trusted database, identifying a metadata record having contents stored before the media instance is identified and that at least partially match the extracted metadata;

enhancing the extracted metadata by adding at least a portion of the contents of the metadata record to the extracted metadata; and

augmenting with the enhanced metadata a media instance search index that is distinct from the trusted database.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising grouping the identified media instances into at least one group, wherein metadata extracted for each identified media instance in a group comprise at least one common attribute.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the trusted database in which the metadata record is identified is a ground truth database.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein media instances are identified by:

searching for media with at least one search term; and

receiving at least one search result comprising metadata associated with a media instance.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein media instances are identified using spidering techniques.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing at least one of the media instances and a uniform resource indicator (URI) related to the media instance to at least one of a user and a search engine.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising formatting at least one of the media instances and a uniform resource indicator (URI) related to the media instance in accordance with requirements of a search engine.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the formatting comprises at least one of adding metadata to, deleting metadata from, and updating the metadata associated with the media instance.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the extracted metadata as the at least one search term.

10. A tangible computer-readable storage medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method for indexing media instances accessible on a communications network using a trusted database, the method comprising:

identifying a plurality of media artifacts accessible on the communications network; and

for each identified media artifact;

extracting metadata of the media artifact from sources other than the trusted database;

in the trusted database, identifying a metadata record having contents stored before the media artifact is identified and that at least partially match the extracted metadata;

enhancing the extracted metadata by adding at least a portion of the contents of the metadata record to the extracted metadata; and

augmenting with the enhanced metadata a media artifact search index that is distinct from the trusted database.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the method further comprises grouping the identified media artifacts into at least one group, wherein metadata extracted for each identified media artifact in a group comprise at least one common attribute.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the trusted database in which the metadata record is identified is a ground truth database.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein media artifacts are identified by:

searching for media with at least one search term; and

receiving at least one search result comprising metadata of a media artifact.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein media artifacts are identified using spidering techniques.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising providing at least one of the media artifacts and a uniform resource indicator (URI) related to the media artifact to at least one of a user and a search engine.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising formatting at least one of the media artifacts and a uniform resource indicator (URI) related to the media artifact in accordance with requirements of a search engine.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the formatting comprises at least one of adding metadata to, deleting metadata from, and updating the metadata associated with the media instance.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the method further comprises providing the extracted metadata as the at least one search term.

19. A computer memory containing a media instance search index modified by a method for indexing media instances accessible on a communications network using a trusted database, the method comprising:

identifying a plurality of media instances accessible on the communications network; and

for each identified media instance;

extracting metadata related to the media instance from sources other than the trusted database;

in the trusted database, identifying a metadata record having contents stored before the media instance is identified and that at least partially match the extracted metadata;

enhancing the extracted metadata by adding at least a portion of the contents of the metadata record to the extracted metadata; and

augmenting with the enhanced metadata a media instance search index that is distinct from the trusted database.

20. The computer memory of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises grouping the identified media instances into at least one group, wherein metadata extracted for each identified media instance in a group comprise at least one common attribute.

21. The computer memory of claim 19 wherein the trusted database in which the metadata record is identified is a ground truth database.

22. The computer memory of claim 19 wherein media instances are identified by:

searching for media with at least one search term; and

receiving at least one search result comprising metadata associated with a media instance.

23. The computer memory of claim 19 wherein media instances are identified using spidering techniques.

24. The computer memory of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises providing at least one of the media instances and a uniform resource indicator (URI) related to the media instance to at least one of a user and a search engine.

25. The computer memory of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises formatting at least one of the media instances and a uniform resource indicator (URI) related to the media instance in accordance with requirements of a search engine.

26. The computer memory of claim 25 wherein the formatting comprises at least one of adding metadata to, deleting metadata from, and updating the metadata associated with the media instance.

27. The computer memory of claim 19 wherein the method further comprises providing the extracted metadata as the at least one search term.