Metadata triggered notification for content searching

• US 7,765,184 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2005
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VL Collective IP, LLC (VideoLabs, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Makela, Kaj
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US11/232,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,769 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-831
• US Class Current: 707/603
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/487 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location

Abstract

A method is provided for browsing a plurality of objects in search of one or more objects of interest, wherein a notification is triggered when a user focuses on, or otherwise activates or selects, an object having certain pre-defined metadata characteristics. A user device capable of enabling the user to search the plurality of objects using such a method is also provided, and a system and computer program product for searching a plurality of objects for one or more objects of interest are further provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing one or more metadata watch rules, said rules defining one or more metadata characteristics of one or more media objects of interest among a plurality of media objects stored on one or more memories;

receiving, from a user associated with a user device, a selection of a media object from the plurality of media objects, said media object having metadata associated with said media object;

reading, in response to receiving the selection, the metadata associated with the media object selected; and

comparing, using an appropriately configured processor, the read metadata associated with the media object selected to the one or more metadata characteristics defined by the metadata watch rules; and

triggering a notification where the metadata associated with the media object selected matches at least one of the one or more metadata characteristics defined by the metadata watch rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media object selected comprises a picture, photograph, video, music file, text file, or email.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the one or more memories on which the plurality of media objects is stored is embodied on the user device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device comprises a mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of media objects is accessible by the user device via a communications network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing one or more metadata watch rules comprises creating the metadata watch rules based on information provided by the user associated with the user device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing one or more metadata watch rules comprises automatically creating the metadata watch rules based on contextual information related to the user device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the contextual information related to the user device comprises one or more of a location of the user associated with the user device, an event the user associated with the user device has scheduled, or a person the user associated with the user device is scheduled to meet.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying a representation of respective media objects of the plurality on a display screen of the user device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the selection of the media object comprises receiving an indication of a cursor of the user device being placed on top of or in close proximity to the representation of the media object on the display screen.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the selection of the media object comprises detecting a tactile input on the display screen in the vicinity or on top of the representation of the media object.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a selection of a media object comprises receiving a message.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein reading the metadata associated with the media object selected comprises reading metadata indicating a sender of the message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a selection of a media object comprises receiving an incoming phone call.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein reading the metadata associated with the media object selected comprises reading metadata indicating a caller associated with the incoming phone call.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a selection of a media object comprises enabling the user to scan a unique identifier corresponding with the media object.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a selection of a media object comprises enabling a user to use a radio frequency (RF) scanner associated with the user device to find an RF transmitter in the media object.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a selection of a media object comprises enabling a user to use a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader associated with the user device to read an RFID tag in the media object.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

permitting definition of the notification to be triggered.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is selected from a group consisting of a sound, a text message, a graphic, a vibration, a voice message, an audio clip, a video clip and a multimedia presentation.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more metadata characteristics defined by the metadata watch rules comprise one or more of a location associated with a media object of interest, a time associated with a media object of interest, a creator of a media object of interest, an originating device of a media object of interest, or a person in an object of interest.

22. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory having computer program instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor cause the apparatus or another apparatus to at least:

receive, from a user associated with the apparatus, a selection of a media object from a plurality of media objects stored on one or more of the memory or one or more other memories, said media object having metadata associated with said media object;

apply, in response to receiving the selection, one or more metadata watch rules to the selected media object, said one or more metadata watch rules defining one or more characteristics of one or more media objects of interest among the plurality of media objects, by comparing the metadata associated with the selected media object to the one or more metadata characteristics defined by the metadata watch rules; and

trigger a notification where metadata associated with the selected media object matches at least one of the one or more metadata characteristics defined by the metadata watch rules.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the media object selected comprises a picture, photograph, video, music file, text file, or email.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor further cause the apparatus or the another apparatus to enable the one or more metadata watch rules to be defined.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor further cause the apparatus or the another apparatus to automatically create the one or more metadata watch rules based on contextual information related to the apparatus.

26. The apparatus of claim 22 further comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) scanner, wherein in order to receive a selection of the media object, the instructions when executed by the processor further cause the apparatus or the another apparatus to enable use of the RF scanner to find an RF transmitter in the media object.

27. The apparatus of claim 22 further comprising:

a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, wherein in order to receive a selection of the media object, the instructions when executed by the processor further cause the apparatus or the another apparatus to enable use of the RFID reader to read an RFID tag in the media object.

28. The apparatus of claim 22 further comprising a display screen, wherein in order to receive a selection of a media object, the instructions when executed by the processor further cause the apparatus or the another apparatus to display a representation of respective media objects of the plurality on the display screen, said representations capable of being selected by the user of the apparatus.

29. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein in order to apply the metadata watch rules to the media object selected, the instructions when executed by the processor further cause the apparatus or the another apparatus to read the metadata associated with the selected media object and compare the metadata read to the one or more metadata characteristics defined by the one or more metadata watch rules.

30. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the instructions when executed by the processor further cause the apparatus or the another apparatus to enable definition of the notification to be triggered.

31. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein at least one of the plurality of media objects is stored in a database accessible by the apparatus.

32. An apparatus comprising:

means for providing one or more metadata watch rules, said rules defining one or more metadata characteristics of one or more media objects of interest among a plurality of media objects stored on one or more memories;

means for receiving, from a user associated with the apparatus, a selection of a media object from the plurality of media objects, said media object having metadata associated with said media object;

means for reading, in response to receiving the selection, the metadata associated with the media object selected;

means for comparing the read metadata associated with the media object selected to the one or more metadata characteristics defined by the metadata watch rules; and

means for triggering a notification where the metadata associated with the media object selected matches at least one of the one or more metadata characteristics defined by the metadata watch rules.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the media object selected comprises a picture, photograph, video, music file, text file, or email.

34. The apparatus of claim 32 further comprising:

means for storing the one or more metadata watch rules.

35. The apparatus of claim 32 further comprising:

means for displaying a representation of respective media objects of the plurality to the user, wherein the means for receiving a selection of a media object further comprises means for receiving a selection of a representation of the media object.

36. A computer program product, wherein the computer program product comprises at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a program code portion for providing one or more metadata watch rules, said rules defining one or more metadata characteristics of one or more media objects of interest among a plurality of media objects stored on one or more memories;

a program code portion for causing a selection of a media object from the plurality of media objects to be received from a user associated with an apparatus, said media object selected having metadata associated with said media object;

a program code portion for reading, in response to receiving the selection, the metadata associated with the media object selected;

a program code portion for comparing the read metadata associated with the media object selected to the one or more metadata characteristics defined by the metadata watch rules; and

a program code portion for triggering a notification where the metadata associated with the media object selected matches at least one of the one or more metadata characteristics defined by the metadata watch rules.

37. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein a media object comprises a picture, photograph, video, music file, text file, or email.

38. The computer program product of claim 36 further comprising:

a program code portion for displaying a representation of respective media objects, wherein the second executable portion program code portion for causing a selection of a media object to be received includes instructions for causing the selection to be received by causing a selection of a representation of the media object to be received.

39. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein the notification triggered is selected from a group consisting of a sound, a text message, a graphic, a vibration, a voice message, an audio clip, a video clip and a multimedia presentation.