Application program interface to manage media files

• US 7,783,686 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sather, Dale, Reneris, Kenneth, Gates, Matthijs A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kim T
• Application Number:
  US11/454,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20070294311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,530 Days
• Field of Search: 707/200, 707/205
• US Class Current: 707/829
• 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: G11B 2220/25 characterised in that the disc is based on a specific recording technology
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/32 on separate auxiliary tracks of the same or an auxiliary record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums

Abstract

An application program interface to manage media files may be described. An apparatus may comprise a media processing sub-system having a processor and a memory. The memory may store an application program interface software library having multiple software objects. The processor may execute the software objects in response to application program interface commands in order to manage a virtual file comprising a hierarchy of name-value pairs used to store media content from multiple media streams. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. An article comprising a machine-readable storage medium containing instructions that if executed enable a system to:

store multiple media streams in a virtual file using a hierarchy of name-value pairs, wherein;

said virtual file is partitioned into one or more long pages of a first defined length,

at least one long page of said virtual file is partitioned into one or more short pages of a second defined length shorter than said first defined length,

said hierarchy of name-value pairs is formed by storing multiple name-value pairs for said virtual file in one or more containers within said pages,

said containers include a root container comprising a first page table structure implemented as an array of short pages storing a collection of high-level name-value pairs for said virtual file at a high level of said hierarchy, and

at least one high-level name-value pair stored in said first page table structure of said root container comprises a value representing another container comprising a second page table structure implemented as an array of long pages or short pages storing more values name-value pairs for said virtual file at a lower level of said hierarchy;

receive an application program interface command corresponding to a software object from a software library; and

access at least one container of said virtual file storing name-value pairs for said virtual file in response to said application program interface command.

2. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a file create command to create said virtual file, create said virtual file with a file handle in response to said file create command, and send said file handle for said virtual file.

3. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a get file information command, and send file information for said virtual file in response to said get file information command.

4. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a get root container command, and send a list of name-value pairs from a root container.

5. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a container read command, and read a name-value pair from a container.

6. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a container write command, and write a name-value pair to a container.

7. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a value reader command, and read a short value or a long value from a container.

8. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a value writer command, and write a short value or a long value to a container.

9. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a read lock command, and lock a short value or a long value for reading.

10. The article of claim 1, further comprising instructions that if executed enable the system to receive a write lock command, and lock a short value or a long value for writing.

11. An apparatus comprising a media processing sub-system having a processor and a memory, said memory storing an application program interface software library having multiple software objects, said processor to execute said software objects in response to application program interface commands in order to manage a virtual file comprising a hierarchy of name-value pairs used to store media content from multiple media streams, wherein:

said virtual file is partitioned into one or more long pages of a first defined length,

at least one long page of said virtual file is partitioned into one or more short pages of a second defined length shorter than said first defined length,

said hierarchy of name-value pairs is formed by storing multiple name-value pairs for said virtual file in one or more containers within said pages,

said containers include a root container comprising a first page table structure implemented as an array of short pages storing a collection of high-level name-value pairs for said virtual file at a high level of said hierarchy,

at least one high-level name-value pair stored in said first page table structure of said root container comprises a value representing another container comprising a second page table structure implemented as an array of long pages or short pages storing more name-value pairs for said virtual file at a lower level of said hierarchy, and

one or more of said software objects access at least one container of said virtual file storing name-value pairs for said virtual file in response to a corresponding application program interface command.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, said application program interface software library including at least one of a file create object responsive to a file create command, a file information object responsive to a get file information command, a root container object responsive to a get root container command, a container read object responsive to a container read command, a container write object responsive to a container write command, a value reader object responsive to a value reader command, a value writer object responsive to a value writer command, a read lock object responsive to a read lock command, or a write lock object responsive to a write lock command.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, comprising a media application reader to read a name-value pair from said virtual file using said application program interface software library.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, comprising a media application writer to write a name-value pair to said virtual file using said application program interface software library.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, comprising a media file manager to manage said virtual file.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an application program interface command at a computer, said application program interface command corresponding to a software object from a software library stored in memory of said computer; and

accessing a virtual file with media information for multiple media streams stored on said computer with said software object, wherein;

said virtual file is partitioned into one or more long pages of a first defined length,

at least one long page of said virtual file is partitioned into one or more short pages of a second defined length shorter than said first defined length,

said virtual file comprises a hierarchy of name-value pairs formed by storing multiple name-value pairs in one or more containers within said pages,

said containers include a root container comprising a first page table structure implemented as an array of short pages storing a collection of high-level name-value pairs for said virtual file at a high level of said hierarchy,

at least one high-level name-value pair stored in said first page table structure of said root container comprises a value representing another container comprising a second page table structure implemented as an array of long pages or short pages storing more name-value pairs for said virtual file at a lower level of said hierarchy, and

said software object accesses at least one container of said virtual file storing name-value pairs for said virtual file in response to said application program interface command.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising writing media information to said virtual file with a first software object from said software library.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising reading media information from said virtual file with a second software object from said software library.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising creating said virtual file with a third software object from said software library.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising creating said name-value pair with a fourth software object from said software library.