Inferring information about media stream objects

• US 7,788,696 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2003
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Herley, Cormac E., Burges, Christopher J. C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Koenig; Andrew Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMAS, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US10/686,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20050086682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,512 Days
• Field of Search: 725/114, 715/715, 715/716, 715/719, 715/722
• US Class Current: 725/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/14 for monitoring programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/16 Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/82 using signals not modulated onto a carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/90 characterised by the use of signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/44 for identifying broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/278 Content descriptor database or directory service for end-user access details of content or meta data based information retrieval of video data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Information about media objects within media streams is inferred based on repeat instances of the media objects within the media streams. A system and methods enable the monitoring of one or more media streams and the identification of repeat instances of media objects (e.g., audio and/or video objects) within the media streams. The monitoring and object repeat identification is performed by one or more server computers on a network. Information about a media object can be inferred based on repeat instances of the media object and based on repeat instances of related media objects. The information is transferred from a server to a client in response to a user query entered at the client through an interactive user interface.

Claims

1. A computer memory comprising processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a request for information regarding a media object;

inferring the information from repeat instances of media objects occurring within one or more media streams; and

returning the information;

wherein the inferring comprises comparing temporal lengths of repeat instances of the media object with one another to determine different versions of the media object, wherein the different versions of the media object are video clips, the different versions of the media object selected from the group comprising;

a longest version of the media object;

a number of longer versions of the media object;

a shortest version of the media object; and

a number of shorter versions of the media object and

wherein the inferring further comprises determining a number of related media objects, wherein;

(i) the related media objects are determined based on temporal proximities of media objects relative to the media object associated with the request, and (ii) the related media objects have a higher frequency of repeat instances relative to one another.

2. A computer memory as recited in claim 1, wherein the inferring comprises searching a database for the information, the database including media objects and records of repeat instances of the media objects.

3. A computer memory as recited in claim 1, wherein the inferring comprises:

monitoring the one or more media streams;

identifying the repeat instances; and

storing records of the repeat instances in a database.

4. A computer memory as recited in claim 1, wherein the inferring comprises matching a key word from the request with metadata extracted from a media object.

5. A computer memory as recited in claim 1, wherein the inferring comprises matching date and time information from the request with date and time information of a media object stored in a database.

6. A computer memory as recited in claim 1, wherein the inferring comprises limiting returned media objects based on constraints contained within the request.

7. A computer memory as recited in claim 1, wherein the inferring comprises identifying temporal endpoints of each repeat instance of the media object.

8. A computer memory as recited in claim 7, wherein the identifying is based on an identifier included in the request, the identifier selected from the group comprising:

a fingerprint of the media object; and

a time stamp and channel code associated with the media object.

9. A server computer comprising the computer memory as recited in claim 1.

10. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a processor-readable storage medium, executable on the one or more processors, and comprising processor-executable instructions configured for;

receiving a request for information regarding a media object;

inferring the information from repeat instances of media objects occurring within one or more media streams; and

returning the information;

wherein the inferring comprises comparing temporal lengths of repeat instances of the media object with one another to determine different versions of the media object, the different versions of the media object selected from the group comprising;

a longest version of the media object;

a number of longer versions of the media object;

a shortest version of the media object; and

a number of shorter versions of the media object and

wherein the inferring further comprises determining a number of related media objects, wherein;

(i) the related media objects are determined based on temporal proximities of media objects relative to the media object associated with the request, and (ii) the related media objects have a higher frequency of repeat instances relative to one another.

11. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the inferring comprises searching a database for the information, the database including media objects and records of repeat instances of the media objects.

12. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the inferring comprises:

monitoring the one or more media streams;

identifying the repeat instances; and

storing records of the repeat instances in a database.

13. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the inferring comprises determining a number of related media objects, the related media objects occurring within a close temporal proximity of the media object with a higher frequency of repeat instances relative to one another.

14. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the inferring comprises matching a key word from the request with metadata extracted from a media object.

15. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the inferring comprises matching date and time information from the request with date and time information of a media object stored in a database.

16. A system as recited in claim 10, wherein the inferring comprises limiting returned media objects based on constraints contained within the request.