Systems and methods for semantic editorial control and video/audio editing

• US 7,917,924 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2006
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FreeWheel Media Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Visible World Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Weite, David, Haberman, Seth
• Primary Examiner(s): BORISSOV, IGOR N
• Application Number:
  US11/449,299
• Publication Number:
  US 20070130007A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,755 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 36, 715201-204, 715/723, 715/781, 715/762, 715/866, 345/629, 345/619, 345/620, 345/634, 345/638, 345/636, 345/637, 705/1, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 705/500, 348/552
• US Class Current: 725/35
• 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: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals

Abstract

In accordance with the present invention, a media content management application that allows a user to create and customize a version of media content based on semantic criteria is provided. Based on semantic criteria, the media content management application may use editing/assembly software packages to construct a version of the media content for an intended audience. In addition, the media content management application uses semantic criteria to provide the user with options for optimizing the cost of the version of media content, options for delivering the version of media content, and/or options for delivery mediums to transmit the version of media content.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for tracking commercials that are provided to an audience by a content provider, wherein all steps are performed by the computer, the computer comprising a processor, a memory device and control logic stored therein, said method comprising:

presenting a plurality of advertisement campaigns to a user through a computer interface, each advertising campaign comprising a plurality of fillable video segment slots, each fillable segment slot arranged at a specific time point within said advertisement campaign,

in response to receiving a campaign selection input, presenting the user with a first set of semantic criteria associated with the selected advertisement campaign, the first set of criteria comprising a plurality of criterions;

receiving a first criterion selection from the user;

populating a second criterion of first set of criteria automatically based upon the selection of the first criterion;

accessing a library of media segments stored in the memory device, each of the media segments comprising a portion of an advertisement, each media segment associated with metadata defining the media segment;

transmitting the first and second criterion selections to an assembly component;

searching the memory device for media segments having metadata correlating with the first and second criterion selections;

retrieving at least one correlating media segment from the memory device;

inserting the correlating media segment into one of the fillable media slots into the advertisement campaign, thereby generating a completed commercial; and

presenting a preview of the completed commercial on a display to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the completed commercial to a delivery point.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the delivery point is one of a specific market, a station, an affiliate, a company, a cable interconnect, a headend, a cable operator, and an individual.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a first version of the completed commercial to a first delivery point and a second version of the media content to a second delivery point, wherein the first version and the second version of the completed commercial comprise at least one different media segment.

5. A computer implemented method for tracking commercials that are provided to an audience by a content provider, wherein all steps are performed by the computer, the computer comprising a processor, a memory device and control logic stored therein, said method comprising:

presenting a plurality of advertisement campaigns to a user through a computer interface, each advertising campaign comprising a plurality of fillable video segment slots, each fillable segment slot arranged at a specific time point within said advertisement campaign,

in response to receiving a campaign selection input, presenting the user with a first set of semantic criteria associated with the selected advertisement campaign, the first set of criteria comprising a plurality of criterions;

receiving a first criterion selection from the user;

populating a second criterion of first set of criteria automatically based upon the selection of the first criterion;

accessing a library of media segments stored in the memory device, each of the media segments comprising a portion of an advertisement, each media segment associated with metadata defining the media segment;

transmitting the first and second criterion selections to an assembly component;

searching the memory device for media segments having metadata correlating with the first and second criterion selections;

retrieving at least one correlating media segment from the memory device;

inserting the correlating media segment into one of the fillable media slots into the advertisement campaign, thereby generating a completed commercial;

presenting a preview of the completed commercial on a display to the user;

providing the user with a plurality of delivery options, wherein the delivery options include a delivery format that is determined using the selected semantic criteria; and

receiving a delivery option selection from the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the delivery format is one of a videotape, a DVD, a CD, a high definition format, a standard definition format, an MPEG-2 format, an MPEG-4 format, a media format, and a media resolution.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising recommending to the user the delivery format based on the first criterion selection.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising filtering out at least one delivery format from a plurality of delivery formats, the at least one delivery format based on the first criterion selection.

9. A computer implemented method for tracking commercials that are provided to an audience by a content provider, wherein all steps are performed by the computer, the computer comprising a processor, a memory device and control logic stored therein, said method comprising:

presenting a plurality of advertisement campaigns to a user through a computer interface, each advertising campaign comprising a plurality of fillable video segment slots, each fillable segment slot arranged at a specific time point within said advertisement campaign,

in response to receiving a campaign selection input, presenting the user with a first set of semantic criteria associated with the selected advertisement campaign, the first set of criteria comprising a plurality of criterions;

receiving a first criterion selection from the user;

populating a second criterion of first set of criteria automatically based upon the selection of the first criterion;

accessing a library of media segments stored in the memory device, each of the media segments comprising a portion of an advertisement, each media segment associated with metadata defining the media segment;

transmitting the first and second criterion selections to an assembly component;

searching the memory device for media segments having metadata correlating with the first and second criterion selections;

retrieving at least one correlating media segment from the memory device;

inserting the correlating media segment into one of the fillable media slots into the advertisement campaign, thereby generating a completed commercial;

presenting a preview of the completed commercial on a display to the user;

presenting the user with a plurality of delivery formats; and

receiving from the user a delivery format selection from the plurality of delivery formats for the completed commercial.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the delivery format is one of a videotape, a DVD, a CD, a high definition format, a standard definition format, an MPEG-2 format, an MPEF-4 format, a media format, and a media resolution.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising recommending the delivery format to the user based on the first criterion selection.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising filtering out at least one delivery format from the plurality of delivery formats based on the first criterion selection.

13. A computer implemented method for tracking commercials that are provided to an audience by a content provider, wherein all steps are performed by the computer, the computer comprising a processor, a memory device and control logic stored therein, said method comprising:

presenting a plurality of advertisement campaigns to a user through a computer interface, each advertising campaign comprising a plurality of fillable video segment slots, each fillable segment slot arranged at a specific time point within said advertisement campaign,

in response to receiving a campaign selection input, presenting the user with a first set of semantic criteria associated with the selected advertisement campaign, the first set of criteria comprising a plurality of criterions;

receiving a first criterion selection from the user;

populating a second criterion of first set of criteria automatically based upon the selection of the first criterion;

accessing a library of media segments stored in the memory device, each of the media segments comprising a portion of an advertisement, each media segment associated with metadata defining the media segment;

transmitting the first and second criterion selections to an assembly component;

searching the memory device for media segments having metadata correlating with the first and second criterion selections;

retrieving at least one correlating media segment from the memory device;

inserting the correlating media segment into one of the fillable media slots into the advertisement campaign, thereby generating a completed commercial;

presenting a preview of the completed commercial on a display to the user;

presenting a plurality of delivery points to the user; and

receiving a delivery point selection from the user for the completed commercial.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one delivery point is one of a specific market, a station, an affiliate, a company, a cable interconnect, a headend, a cable operator, and an individual.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising recommending a delivery point selection to the user based on the first criterion selection.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising filtering out the at least one delivery point based on the first criterion selection.