Media indexing beacon and capture device

• US 7,949,689 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2002
• Issued: 05/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Fano, Andrew E.
• Primary Examiner(s): LeRoux; Etienne P
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cindy
• Application Number:
  US10/064,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20040015467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,232 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/2, 707/1, 707/7, 707/804, 708/10, 348/231.1, 725/46
• US Class Current: 707/804
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A system and method for indexing media files includes capturing a subject in a media file with a media capture device. The media capture device also receives index information from a media indexing beacon, wherein the index information is related to the subject in the media file. The system and method associates the index information with the media file. The media file may then be provided to a media storage device containing other media files having index information associated therewith, whereupon the media files are searchable based on the index information and pertinent media files may be retrieved.

Claims

1. A method for media indexing comprising:

recording a subject that is proximate to a media indexing beacon in a media file with a media recording device, wherein the media indexing beacon is external relative to the media recording device;

automatically receiving, by the media recording device separate from the media file and from the media indexing beacon, index information descriptive of the subject; and

associating, by the media recording device, the index information with the media file.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein associating the index information with the media file further comprises:

encoding the index information into the media file.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the media file and the index information to a media file storage device which comprises a plurality of stored media files having index information associated therewith; and

storing the media file along with the plurality of stored media files.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the media file storage device stores the media file and index information, the method further comprising at least one of the following:

searching the plurality of stored media files using the index information and enabling a commercial system with the plurality of stored media files using the index information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the index information is in response to an index information request.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the index information comprises at least one of the following:

a time indicator, a landmark indicator, an event indicator, a global positioning system indicator, commercial information, a universal resource locator, and a proximity indicator.

7. A method for media indexing comprising:

storing, in a media indexing beacon external to a media recording device, index information descriptive of a subject that is proximate to the media indexing beacon;

receiving, by the media indexing beacon, an index information request that is generated by the media recording device; and

transmitting the index information descriptive of the subject separately to the media recording device in response to receiving the index information request.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the media recording device receives the index information and associates the index information with a media file.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the index information is wirelessly transmitted to the media recording device.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the index information comprises at least one of the following:

a time indicator, a landmark indicator, an event indicator, a global positioning system indicator, commercial information, a universal resource locator and a proximity indicator.

11. A method for media indexing comprising:

recording a subject that is proximate to a media indexing beacon in a media file with a media recording device, wherein the media indexing beacon is external relative to the media recording device;

providing index information separate from the media file from the media indexing beacon to the media recording device, wherein the index information is descriptive of the subject in the media file; and

associating, by the media recording device, the index information with the media file.

12. The method of claim 11, prior to providing index information from the media indexing beacon to the media recording device, further comprising

detecting, by the media recording device, a user input to capture the media file;

and

providing, by the media recording device, an index information request to the media indexing beacon.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

providing, by the media recording device, the media file having the index information associated therewith to a media file storage device.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the media file storage device comprises a plurality of stored media files having index information associated therewith, the method further comprising:

searching the plurality of stored media files using the index information.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the index information comprises at least one of the following:

a time indicator, a landmark indicator, an event indicator, a global positioning system indicator, commercial information, a universal resource locator and a proximity indicator.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the index information enables a media file to be utilized by at least one commercial system, wherein the at least one commercial system comprises at least one of the following:

a workflow system, a procurement system, a retail sales system, and a safety inspection/auditing system.

17. A media recording and indexing system comprising:

a media indexing beacon which generates a beacon signal comprising index information descriptive of a subject proximate to the media indexing beacon; and

a media recording device, separate from the media indexing beacon, that captures the subject in a media file and separately receives the beacon signal from the media indexing beacon and associates the index information with the media file.

18. The media recording and indexing system of claim 17 wherein the media recording device records a plurality of media files each having index information associated therewith, the system further comprising:

a media file storage device that receives the plurality of media files, wherein the plurality of media files may be indexed based on the index information.

19. The media recording and indexing system of claim 17 wherein the media indexing beacon further comprises:

at least one index buffer comprising the index information; and

a transmitter operably coupled to the at least one index buffer, wherein the transmitter provides the index information to the media recording device.

20. The media recording and indexing system of claim 19 wherein the media indexing beacon further comprises a receiver that receives an index information request from the media recording device, wherein the transmitter transmits the index information in response to the index information request.

21. The media recording and indexing system of claim 17 wherein the media recording device further comprises:

a media input module which generates the media file in response to a media file generation request;

a processor operably coupled to the media input module to receive the media file; and

an index information receiver operably coupled to the processor, wherein the index information receiver receives the beacon signal and provides the index information to the processor, wherein the processor associates the index information with the media file.

22. The media recording and indexing system of claim 21 wherein the index information receiver further contains a transmitter that transmits an index information request to the media indexing beacon.

23. A system for media indexing comprising:

means for storing index information descriptive of a subject;

means for transmitting a beacon signal wherein the beacon signal comprises the index information, and wherein the subject is proximate to the means for storing and the means for transmitting; and

a media recording device, separate from the means for transmitting the beacon signal, that captures the subject in a media file, wherein the media capture device separately receives the index information from the beacon signal and associates the index information with the media file.

24. An apparatus for media indexing comprising:

means for recording a subject in a media file, wherein the subject is proximate to a media indexing beacon external to the apparatus;

means for receiving, from the media indexing beacon, index information separate from the media file descriptive of the subject; and

means for associating the index information with the media file.

26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the apparatus comprises a digital camera and wherein the means for receiving index information includes a wireless receiver.

25. A non-transitory, computer readable medium having stored thereon:

a media file of a subject; and

index information, associated with the media file, wherein the media file and index information are stored on the medium at substantially the same time; and

wherein the media file is recorded by a media recording device and the index information, descriptive of the subject, is transmitted separately to the media recording device by a media indexing beacon external to the media recording device, wherein the subject is proximate to the media indexing beacon.