Management of podcasts

• US 7,966,362 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Issued: 06/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Neumann, David Lawrence, Heller, David, Wiese, Mike, Jones, Anne
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino; Joseph E
• Assistant Examiner(s): McLeod; Marshall
• Application Number:
  US11/477,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,820 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/225
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

Improved techniques that facilitate the use of podcasts are disclosed. The improved techniques can pertain to publishing, hosting, accessing, subscribing, managing, organizing, searching, browsing, transferring, and/or playing podcasts. According to one aspect, tags are embedded into syndication feeds (e.g., RSS feeds) that may be made available for distribution by an online media store to facilitate the management of podcasts. Such tags can include a block tag that may be embedded into a syndication feed to indicate whether the feed is to be blocked from being included in the online media store. According to another aspect, management of podcasts may be facilitated by other mechanisms. In accordance with one embodiment, a user may challenge the ownership of a podcast to block or remove a podcast from the online media store. In accordance with another embodiment, images may be stored to allow efficient retrieval of the corresponding episode(s) of a podcast.

Claims

1. A method of processing a podcast, comprising:

obtaining a podcast from a first server, the podcast being received at a second server and having podcast metadata content and podcast media content;

determining, at the second server supporting an online media store, whether the podcast metadata content includes a block tag within the podcast metadata content, the block tag pertaining to a feed and/or an episode for the podcast; and

when it is determined that the podcast metadata content includes a block tag, ascertaining the value of the block tag,

if the value of the block tag indicates that the corresponding podcast media content is to be blocked, the podcast media content is removed from the online media store and/or blocked from being accessed via the online media store,

alternatively, if the value of the block tag indicates that the corresponding podcast media content is to be unblocked, the podcast media content may be restored to the online media store and/or unblocked from being accessed via the online media store, and

wherein the online media store is configured to permit podcasts that have been made available to the online media store to be searched or browsed so that podcasts are able to be identified and then accessed if not blocked.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

determining whether the podcast media content is marked as being blocked from being accessed based on the value of the block tag; and

blocking access to the podcast media content when it is determined that the podcast media content is marked as being blocked from being accessed.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein removing the podcast media content includes at least one of removing at least one URL associated with the podcast media content and deleting one or more episodes of the podcast.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the podcast media content includes a plurality of episodes, the method further comprising:

determining whether the block tag is associated with the podcast or one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast;

wherein when the block tag is associated with the podcast, each of the plurality of episodes of the podcast is at least one of removed and marked as being blocked from being accessed; and

wherein when the block tag is associated with one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast, the one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast is at least one of removed and marked as being blocked from being accessed.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method comprises:

at least one of removing a URL associated with the podcast media content, deleting the podcast media content and marking the podcast media content as being blocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in a block state.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the method comprises:

determining whether the podcast media content is marked as being blocked from being accessed based on the value of the block tag; and

blocking access to the podcast media content when it is determined that the podcast media content is marked as being blocked from being accessed.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, the method further comprising:

determining whether the value of the block tag has changed;

wherein at least one of removing a URL associated with the podcast media content, deleting the podcast media content and marking the podcast media content as being blocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in a block state and the value of the block tag has changed.

8. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the podcast media content includes a plurality of episodes, the method further comprising:

determining whether the block tag is associated with the podcast or one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast;

wherein at least one of removing a URL associated with the podcasts, deleting all of the plurality of episodes of the podcast and marking all of the plurality of episodes of the podcast as being blocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in a block state and the block tag is associated with the podcast; and

wherein at least one of removing a URL associated with one of the plurality of podcasts, deleting the one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast and marking the one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast as being blocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in a block state and the block tag is associated with the one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast.

9. The method as recited in claim 5, the method further comprising:

wherein at least one of restoring the podcast media content and marking the podcast media content as being unblocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in an unblock state.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, the method further comprising:

determining whether the value of the block tag has changed;

wherein at least one of restoring the podcast media content and marking the podcast media content as being unblocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in an unblock state and the value of the block tag has changed.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the podcast media content includes a plurality of episodes, the method further comprising:

determining whether the block tag is associated with the podcast or one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast;

wherein at least one of restoring all of the plurality of episodes of the podcast and marking all of the plurality of episodes of the podcast as being unblocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in an unblock state and the block tag is associated with the podcast; and

wherein at least one of restoring one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast and marking the one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast as being unblocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in an unblock state and the block tag is associated with the one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein restoring the podcast media content includes storing at least one URL associated with the podcast media content.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium including at least executable computer program code tangibly stored therein for processing a podcast, the computer readable medium, comprising:

computer program code for obtaining a podcast, the podcast having podcast metadata content and podcast media content;

computer program code for determining, at the second server supporting an online media store, whether the podcast metadata content includes a block tag within the podcast metadata content, the block tag pertaining to a feed and/or an episode for the podcast;

computer program code for ascertaining the value of the block tag;

computer program code for (i) removing the podcast media content from the online media store and/or (ii) blocking the podcast media content from being accessed via an online media store, if the value of the block tag indicates that the corresponding podcast media content is to be blocked; and

computer program code for (i) restoring the podcast media content to the online media store and/or (ii) unblocking the podcast media content from being accessed via the online media store, if the value of the block tag indicates that the corresponding podcast media content is to be unblocked,

wherein the online media store is configured to permit podcasts that have been made available to the online media store to be searched or browsed so that podcasts are able to be identified and then accessed if not blocked.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the computer program code for removing and/or blocking comprises:

computer program code for determining whether the podcast media content is marked as being blocked from being accessed based on the value of the block tag; and

computer program code for blocking access to the podcast media content when it is determined that the podcast media content is marked as being blocked from being accessed.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the computer program code for removing and/or blocking comprises at least one of computer program code for removing at least one URL associated with the podcast media content and computer program code for deleting one or more episodes of the podcast.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the podcast media content includes a plurality of episodes, the computer readable medium further comprising:

computer program code for determining whether the block tag is associated with the podcast or one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast;

wherein when the block tag is associated with the podcast, each of the plurality of episodes of the podcast is at least one of removed and marked as being blocked from being accessed; and

wherein when the block tag is associated with one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast, the one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast is at least one of removed and marked as being blocked from being accessed.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

at least one of computer program code for removing a URL associated with the podcast media content, computer program code for deleting the podcast media content and computer program code for marking the podcast media content as being blocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in a block state.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

computer program code for determining whether the podcast media content is marked as being blocked from being accessed; and

computer program code for blocking access to the podcast media content when it is determined that the podcast media content is marked as being blocked from being accessed.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

computer program code for determining whether the value of the block tag has changed;

wherein at least one of computer program code for removing a URL associated with the podcast media content, computer program code for deleting the podcast media content and computer program code for marking the podcast media content as being blocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in a block state and the value of the block tag has changed.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the podcast media content includes a plurality of episodes, the computer readable medium further comprising:

computer program code for determining whether the block tag is associated with the podcast or one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast;

wherein at least one of computer program code for removing a URL associated with the podcasts, computer program code for deleting all of the plurality of episodes of the podcast and computer program code for marking all of the plurality of episodes of the podcast as being blocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in a block state and the block tag is associated with the podcast; and

wherein at least one of computer program code for removing a URL associated with one of the plurality of podcasts, computer program code for deleting the one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast and computer program code for marking the one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast as being blocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in a block state and the block tag is associated with the one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

wherein at least one of computer program code for restoring the podcast media content and computer program code for marking the podcast media content as being unblocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in an unblock state.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, further comprising:

computer program code for determining whether the value of the block tag has changed;

wherein at least one of the computer program code for restoring the podcast media content and computer program code for marking the podcast media content as being unblocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in an unblock state and the value of the block tag has changed.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the podcast media content includes a plurality of episodes, the computer readable medium further comprising:

computer program code for determining whether the block tag is associated with the podcast or one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast;

wherein at least one of computer program code for restoring all of the plurality of episodes of the podcast and computer program code for marking all of the plurality of episodes of the podcast as being unblocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in an unblock state and the block tag is associated with the podcast; and

wherein at least one of computer program code for restoring one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast and computer program code for marking the one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast as being unblocked from being accessed is performed when the value of the block tag is in an unblock state and the block tag is associated with the one of the plurality of episodes of the podcast.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the computer program code for restoring the podcast media content includes computer program code for storing at least one URL associated with the podcast media content.