Search engine for video and graphics

• US 7,987,174 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2010
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc. (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Gemstar Development Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Yuen, Henry C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin; Jean B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US12/819,365
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312761A1
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 707/711, 707/715, 707/736, 707/741, 707/770
• US Class Current: 707/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/816 involving special video data, e.g 3D video
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A method of selecting graphic or video files having corresponding locators used to locate such graphic or video files using a computer. Identifiers are created by searching an area within a web page near a graphic or video file for searchable identification terms and searching an area within a web page near links to a graphic or video for searchable identification terms. The identifiers are stored in a database. User requests for graphic or video file content are received and the database of identifiers is searched to find graphic and video files corresponding criteria of the user. Graphic or video file content is then provided to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of indexing video content comprising:

receiving, from a user, through an Internet communication interface, a submission of a video file;

identifier information of the video file, wherein the identifier information includes a description of the video file and conditional access information about the video file; and

storing, in a storage device, a location of the video file and the identifier information of the video file;

receiving a request for the video file, via the Internet and providing the video file in response to the request as a stream of packets; and

retrieving the identifier information of the video file from the storage device and generating a file including the identifier information of the video file.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically storing the video file in the storage device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a search engine for searching the identifier information stored in the electronic database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier information comprises at least one of an author of the video file and an owner of the video file.

5. A computer-implemented method of providing video content comprising:

using an Internet communication interface, soliciting a user to submit information regarding a video file, wherein the information comprises a location of the video file and a description of the video file;

receiving at least a portion of the information from submitted by the user in response to the solicitation;

generating a file comprising the received information;

providing the file for display, wherein displaying the file comprises displaying at least a portion of the video file;

wherein providing the file for display comprises providing the video file as a stream of packets; and

generating an identifier of the video file using the user-submitted information about the video file and saving the identifier in a storage device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising automatically storing the video file in a storage device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein displaying the file further comprises displaying information about an item, wherein the item is at least one of a product, service, and website that is associated with the video file.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving an instruction to perform an operation with the video file, wherein the operation comprises one or more of viewing, saving, downloading, and sending.

9. A computer system for providing video content comprising:

a processor, configured to communicate with one or more user devices via the Internet, and to;

solicit a user to submit information regarding a video file, via a user device, wherein the information comprises a location of the video file and a description of the video file;

receive at least a portion of the information from submitted by the user in response to the solicitation;

generate a file comprising the received information;

provide the file to at least one user device for display, wherein displaying the file comprises displaying at least a portion of the video file;

wherein providing the file for display comprises providing the video file as a stream of packets; and

comprising a storage device, operatively connected to the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to generate an identifier of the video file using the user-submitted information about the video file and store the identifier in the storage device.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a storage device, operatively connected to the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to automatically store the video file in the storage device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein displaying the file further comprises displaying information about an item, wherein the item is at least one of a product, service, and website that is associated with the video file.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to receive, from a user device, an instruction to perform an operation with the video file, wherein the operation comprises one or more of viewing, saving, downloading, and sending.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the solicited information includes at least one of an author of the video file and an owner of the video file.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein displaying the file further comprises displaying at least one of the author of the video file and the owner of the video file.