Authoring tool sharable file format

• US 8,161,389 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Penner, Robert, Kohlhaas, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US11/931,633
• Time in Patent Office: 1,630 Days
• Field of Search: 715/730, 715/731, 715/733, 715/742, 715/750, 715/751, 715/716
• US Class Current: 715/731
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/93 Document management systems

Abstract

Systems and methods which provide a markup language based file format for storing authoring tool content are shown. The markup language based file format of embodiments provides an aggregated content object containing various assets. A container structure is preferably provided for a plurality of assets comprising the aggregated content object. The assets of embodiments of the present invention include different types of assets, including content assets which contain content and packaging assets which contain aggregated content object information. Content assets may comprise various types or forms of media, such as graphics, video, audio, text, etc. Packaging assets may be in a markup language format, such as may be utilized to provide robust information regarding the aggregated content object and assets thereof. The markup language based file format of embodiments of the invention facilitates access to all or portions of the aggregated content by various authoring tools.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

aggregating content, by a first authoring tool on a computer, to form aggregated content, wherein said content comprises source content provided in a plurality of different formats;

storing, at the computer, said aggregated content, by said first authoring tool, as an aggregated content object, wherein said aggregated content object includes a plurality of individually accessible content assets,

wherein said individually accessible content assets are provided in said plurality of different formats, wherein the individually accessible content assets comprise packaging assets, a packaging asset defining an individually accessible content asset as a library asset for use by others of the individually accessible content assets.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more packaging asset comprises information provided in a markup language.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of different formats comprise at least one of JPEG, MPEG, SWF, FLA, FLV, WMV, MP4, MP3, WAY, PNG, GIF, AI, and TXT.

4. The method of claim 1, said method further comprising:

accessing a selected content asset using a second authoring tool.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said first authoring tool comprises an authoring tool providing functionality for aggregating content and said second authoring tool comprises an authoring tool providing functionality adapted for editing a type of content of said selected content asset.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

accessing another selected content asset using a third authoring tool.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said second and third authoring tool access said assets simultaneously.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of said content assets comprise a logical asset comprised of multiple content assets.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said logical asset is defined using information in a markup language.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said multiple content assets are provided in a hierarchical relationship.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said multiple content assets comprise multiple formats for a same content.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the packaging asset defines interactions among individually accessible content assets identified by the packaging asset.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the individually accessible content asset comprises a symbol which can be reused throughout the aggregated content, wherein the symbol comprises the library asset.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising the authoring tool directly saving an edit made to the content asset in the aggregated content.

12. A system comprising:

an authoring tool on a computer and adapted to access a plurality of source content files and to aggregate content of said source content files into aggregated content; and

an aggregated content object generated by said authoring tool and stored on the computer, said aggregated content object containing said aggregated content in a plurality of individually accessible content assets; and

a second authoring tool on the computer, said second authoring tool adapted to directly access at least one content asset of said plurality of content assets, wherein said authoring tool and said second authoring tool provide one or more different authoring functions as compared to one another.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said source content files are provided in a plurality of different formats, and wherein said content assets are provided a same format of said plurality of different formats as corresponding ones of said source content files.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein said authoring tool is further adapted to create content assets of said plurality of individually accessible content assets which are directly accessible by a plurality of different authoring tools.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said content assets created by said authoring tool comprise markup language information defining one or more aspects of said content assets.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said authoring tool comprises a compiler adapted to provide a first compiled rendition of said aggregated content object, and wherein said second authoring tool comprises a compiler adapted to provide a second compiled rendition of said aggregated content object.

24. The method of claim 12 wherein a content asset included in the aggregated content is editable by said authoring tool but not editable by said second authoring tool.

17. A method comprising:

accessing a plurality of source content files using a first authoring tool on a computer, wherein said plurality of source content files include source content files of different formats;

creating, on the computer, aggregated content from content of said source content files using said first authoring tool;

packaging said aggregated content into an aggregated content object using said first authoring tool on the computer, wherein said aggregated content object includes content assets corresponding to said source content files, said content assets provided in a same format as a corresponding one of said source content files; and

accessing at least a portion of said aggregated content object using a second authoring tool on the computer, wherein said second authoring tool provides different functions than said first authoring tool.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said different functions comprise functions specifically adapted for editing content in a particular one of said different formats.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said packaging comprises:

providing one or more packaging asset identifying said content assets.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said packaging asset comprises a markup language manifest of said content assets.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer readable code storing aggregated content, said computer readable code comprising:

program code for aggregating content, by a first authoring tool on a computer, to form aggregated content, wherein said content comprises source content provided in a plurality of different formats;

program code for storing, at the computer, said aggregated content, by said first authoring tool, as an aggregated content object, wherein said aggregated content object includes a plurality of individually accessible content assets,

wherein said individually accessible content assets are provided in said plurality of different formats, wherein the individually accessible content assets comprise packaging assets, a packaging asset defining an individually accessible content asset as a library asset for use by others of the individually accessible content assets.