Data object linking and browsing tool

• US 8,195,675 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Finkelstein, Charles A., Rowe, Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Tim T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gortayo, Dangelino
• Application Number:
  US12/869,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/5, 707/104.1, 707/705, 707/737, 707/748, 707/754, 707/802, 707/805, 707/749
• US Class Current: 707/749
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing

Abstract

Linking data objects, such as video objects, image objects, and audio objects, and displaying data associated with the data objects based upon the strength of the relationship between the data objects. Navigating a data collection of data objects by linking groups of data objects based upon related metadata is also disclosed. A user interface including the data associated with the grouped data objects facilitates browsing the data collection of data objects.

Claims

1. A computerized method for navigating a data collection containing a plurality of data objects, said method comprising:

displaying, by a computing device, one or more categorical selection elements;

receiving, by the computing device, a selection of at least one of the categorical selection elements;

displaying, by the computing device, at least one primary selection element associated with the selected at least one of the categorical selection elements, wherein the primary selection element is associated with a selected group of data objects contained in the data collection;

extracting, by the computing device, metadata associated with one or more of the data objects of the selected group;

extracting, by the computing device, metadata associated with one or more other data objects contained in the data collection;

comparing, by the computing device, the extracted metadata associated with the data objects of the selected group with the extracted metadata associated with other data objects contained in the data collection to determine at least one link between the data objects of the selected group and the data objects of another group, said comparing the extracted metadata comprising calculating strength of association scores of the data objects to determine one or more relationships between the data objects based on the compared extracted metadata, said calculating comprising receiving at least one of a priority order of data objects for analysis;

displaying, by the computing device, at least one secondary selection element associated with the other group of data objects linked with the selected group of data objects;

displaying, by the computing device, the link between the groups of data objects in a manner visually depicting a relative strength of the link and a parameter independent of the basis for the link;

receiving, by the computing device, a selection for either the primary selection element or for the secondary selection element;

upon receiving the selection for the primary selection element, displaying, by the computing device, data associated with contents of the selected group of data objects, and

upon receiving the selection for the secondary selection element, displaying, by the computing device, the selected secondary selection element as the primary selection element and repeating the comparing of the extracted metadata and the displaying of the secondary selection element.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the data objects is an image data object.

3. The computerized method of claim 2, wherein the extracted metadata comprises an image pattern.

4. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the data objects comprises at least one of a video file, portion of the video file, an audio file, and a portion of the audio file.

5. The computerized method of claim 4, wherein the extracted metadata comprises video content.

6. The computerized method of claim 4, wherein the extracted metadata comprise audio content.

7. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein displaying the link comprises displaying the link in a manner visually depicting a rationale for the link.

8. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the manner of visually depicting comprises at least one of color, size, length, orientation, and style of the link.

9. The computerized method of claim 1, further comprising grouping the data objects contained in the collection based upon the extracted metadata associated with the data objects.

10. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the extracted metadata comprises at least one of an image pattern of the data object where the data object is an image file or a portion of an image file, video content of the data object where the data object is a video file or a portion of a video file, audio content of the data object where the data object is an audio file or a portion of an audio file, a textual description of the data object, a keyword associated with the data object, a tag associated with the data object, a textual time code associated with the data object, a time associated with the data object, a textual date code associated with the data object, a date associated with the data object, a GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinate corresponding to where the data object was first created or collected, an address corresponding to where the data object was first created or collected, a size of the data object, a rating associated with the data object, a format of the data object, a type of file that the data object represents, a type of media where the data object is a media file, a storage location of the data object within the data collection, copyright information associated with the data object, authorship information associated with the data object, device information associated with the creation of the data object, digital media rights information associated with the data object, an initial source of the data object, an intended audience of the data object, an expiration date associated with the data object, a broadcast window associated with the data object, a cost of owning or obtaining access rights to the data object, a ratecard associated with the data object, and a relevance score associated with the data object.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating strength of association scores of the data objects further comprises receiving at least one of a granularity selection of the data analysis and a particular metadata for use in the calculation.

12. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the independent parameter depicts the average difference in time between when the data objects in the groups of data objects were first collected.

13. A computerized method for linking image data objects contained in a data collection, said method comprising:

displaying, by a computing device, a primary selection element associated with a selected group of image data objects contained in the data collection, each of said image data objects comprising at least a portion of an image file;

extracting, by the computing device, metadata associated with one or more of the image data objects of the selected group;

extracting, by the computing device, metadata associated with one or more other image data objects contained in the data collection;

comparing, by the computing device, the extracted metadata associated with the image data objects of the selected group with the extracted metadata associated with other image data objects contained in the data collection to determine at least one link between the image data objects of the selected group and the image data objects of another group, said comparing the extracted metadata comprising calculating strength of association scores of the data objects to determine one or more relationships between the data objects based on the compared extracted metadata;

displaying, by the computing device, at least one secondary selection element associated with the other group of image data objects linked with the selected group of image data objects;

displaying, by the computing device, the link between the groups of image data objects in a manner visually depicting a rationale for the link, and a parameter independent of the basis for the link.

14. The computerized method of claim 13, wherein the extracted metadata comprises an image pattern.

15. The computerized method of claim 13, wherein the manner of visually depicting comprises at least one of color, size, length, orientation, and style of the link.

16. The computerized method of claim 13, wherein the manner of visually depicting further comprises at least one of a relative strength of the link and a rationale for the link.