Generation and delivery of multimedia content-adaptation notifications

• US 8,220,051 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Masimo Corporation
• Original Assignee: Vantrix Corporation
• Inventors: Norton, Richard Elliott, Lavalliere, Joseph Leo Claude Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paliwal, Yogesh
• Application Number:
  US12/238,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20090088191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: 726/22, 455/432.2
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1076 Screening of IP real time communications, e.g. spam over Internet telephony [SPIT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A method for conditioning multimedia containers to be compatible with decoding facilities of receivers of diverse types is disclosed. Content of a multimedia container may include components of different encoding formats. Container conditioning also detects and, where feasible, removes undesirable insertions within each content component of a multimedia container. A content component of a container may be filtered, re-encoded, or deleted. Notifications indicating conditions of a container and any modifications performed are appended to the container. A notification may be presented in at least one form compatible with characteristics of a respective receiver. An editing engine implementing the method is associated with a network entity to which multimedia containers are directed. The editing engine accesses a receiver database storing information on several types of receivers and a repository of notification templates encoded in several forms.

Claims

1. A method for processing a message having multiple components in a multimedia messaging system, the method comprising:

employing at least one processor for;

examining said message to remove any present malicious software;

identifying an intended receiver of said message;

resolving any incompatibility of each component of said message with characteristics of said intended receiver;

characterizing a condition of said message by at least one key-value pair and a condition type according to a result of said examining and a result of said resolving;

formulating an identifier of a notification template according to said condition type;

retrieving said notification template from a repository of notification templates using said identifier;

composing a notification using said notification template and said at least one key-value pair;

inserting said notification in said message to produce an augmented message;

sending said augmented message to said intended receiver; and

sending said notification to an originator of said message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said examining comprises detecting presence of malicious software in an attachment of said message.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said resolving comprises steps of:

determining capabilities of said intended receiver; and

translating a content component of said message from a current format to a different format compatible with said capabilities.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a key in said at least one key-value pair indicates one of:

a content-component name;

a cause of content removal;

a virus name; and

a virus scanning engine;

and wherein a value in said at least one key-value pair indicates one of;

a specific content-encoding method;

an identifier of a specific virus;

an identifier of a specific engine used to detect and remove a virus; and

an indication of a message size and corresponding size limit.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising merging said notification with other notifications corresponding to said condition type.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising sending said notification to an originator of said message.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising sending said at least one key-value pair and said condition type to a server associated with said multimedia messaging system for statistical analyses.

8. A method of processing a multimedia data container comprising multiple components, the method comprising:

employing at least one processor for;

receiving said container;

parsing said container to determine;

an identifier of a transmitter and identifiers of addressed receivers of said container; and

properties of each component in said multiple components;

screening said each component to;

eliminate harmful insertions; and

mark said each component accordingly;

acquiring characteristics of a selected receiver of said addressed receivers;

determining a current size of said container;

determining a size upper bound, and where said current size exceeds said size upper bound, delete one of said content components according to a preset priority order;

ascertaining compatibility of said properties with said selected receiver;

where said properties are incompatible with said selected receiver, adapting said each component to suit said selected receiver;

characterizing a condition of said container by at least one key-value pair;

composing a notification specific to said each receiver based on said at least one key-value pair;

adding said notification to said container to produce an augmented container; and

sending said augmented container to said selected receiver.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising

sending said notification from said container conditioner to said transmitter to identify said adapting of said each component for said selected receiver.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said notification comprises at least one of:

a text;

an image;

an encoded audio signal; and

an encoded video signal.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

selecting at least one component from among said multiple components to be a candidate for

compression to reduce a size of said at least one component.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining state of a network path from said container conditioner to said selected receiver; and

determining said size upper bound of said augmented container according to;

said state of said network path; and

characteristics of said selected receiver.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform the steps of the method of claim 8.

14. An editing engine for conditioning multimedia containers, the editing engine comprising:

a computing device and a memory device storing computer readable instructions which cause the computing device to;

receive a container;

parse said container into content components;

determine encoding formats of said content components and for a particular encoding format determine one of;

accepting said particular encoding format;

translating a content component encoded in said particular encoding format to a new encoding format for which said first receiver has a corresponding decoding facility; and

deleting a content component encoded in said particular encoding format;

examine each content component to detect presence of malicious insertions and perform corrections of said content components where malicious insertions are found;

identify a first receiver of said container;

acquire characterization of decoding facilities of said first receiver;

determine compatibility of said encoding formats with said decoding facilities;

formulate appropriate condition codes of said container according to said corrections and said compatibility;

synthesize a first notification according to said appropriate condition codes;

determine a current size of said container including said first notification;

determine a size upper bound dictated by said first receiver;

where said current size exceeds said size upper bound, delete one of said content components according to a preset priority order;

where said current size does not exceed said size upper bound;

insert said first notification in said container to produce a first augmented container;

send said first augmented container to said first receiver; and

send said first notification to an originator of said container.

15. The editing engine of claim 14 wherein said computer readable instructions cause said computing device to acquire said characterization of decoding facilities by causing said computer device to access a receiver database, said receiver database storing information on decoding facilities of each receiver type from among a plurality of receiver types.

16. The editing engine of claim 14 wherein said computer readable instructions further cause said computing device to:

identify a second receiver of said container;

acquire characterization of decoding facilities of said second receiver;

determine conformity of said encoding formats to said decoding facilities of said second receiver;

formulate specific condition codes of said container according to said corrections and said conformity; and

synthesize a second notification according to said specific condition codes.

17. The editing engine of claim 14 wherein said computer readable instructions further cause said computing device to send said first notification to a service-analysis facility for service planning purposes.

18. An editing engine for conditioning multimedia containers, the editing engine comprising:

computer readable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to;

receive a container;

parse said container into content components;

determine encoding formats of said content components;

examine each content component to detect presence of malicious insertions and perform corrections of said content components where malicious insertions are found;

identify a first receiver of said container;

acquire characterization of decoding facilities of said first receiver;

determine compatibility of said encoding formats with said decoding facilities;

formulate appropriate condition codes of said container according to said corrections and said compatibility; and

synthesize a first notification according to said appropriate condition codes by accessing a versatile dictionary storing;

a comprehensible description, in multiple display formats, of each of a plurality of condition codes; and

notification patterns encoded for different forms of display.

19. The editing engine of claim 18 wherein said computer readable instructions cause said computing device to:

determine display formats provided by said versatile dictionary;

select at least one display format compatible with said decoding facilities of said first receiver; and

instruct a controller of said versatile dictionary to provide descriptions of said appropriate condition codes in said at least one display format.

20. A system for conditioning data containers for delivery to receivers, the system comprising:

a container conditioner having a dual link to a node in a telecommunication network, the container conditioner comprising a processor and a memory device storing processor-executable instructions forming an editing engine organized into;

a communication module for receiving incoming data containers from said node and transmitting outgoing data containers to said node;

a screening module for inspecting said incoming data containers to detect and remove undesirable insertions and indicate respective container-content conditions;

an adaptation module for;

determining conformity of content components of said data containers to decoding facilities of respective intended receivers of said data containers;

formulating conformity conditions of each content component; and

modifying non-conforming content components to produce conditioned data containers;

a notification module for;

formulating notifications according to said container-content conditions and said conformity conditions; and

adding said notifications to respective conditioned data containers to produce augmented data containers;

wherein said communication module is configured to;

direct said augmented data containers to said node to be switched to respective receivers through said telecommunication network; and

direct said notifications to said node to be switched to respective transmitters.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising:

a server computer communicatively coupled to said container conditioner, said server computer having a receiver database stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, said receiver database storing information pertinent to decoding facilities of a plurality of receiver types; and

a computing device communicatively coupled to said container conditioner, said computing device being configured to access a versatile dictionary comprising data stored in a memory device, the versatile dictionary providing encoded comprehensible displays corresponding to a predefined set of container-content conditions and conformity conditions.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said comprehensible displays comprise:

a text;

an image;

an encoded audio signal; and

an encoded video signal.