Content syndication platform

• US 8,661,459 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2005
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gandhi, Amar S., Praitis, Edward J., Kim, Jane T., Lyndersay, Sean O., von Koch, Walter V., Gould, William, Morgan, Bruce A., Kwan, Cindy
• Primary Examiner(s): Sough, H S
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOANG, PHUONG N
• Application Number:
  US11/158,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20060288329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,171 Days
• Field of Search: 719/328, 707/3, 715/234, 715/239, 715/749
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

A content syndication platform, such as a web content syndication platform, manages, organizes and makes available for consumption content that is acquired from the Internet. In at least some embodiments, the platform can acquire and organize web content, and make such content available for consumption by many different types of applications. These applications may or may not necessarily understand the particular syndication format. An application program interface (API) exposes an object model which allows applications and users to easily accomplish many different tasks such as creating, reading, updating, deleting feeds and the like.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more computing devices having one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable media associated with one or more computing devices;

computer-readable instructions on the one or more computer-readable media which, when executed by a client device of the one or more computing devices, implement;

an RSS (really simple syndication) platform, included in the client device, that is configured to receive and process RSS data in multiple RSS file formats and convert the RSS data into a common format that is usable by different types of applications and which is represented by an extensible markup language (XML) schema that includes common structure and syntax derived collectively from different formats associated with the different types of applications, the RSS platform being configured to;

accept multiple feeds of RSS data;

automatically parse an accepted feed for enclosure links;

download an enclosure file associated with an enclosure link; and

delete a feed item when a number of feed items exceeds a user-specified or default value; and

code means configured to enable the different types of applications to access the RSS data that has been received, processed, and converted by the RSS platform, the code means being configured to expose an object model to represent feed subscriptions in a hierarchy and enable one or more applications that are not subscribed to the feed and do not understand XML that describes the RSS data to access associated RSS data that is received and processed by the RSS platform through the object model, the RSS platform being separate from the one or more applications on the client device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the RSS platform is configured to receive and process RSS data in multiple different formats, and wherein the RSS platform is configured to convert the multiple different formats into a common format.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said different types of applications include applications other than RSS readers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said different types of applications include applications that do not understand formats in which the RSS data is received by the platform.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said different types of applications include applications that do not understand formats in which the RSS data is received by the platform, and wherein the different types of applications comprise one or more of a web browser application, email application or a media player application.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the different types of applications comprise one or more of a web browser application, email application or a media player application.

7. A system comprising:

one or more computing devices having a processor;

one or more computer-readable media associated with the one or more computing devices;

a set of application program interfaces (APIs) embodied on the computer-readable media, the set of APIs comprising one or more methods that enable at least one application to access RSS (really simple syndication) data that has been processed and converted into a common format by a client device of the one or more computing devices to parse extensible markup language (XML) used to describe the RSS data and stored in a feed store, the one or more methods enabling accessed RSS data to be automatically parsed for enclosure links and an enclosure file associated with an enclosure link to be downloaded, the one or more methods enabling a feed item to be deleted when a number of feed items exceeds a user-specified or default value, the common format being represented by an XML schema that includes common structure and syntax derived collectively from different formats associated with the different types of applications, the feed store comprising at least one feed list and feed data, the at least one feed list being embodied as a hierarchical structure that describes a list of feeds in accordance with an object model that enables access to the list of feeds through representations in the hierarchical structure, the feed data comprising data associated with particular feeds, at least some feed data including at least collections of items and enclosures, said at least one application being separate from the set of APIs on the client device and not understanding an RSS format in which the RSS data was originally embodied and the XML used to describe the RSS data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said one or more methods comprise a method that provides access to a data store in which one or more enclosures are stored, and a method that can be used to discover a relationship between an enclosure and its associated feed item.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said one or more methods comprise methods that provide access for multiple different types of applications.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein said one or more methods comprise methods that provide access for multiple different types of applications, and wherein at least one of said multiple different types of applications understands an RSS format in which the RSS data was originally embodied.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein said one or more methods comprise methods that provide access for multiple different types of applications, and wherein at least one of said multiple different types of applications understands an RSS format in which the RSS data was originally embodied and comprises an RSS reader.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein said one or more methods comprise methods that provide access for multiple different types of applications, and wherein at least one of said multiple different types of applications understands an RSS format in which the RSS data was originally embodied and comprises a web browser application.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein said one or more methods comprise a method that enables an application to access data associated with a web feed to which said application is not subscribed.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein said one or more methods comprise methods that model feed subscriptions as a hierarchy of folders.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein said at least one application comprises an email application.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein said at least one application comprises a web browser application.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein said at least one application comprises a media player application.

18. A system comprising:

one or more computing devices having one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable storage media;

computer-readable instructions on the one or more computer-readable storage media which, when executed via the one or more computing devices, implement;

an RSS (really simple syndication) platform that is configured to receive and process RSS data in one or more formats,

wherein the RSS platform comprises an object model in which feed subscriptions are modeled as a hierarchy of folders, subfolders, feeds, items, and enclosures,

wherein the object model is configured to provide access to a shared list of feed subscriptions,

wherein the object model comprises a method to allow a feed to be downloaded without subscribing to the feed,

wherein the RSS platform comprises a feed synchronization engine comprising;

a feed format module configured to receive feeds in various formats and transform the feeds into a common format,

a feed schedule module configured to manage one or more schedules that indicate when the synchronization engine should check to ascertain whether there is new content available for a feed, wherein the one or more schedules comprise at least one of an update schedule included in a feed header, a default schedule, a minimum schedule, a publisher-specified schedule, or a user-specified schedule,

a feed content download module configured to download feeds and merge new feed items with existing feed data,

an enclosure download module configured to automatically parse a downloaded feed for enclosure links and download an enclosure file associated with an enclosure link, and

an archiving module configured to delete a feed item when a number of feed items exceeds a user-specified or default value; and

wherein the RSS platform is configured to enable different types of applications that are separate from the RSS platform to access RSS data that has been received and processed by the RSS platform, and wherein the RSS platform is configured to enable one or more applications that are not subscribed to a feed to access associated RSS data that is received and processed by the RSS platform without having to understand a syndication format used to express the RSS data.

19. A system comprising:

a client computing device having a processor;

one or more computer-readable media associated with the client computing device;

computer-readable instructions on the one or more computer-readable media which, when executed by the client computing device, implement;

an API (application program interface) configured to;

enable different types of applications to access RSS data that has been received, processed, and converted into a common format by a RSS (really simple syndication) platform that is on the client computing device and separate from one or more applications on the client computing device, the common format being represented by an extensible markup language (XML) schema that includes common structure and syntax derived collectively from different formats associated with the different types of applications;

expose an object model provided by the RSS platform to represent RSS data for feed subscriptions in a hierarchy configured to enable access to the feed subscriptions;

enable accessed RSS data to be automatically parsed for enclosure links and an enclosure file associated with an enclosure link to be downloaded;

enable a feed item to be deleted when a number of feed items exceeds a user-specified or default value; and

enable the one or more applications that are not subscribed to a feed and do not understand XML that describes the RSS data to access from multiple sources associated RSS data that is received, processed, and converted by the RSS platform, the RSS data comprising;

at least one item having content and a link to a source of the content; and

at least one enclosure having a file and a link to a source of the file.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said different types of applications include applications that do not understand formats in which the RSS data is received by the platform.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the API exposes the object model represents the feed subscriptions as a hierarchy of folders, and wherein the object model provides access to a shared list of feed subscriptions.

22. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

computer-readable instructions stored on the computing device that, responsive to execution by the processor, cause the computing device to implement;

an RSS (really simple syndication) platform, included in the computing device, that is configured to receive and process RSS data in multiple RSS file formats and convert the RSS data into a common format that is usable by different types of applications and which is represented by an extensible markup language (XML) schema that includes common structure and syntax derived collectively from different formats associated with the different types of applications, the RSS platform being configured to;

accept multiple feeds of RSS data;

represent feed subscriptions for the RSS data in a hierarchy configured to enable access to the feed subscriptions in accordance with an object model;

automatically parse an accepted feed for enclosure links;

download an enclosure file associated with an enclosure link; and

delete a feed item when a number of feed items exceeds a user-specified or default value; and

one or more interfaces configured to enable the different types of applications to access the RSS data that has been received, processed, and converted by the RSS platform, the one or more interfaces being configured to enable one or more applications that are not subscribed to the feed and do not understand XML that describes the RSS data to access associated RSS data that is received and processed by the RSS platform, the RSS platform being separate from the one or more applications on the computing device.