System and method for creating and utilizing metadata regarding the structure of program content

• US 8,868,614 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2008
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Universal Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Negron, Eric, Hayes, Patrick H., Black, Jeremy K.
• Primary Examiner(s): PENG, HUAWEN A
• Application Number:
  US12/335,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20090093278A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,136 Days
• Field of Search: 707/609, 707/610, 707/802
• US Class Current: 707/802
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8233 the additional signal being a character code signal

Abstract

Metadata is created in connection with an editing of a copy of a digital media for the purpose of generating a sample of the digital media, such as a ringtone generated from a song. The metadata is published and is retrievable for use in editing another copy of the digital media to automatically recreate the media sample.

Claims

1. A method for using metadata to control media rendering, comprising:

receiving at a media playback device from a network server device in communication with the media playback device published first metadata having data indicative of an offset time and a time duration of a first segment of a media and second metadata having data indicative of an offset time and time duration of a second segment of the media;

using by the media playback device the received, published first metadata to cause a rendering of the first segment to be automatically inhibited during a rendering of a digital copy of the media by the media playback device;

receiving by the media playback device data indicative of a user-initiated correction to at least the offset time associated with the first metadata; and

using by the media playback device the received, published second metadata and the data indicative of the user-initiated correction to at least the offset time associated with the first metadata to cause a rendering of the second segment to be automatically inhibited during a rendering of a digital copy of the media by the media playback device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital copy of the media is obtained from the network server device with the published first metadata and the published second metadata.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first metadata and second metadata are stored within a data repository associated with the network server device and wherein the first metadata and second metadata are cross-referenced to information that functions to uniquely identify the media.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein the media playback device uses the information that functions to uniquely identify the media to automatically determine if the published first metadata and published second metadata are is to be obtained from the network server device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media playback device uses the received, published first metadata to cause a rendering of the first segment to be automatically inhibited by causing the media playback device to automatically skip the first segment during a rendering of the digital copy of the media by the media playback device and wherein the media playback device uses the received, published second metadata and the data indicative of the user-initiated correction to at least the offset time associated with the first metadata to cause a rendering of the second segment to be automatically inhibited by causing the media playback device to automatically skip the second segment during a rendering of the digital copy of the media by the media playback device.