Digital asset validation prior to submission for network-based distribution

• US 8,935,217 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2009
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Suitts, Jason Robert, Makower, David, Cortes, Ricardo D., Muller, Max, Jimenez, Juan Carlos, Brown, Jeremy, Fosback, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, ANHTAI V
• Application Number:
  US12/555,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20110060776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,953 Days
• US Class Current: 707/687
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A system and method for submission of digital assets to a digital asset submission system are disclosed. The digital asset submission system can manage submissions of digital assets to a network-based distribution system. Submission of digital assets to the digital asset submission system can be performed over a network in a controlled manner such that the digital assets can be validated prior to transmission of the digital assets to the digital asset submission system. Advantageously, digital assets to be submitted for distribution can be substantially validated before the digital assets are transmitted to the digital asset submission system.

Claims

1. A method for validating a digital asset package via at least one server computer, the digital asset package including at least a metadata file and one or more digital asset files, the method comprising:

receiving, from a client device, an initial validation submission including the metadata file;

validating metadata within the metadata file;

determining at least one digital asset file identified in the metadata to be validated;

sending, to the client device, an initial validation response including at least a list of the at least one digital asset file that is to be validated;

receiving, from the client device, a subsequent validation submission including the metadata file and an asset summary file for the at least one digital asset file identified in the list, the subsequent validation submission not including the at least one digital asset file, the asset summary file being different from the at least one digital asset file and from the metadata file but including data pertaining to digital data residing in one or both of a header portion or a data portion of the at least one digital asset file;

determining validation rules to be used in validating the at least one digital asset file;

validating the at least one digital asset file based on the asset summary file and the determined validation rules; and

sending, to the client device, a subsequent validation response in accordance with the validating of the at least one digital asset file.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the list included in the initial validation response identifies a plurality of digital asset files, and

wherein the metadata in the metadata file is descriptive of each of the plurality of digital asset files.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the determining of the validation rules comprises:

determining an asset type for each of the plurality of digital asset files; and

determining a different validation rule set for each of the asset types.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the validating of the at least one digital asset file validates each of the plurality of digital asset files using the validation rules appropriate for the corresponding asset type of the digital asset files.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the subsequent validation response includes an indication of at least one error or warning with respect to the validation of the at least one digital asset file.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining of the at least one digital asset file identified in the metadata to be validated comprises:

examining the metadata to identify the at least one digital asset file; and

determining the at least one digital asset file identified in the metadata based on the examining of the metadata.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the determining of the at least one digital asset file is based on the metadata and on a file extension for the at least one digital asset file.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one the digital asset file is a media asset file.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

accepting submission, from the client device, of the digital submission if the validating successfully validates the metadata as well as the at least one digital asset file.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein submission of the digital asset package undergoes (i) validation of the metadata following the initial validation submission and then (ii) validation of the at least one digital asset file following the subsequent validation submission.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the list included in the initial validation response identifies a plurality of digital asset files,

wherein the metadata in the metadata file is descriptive of each of the plurality of digital asset files,

wherein the determining of the validation rules comprises:

determining an asset type for each of the plurality of digital asset files; and

determining a different validation rule set for each of the asset types, and

wherein the validating of the at least one digital asset file validates each of the plurality of digital asset files using the validation rules appropriate for the corresponding asset type of the digital asset files.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

accepting submission, from the client device, of the digital submission if the validating successfully validates the metadata as well as the at least one digital asset file.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium including at least computer program code stored thereon for validating a digital submission to at least one server computer via a data network, the digital submission including at least a metadata file and at least one digital asset file, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for receiving a metadata validation submission including the metadata file;

computer program code for validating metadata within the metadata file;

computer program code for determining the at least one digital asset file identified in the metadata to be validated;

computer program code for sending a metadata validation response including at least a list of the at least one digital asset file that is to be validated;

computer program code for subsequently receiving an asset validation submission including the metadata file and an asset summary file for the at least one digital asset file, the asset validation submission not including the at least one digital asset file, the asset summary file being different from the at least one digital asset file but including data pertaining to digital data residing in one or both of a header portion or a data portion of the at least one digital asset file;

computer program code for determining validation rules to be used in validating the at least one digital asset file;

computer program code for validating the at least one digital asset file based on the asset summary file and the determined validation rules; and

computer program code for sending a validation response based on the validating of the at least one digital asset file by the computer program code for validating the at least one digital asset file.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprises:

computer program code for accepting submission, from the client device, of the digital submission if the computer program code for validating successfully validates the at least one digital asset file.

15. A method for submitting a digital asset package to a network-based server computer for validation, the method comprising:

forming a digital asset package including at least a metadata file and digital asset files, each of the digital asset files including at least a header portion and a data portion;

sending an initial validation submission including the metadata file to the server computer;

receiving an initial validation response from the server computer, the initial validation response including at least a list of at least one digital asset file that is to be described;

producing at least one summary file for the at least one digital asset file that is to be described, the at least one summary file being distinct from the at least one digital asset file and the producing of the at least one summary file including examining digital data residing in the header portion and the data portion of the at least one digital asset file;

sending a subsequent validation submission including the at least one summary file to the server computer, the subsequent validation submission not including the at least one digital asset file;

receiving a subsequent validation response from the server computer, the subsequent validation response including an indication of whether at least the at least one digital asset file has been successfully validated; and

thereafter submitting the digital asset package to the server computer if the subsequent validation response indicates that at least the at least one digital asset file has been successfully validated.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the producing of the at least one summary file includes examining digital data within the at least one digital asset file.

17. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the at least one summary file is a markup language file.

18. A method as recited in claim 15,

wherein the initial validation response includes at least a list of a plurality of digital asset files to be described, and

wherein the producing produces a separate summary file for each of the plurality of digital assets.

19. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the submitting of the digital asset package to the server computer causes (i) validation of the metadata following the initial validation submission and then (ii) validation of the at least one digital asset file following the subsequent validation submission.

20. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the digital asset package including at least one digital asset file.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium including at least computer program code stored thereon for submitting a digital asset package to a network-based server computer for validation, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer program code for forming a digital asset package including a metadata file and digital asset files, each of the digital asset files including at least a header portion and a data portion;

computer program code for sending a metadata validation submission including at least a list of the digital asset files that are to be validated;

computer program code for producing at least asset summary file for at least one of the digital asset files of the digital asset package, the at least one summary file being different from the at least one digital asset file, and the at least one asset summary file being produced using computer program code for examining digital data residing in one or both of the header portion or the data portion of the at least one digital asset file;

computer program code for sending a subsequent asset validation submission including the asset summary file to the server computer, the asset validation submission not including the at least one digital asset file;

computer program code for receiving an asset validation response from the server computer, the asset validation response including an indication of whether at least the at least one digital asset file has been successfully validated at the server computer based on the asset summary file; and

computer program code for submitting the digital asset package to the server computer if the asset validation response indicates that at least the at least one digital asset file has been successfully validated.

22. A media system, comprising:

a digital package submission subsystem configured to submit a digital asset package; and

a digital package reception subsystem configured receive and process to the digital asset package that has been submitted,

wherein the digital package submission subsystem and the digital package reception system are operatively connectable via a computer data network,

wherein the digital package submission subsystem includes at least one computing device having a processor and memory and is configured to at least;

form a digital asset package including a metadata file and digital asset files, each of the digital asset files including at least a header portion and a data portion;

sending a metadata validation submission including at least a list of the digital asset files that are to be validated;

produce at least asset summary file for at least one of the digital asset files of the digital asset package, the at least asset summary file being different from the at least one digital asset file and the producing of the at least asset summary file including examining digital data residing in the header portion and the data portion of the at least one digital asset file;

send a subsequent asset validation submission including the asset summary file to the digital package reception subsystem, the asset validation submission not including the at least one digital asset file;

receive an asset validation response from the digital package reception subsystem, the asset validation response including an indication of whether at least the at least one digital asset file has been successfully validated at the digital package reception subsystem based on the asset summary file; and

submit the digital asset package to the server computer if the asset validation response indicates that at least the at least one digital asset file has been successfully validated, and

wherein the digital package reception subsystem includes at least one computing device and is configured to at least;

receiving a metadata validation submission including the metadata file;

validating metadata within the metadata file;

determining the at least one digital asset file identified in the metadata to be validated;

sending a metadata validation response including at least a list of the at least one digital asset file that is to be validated;

subsequently receive an asset validation submission including at least the metadata file and the asset summary file for the at least one digital asset file;

determine validation rules to be used in validating the at least one digital asset file;

validate the at least one digital asset file based on the asset summary file and the determined validation rules; and

send a validation response in accordance with the validating of the at least one digital asset file by the computer program code for validating the at least one digital asset file.