Methods and systems for enhancing metadata

• US 9,009,136 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2010
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Abajian, Aram Christian, Alexander, Robin Andrew, Lee, Scott Chao-Chueh, Dahl, Austin David, Derosa, John Anthony, Porter, Charles A., Rehm, Eric Carl, Kolar, Jennifer Lynn, Sudanagunta, Srinivasan
• Primary Examiner(s): Vy, Hung T
• Application Number:
  US12/780,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20100287159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 707/723, 707/722, 707/769, 707/711.736
• US Class Current: 707/711
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/908 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/923 Intellectual property
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and system for utilizing metadata to search for media, such as multimedia and streaming media, includes searching for the media, receiving results, extracting metadata associated with the media, enhancing the extracted metadata, and grouping the search results in accordance with attributes of the enhanced metadata. Enhancing and grouping include adding related metadata to the database of metadata, iteratively using metadata to search for more media related data, removing duplicate URLs, collapsing URLs that are variants of each other, and masking out superfluous terms from URLs. The resultant metadata and media files are available to users and search engines.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for enhancing metadata, the method comprising:

extracting metadata from a source other than a ground truth database, the extracted metadata being related to a media file;

identifying, in the ground truth database, valid metadata that at least partially matches the extracted metadata, the valid metadata being stored in the ground truth database before the extracted metadata is extracted from the source; and

generating enhanced metadata by modifying, with a processor, the extracted metadata using at least a portion of the valid metadata by;

comparing contents in the extracted metadata with corresponding contents in the valid metadata;

identifying contents in the valid metadata that are not in the extracted metadata; and

adding the identified contents in the valid metadata to the extracted metadata.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the valid metadata comprises:

calculating a score based on a degree of similarity between the extracted metadata and the valid metadata; and

determining that the valid metadata at least partially matches the extracted metadata based on the score.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the enhanced metadata comprises:

comparing contents in the extracted metadata with corresponding contents in the valid metadata;

identifying contents in the valid metadata that do not match contents in the extracted metadata; and

replacing the non-matching contents in the extracted metadata with the identified contents in the valid metadata.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the source includes at least one of the media file, a web page, a uniform resource locator, a transport stream, a link, a multipurpose internet mail extension, a program, a file, a storage, a database, an index, and a user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

searching for the media file based on the enhanced metadata.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating an index of the media file based on the enhanced metadata.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the enhanced metadata in association with the media file.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein generating the enhanced metadata comprises:

identifying within the extracted metadata an empty metadata field; and

filling the empty metadata field with metadata from an other source.

9. A system for enhancing metadata, comprising:

a storage for storing instructions;

a processor for executing the instructions to perform the steps of;

extracting metadata from a source other than a ground truth database, the extracted metadata being related to a media file;

identifying, in the ground truth database, valid metadata that at least partially matches the extracted metadata, the valid metadata being stored in the ground truth database before the extracted metadata is extracted from the source; and

generating enhanced metadata by modifying the extracted metadata using at least a portion of the valid metadata by;

comparing contents in the extracted metadata with corresponding contents in the valid metadata;

identifying contents in the valid metadata that are not in the extracted metadata; and

adding the identified contents in the valid metadata to the extracted metadata.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein identifying the valid metadata comprises:

calculating a score based on a degree of similarity between the extracted metadata and the valid metadata; and

determining that the valid metadata at least partially matches the extracted metadata based on the score.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein generating the enhanced metadata comprises:

comparing contents in the extracted metadata with corresponding contents in the valid metadata;

identifying contents in the valid metadata that do not match contents in the extracted metadata; and

replacing the non-matching contents in the extracted metadata with the identified contents in the valid metadata.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the source includes at least one of the media file, a web page, a uniform resource locator, a transport stream, a link, a multipurpose internet mail extension, a program, a file, a storage, a database, an index, and a user.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising instructions for:

searching for the media file based on the enhanced metadata.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising instructions for:

updating an index of the media file based on the enhanced metadata.

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising instructions for:

storing the enhanced metadata in association with the media file.

16. A computer-usable storage device tangibly storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform a method for enhancing metadata, the method comprising:

extracting metadata from a source other than a ground truth database, the extracted metadata being related to a media file;

identifying, in the ground truth database, valid metadata that at least partially matches the extracted metadata, the valid metadata being stored in the ground truth database before the extracted metadata is extracted from the source; and

generating enhanced metadata by modifying the extracted metadata using at least a portion of the valid metadata by;

comparing contents in the extracted metadata with corresponding contents in the valid metadata;

identifying contents in the valid metadata that are not in the extracted metadata; and

adding the identified contents in the valid metadata to the extracted metadata.

17. The computer-usable storage device of claim 16, wherein identifying the valid metadata comprises:

calculating a score based on a degree of similarity between the extracted metadata and the valid metadata; and

determining that the valid metadata at least partially matches the extracted metadata based on the score.

18. The computer-usable storage device of claim 16, wherein generating the enhanced metadata comprises:

comparing contents in the extracted metadata with corresponding contents in the valid metadata;

identifying contents in the valid metadata that do not match contents in the extracted metadata; and

replacing the non-matching contents in the extracted metadata with the identified contents in the valid metadata.

19. The computer-usable storage device of claim 16, wherein the source includes at least one of the media file, a web page, a uniform resource locator, a transport stream, a link, a multipurpose internet mail extension, a program, a file, a storage, a database, an index, and a user.

20. The computer-usable storage device of claim 16, further storing instructions for:

searching for the media file based on the enhanced metadata.

21. The computer-usable storage device of claim 16, further storing instructions for:

updating an index of the media file based on the enhanced metadata.

22. The computer readable storage medium-computer-usable storage device of claim 16, further storing instructions for:

storing the enhanced metadata in association with the media file.