Method and system for matching descriptive text for a multimedia content in a vendor's catalog with descriptive text for a multimedia content in media store's catalog

• US 9,418,136 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2009
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Gudmundsson, Agust Kr., Supe, Jayesh, Ahmed, Sajid, Jelinek, Mary P., Belihomji, Adil S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gofman, Alex
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gurmu, Muluemebet
• Application Number:
  US12/415,363
• Time in Patent Office: 2,695 Days
• Field of Search: 707/E17.009, 707/999.107, 707/600
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/283 Multi-dimensional databases or data warehouses, e.g. MOLAP or ROLAP
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

A media store server offers access to multimedia contents available from servers of one or more vendors. The media store server provides customers'"'"' digital information devices with catalog of content offered through the media store server. To provide a unified catalog for the store, the media store server retrieves a first descriptive text for a multimedia content in a catalog of vendor'"'"'s server. The first descriptive text is converted into a second descriptive text representing the multimedia content, which is in a standardized format required for the media store server catalog. The second descriptive text for the multimedia content is compared with the descriptive texts of multimedia contents in the media store server catalog. The first descriptive text for the vendor'"'"'s multimedia content is stored in the catalog of the media store server, if the second descriptive text for the multimedia content matches with any of the descriptive texts of multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server. The stored first descriptive text provides a link to or association for access to the actual file on the vendor'"'"'s server, i.e. so when users searches, the text comes up from the store server and selection enables user to access/download multimedia content from the vendor'"'"'s server.

Claims

1. A method comprising steps of:

(a) retrieving in a media store server a first descriptive text for multimedia content in a catalog of a vendor'"'"'s server;

(b) converting the first descriptive text for the multimedia content in the catalog of the vendor'"'"'s server into a second descriptive text for the multimedia content, the second descriptive text conforming to a standardized format required by a catalog of the media store server;

(c) comparing the second descriptive text for the multimedia content with descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server;

(d) upon the second descriptive text for the multimedia content not matching with any of the descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server, converting the second descriptive text to a third descriptive text for the multimedia content of a decreased number of characters by removing a portion of characters of the second descriptive text;

(e) comparing the third descriptive text for the multimedia content with the descriptive texts of multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server, wherein the comparing of the third descriptive text is less exacting than the comparing of the second descriptive text;

(f) storing the first descriptive text for the multimedia content of the catalog of the vendor'"'"'s server in the catalog of the media store server, upon the third descriptive text for the multimedia content matching at least one of the descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server; and

(g) providing a function for searching the catalog of the media store server, to customers'"'"' digital information devices, based at least in part on the descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server including the stored first descriptive text for the multimedia content of the catalog of the vendor'"'"'s server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the descriptive texts of multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server compared in step (e) are texts of a decreased number of characters corresponding to the decreased number of characters of the third descriptive text.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps (d) and (e) are repeatedly performed, if the second descriptive text for the multimedia content does not match with any descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the multimedia contents include music, video and game application files.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first descriptive text includes two or more of track information, performer or artist names, and title, actor or director names.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the converting in step (b) includes removing conventional terms and punctuation characters in the first descriptive text.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (f) includes replacing the descriptive text for the multimedia content in the catalog of the vendor'"'"'s server with the descriptive text for multimedia content of the vendor'"'"'s server corresponding to the matched first descriptive text.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein in converting the second descriptive text to the third descriptive text the order of characters of the second descriptive text does not change.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein in converting the second descriptive text to the third descriptive text characters are not added to the second descriptive text.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein, other than the removed characters, the second and third descriptive texts are the same.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the second descriptive text is not converted to the third descriptive text if the second descriptive text matches with descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein if the third descriptive text matches with descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server, storing the second and third descriptive texts in the catalog of the media store server.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (d) comprises:

determining that the second descriptive text for the multimedia content does not match with any of the descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server; and

upon determining that the second descriptive text does not match with any of the descriptive texts in the catalog, converting the second descriptive text to the third descriptive text.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (f) comprises:

determining that the third descriptive text for the multimedia content matches at least one of the descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server; and

upon determining that the third descriptive text matches at least one of the descriptive texts in the catalog, storing the first descriptive text in a record of a multimedia content in the catalog of the media store server which has at least one descriptive text matched to the third descriptive text.

8. A system for forming a multimedia content catalog of a multimedia store platform, for multimedia contents available to be downloaded via transactions of multimedia contents on the multimedia store platform, the system comprising:

a media store server for providing the multimedia store platform to be displayed on digital devices of customers upon requests of the digital devices, the media store platform enabling customers transactions of the multimedia contents and storing a first multimedia content catalog including categorized descriptive texts of available multimedia contents; and

a multimedia content vendor'"'"'s server for providing a first descriptive texts for multimedia contents in a second multimedia content catalog to the media store server and storing the multimedia content, wherein;

the media store server is configured to;

convert first descriptive texts for the multimedia contents in the second multimedia content catalog of the vendor'"'"'s server into respective second descriptive texts of multimedia contents, compare each respective second descriptive text for the multimedia content with descriptive texts in the first multimedia content catalog, and store one of the first descriptive texts for multimedia content of the second catalog of the vendor'"'"'s server in the first catalog of the media store server in event of a respective one of the second descriptive texts for the multimedia content matching one or more descriptive texts in the first multimedia content catalog,

the media store server is further configured to;

convert a respective one of the second descriptive texts not matching with any of the descriptive texts in the first multimedia content catalog into a third descriptive text of a decreased number of characters, compare the third descriptive text with the descriptive texts in the first multimedia content catalog, and store the first descriptive text for the multimedia content of the catalog of the vendor'"'"'s server corresponding to the third descriptive text in the catalog of the media store server, upon the third descriptive text for the multimedia content matching one or more with descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server,

the second descriptive text is converted to the third descriptive text of the decreased number of characters by removing a portion of characters of the second descriptive text,

the comparing of the third descriptive text is less exacting than the comparing of the second descriptive text; and

the media store server is further configured to provide a function for searching the first multimedia content catalog to digital devices of customers, based at least in part on the descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the first multimedia content catalog including the stored first descriptive texts.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein

the descriptive texts of multimedia contents in the first multimedia content catalog of the media store server compared to the third descriptive text are texts of a decreased number of characters corresponding to the decreased number of characters of the third descriptive text.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the multimedia contents include music, video and game application files.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the descriptive texts for the multimedia contents includes two or more of track information, performer or artist names, and title, actor or director names.

22. The system of claim 8, wherein prior to converting a respective one of the second descriptive texts not matching with any of the descriptive texts in the first multimedia content catalog into a third descriptive text of a decreased number of characters, the media store server is configured to:

determine that a respective one of the second descriptive texts for the multimedia content does not match with any of the descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the first multimedia content catalog; and

upon determining that the respective one of the second descriptive texts does not match with any of the descriptive texts in the first multimedia content catalog, convert the respective one of the second descriptive texts to the third descriptive text.

12. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory machine readable storage medium; and

programming instructions embodied in said medium for execution by at least one computer, wherein execution causes said at least one computer to perform functions comprising;

(a) retrieving in a media store server a first descriptive text for multimedia content in a catalog of a vendor'"'"'s server;

(b) converting the first descriptive text for the multimedia content in the catalog of the vendor'"'"'s server into a second descriptive text for the multimedia content, the second descriptive text conforming to a standardized format required by a catalog of the media store server;

(c) comparing the second descriptive text for the multimedia content with descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server;

(d) upon the second descriptive text for the multimedia content not matching with any of the descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server, converting the second descriptive text to a third descriptive text for the multimedia content of a decreased number of characters by removing a portion of characters of the second descriptive text;

(e) comparing the third descriptive text for the multimedia content with the descriptive texts of multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server, wherein the comparing of the third descriptive text is less exacting than the comparing of the second descriptive text;

(f) storing the first descriptive text for the multimedia content of the catalog of the vendor'"'"'s server in the catalog of the media store server, upon the third descriptive text for the multimedia content matching at least one of the descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server; and

(g) providing a function for searching the catalog of the media store server, to customers'"'"' digital information devices, based at least in part on the descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server including the stored first descriptive text for the multimedia content of the catalog of the vendor'"'"'s server.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12 wherein:

the descriptive texts of multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server compared in function (e) are texts of a decreased number of characters corresponding to the decreased number of characters of the third descriptive text.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the functions (d) and (e) are repeatedly performed, if the third descriptive text for the multimedia content does not match with any descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the function (d) further comprises:

determining that the second descriptive text for the multimedia content does not match with any of the descriptive texts for multimedia contents in the catalog of the media store server; and

upon determining that the second descriptive text does not match with any of the descriptive texts in the catalog, converting the second descriptive text to the third descriptive text.