Interpretive stream metadata extraction

• US 20020103920A1
• Filed: 06/08/2001
• Published: 08/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: McRae, Shannon E., Nowitz, Jonathan Robert, Lee, Scott Chao-Chueh, Berkun, Ken Alan, Rehm, Eric Carl, Dahl, Austin David, Sudanagunta, Srinivasan, Kolar, Jennifer Lynn, Prince, John, Miller, Brad Steven
• Application Number:
  US09/876,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20020103920A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• 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 enhancing metadata associated with media, including multimedia and streaming media, include parsing the metadata into several categories of metadata. The categories of metadata are compared to corresponding categories of metadata obtained from a valid metadata database. The valid metadata database may be obtained from third party databases, referring web pages, and the multimedia/streaming media file itself. The metadata is modified if the comparison indicates that a category of metadata does not match a corresponding category of valid metadata. Modification includes replacing metadata with a corresponding valid metadata, and/or adding metadata to the original metadata.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing metadata associated with media on a communications network, said method comprising the steps of:

parsing said metadata associated with said media into at least one field of metadata;

comparing each of said at least one field of metadata with at least one field of valid metadata, each field of metadata compared with each field of valid metadata being a compared field; and

modifying said metadata if said compared field does not match at least one field of valid metadata.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said step of modifying said metadata comprise at least one of replacing said compared field with a corresponding field of said valid metadata, correcting said compared field in accordance with a corresponding field of said valid metadata, and adding at least one field of metadata to said metadata.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said valid metadata is obtained from at least one of a multimedia file, a streaming media file, a uniform resource indicator (URI), a database, a media file header, a media file footer, a metatag, and a transport stream

4. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving said metadata and corresponding media files, wherein said corresponding media files are formatted in at least one of a plurality of formats;

providing media files formatted in the same format and associated metadata to a corresponding format specific metadata extractor;

determining if a media file is valid; and

if said media file is not valid, performing said step of comparing at a predetermined time in the future.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said media comprises at least one of an extension selected from the group consisting of ram, .rm, rpm, .mov, .qif.wma, .cmr, .avi, .swf, .swl .mpg, .mpa, .mp1, .mp2, .mp3, m3a, and .m3u.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said metadata comprise elements related to at least one of content of the media, intellectual property rights associated with the media, and instantiation of the media.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said media comprises at least one of multimedia and streaming media.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said communications network is a computer network.

9. A computer system for enhancing metadata associated with media on a computer network, said computer system comprising at least one computer, all computers in said system being communicatively coupled to each other, wherein each of said at least one computer includes at least one program stored therein for allowing communication between each and every of said at least one computer, each of said at least one program operating in conjunction with one another to cause said at least one computer to perform the steps of:

parsing said metadata associated with said media into at least one field of metadata;

comparing each of said at least one field of metadata with at least one field of valid metadata, each field of metadata compared with each field of valid metadata being a compared field; and

modifying said metadata if said compared field does not match at least one field valid metadata.

10. A program readable medium having embodied thereon a program for causing a processor to enhance metadata associated with media on a communications network, said program readable medium comprising:

means for causing said processor to parse said metadata associated with said media into at least one field of metadata;

means for causing said processor to compare each of said at least one field of metadata with at least one field of valid metadata, each field of metadata compared with each field of valid metadata being a compared field;

means for causing said processor to modify said metadata if said compared field does not match at least one field of valid metadata.

11. A data signal embodied in a carrier wave comprising:

a parse metadata code segment for parsing metadata associated with media on a communications network into at least one field of metadata;

a compare field code segment for comparing each of said at least one field of metadata with at least one field of valid metadata, each field of metadata compared with each field of valid metadata being a compared field; and

a modify metadata code segment for modifying said metadata if said compared field does not match at least one field of valid metadata.

12. A data signal in accordance with claim 11, further comprising:

a receive code segment for receiving said metadata and corresponding media files, wherein said media files are formatted in at least one of a plurality of formats;

a distribute code segment for providing media files formatted in the same format and associated metadata to a corresponding format specific metadata extractor;

a validity code segment for determining if a media file is valid; and

if said media file is not valid, a reschedule code segment for performing said step of comparing at a predetermined time in the future.

13. A data signal in accordance with claim 11, wherein said media comprises at least one of an extension selected from the group consisting of .ram, .rm, .rpm, .mov, .qif .wma, .cmr, .avi, .swf, .swl .mpg, .mpa, .mp1, .mp2, .mp3, m3a, and .m3u.

14. A data signal in accordance with claim 11, wherein said modify metadata code segment performs at least one of replacing said compared field with a corresponding field of said valid metadata, correcting said compared field in accordance with a corresponding field of said valid metadata, and adding at least one field of metadata to said metadata.

15. A data signal in accordance with claim 11, wherein said valid metadata is obtained from at least one of a multimedia file, a streaming media file, a uniform resource indicator (URI), a database, a media file header, a media file footer, a metatag, and a transport stream.

16. A data signal in accordance with claim 11, wherein said metadata comprise elements related to at least one of content of the media, intellectual property rights associated with the media, and instantiation of the media.

17. A data signal in accordance with claim 11, wherein said media is at least one of streaming media and multimedia files formatted in at least one of a plurality of formats.