Device and method for metadata management

• US 20060130117A1
• Filed: 03/16/2004
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Du-il, Lee, Ji-hyun, Eo, Kil-su
• Granted Patent: US 7,620,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/135
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device and method for managing metadata. A principal object of the present invention is to provide a device and method for managing metadata by which only key metadata can be selected and provided in accordance with their priorities upon playback of audio content by defining attributes of key metadata according to characteristics of the audio content. To achieve this object of the present invention, there is provided a method of managing metadata, comprising the steps of assigning priorities to attributes of key metadata according to characteristics of audio contents, reading the metadata for a specific audio content, extracting the attributes of respective metadata from the read metadata, classifying the extracted metadata attributes according to the assigned priorities and setting their priorities, and displaying the metadata for the audio content according to the set priorities. According to the present invention, there is an advantage in that major information on respective audio content can be efficiently provided to a user based on the metadata that are classified and selected according to the respective audio content.

Claims

1. A device for managing metadata, wherein priorities are assigned to attributes of key metadata according to characteristics of audio content, the metadata for a specific audio content are read to extract the attributes thereof, and the priorities for the read metadata are then set according the assigned priorities.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the read metadata are displayed according to the set priorities for the metadata.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device further comprises:

a disc drive unit that picks up and outputs the audio contents and metadata recorded on a disc;

a control unit that controls the operations of playing back the audio content read by the disc drive unit according to the selection of a user and providing the user with the metadata for the audio content being played;

a metadata determination unit that receives the metadata for the selected audio content from the control unit to extract the attributes of the metadata and determines the priorities for the metadata according to the assigned priorities; and

a display unit that displays a predetermined application program for playing back the audio content under control of the control unit and also displays predetermined metadata determined by the metadata determination unit through the application program.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

a decoder that decodes the audio content read by the disc drive unit and outputs the decoded audio content in the form of an original audio signal; and

an input unit that generates a predetermined selection signal according to the user'"'"'s selection and outputs the generated signal to the control unit.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the priorities for the metadata are defined according to the attributes of metadata, a predetermined matching table is created which contains metadata lists corresponding to the respective attributes.

6. A method of managing metadata, comprising the steps of:

assigning priorities to attributes of key metadata according to characteristics of audio contents;

reading the metadata for a specific audio content;

extracting the attributes of respective metadata from the read metadata;

classifying the extracted metadata attributes according to the assigned priorities and setting their priorities; and

displaying the metadata for the audio content according to the set priorities.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the assigned attributes of the metadata correspond to attributes of the genre of the audio content.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of defining the priorities for the metadata according to the attributes of the metadata comprises the step of creating a predetermined matching table that contains metadata lists corresponding to the respective attributes, and the step of setting the priorities for the read metadata comprises the step of using the created matching table.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of displaying the metadata for the audio content comprises the step of displaying a part of the metadata according to the set priorities.

10. A method of managing metadata, comprising the steps of:

selecting meta data to be displayed depending upon an audio content;

reading the selected meta data; and

displaying the read meta data.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the meta data are displayed when the relevant audio content is selected.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the step of reading the meta data comprises the steps of:

reading meta data of the audio content; and

classifying meta data to be displayed according to the attributes of the read out meta data.