METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING MERGED MEDIA PROGRAM METADATA

• US 20100169369A1
• Filed: 12/31/2008
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Wang, Zhibing, Yang, Ting-hao, Tang, Yizhe, Chang, Qian
• Granted Patent: US 8,185,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/770
• 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 method, apparatus, article of manufacture for generating a media program database having a plurality of media programs is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method is comprises the steps of receiving first media program metadata from a first source, searching the Internet to find second media program metadata from a second source distinct from the first source, determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program, merging the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program, and storing the merged first media program metadata and second media program metadata in the media program database.

Claims

1. A method of generating a media program database having a plurality of media programs, comprising the steps of:

receiving first media program metadata from a first source;

searching the Internet to find second media program metadata from a second source distinct from the first source;

determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program;

merging the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program; and

storing the merged first media program metadata and second media program metadata in the media program database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving first media program metadata from the first source comprises the step of receiving a media program and the first media program metadata from a media program provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the step of receiving first media program metadata from the first source comprises the step of webcrawling the Internet to find first media program metadata from the first source; and

the step of searching the Internet to find second media program metadata from a second source distinct from the first source comprises the step of webcrawling the Internet to find second media program data from the second source.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second source is distinct from the first source.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second source has a different domain name than the first source.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of purging the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata to normalize titles.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program comprises the steps of:

determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with a media program at the same uniform resource locator (URL).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the first metadata includes first show name data and first title data and the second metadata includes second show name data and second title data; and

the step of determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program comprises the steps of;

determining if the first show name data matches the second show name data;

determining if the first title data matches the second title data; and

determining that the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program match if the first show name data matches the second show name data and the first title data matches the second title data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the first metadata includes first show name data, first season data and first episode data and the second metadata includes second show name data, second season data and second episode data; and

the step of determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program comprises the steps of;

determining if the first show name data matches the second show name data;

determining if the first season data matches the second season data and the first episode data matches the second episode data;

determining that the first metadata and the second metadata match if the first show name data matches the second show name data and the first season data matches the second season data and the first episode data matches the second episode data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the first metadata includes first show name data and first video signature data and the second metadata includes second show name data and second video signature data; and

the step of determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program comprises the steps of;

determining if the first show name data matches the second show name data;

determining if the first video signature data matches the second video signature data;

determining that the first metadata data and the second metadata match if the first show name data matches the second show name data and the first video signature data matches the second video signature data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the merged first media program metadata and second media program metadata comprises a show name and a performer name; and

the method further comprises the steps of;

accepting a search request from a user, the search request comprising a search value;

searching the media program database for a database parameter having the search value;

determining if the search value is correlated to a show name stored in the media program database;

if the search value is correlated to the show name stored in the media program database, returning a first search result comprising only media programs associated with the show name;

if the search value is not correlated to a show name, determining if the search value is correlated to a performer name stored in the media program database;

if the search value is correlated to a performer name stored in the media program database, returning a second search result comprising only media programs associated with the performer name;

if the search value is not correlated with the show name and not correlated with the performer, returning a third search result comprising all media programs associated with the search value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the step of determining if the search value is correlated to a show name stored in the program database is performed by term proximity or abbreviation; and

the step of determining if the search value is correlated to a performer name stored in the program database is performed by term proximity or abbreviation.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the step of determining if the search value is correlated to a show name stored in the program database comprises the step of identifying the search value and the show name as correlated if user-selected results from a previous search value correlate with user-selected results from the show name; and

the step of determining if the search value is correlated to a performer stored in the program database comprises the step of identifying the search value and the performer name as correlated if user-selected results from a previous search value correlate with user-selected results from the performer name.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the merged first and second media program metadata comprises a show name, season and episode, a video quality and popularity;

the returned first search result ordered by season and episode number; and

the returned second search result is ordered by video quality and popularity.

15. An apparatus for generating a media program database having a plurality of media programs, comprising:

means for receiving first media program metadata from a first source;

means for searching the Internet to find second media program metadata from a second source distinct from the first source;

means for determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program;

means for merging the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program; and

means for storing the merged first media program metadata and second media program metadata in the media program database.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for receiving first media program metadata from the first source comprises means for receiving a media program and the first media program metadata from a media program provider.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the means for receiving first media program metadata from the first source comprises means for webcrawling the Internet to find first media program metadata from the first source; and

the means for searching the Internet to find second media program metadata from a second source distinct from the first source comprises means for webcrawling the Internet to find second media program data from the second source.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second source is distinct from the first source.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the second source has a different domain name than the first source.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising means for purging the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata to normalize titles.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the means for determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program comprises:

means for determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with a media program at the same uniform resource locator (URL).

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein:

the first metadata includes first show name data and first title data and the second metadata includes second show name data and second title data; and

the means for determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program comprises;

means for determining if the first show name data matches the second show name data;

means for determining if the first title data matches the second title data; and

means for determining that the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program match if the first show name data matches the second show name data and the first title data matches the second title data.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein:

the first metadata includes first show name data, first season data and first episode data and the second metadata includes second show name data, second season data and second episode data; and

the means for determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program comprises;

means for determining if the first show name data matches the second show name data;

means for determining if the first season data matches the second season data and the first episode data matches the second episode data;

means for determining that the first metadata and the second metadata match if the first show name data matches the second show name data and the first season data matches the second season data and the first episode data matches the second episode data.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein:

the first metadata includes first show name data and first video signature data and the second metadata includes second show name data and second video signature data; and

the means for determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program comprises the steps of;

means for determining if the first show name data matches the second show name data;

means for determining if the first video signature data matches the second video signature data;

means for determining that the first metadata and the second metadata match if the first show name data matches the second show name data and the first video signature data matches the second video signature data.

25. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the merged first media program metadata and second media program metadata comprises a show name and a performer name; and

the apparatus further comprises;

means for accepting a search request from a user, the search request comprising a search value;

means for searching the media program database for a database parameter having the search value;

means for determining if the search value is correlated to a show name stored in the media program database;

means for returning a first search result comprising only media programs associated with the show name if the search value is correlated to the show name stored in the media program database;

means for determining if the search value is correlated to a performer name stored in the media program database if the search value is not correlated to a show name;

means for returning a second search result comprising only media programs associated with the performer name if the search value is correlated to a performer name stored in the media program database;

means for returning a third search result comprising all media programs associated with the search value if the search value is not correlated with the show name and not correlated with the performer.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the means for determining if the search value is correlated to a show name stored in the program database comprises means for determining term proximity or abbreviation; and

the means for determining if the search value is correlated to a performer name stored in the program database comprises means for determining term proximity or abbreviation.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the means for determining if the search value is correlated to a show name stored in the program database comprises means for identifying the search value and the show name as correlated if user-selected results from a previous search value correlate with user-selected results from the show name; and

the means for determining if the search value is correlated to a performer stored in the program database comprises means for identifying the search value and the performer name as correlated if user-selected results from a previous search value correlate with user-selected results from the performer name.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein:

the merged first and second media program metadata comprises a show name, season and episode, a video quality and popularity;

the returned first search result ordered by season and episode number; and

the returned second search result is ordered by video quality and popularity.

29. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the means for receiving first media program metadata from a first source comprises a media program provider video server, for searching the Internet to find second media program metadata from a second source distinct from the first source, for determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program, for merging the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program comprises a media program provider server; and

the means for storing the merged first media program metadata and second media program metadata comprises the media program database.

30. A program storage device, readable by a computer, tangibly embodying at least one program of instructions executable by the computer to perform method steps of generating a media program database having a plurality of media programs, the method steps comprising the steps of:

receiving first media program metadata from a first source;

searching the Internet to find second media program metadata from a second source distinct from the first source;

determining if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program;

merging the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata if the first media program metadata and the second media program metadata are associated with the same media program; and

storing the merged first media program metadata and second media program metadata in the media program database.