METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING COMMUNITY-BASED METADATA

• US 20100332527A1
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Wang, Zhibing, Liao, Yupeng
• Granted Patent: US 8,527,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/70 of video data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7867 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, title and artist information, manually generated time, location and usage information, user ratings

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing community based metadata is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of detecting an object in a frame of media program, transmitting first data comprising the frame of the media program having the detected object to display device for presentation to a user, receiving second data comprising user entered metadata associated with the identified object, tracking the object across proximate frames of the media program, associating the entered metadata with the object in at least one of the proximate frames of the media program, and storing the associated entered metadata.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining metadata associated with a media program, comprising the steps of:

detecting an object in a frame of media program;

transmitting first data comprising the frame of the media program having the detected object to display device for presentation to a user;

receiving second data comprising user entered metadata associated with the identified object;

tracking the object across proximate frames of the media program;

associating the entered metadata with the object in at least one of the proximate frames of the media program; and

storing the associated entered metadata.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving second data comprising user entered metadata associated with the identified object comprises the steps of:

receiving third data comprising a user selection of the detected object from the display device; and

transmitting fourth data comprising an interface to the display device for user entry of the metadata associated with the detected object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fourth data comprises metadata associated with the identified object entered by a second user.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the fourth data comprises a presumptive metadata associated with the identified object and the second data comprises a confirmation of the presumptive metadata.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the frame comprises a delineation of the detected object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the delineation comprises reticules proximate the object.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data comprises a plurality of frames including the transmitted frame, the plurality of frames together presenting moving images of the media program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame is a thumbnail comprising only one detected object.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the thumbnail is transmitted in response to a metadata search, and the frame is selected so as to comprise the one detected object and no additional detected objects.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the metadata search for a performer depicted in the media program.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the received second data comprises user entered metadata identifying the detected object.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a performer depicted in the media program and the entered metadata identifies the performer.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of verifying the metadata before storing the metadata.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of verifying the user entered metadata comprises the steps of:

comparing the user entered metadata with other user entered metadata; and

verifying the user entered metadata based on the comparison.

15. An apparatus for obtaining metadata associated with a media program, comprising:

a media program analyzer for detecting an object in a frame of media program and for tracking the object across proximate frames of the media program;

a communication module for transmitting first data comprising the frame of the media program having the detected object to display device for presentation to a user, for receiving second data comprising user entered metadata associated with the identified object; and

a database for associating the entered metadata with the object in at least one of the proximate frames of the media program, and for storing the associated entered metadata.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communication module further receives third data comprising a user selection of the detected object from the display device, and transmits fourth data comprising an interface to the display device for user entry of the metadata associated with the detected object.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the fourth data comprises metadata associated with the identified object entered by a second user.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the fourth data comprises a presumptive metadata associated with the identified object and the second data comprises a confirmation of the presumptive metadata.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein:

the frame comprises a delineation of the detected object.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the delineation comprises reticules proximate the object.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first data comprises a plurality of frames including the transmitted frame, the plurality of frames together presenting moving images of the media program.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the frame is a thumbnail comprising only one detected object.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein the thumbnail is transmitted in response to a metadata search, and the frame is selected so as to comprise the one detected object and no additional detected objects.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the metadata search for a performer depicted in the media program.

25. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the received second data comprises user entered metadata identifying the detected object.

26. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the object is a performer depicted in the media program and the entered metadata identifies the performer.

27. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the database further verifies the metadata before storing the metadata.

28. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the database compares the user entered metadata with other user entered metadata, and verifies the user entered metadata based on the comparison.

29. An apparatus for obtaining metadata associated with a media program, comprising:

means for detecting an object in a frame of media program;

means for transmitting first data comprising the frame of the media program having the detected object to display device for presentation to a user;

means for receiving second data comprising user entered metadata associated with the identified object;

means for tracking the object across proximate frames of the media program;

means for associating the entered metadata with the object in at least one of the proximate frames of the media program; and

means for storing the associated entered metadata.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the step of receiving second data comprising user entered metadata associated with the identified object comprises:

means for receiving third data comprising a user selection of the detected object from the display device; and

means for transmitting fourth data comprising an interface to the display device for user entry of the metadata associated with the detected object.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the fourth data comprises metadata associated with the identified object entered by a second user.

32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the fourth data comprises a presumptive metadata associated with the identified object and the second data comprises a confirmation of the presumptive metadata.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein:

the frame comprises a delineation of the detected object.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the delineation comprises reticules proximate the object.

35. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the first data comprises a plurality of frames including the transmitted frame, the plurality of frames together presenting moving images of the media program.

36. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the frame is a thumbnail comprising only one detected object.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the thumbnail is transmitted in response to a metadata search, and the frame is selected so as to comprise the one detected object and no additional detected objects.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the metadata search for a performer depicted in the media program.

39. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the received second data comprises user entered metadata identifying the detected object.

40. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the object is a performer depicted in the media program and the entered metadata identifies the performer.

41. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising the step of verifying the metadata before storing the metadata.

42. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the step of verifying the user entered metadata comprises:

means for comparing the user entered metadata with other user entered metadata; and

means for verifying the user entered metadata based on the comparison.