Method for facilitating access to multimedia content

• US 7,277,928 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Issued: 10/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Lennon, Alison J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu; Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US10/023,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/226, 707/5, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/483 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

A system is described in which a media browser (101), operating as a software application on a user terminal or preferably a server for a number of users, provides a user with a single user interface that facilitates browsing and searching different metadata collections over the Internet (102). A metadata server (212) is associated with each of the metadata collections. When the metadata server (212) receives a request from the media browser (101), the metadata server (212) interprets the request and replies with a description that satisfies the request and according to a predetermined scheme. The description contains at least one link which represents a return link which represents a return request to the metadata server (212). Specifically disclosed are methods (2000) for recording user location preferences at a service and using one or more lists of such preferences to focus searching responses to statistically desirable material. Monitoring the validity of a bookmarked location is also described.

Claims

1. A method of forming a searchable list of network locations within a computer network, said method comprising, at a server within the network, the steps of:

monitoring bookmarking activities of a plurality of subscribers to the server, wherein said bookmarking activities record network identifiers corresponding to certain ones of said network locations;

forming a list of the network identifiers bookmarked by individual ones of said subscribers;

ordering said network identifiers in said list according to a frequency of bookmarking by said subscribers;

identifying from said list a first predetermined number of highest ordered identifiers;

identifying from said list a second predetermined number of lower ordered identifiers; and

inserting the identified lower ordered identifiers amongst the highest ordered identifiers to thereby form the searchable list.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

monitoring accesses by individual ones of said subscribers to said network identifiers within said list to modify said frequency; and

re-ordering said list according to said modified frequency.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the second predetermined number of identifiers are randomly identified.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the identification of the second predetermined number of identifiers is influenced by a parameter received from at least one said plurality of subscribers.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein said parameter determines at least the second predetermined number of identifiers.

6. A method according to claim 3, wherein the second predetermined number of identifiers are randomly inserted amongst the first predetermined number of identifiers in said list.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the random insertion comprises, for each of the second predetermined number of identifiers, selecting an ordered position in the list and selecting a lower ordered one of the identifiers for insertion into the selected position.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identification of the second predetermined number of identifiers is influenced by a parameter received from at least one said plurality of subscribers.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said parameter determines at least the second predetermined number of identifiers.

10. A computer storage medium, having a computer-executable program recorded thereon, where the program is configured to make a server computer execute a procedure to form a searchable list of network locations within a computer network, said program being executable by the server computer and the procedure comprising:

monitoring bookmarking activities of a plurality of subscribers to the server computer, wherein said bookmarking activities record network identifiers corresponding to certain ones of said network locations;

forming a list of the network identifiers bookmarked by individual ones of said subscribers;

ordering said network identifiers in said list according to a frequency of bookmarking by said subscribers;

identifying from said list a first predetermined number of highest ordered identifiers;

identifying from said list a second predetermined number of lower ordered identifiers; and

inserting the identified lower ordered identifiers amongst the highest ordered identifiers to thereby form the searchable list.

11. A computer storage medium according to claim 10 having a computer-executable program to make a server computer execute a procedure, the procedure further comprising:

monitoring accesses by individual ones of said subscribers to said network identifiers within said list to modify said frequency; and

re-ordering said list according to said modified frequency.

12. A server computer for forming a searchable list of network locations within a computer network incorporating said server computer, said server computer comprising:

means for monitoring bookmarking activities of a plurality of subscribers to said server computer, wherein said bookmarking activities record network identifiers corresponding to certain ones of said network locations;

means for forming a list of the network identifiers bookmarked by individual ones of said subscribers;

means for ordering said network identifiers in said list according to a frequency of bookmarking by said subscribers;

means for identifying from said list a first predetermined number of highest ordered identifiers;

means for identifying from said list a second predetermined number of lower ordered identifiers; and

means for inserting the identified lower ordered identifiers amongst the highest ordered identifiers to thereby form the searchable list.

13. A server operating within a computer network, said server executing an application and interacting with at least one user browser application, wherein said user browser application is constructed to access network locations within said network, said server application comprising:

means for receiving, from said user browser application, bookmark information relating to at least one of said network locations recorded for subsequent access by said user browser application;

means for integrating said bookmark information received from plural ones of said user browser application to form a database of said bookmark information;

means for forming a list of selected network locations from the database;

means for ordering said selected network locations in said list according to a frequency of bookmarking by said plural ones of said user browser application;

means for identifying from said list a first predetermined number of highest ordered network locations;

means for identifying from said list a second predetermined number of lower ordered network locations; and

means for inserting the identified lower ordered network locations amongst the highest ordered network locations to thereby form a searchable list of select network locations derived from the database.

14. A server according to claim 13 wherein said server application further comprises:

search engine means for searching said searchable list.

15. A server according to claim 13 wherein said bookmark information comprises a network location within said network of a source of multimedia content.

16. A server according to claim 15 wherein said bookmark information further comprises a count of a number of accesses to each said network location.

17. A user browser application which interacts with a server operating within a computer network, said sever executing a server application and interacting with at least said user browser application, said server application comprising:

means for receiving, from said user browser application, bookmark information relating to at least one of said network locations recorded for subsequent access by said user browser application;

means for integrating said bookmark information received from plural ones of said user browser application to form a database of said bookmark information;

means for forming a list of selected network locations from the database;

means for ordering said selected network locations in said list according to a frequency of bookmarking by said plural ones of said user browser application;

means for identifying from said list a first predetermined number of highest ordered network locations;

means for identifying from said list a second predetermined number of lower ordered network locations;

means for inserting the identified lower ordered network locations amongst the highest ordered network locations to thereby form a searchable list of select network locations derived from the database; and

wherein

said user browser application is configured to access network locations within said network and said user browser application comprises means for sending to said server a bookmarking of a network location accessed by said user browser application, said network location being within the computer network incorporating said server.