Device and method for metadata management

• US 7,620,467 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2004
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Ji-hyun, Eo, Kil-su, Kim, Du-il
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCCORD, PAUL C
• Application Number:
  US10/559,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20060130117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,072 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94
• US Class Current: 700/94
• 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 comprising:

a disc drive unit that picks up and outputs audio content and metadata recorded on a disc, the audio content associated with the metadata,

wherein priorities are assigned to metadata of audio contents according to a characteristic of the audio contents, the characteristic of the audio contents based on a predetermined metadata of the audio contents, and

wherein metadata of the audio content are read from the disc, and priorities for the read metadata associated with the audio content are assigned to the read metadata according to the priorities assigned to audio contents having a characteristic that is the same as a characteristic of the audio content read from the disc, and

wherein the read metadata are displayed according to the set-priorities of the metadata.

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

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 that provides the user with the metadata for the audio content being played;

a metadata determination unit that receives the metadata for the audio content from the control unit to extract the metadata and that determines the priorities for the metadata according to the priorities assigned to audio contents having the characteristic that is the same as the characteristic of the audio content; and

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

3. The device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a decoder that decodes the audio content read by the disc drive unit and that 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 that outputs the generated signal to the control unit.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the priorities for the metadata of the audio content are set according to the priorities assigned to audio contents having the characteristic that is the same as the characteristic of the audio content, a predetermined matching table is created which contains a metadata list associating priorities to the respective metadata.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metadata comprise at least one of a singer, an album title, a composer, a songwriter, a player, a conductor, and an arranger.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the priorities of the metadata of the audio content are automatically assigned to be the same as priorities of the metadata of the audio contents having the characteristic that is the same as the characteristic of the audio content.

14. The device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the read metadata are displayed according to the set priorities for the read metadata, and

wherein the read metadata comprise at least one of a singer, an album title, a composer, a songwriter, a player, a conductor, and an arranger.

5. A method of managing metadata on a media player by a media player, comprising:

assigning priorities to metadata of audio contents according to a characteristic of the audio contents, the characteristic of the audio contents based on a predetermined metadata of the audio contents;

reading metadata of a specific audio content;

extracting the read metadata of the specific audio content;

assigning the extracted metadata priorities according to priorities assigned to audio contents having the characteristic that is the same as the characteristic of the specific audio content and setting the priorities of the extracted metadata to be the same as the priorities assigned to audio contents having a characteristic that is the same as a characteristic of the specific audio content; and

displaying, by a playback device, the metadata for the specific audio content according to the assigned priorities.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the characteristic of the audio contents is a genre of the audio contents, and

wherein the priorities of the attributes of the metadata are assigned based on the genre of the audio contents.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein assigning the priorities for the extracted metadata according to the priorities assigned to audio contents having the characteristic that is the same as the characteristic of the specific audio content comprises creating a predetermined matching table that contains a metadata list associating priorities to the respective metadata, and

wherein the setting the priorities for the extracted metadata comprises setting the priority of the extracted metadata based on the created matching table.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the displaying the metadata for the specific audio content comprises displaying the metadata according to the set priorities.

9. A method of managing metadata on a media player by a media player, comprising:

selecting metadata of an audio content to be displayed, the metadata of the audio content selected based on a characteristic of the audio content, the characteristic based on a predetermined metadata of the audio content;

reading the selected metadata; and

displaying, by a playback device, the read metadata according to priorities of the read metadata,

wherein the priorities of the metadata of the audio content are assigned to the read metadata based on priorities assigned to audio contents having a characteristic that is the same as a characteristics of the audio content.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the metadata are displayed when the audio content is selected.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the reading the metadata comprises:

reading metadata of the audio content; and

classifying the metadata of the audio content to be displayed according to the priorities of the read metadata.