Submission of metadata content and media content to a media distribution system

• US 7,962,634 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Cortos, Ricardo, Muller, Max
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia; Rupal D
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, ROBERT A
• Application Number:
  US11/712,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20070266047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/8, 705 50- 59
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate generally to the submission of metadata content and media content to a media distribution system. The media content can include, for example, audio, video, image, or podcast data. In accordance with one embodiment, a client submitting metadata content can validate the metadata content prior to submission of the metadata content and/or associated media content. A media distribution system receiving metadata content can also validate the metadata content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of submitting metadata content to a media content distribution system, comprising:

generating, at a client computing device associated with a content provider, a package including one or more metadata files and a plurality of data files, each of the plurality of data files including media content, and each of the metadata files including metadata content;

determining, at the client computing device, whether the package is a valid package by at least evaluating whether the metadata content conforms to a metadata specification;

submitting metadata content from the content provider to the media content distribution system if it is determined that the package is a valid package, the metadata content being descriptive of the plurality of data files;

determining, at the media content distribution system, whether the metadata content is valid prior to submitting the media content to the media content distribution system by evaluating whether the metadata content conforms to a metadata specification;

preventing the content provider from uploading media content associated with the metadata content if it is determined that the metadata content is invalid;

receiving at the client computing device a list of expected files from the media content distribution system;

determining, at the client computing device, whether the package contains each of the expected files in the list of expected files; and

submitting the package to the media content distribution system if it is determined that metadata content is valid and the package contains each of the expected files.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

validating existence of a metadata file including the metadata content.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the metadata content includes a checksum for each of the plurality of data files.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, wherein evaluating whether the metadata content conforms to a metadata specification comprises:

calculating a checksum for one of the plurality of data files; and

determining whether the calculated checksum matches the checksum in the metadata content.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining whether the metadata content is valid comprises:

checking an extension of one or more of the plurality of data files.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

moving, prior to submitting the package, the package to a directory if it is determined that the package is a valid package.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

enabling a digital media file to be encoded using at least a portion of the media content in the plurality of data files according to the metadata content.

6. An apparatus for submitting metadata content to a media content distribution system, comprising a processor and a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being configured for:

generating a package including one or more metadata files and a plurality of data files, each of the plurality of data files including media content, and each of the metadata files including metadata content;

submitting metadata content from the content provider to the media content distribution system if it is determined that the package is a valid package, the metadata content being descriptive of the plurality of data files;

determining whether the metadata content is valid prior to submitting the media content to the media content distribution system by at least evaluating whether the metadata content conforms to a metadata specification;

preventing the upload, to the media content distribution system, of media content associated with the metadata content if it is determined that the metadata content is invalid;

receiving a list of expected files from the media content distribution system;

determining whether the package contains each of the expected files in the list of expected files; and

submitting the package to the media content distribution system if it is determined that metadata content is valid and the package contains each of the expected files.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the metadata content includes a checksum for each of the plurality of data files.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one of the processor or the memory is further configured for:

calculating a checksum for one of the plurality of data files; and

determining whether the calculated checksum matches the checksum in the metadata content.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one of the processor or the memory is further configured for:

checking an extension of one or more of the plurality of data files to determine whether the metadata content is valid.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one of the processor or the memory is further configured for:

enabling a digital media file to be encoded at the media content distribution system using at least a portion of the media content in the plurality of data files according to the metadata content subsequent to the submitting.

13. A program storage device readable by a machine tangibly embodying a set of program instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for submitting metadata content to a media content distribution system, the method comprising:

generating, at a client computing device associated with a content provider, a package including one or more metadata files and a plurality of data files, each of the plurality of data files including media content, and each of the metadata files including metadata content, the metadata content being descriptive of the media content data files;

determining, at the client computing device, whether the package is a valid package by evaluating whether the metadata content conforms to a metadata specification and the metadata content accurately describes the media content;

submitting metadata content from the content provider to the media content distribution system if it is determined that the package is a valid package,

determining, at the media content distribution system, whether the metadata content is valid prior to submitting the media content to the media content distribution system by evaluating whether the metadata content conforms to a metadata specification using the-metadata content;

preventing the content provider from uploading media content associated with the metadata content if it is determined that the metadata content is invalid;

receiving at the client computing device a list of expected files from the media content distribution system;

determining, at the client computing device, whether the package contains each of the expected files in the list of expected files; and

submitting the package to the media content distribution system if it is determined that metadata content is valid and the package contains each of the expected files.

14. The program storage device of claim 13, comprising:

validating existence of a metadata file including the metadata content.

15. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein the metadata content includes a checksum for each of the plurality of data files.

16. The program storage device of claim 15, wherein evaluating whether the metadata content conforms to a metadata specification comprises:

calculating a checksum for one of the plurality of data files; and

determining whether the calculated checksum matches the checksum in the metadata content.

17. The program storage device of claim 13, wherein determining whether the metadata content is valid comprises:

checking an extension of one or more of the plurality of data files.

18. The program storage device of claim 13, further comprising:

moving, prior to submitting the package, the package to a directory if it is determined that the package is a valid package.

19. The program storage device of claim 13, further comprising enabling a digital media file to be encoded using at least a portion of the media content in the plurality of data files according to the metadata content.