Methods and systems for processing multi-media editing projects

• US 8,010,649 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2008
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rudolph, Eric H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elchanti; Hussein A
• Application Number:
  US12/264,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/223
• 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 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

In one embodiment, a network-bound request for a multi-media file is intercepted to determine whether the file is located locally on a user computer. If the file is located on the user computer, it is retrieved. If the file is unavailable locally, the file is retrieved from a network-accessible location. In another embodiment, a file locator is configured to intercept network-bound requests for multi-media files and determine whether the files are available locally using a list that includes local file directories where files may be stored. When a user retrieves a file from a network and saves it in a directory, if the list does not include the directory, the list is updated to include the directory. If the file locator cannot find the file locally, the user is prompted to select a directory where the file is stored, and the list updated to include the directory.

Claims

1. A method of processing a multi-media editing project comprising:

receiving one or more multi-media files from a network-accessible location;

locally storing the one or more multi-media files in a local user-designated directory on a user computer for use in a multi-media editing project, wherein said user-designated directory can be designated by a user specifying a path name for said user-designated directory;

updating a list of local user-designated directories that contain or have contained multi-media files in the past in the event that the one or more multi-media files are stored in a local user-designated directory that is not contained in the list;

responsive to receiving a request for a multi-media file that is maintained in the network-accessible location;

first checking in all of the local user-designated directories on the list of local user-designated directories for the requested file; and

second checking the network-accessible location for the requested file in the event the requested file is not found locally.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising prior to second checking, asking a user to point to a local directory where the requested file might be stored and checking that local directory for the requested file.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said updating comprises doing so responsive to a user pointing to a local directory where the requested file might be stored.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-media files are read only files.

5. One or more computer-readable storage device having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

maintain a list of local user-designated directories that are or have been used to store multi-media files on a local user computer, the multi-media files being accessible from a network storage location, wherein said local user-designated directories can be designated by a user by specifying a path name for each of the local user-designated directories;

generate a request for a multi-media file that is accessible from a network storage location, the request to retrieve a multi-media file from the network accessible storage location;

intercept the request;

ascertain a requested file from the request;

determine whether the requested file is locally available by checking all of the local user-designated directories maintained on the list and retrieve the requested file from one of the local user-designated directories if the file is locally maintained;

seek the requested file from the network storage location if the file is not locally maintained;

store the requested file in a particular local user-designated directory if the requested file is retrieved from the network storage location; and

update the list by adding the particular local user-designated directory if the particular local user-designated directory in which the requested file is stored is not on the list.

6. The computer-readable storage device of claim 5, wherein the instructions cause the computer to update the list responsive to input received from a user.

7. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable storage device including instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to;

receive a path name associated with a local directory of a user computer;

store one or more multi-media file in the local directory via the path name, the one or more multi-media file received from a network-accessible location;

determine that at least one of the one or more multi-media files is stored in a first directory that is not in a list of directories;

update the list of directories to include the first directory;

receive a request for a particular multi-media file that is stored in the network-accessible location;

determine whether the particular multi-media file is stored in one of the directories in the list of directories; and

determine whether the particular multi-media file is located in the network-accessible location in response to determining that the particular multi-media file is not stored in one of the directories in the list of directories.

8. The computing system of claim 7, wherein before determining whether the particular multi-media file is located in the network-accessible location the instructions are executable by the one or more processors to:

receive a second path name associated with a second directory; and

determine whether the particular multi-media file is located in the second particular directory.

9. The computing system of claim 7, wherein the list of directories is updated to include the first directory in response to a user specifying a third path name associated with the first directory.

10. The computing system of claim 7, wherein the multi-media files include at least one read-only multi-media file.