Customizable connections between media and meta-data via feeds

• US 8,015,189 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2006
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Naaman, Mor
• Primary Examiner(s): LIANG, VEI CHUNG
• Application Number:
  US11/557,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20080126388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/740
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

Meta-data from any meta-data source or feed, whose selection is customizable, is associated with media objects, such as photographs or video. In specific example embodiments, the meta-data from the custom-selected feeds are used to provide selectable feed tags that can be used to tag media objects. An architecture is provided that allows any combination of feeds to be selected for creation of a custom set of selected feeds that are to be used as sources of feed tags for media objects, and this custom set of selected feeds is extensible. In specific applications, different sets of feeds and feed tags may be utilized for facilitating the annotation of media objects.

Claims

1. A method for associating meta-data from one or more customized feeds with media objects, comprising:

providing an interface for customized selection of an extensible set of one or more feeds for tagging media objects, wherein a plurality of types and remote sources of feeds are selectable via the interface;

in response to a user selecting a customized set of one or more selected feeds that is extensible by the user via the interface by entering a reference for each selected feed, obtaining and periodically updating a plurality of meta-data items by the one or more selected feeds, wherein the meta-data items are retrieved from a remote device and the meta-data items describe a characteristic of a plurality of different media objects;

in response to a user selecting a feed tagging option for a particular media object via a user interface of a computer device, filtering the obtained meta-data items based on a context of the particular media object and presenting the filtered meta-data items to the computer device for individual selection by the user for tagging a particular media object;

in response to the user selecting, via a user interface of the computer device, a selected portion of the filtered meta-data items or tagging the particular media object, tagging the particular media object with the selected portion of the filtered meta-data items and retaining an association between the selected portion of the filtered meta-data items and the tagged particular media object in a storage device; and

organizing the particular media object based on a meta-data identifier which is included in the selected portion of the filtered meta-data items.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein selecting the one or more selected feeds is further performed by an automated entity and is further based on a user identity and its use with a particular computer implemented activity.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the particular computer implemented activity is one or more recent searches performed by a user associated with the user identity.

4. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the particular computer implemented activity is one or more online scheduling services to which a user associated with the user identity subscribes.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more selected feeds include a particular feed that originates from an online repository of scheduled events for a person, a group of people, or a local geographical area, wherein the meta-data items of this particular feed are in the form of event information.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more selected feeds includes a weather website for providing weather that is local to a location and time of the particular media object, wherein the meta-data items from the weather website are in the form of weather descriptions.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the association between the selected portion of filtered meta-data items and the tagged particular media object is retained in a data structure.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the filtered meta-data items corresponds to a time or date range that encompasses a creation time or date of the particular media object.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the filtered meta-data items corresponds to a location that is proximate to a location at which the particular media object was captured.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of at least one of the filtered meta-data items is automatically performed based on a context of such particular media object.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the context is in the form of a creation time of the particular media object, a date of the particular media object, or a Bluetooth characteristic associated with the particular media object.

12. An apparatus comprising a processor, memory, and a display, the processor and memory being configured for:

providing an interface for customized selection of an extensible set of one or more feeds for tagging media objects, wherein a plurality of types and remote sources of feeds are selectable via the interface;

in response to a user selecting a customized set of one or more selected feeds that is extensible by the user via the interface by entering a reference for each selected feed, obtaining and periodically updating a plurality of meta-data items by the one or more selected feeds, wherein the meta-data items are retrieved from a remote device and the meta-data items describe a characteristic of a plurality of different media objects;

in response to a user selecting a feed tagging option for a particular media object via a user interface of a computer device, filtering the obtained meta-data items based on a context of the particular media object and presenting the filtered meta-data items to the computer device for individual selection by the user for tagging a particular media object;

in response to the user selecting, via a user interface of the computer device, a selected portion of the filtered meta-data items for tagging the particular media object, tagging the particular media object with the selected portion of the filtered meta-data items and retaining an association between the selected portion of the filtered meta-data items and the tagged particular media object in a storage device; and

organizing the particular media object based on a meta-data identifier which is included in the selected portion of the filtered meta-data items.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein selecting the one or more selected feeds is further performed by an automated entity and is further based on a user identity and its use with a particular computer implemented activity.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein the particular computer implemented activity is one or more recent searches performed by a user associated with the user identity.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein the particular computer implemented activity is one or more online scheduling services to which a user associated with the user identity subscribes.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the one or more selected feeds include a particular feed that originates from an online repository of scheduled events for a person, a group of people, or a local geographical area, wherein the meta-data items of this particular feed are in the form of event information.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the one or more selected feeds includes a weather website for providing weather that is local to a location and time of the particular media object, wherein the meta-data items from the weather website are in the form of weather descriptions.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the association between the selected portion of filtered meta-data items and the tagged particular media object is retained in a data structure.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein each of the filtered meta-data items corresponds to a time or date range that encompasses a creation time or date of the particular media object.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein each of the filtered meta-data items corresponds to a location that is proximate to a location at which the particular media object was captured.

21. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the selecting of the at least one of the filtered meta-data items is automatically performed based on a context of such particular media object.

22. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the context is in the form of a creation time of the particular media object, a date of the particular media object, or a Bluetooth characteristic associated with the particular media object.

23. At least one computer readable storage medium in the form of magnetic media, optical media, or magneto-optical media and having computer program instructions stored thereon for performing the following operations when executed by a processor:

providing an interface for customized selection of an extensible set of one or more feeds for tagging media objects, wherein a plurality of types and remote sources of feeds are selectable via the interface;

in response to a user selecting a customized set of one or more selected feeds that is extensible by the user via the interface by entering a reference for each selected feed, obtaining and periodically updating a plurality of meta-data items by the one or more selected feeds, wherein the meta-data items are retrieved from a remote device and the meta-data items describe a characteristic of a plurality of different media objects;

in response to a user selecting a feed tagging option for a particular media object via a user interface of a computer device, filtering the obtained meta-data items based on a context of the particular media object and presenting the filtered meta-data items to the computer device for individual selection by the user for tagging a particular media object;

in response to the user selecting, via a user interface of the computer device, a selected portion of the filtered meta-data items for tagging the particular media object, tagging the particular media object with the selected portion of the filtered meta-data items and retaining an association between the selected portion of the filtered meta-data items and the tagged particular media object in a storage device; and

organizing the particular media object based on a meta-data identifier which is included in the selected portion of the filtered meta-data items.

24. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 23, wherein selecting the one or more selected feeds is further performed by an automated entity and is further based on a user identity and its use with a particular computer implemented activity.

25. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the particular computer implemented activity is one or more recent searches performed by a user associated with the user identity.

26. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the particular computer implemented activity is one or more online scheduling services to which a user associated with the user identity subscribes.

27. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the one or more selected feeds include a particular feed that originates from an online repository of scheduled events for a person, a group of people, or a local geographical area, wherein the meta-data items of this particular feed are in the form of event information.

28. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the one or more selected feeds includes a weather website for providing weather that is local to a location and time of the particular media object meta-data items from the weather website are in the form of weather descriptions.

29. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 23, wherein the association between the selected portion of filtered meta-data items and the tagged particular media object is retained in a data structure.

30. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 23, wherein each of the filtered meta-data items corresponds to a time or date range that encompasses a creation time or date of the particular media object.

31. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 23, wherein each of the filtered meta-data items corresponds to a location that is proximate to a location at which the particular media object was captured.

32. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited claim 23, wherein the selecting of at least one of the filtered meta-data items is automatically performed based on a context of such particular media object.

33. At least one computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 32, wherein the context is in the form of a creation time of the particular media object, a date of the particular media object, or a Bluetooth characteristic associated with particular the media object.