Systems and methods for managing data, such as metadata. In one exemplary method, metadata from files created by several different software applications are captured, and the captured metadata is searched. The type of information in metadata for one type of file differs from the type of information in metadata for another type of file. Other methods are described and data processing systems and machine readable media are also described.

Methods And Systems For Managing Data

A system and method may be provided that allows users to store, retrieve, and manipulate on-demand media content and data stored on a remote server network in an on-demand media delivery system. More particularly, the system may allow a user to access his or her on-demand media account from user equipment in different locations as long as the current user equipment can communicate with a remote server that stores user-specific information. The system upon user selection may freeze the delivery of on-demand media at a particular point and allow the user to resume the media at a later time from some other network location in system. Users may upload personal images or files to an on-demand delivery server for later retrieval and display. Users may be permitted to assign access rights to the uploaded files.

Systems and methods for providing storage of data on servers in an on-demand media delivery system

Automatic and assisted playlist generation is accomplished by collecting data from users of a world-wide music information system. Attributes of the recordings listened to by users are extracted from data collected when the users access the music information system. The attributes are correlated with other attributes in the system to verify data accuracy. Users can specify a set of attributes of their music collection for automatic generation of a playlist. The playlist can then be further edited, even on devices with a limited display and a few buttons designed for playback of recordings, by re-mapping the functions of the buttons for playlist generation.

Playlist generation, delivery and navigation

A method of associating a content object with metadata uses a combination of a content identifier and a bounding identifier to enable handling of disparate sets of content identifiers for content objects with potentially conflicting content identifiers. The method receives a content identifier for a content object from among a set of content identifiers. It provides a unique bounding identifier for the set of content identifiers. This unique bounding identifier is used in combination with the content identifier to form a globally unique identifier for the content object. This globally unique identifier is associated with a metadata source, which enables routing of a user to the metadata source.

Content metadata directory services

A multimedia presentation system. The multi-presentation system is used to display a presentation using a presentation script and a plurality of presentation assets. The presentation script defines how the presentation assets are used to create a complete presentation. The presentation may be edited by editing the presentation script without editing the presentation assets. The separation of a presentation into a presentation script and presentation assets facilitates exchanges of presentations without necessarily exchanging all of the presentation. The multimedia presentation system may be used by a single user for replay of presentations. A plurality of multimedia presentation systems may also be coupled through a network to facilitate exchange of presentation scripts and presentation assets.

Multimedia presentation system

A method and system for utilizing metadata to search for media, such as multimedia and streaming media, includes searching for the media, receiving results, extracting metadata associated with the media, enhancing the extracted metadata, and grouping the search results in accordance with attributes of the enhanced metadata. Enhancing and grouping include adding related metadata to the database of metadata, iteratively using metadata to search for more media related data, removing duplicate URLs, collapsing URLs that are variants of each other, and masking out superfluous terms from URLs. The resultant metadata and media files are available to users and search engines.

Internet streaming media workflow architecture

A method and system for enhancing metadata associated with media, including multimedia and streaming media, include parsing the metadata into several categories of metadata. The categories of metadata are compared to corresponding categories of metadata obtained from a valid metadata database. The valid metadata database may be obtained from third party databases, referring web pages, and the multimedia/streaming media file itself. The metadata is modified if the comparison indicates that a category of metadata does not match a corresponding category of valid metadata. Modification includes replacing metadata with a corresponding valid metadata, and/or adding metadata to the original metadata.

Interpretive stream metadata extraction

A system and process for augmenting automated agents to search network based data stores generate a set of rules that describes the contents contained within structured data stores. This set of rules allows an automated agent to perform a focused search of a structured data store, thus eliminating searching for unnecessary content. The structure of the data store is defined and entities are categorized. Additionally, templates are created defining data, such as metadata fields, related to the entities. These definitions, categorizations, and templates are incorporated into the set of rules, which is utilized by the agent to search a data store on a network, such as a web site.

Method and system for rule based indexing of multiple data structures

A software and/or hardware facility is described that enables searches for transient multimedia resources that are contained in real-time multimedia streams. Because real-time data streams are not archived for subsequent access, transient resources contained in the streams are preferably quickly identified, characterized in a database, and indexed so that the facility can locate transient resources that are responsive to search queries. Stream listeners are disclosed that are configured to monitor data streams and identify transient resources within the streams based on associated metadata. Various techniques are disclosed to optimize the operation of the stream listeners. In response to a search query, search results are generated by the facility that include transient multimedia resources that are accessible via a network at the time that the search query is received.

Searching for transient streaming multimedia resources

A method and system for improving the quality of original metadata associated with media on a computer network, such as multimedia and streaming media, includes analyzing each field of the URL of the multimedia and streaming media. Each field is analyzed to identify new metadata associated with that field. Identified new metadata is added to the original metadata. In another embodiment, the fields in the URL are reorganized in reverse order and metadata associated with a prefix of fields of the reorganized URL is added to the original metadata. In yet another embodiment, the contents of the field next to the prefix of fields is used to improve the quality of the original metadata.

Austin David Dahl

Papers

Internet streaming media workflow architecture

Interpretive stream metadata extraction

Method and system for rule based indexing of multiple data structures

Searching for transient streaming multimedia resources

Metadata quality improvement