HK1172713B - Granular metadata for digital content - Google Patents

Description

Granular metadata for digital content

Technical Field

The present invention relates to communication technology, and more particularly, to a technology for presenting content.

Background

The internet accommodates an ever-increasing array of digital content that is consumed by a wide variety of users in different ways and on different platforms. In some cases, the content may be inappropriate or may otherwise motivate the consumer to control how the content is consumed. For example, a parent may wish content to appear only during daytime hours, when viewing a child, for example, while watching a television program. However, existing controls are crude in their implementation and do not allow pieces of digital content to be both partially objectionable and partially acceptable, or to allow these ratings to translate into efficient and granular control over consumption.

Tags are common mechanisms for tagging inappropriate or other content material, such as for tagging items in categories (e.g., tagging video clips such as "interesting", "work independent", etc.). However, conventional labeling mechanisms are quite limited in the sense that the label information is not very fine-grained. For example, a label identifying a movie as "frustrating" does not much say what aspect or portion of the movie has that property. Solutions that do provide higher levels of granularity are very rare, and these solutions typically involve large amounts of information that is difficult to filter and correctly use. Moreover, this information is not effectively shared among a community of users who are likely to be interested in the description provided by the tags/metadata.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, the present discussion, in one aspect, relates to a method of associating metadata with a digital content item. The method may include determining a time-specific dedicated portion of a digital content item that a user desires to associate with a metadata item, and associating the metadata item with the time-specific dedicated portion of the digital content item. During subsequent consumption of the digital content item by the user or others, the metadata item is presented synchronously along with the time-specific portion of the digital content item, where such presentation is constrained or controlled in response to user-controlled filters implemented through the social network.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.

Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates a system of exemplary computing devices executing instructions for processing items to associate time-specific metadata that is ultimately used to control or otherwise affect the presentation and consumption of digital content items.

Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary method for binding tags to time-specific portions of a content item and then using these tags to control consumption of the content item.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a method for presenting content items having metadata items selected based on user consumption constraints/controls.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a system 100 for processing a digital content item 102. The digital content item may be of any type consumed by the user, such as an audio file, a video, a movie, a still photograph, an electronic book, etc. Content items are retrieved through any feasible channel, including through social networking recommendations, direct selection, inferred interest recommendations, and the like.

The system 100 also includes a processing system that is executed by executable instructions, such as instructions 112, that are executed and instantiated by the computing device 110. Computing device 110 is shown as a discrete unit, but it should be understood that a number of different devices having a number of different logical and physical domains may be used. Thus, "module," "engine," "processor," "storage," "memory," and the like are to be understood as being discretely implementable in a distributed or other sense. In addition to distributed implementations, various functions may be accommodated by or performed by different unrelated actors. It is contemplated that these actors, although independent, will perform their functions with knowledge of the overall system functionality, and thus will specifically expect their functionality to be consistent with that provided by others.

Example computing device 110 may include various components, such as a processing subsystem 110a, a data-holding subsystem 110b, and a display subsystem 110 c. Again, this is merely an example, and the components may be distributed, distinct, spanned, aggregated, or otherwise. The processing subsystem (e.g., including processes) and the data-holding subsystem (e.g., RAM, hard disk storage) will typically execute instructions typically expected by these components, such as storing and executing instructions such as instructions 112.

The digital content item 102 may be received within the parsing engine 120 and at the parsing engine 120, the parsing engine 120 may interact with a tag database, which may be implemented differently or in a distributed arrangement or other arrangement. For example, the parsing engine 120 may interact with the tag database 122 at various locations.

Downstream of the parsing engine is a tag application engine 130, the tag application engine 130 specifically binding tags to the metadata rich version of the consumable content item. In all appearances, the metadata rich content item looks exactly the same as it did before modification and is consumable by some mechanisms that are identical in function and presentation to those used when consuming the unmodified item.

However, the metadata rich version does contain multiple parsed locations represented by the timestamp data to the extent that such time data is not already inherent and extractable from the content stream. Associated with the time-specific portion is a metadata item, the application of which is controlled by the user in response to the physical portion of the consumed content item. Thus, the time-stamped assignments may be tagged with NC-17, R, PG-13 or any other suitable scheme that registers maturity levels for consumption. Any labeling or rating scheme may be applied. Particular portions may be marked as including nude, vulgar, and the like. Other portions may be marked as playable only when the parent is in the room (e.g., as detected by the depth camera and vision software). These are just a few non-limiting examples.

Content ratings and recommendations may also be generated through social networks. For example, if a particular portion of a video clip receives many comments (such as comments about it is inappropriate), such feedback can be used to automatically tune and control the tagging application to the item. The tag may even simply direct a parent or other supervising user to view a particular portion of the content item to independently judge its acceptability.

Downstream of the tagging application, the metadata rich version is updated (140) to the content stream or storage location so that subsequent retrieval will pull the modified item.

Fig. 1 shows an additional device 150 that acts as a "tuner" in the sense that it can find and allow consumption of digital content items. As another example, processing, data-holding, and display functions are presented in which a processor executes executable instructions stored in a data-holding subsystem. Tuners may be used in device domain groups where one or more devices act as a primary device and others act as secondary devices.

The instructions 160 are for receiving 162 a metadata rich item and parsing 164 the stream to extract 166 tags. The tag engine 168 then matches the tags with the constraint/control actions to be performed. The tuner device is then controlled such that consumption occurs in accordance with the constraint/control action associated with the given tag. The end result is that consumption can be controlled according to metadata association controls/constraints, and/or metadata can be presented synchronously to align with particular identified portions of the content item. In addition to or as an alternative to controls and constraints, metadata may be provided to the user to enhance or supplement the experience of the original material, whether the metadata is specifically tagged or otherwise implemented. For example, the metadata items may include images that are presented synchronously along with the time-specific portion of the digital content. As another example, the metadata items may include audio clips that are presented synchronously with the time-specific portion of the digital content.

The control or restriction action may include skipping certain time-stamped portions of the material, playing acceptable replacement fills, providing the parent with an opportunity to explain problems that occur at certain portions (e.g., scenes from a television program), lowering the volume level, visually obscuring objectionable content, and the like. These are merely non-limiting examples and consumption may be restricted or controlled (or enhanced or supplemented) in a number of ways, all of which are contemplated by the present disclosure at least in their essence.

Further, in some implementations, multiple metadata items may be associated with multiple individual time-specific portions of a digital content item. In such implementations, the user-controlled filter may be operable to allow presentation of only metadata items from a selected user population. Additionally, in such implementations, multiple candidate metadata items may be received from an external source, and the filter may limit presentation of such multiple candidate metadata items such that only metadata items from a selected user population are presented to the user. In some cases, the selected user population may have a group identity with an established affinity to users who consume the digital content items and the filtered metadata items. Moreover, in some cases, a selected user population may be generated based on the affinity of individual users to the user.

For example, the above-described system may be implemented to allow users to share their entertainment experiences with various groups (e.g., their friends) asynchronously by binding metadata items in the form of messages or other information with specific frames of the content item they are playing. Accordingly, the user may provide filtering parameters to constrain consumption to select to view comments from their friends. Such mechanisms may allow metadata items, such as comments and annotations, to be automatically pushed to friends of the user by binding the metadata items to content items viewed by the friends. Such rich content may be distributed through a social network, for example. More specifically, a notification may be generated that indicates when a metadata item is associated with a digital content item and posted to a community associated with the user through a social network. Accordingly, the user may be notified when a piece of content is annotated by their friends or other groups. The user may throttle such notifications as desired via input to the system. On the other hand, the user may provide a filtering parameter to choose to view comments from a larger community. In some cases, a user may provide input to filter out metadata items provided by a particular person or group of persons. Further, the user may provide input to close presentation of metadata items associated with the content item.

In some implementations, the system described above can utilize a layer system that includes a social layer. Such social layers may be modular, time synchronized, event triggered, multi-formatted, and so forth. In some implementations, such layers may be presented in a designated User Interface (UI) area of the screen or on a companion device. For example, when a user decides to add an annotation to a video, they may select a UI element that issues a notification to the layer system that the user wishes to add a comment, and the system may automatically pause the experience (i.e., presentation of the content item) to allow the user to add a metadata item such as a text, video, or audio annotation. Metadata items may be stored on the social layer service and pushed down to other viewers of the video. In some implementations, metadata items created by the user may be pushed to friends of the reviewer as a default operation, and other groups (e.g., non-friends) may access the content if they explicitly enable a larger community of subscribers to view the annotations.

Accordingly, it should be clear that the present description further encompasses various methods of use and manufacture. One exemplary method of use is shown at 200 in fig. 2. First, at 202, the method includes retrieving a digital content item. At 204, the content item is examined to identify the substance of the content item or other conditions that may warrant control and restriction of content consumption. In this approach and in the device example above, checking may not be required in the case of third party ratings.

At 206, the time-specific portion of the content item identified in 204 is linked/bound with an appropriate tag, which may be present in database stores in various locations, as described above.

At 208, an engine or other suitable mechanism is used to generate a metadata rich version of the digital content item. In many cases, the metadata rich version will be distributed via a social network or other suitable transmission, distribution, update, etc. method.

At 210, a metadata rich version is received, for example, at a tuner device. The tuner device may be any type of computer including a smart phone, HDTV, laptop, navigation system, or other portable device. In practice, the tuners may operate in companion pairs and larger groups. For example, one device (e.g., a smartphone) may be used as an annotation tool that operates when content (e.g., a movie playing on an HDTV) is consumed on a companion device. Accordingly, in some implementations, metadata items in the form of text annotations may be presented on the companion consumption device synchronously with the presentation of the content item on the primary consumption device.

Also, where appropriate, portions of the tuner may be implemented in an arrangement other than a discrete computing device.

At 212, the content stream is parsed. The tags are then extracted (214), and a tag engine processes the tags and generates resulting constraints or controls (216) on the presentation and consumption of the digital content items.

In the above example methods and systems, the companion device may be used in various ways. In one example described above, the companion device may be used as an annotation tool to "mark" the content item as it is being presented. The companion device may also act as a secondary tuner to display metadata while the primary device is rendering the content item. In some implementations, the companion device can dynamically implement real-time association of the metadata item with a portion of the digital content item during presentation of the digital content item. Thus, a user may enrich a content item with metadata or by performing other constraint and/or control operations during presentation of the content item.

In some implementations, the metadata item may include corrections associated with the digital content item or other metadata items associated with the digital content item. In one example, a user may provide corrections to a content item or metadata item dynamically in real-time during presentation of the content item. Also, in some implementations, corrections may be provided by the companion device when the content item is presented on the primary device. In implementations that utilize metadata items aggregated from various populations, annotations may be used by the system to gather correction data about information provided by the system.

In addition, the annotations may also be used by a system administrator to make corrections to the data shown to the user. For example, a user may notice that a song artist is incorrectly associated with a piece of music. The system may flag the information for verification by a system administrator, or the system may allow other subscribers to vote on the accuracy of the information, and the results may determine whether to make corrections to the data.

The tagging actions associated with a particular portion of a content item may include correcting, skipping, replacing, modifying, or any other action that controls and restricts consumption, or simply displaying supplemental/enhanced content along with the original material. The addition of metadata may be accomplished by encapsulating the metadata items into modular channels that overlay/underlay the content stream and are available for concurrent presentation and consumption with the digital content items.

When utilizing a user population to generate ratings, tags, recommendations, etc., a user may control the user population on which such recommendations, ratings, tags, etc. are based. For example, only a selected parental group may be allowed to influence the rating of certain content. FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a method for presenting content items and selectively presenting particular population metadata items. At 302, playback of a content item is initiated. At 304, it is determined whether a social layer or channel associated with the digital content item matches a particular media identification. For example, the media identification may correspond to a user, and various approved groups may be linked to the user and previously set consumption control filter settings. If it is determined that the social layer corresponds to the media identification, the method moves to 306. Otherwise, the method moves to 310.

At 306, it is determined whether the social layer corresponding to the media ID is set to present metadata items from friends in synchronization with the presentation of the content item and filter out metadata items from other groups. If it is determined that the social layer is set to present metadata items from friends and filter out metadata items from other groups, the method moves to 308. Otherwise, the method moves to 312.

At 308, metadata items or annotations generated by friends of the user are loaded at respective markers or timestamps on the timeline of the digital content item.

At 310, it is determined that the social layer is set to have no groups and the digital content item is played without presenting the metadata item.

At 312, it is determined whether the social layer is set to present metadata items from some or all of the groups. If it is determined that the social layer is set to present metadata items from some or all of the groups, the method moves to 314. Otherwise, the method moves to 310.

At 314, metadata items or annotations generated by some or all of the populations are loaded at corresponding markers or timestamps on the timeline of the digital content item.

At 316, presentation of the content item enriched with the metadata item is commenced. More specifically, at 318, the social layer is synchronized with a time sync marker of the digital content item. At 320, the digital content is rendered. At 322, the social layer is triggered to synchronously present the metadata items at the time-specific portions of the digital content items. At 324, the social layer is updated with any metadata items. At 326, the rendered layer is baked (toast) with the content item to provide a synchronized presentation of the metadata item and the content item.

At 328, it is determined whether the user interacted with the social layer. For example, a user may interact with the social layer by providing metadata items, such as annotations or corrections, to the content item. As another example, the user may provide input to adjust consumption constraints/controls for the content item. If it is determined that the user is interacting with the social layer, the method moves to 330. Otherwise, the method returns to 320 and renders the content for presentation.

At 330, the social layer is rendered to include the updated interactions of the user. Once the updated social layer is rendered, the method returns to 320 and the digital content is rendered with the user's updated interactions for presentation to the user. For example, a digital content item may be rendered to include annotations generated by a user. As another example, the digital content item may be rendered to adjust the presentation based on user adjustments to consumption constraints/controls.

As indicated, some embodiments may entail binding the methods to a computing device, which may include as its primary components a processing subsystem, a data-holding subsystem, and a display subsystem. Still further, the methods and processes described herein may be implemented as a computer application, computer service, computer API, computer library, and/or other computer program product.

The processing subsystem in the present example may include one or more physical devices configured to execute one or more instructions. For example, the processing subsystem may be configured to execute one or more instructions that are part of one or more applications, services, programs, routines, libraries, objects, components, data structures, or other logical constructs. Such instructions may be implemented to perform a task, implement a data type, transform the state of one or more devices, or otherwise arrive at a desired result.

One or more processors may be used to execute the software instructions. Additionally or alternatively, one or more hardware or firmware logic machines may be configured to execute hardware or firmware instructions. The processors of the logic subsystem may be single-core or multi-core, and the programs executing thereon may be configured for parallel or distributed processing. The logic subsystem may optionally include individual components that are distributed throughout two or more devices, which may be remotely located and/or configured for coordinated processing. One or more aspects of the logic subsystem may be virtualized and executed by remotely accessible networked computing devices configured in a cloud computing configuration.

Data-holding subsystem 104 may include one or more physical, non-transitory devices configured to hold data and/or instructions executable by the logic subsystem to implement the herein described methods and processes. When such methods and processes are implemented, the state of the data-holding subsystem may be transformed (e.g., to hold different data). The data-holding subsystem may further include removable media and/or built-in devices. Further, it may include optical memory devices (e.g., CD, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray disc, etc.), semiconductor memory devices (e.g., RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.) and/or magnetic memory devices (e.g., hard disk drive, floppy disk drive, tape drive, MRAM, etc.), among others. The following features may describe the data retention component. Volatile, nonvolatile, dynamic, static, read/write, read-only, random access, sequential access, location addressable, file addressable, and content addressable.

The terms "module," "program," and "engine" may be used to describe an aspect of a computing system that is implemented to perform one or more particular functions. In some cases, such a module, program, or engine may be instantiated via a logic/processing subsystem executing instructions held by the data-holding subsystem. It should be appreciated that different modules, programs, and/or engines may be instantiated from the same application, service, code block, object, library, routine, API, function, etc. Likewise, the same module, program, and/or engine may be instantiated by different applications, services, code blocks, objects, routines, APIs, functions, etc. The terms "module," "program," and "engine" are intended to encompass a single or group of executable files, data files, libraries, drivers, scripts, database records, and the like.

It should be appreciated that a "service," as used herein, may be an application that is executable across multiple user sessions and is available to one or more system components, programs, and/or other services. In some implementations, a service may run on a server in response to a request from a client.

When included, the display subsystem may be used to present a visual representation of data held by the data-holding subsystem. Because the herein described methods and processes change the data held by the data-holding subsystem, and thus transform the state of the data-holding subsystem, the state of the display subsystem may likewise be transformed to visually represent changes in the underlying data. The display subsystem may include one or more display devices utilizing virtually any type of technology. Such display devices may be incorporated in a shared enclosure with the processing subsystem and/or the data-holding subsystem, or such display devices may be peripheral display devices.

It is to be understood that the configurations and/or approaches described herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies. As such, various acts illustrated may be performed in the sequence illustrated, in other sequences, in parallel, or in some cases omitted. Also, the order of the above-described processes may be changed.

The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various processes, systems and configurations, and other features, functions, acts, and/or properties disclosed herein, as well as any and all equivalents thereof.

Claims (10)

1. A method (200) of associating metadata with a digital content item, the method comprising:

determining (204) a time-specific portion in one digital content item with which the user desires to associate a metadata item; associating (206) the metadata item with the time-specific portion of the digital content item; and during subsequent consumption of the digital content item by the user or another person, controlling consumption of the digital content item by a consuming user at a time-specific portion of the digital content item in response to associated metadata items filtered by a user-controlled filter indicating how to present the digital content item, wherein the controlling consumption of the digital content item includes at least one of correcting, replacing, and modifying the digital content item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the association of the metadata item is accomplished dynamically in real-time during presentation of the digital content item on a host device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein associating the metadata item is accomplished by using a companion device that is different from the host device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein during the subsequent consumption, the digital content item is presented on a primary consumption device and the metadata item is presented on a secondary consumption device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata item is a text annotation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the item of metadata is a correction associated with the digital content item or a correction associated with other items of metadata associated with the digital content item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata item is an audio clip.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the item of metadata is an image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata items are encapsulated into a modular channel that overlays and is presented with the digital content items.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of metadata items are associated with a plurality of individual time-specific portions of the digital content item, and wherein the user-controlled filter is operable to allow presentation of only metadata items from a selected user population.