US 9,002,849 B2Granted

Method and system for grouping multimedia files from plural vendors' servers in media store's catalog

AssigneeCellco Partnership

InventorsAgust Kr. Gudmundsson, Jayesh Supe, Sajid Ahmed, Mary P. Jelinek, Adil S. Belihomji

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Abstract

A media store server provides customers' digital information devices with a catalog of multimedia content available from servers of multiple vendors. To provide a unified catalog for the store, the multimedia contents are grouped according to descriptive texts. A descriptive text for a multimedia content item or file is obtained from a vendor's catalog, and the descriptive text is standardized to generate a token for that particular multimedia content item. The multimedia content is classified in an existing catalog group corresponding to an already existent token, if the generated token matches an existent token in the catalog of the media store server. A new group for multimedia content is generated and the particular multimedia content is assigned to the new group, if the generated token does not yet exist in the catalog of the multimedia store server.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method comprising steps of:

storing, in a multimedia store server in communication with servers of a plurality of vendors of multimedia contents, a catalog identifying multimedia contents available from the plurality of vendors,
wherein the catalog a) stores, for each of a plurality of the multimedia contents identified in the catalog, a descriptive text for the multimedia content, a token derived from the descriptive text, a link for accessing the multimedia content on a server of one of the plurality of vendors, and a grouping key number, distinct from the token, the grouping key number associating the multimedia content and other multimedia contents of the plurality having matching tokens and corresponding to diverse versions of a same music item or video item as the multimedia content and b) groups the multimedia contents having a common grouping key number in a common group;
in response to receiving a search request for multimedia content in the catalog, identifying a multimedia content in the catalog for multimedia contents including a descriptive text matching the search request;
returning a search result including the identified multimedia content and one or more other multimedia contents associated with the grouping key number of the identified multimedia content and corresponding to diverse versions of the same music item or video item as the identified multimedia content;
in response to returning the search result receiving from a user a selection of one multimedia content included in the search result;
retrieving from the catalog the link for accessing the selected multimedia content on a server of one of the piurality of vendors;
and
sending a notification to the server of the one of the plurality of vendors identified by the link to cause the server to deliver the selected multimedia content to a device of the user.

5 more elements

A server comprising:

a data communication interface for packet data communication with servers of a plurality of vendors of multimedia contents;
a catalog database for storing a catalog identifying multimedia contents available from the plurality of vendors,
wherein the catalog a) stores, for each of a plurality of the multimedia contents identified in the catalog, a descriptive text for the multimedia content, a token derived from the descriptive text, a link for accessing the multimedia content on a server of one of the plurality of vendors, and a grouping key number, distinct from the token, the grouping key number associating the multimedia content and other multimedia contents of the plurality having matching tokens and corresponding to diverse versions of a same music item or video item as the multimedia content and b) groups the multimedia contents having a common grouping key number in a common group;
and
a media store platform interface for performing functions including functions to:
in response to receiving a search request for multimedia content in the catalog, identify a multimedia content in the catalog for multimedia contents including a descriptive text matching the search request;
return a search result including the identified multimedia content and one or more other multimedia contents associated with the grouping key number of the identified multimedia content and corresponding to diverse versions of the same music item or video item as the identified multimedia content;
in response to returning the search result, receive from a user a selection of one multimedia content included in the search result;
retrieve from the catalog the link for accessing the selected multimedia content on a server of one of the plurality of vendors;
and
send a notification to the server of the one of the plurality of vendors identified by the link to cause the server to deliver the selected multimedia content to a device of the user.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/758,743Filed 4 Feb 2013 · continuation
Priority: 31 Mar 2009
Published: US 2013/0151377 A113 Jun 2013
Granted: 7 Apr 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G06Q 30/0603
Electronic shopping [e-shopping]: catalogue creation or management
G06F 16/48
Of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data: retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not…
G11B 27/105
Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers: of operating discs
G11B 27/28
By using information detectable on the record carrier: by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording