Media system with canonical architecture for integrating media productions from different content providers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9300986-B2
Application number	US-201414212844-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

A system and method for integrating media productions imported from a plurality of content provider systems are described. The system and method may communicate with a plurality of content provider systems to import a set of media productions from each content provider system and may normalize each media production into a normalized media document format. The media productions may be matched to each other based on the normalized media documents. The system and method may also create and store a plurality of canonical objects based on the matches determined for the media productions. For example, if a given media production matches one or more other media productions then all of the matching media productions may be linked together by a canonical object, e.g., so that the canonical object functions as an abstract representation of all of the matching media productions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
communicating with a plurality of content provider systems to import media productions from each content provider system;
creating a respective normalized media document representing each of the media productions that are imported;
identifying a potential match between at least three media productions, wherein at least two media productions of the three media productions are identified as instances of a same content provided by different content provider systems, and wherein at least one media production of the three media productions is identified as not being an instance of the at least two media productions, but is identified as being related to the at least two media productions;
maintaining a mapping table comprising a plurality of entries, wherein each entry is configured to identify a potential match between at least two media productions and a score that represents a level of confidence in said potential match;
creating a canonical object that corresponds to the at least three media productions, wherein the canonical object identifies each of the three media productions;
maintaining a canonical object table comprising a plurality of entries, wherein each entry is configured to identify a canonical object; and
maintaining a canonical version table configured to identify multiple instances of a media production.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining a normalized media document table comprising a plurality of entries, wherein each entry is configured to identify a normalized media document created for a media production that has been imported.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein each normalized media document includes a last updated field that indicates when a corresponding media production was last updated.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein each normalized media document further includes a deleted field that indicates whether the corresponding media production has been deleted.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising flagging a potential match to identify said potential match for later review, responsive to determining said score is low.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first media production of the at least three media productions is a first instance of a given movie, television program or video from a first content provider system, and wherein a second media production of the at least three media productions is a second instance of the movie, television program or video from a second content provider system that is different from the first content provider system.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least two media productions are instances of a same movie and the at least one media production is one of a movie trailer or a movie review.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising creating an index based on the canonical object, wherein the index is useable by a client device to display a user interface in which the at least three matching media productions are displayed together.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
storing information in association with the canonical object to override one or more information fields specified in the media productions linked together by the given canonical object.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the canonical version table comprises a plurality of entries, and wherein each entry of the canonical version table is configured to identify a canonical object identified in the canonical object table.

11. A system comprising:
one or more storage devices; and
one or more computer servers, wherein the one or more computer servers are configured to execute:
a plurality of import modules, wherein each import module is executable to communicate with a particular content provider system to import a set of media productions from the content provider system onto the one or more storage devices; and
one or more mapping modules executable to:
identify a potential match between at least three media productions, wherein at least two media productions of the three media productions are identified as instances of a same content provided by different content provider systems, and wherein at least one media production of the three media productions is identified as not being an instance of the at least two media productions, but is identified as being related to the at least two media productions;
maintain a mapping table comprising a plurality of entries, wherein each entry is configured to identify a potential match between at least two media productions and a score that represents a level of confidence in said potential match;
create a canonical object that corresponds to the at least three media productions, wherein the canonical object identifies each of the three media productions;
maintain a canonical object table comprising a plurality of entries, wherein each entry is configured to identify a canonical object; and
maintain a canonical version table configured to identify multiple instances of a media production.

12. The system as recited in claim 11 , wherein the canonical version table comprises a plurality of entries, and wherein each entry of the canonical version table is configured to identify a canonical object identified in the canonical object table.

13. A non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium storing program instructions executable by one or more processors to:
communicate with a plurality of content provider systems to import a set of media productions from each content provider system;
create a respective normalized media document representing each of the media productions that are imported; and
identify a potential match between at least three media productions, wherein at least two media productions of the three media productions are identified as instances of a same content provided by different content provider systems, and wherein at least one media production of the three media productions is identified as not being an instance of the at least two media productions, but is identified as being related to the at least two media productions;
maintain a mapping table comprising a plurality of entries, wherein each entry is configured to identify a potential match between at least two media productions and a score that represents a level of confidence in said potential match;
create a canonical object that corresponds to the at least three media productions, wherein the canonical object identifies each of the three media productions;
maintain a canonical object table comprising a plurality of entries, wherein each entry is configured to identify a canonical object; and
maintain a canonical version table configured to identify multiple instances of a media production.

14. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 13 , wherein a first media production of the at least three media productions is a first instance of a given movie, television program or video from a first content provider system, and wherein a second media production of the at least three media productions is a second instance of the movie, television program or video from a second content provider system that is different from the first content provider system.

15. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the canonical version table comprises a plurality of entries, and wherein each entry of the canonical version table is configured to identify a canonical object identified in the canonical object table.

16. A method comprising:
communicating with a plurality of content provider systems to import a s

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Walker Michael H
• Cortes Ricardo D
• Agarwal Ashish
• Sharma Ashish

Classifications

• H04N21/2323

  using file mapping · CPC title

• H04N21/4332

  by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository (interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739) · CPC title

• H04N21/854

  Content authoring · CPC title

• H04N21/44016

  involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip · CPC title

• H04N21/4622 Primary

  Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet (web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859) · CPC title