Patent ID: 7739317
Filing Date: 2010-06-15
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of transferring media between a source device and a receiving device comprising: assembling a prologue string of a data stream, the prologue string being the first data unit in the data stream, the prologue string indicating a format of a remaining portion of the data stream, the prologue string defining a relationship between a plurality of content files and their respective content metadata that make up the remaining portion of the data stream, the prologue string including a root item type indicator and a total number to count, wherein the root item type indicator defines a metadata stack including a plurality of hierarchal attributes, each hierarchal attribute having a respective level of hierarchy that specifies a hierarchal relation of the content metadata to each other; sending the prologue string to the receiving device; assembling a plurality of metadata strings according to the metadata stack of the prologue string, wherein the plurality of metadata strings describe at least a part of the metadata stack, wherein each metadata string of the plurality of metadata strings corresponds to a hierarchal attribute of the plurality of hierarchal attributes, and each metadata string identifies aspects of a hierarchal attribute of the plurality of hierarchal attributes assigned to the respective level of the hierarchy of the media, wherein at least one of the plurality of the metadata strings has a count indicator that designates at least the one of the plurality of the metadata strings is countable against the total number to count, to form an assembled plurality of metadata strings; sending at least the one of the assembled metadata strings to the receiving device, to form a sent metadata string; assembling a content file associated with the sent metadata string, to form an associated content file; sending the associated content file to the receiving device; repeating the sending of any remaining portion of the assembled plurality of metadata strings and remaining associated content file of the media to the receiving device, to form a plurality of sent metadata strings and sent content files that make up the remaining portion of the data stream; determining when attribute information of a corresponding hierarchal attribute at the same respective level of hierarchy of the respective content metadata is duplicated in the assembled plurality of metadata strings and identifying that attribute information as a duplicated attribute information; and deleting the duplicated attribute information from the assembled plurality of metadata strings.