Patent ID: 6157929
Filing Date: 2000-12-05
Classification: G06F,G11B,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of managing the storage and use of digital information stored on at least one storage means for use by at least one information consumer, comprising the steps of:storing digital source information files in the at least one storage means, each source information file including at least one stream of digital source information;creating a digital source information record for each stored digital source information file, each digital source information record including: information to locate the digital source information file on said at least one storage means, an indication of the quality of each stream in the digital source information and an indication of the duration of each stream in the digital source information;creating and maintaining a multi-dimensional array of information relating to digital source information records, the array indexing each stream in each digital source information record by its quality, by a time axis against which the start and duration of each stream is synchronized and by user defined groupings of streams;receiving a request from at least one information consumer to use at least a portion of digital source information, the request being specified in terms of said user defined groupings, the desired start time and duration of the information and a desired quality;processing said request by examining said multi-dimensional array to determine if a stream of said requested digital source information with the requested quality exists;responding to the information consumer by providing information from a corresponding digital source information record to allow access to at least a portion of a stream representing said identified digital source information when said determination indicates a stream containing the desired digital source information at said requested quality is available; andwhen said determination indicates that a stream containing said information at said desired quality does not exist, determining if a stream containing the requested digital source information at an acceptable substitute quality exists and responding to the information consumer with information from the digital source record for a determined substitute stream to allow access to at least a portion of said substitute stream representing the requested information at said acceptable substitute quality and, when said determination indicates that the requested information does not exist at an acceptable substitute quality, responding to the information consumer to indicate that the requested information is not available.