Patent ID: 8219556
Filing Date: 2012-07-10
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A metadata collecting device which collects and accumulates metadata from one or more metadata providing devices holding metadata of contents distributed by one or more content distribution services, comprising: an accumulation-method determiner configured to determine accumulation methods of the metadata for the content distribution service to either a preliminary accumulation method or a search-based accumulation method, respectively; an accumulation-method storage configured to store therein information on the accumulation methods determined for the content distribution services; a metadata-obtainment processing unit configured to transmit, to the metadata providing device relevant to a first content distribution service for which the preliminary accumulation method has been determined, an obtainment request of the metadata held by the metadata providing device and to obtain the metadata returned from the metadata providing device; a first metadata storage configured to store therein the metadata obtained by the metadata-obtainment processing unit in association with the first content distribution service; a search inputting unit configured to input a search object service which is the content distribution service to be searched and a search condition of the contents, respectively; a second metadata storage configured to, with respect to a second content distribution service for which the search-based accumulation method has been determined, store the search condition having been ever searched and metadata obtained corresponding to the search condition, in association with the second content distribution; a first search processing unit configured to, when the accumulation method corresponding to an inputted search object service is the preliminary accumulation method, search the metadata coincident with an inputted search condition based on the inputted search object service in the first metadata storage; a second search processing unit configured to, when the accumulation method corresponding to the inputted search object service is the search-based accumulation method, determine whether or not the inputted search object service and the inputted search condition is registered in the second metadata storage, and when registered, obtain the metadata coincident with the inputted search condition based on the inputted search object service from the second metadata storage, whereas when not registered, transmit, to the metadata providing device relevant to the inputted search object service, an obtainment request of the metadata coincident with the inputted search condition and accumulate the metadata returned from the metadata providing device in the second metadata storage in association with the inputted search condition; and a search-result displaying unit configured to display the metadata acquired by the first or the second search processing unit.