Abstract:
A media object being played by a user may be marked by creating a mark object comprising the playback time when the mark was created. The time may be used to reference metadata with information about the media object at the time referenced. The metadata may be used to launch web searches corresponding to elements of the media at the time in question, for example, a back up singer at a point in a music track or the name of a resort in a movie. The searches may be performed from media player or the mark object may be transferred to a networked computer for performing the searches. The technique is equally applicable to portable media players, software or firmware media players on computers, or set top boxes.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Media players are in common use among a broad base of users. Radio and television have provided entertainment for generations of users. Portable transistor radios of the 1960s began a trend to smaller and more robust personal media players including very small players storing all digital content on both rotating and non-rotating media. Streaming media is available over both wireless and wired networks and may be displayed on cellular telephones and other portable media devices. 
     Information about the media being played is often available in the form of a ‘now playing’ identifier or a radio station genre. Often, however, a listener or viewer is interested in more information than simply what is playing. A listener may wonder what kind of instrument is playing at a given moment or the name of a back up singer. A media viewer may have similar questions related to a location or props in a particular scene. 
     SUMMARY 
     A media player may be operable to accept a user input indicating interest in a media object at a particular point in the time during playback time of the media object. The ‘earmark’ may then be used to search for available information about the media object. The media object itself may contain metadata organized by time for use in supplying data. Alternatively, the metadata may provide keywords or phrases used to populate a search for related information. In another embodiment, the metadata may contain one or more URLs for directly accessing related information. The search may be made from the media player or may be performed at a computer using information sent by the media player. When searching from a computer, the search criteria, as little as a reference to the media object with a time, or as complete as URLs, may be transferred to a computer explicitly for the purpose of searching or may be transferred during a normal synchronizing operation. 
     The media player may be a handheld device, a virtual player on a computer, a set-top box, a cellular telephone, or other device capable of supporting media objects, a user interface, and in many cases, external communication. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an illustration of hardware for a portable media device; 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart of a method of creating and using an earmark for a media document; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of media object and media object metadata relationships; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an alternate configuration of media object and media object metadata relationships; 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram of another alternate configuration of media object and media object metadata relationships; and 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram of still another alternate configuration of media object and media object metadata relationships. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Although the following text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legal scope of the description is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this disclosure. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims. 
     It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined in this patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘ —————— ’ is hereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term by limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless a claim element is defined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recital of any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim element be interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph. 
     Much of the inventive functionality and many of the inventive principles are best implemented with or in software programs or instructions and integrated circuits (ICs) such as application specific ICs. It is expected that one of ordinary skill, notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example, available time, current technology, and economic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such software instructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation. Therefore, in the interest of brevity and minimization of any risk of obscuring the principles and concepts in accordance to the present invention, further discussion of such software and ICs, if any, will be limited to the essentials with respect to the principles and concepts of the preferred embodiments. 
       FIG. 1  is an illustration of exemplary hardware that may be used for a media device  100 . The media device  100  may have a processing unit  102 , a memory  104 , a user interface  106 , a storage device  108  and a power source (not shown). The memory  104  may include volatile memory  110  (such as RAM), non-volatile memory  112  (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or some combination of the two. 
     The media device  100  may also include additional storage  108  (removable and/or non-removable) including, but not limited to, magnetic or optical disks or tape or any other memory that can be easily rewritten, may keep data for long periods of time when power is removed and may allow quick and efficient access to data. Such additional storage is illustrated in  FIG. 1  by removable storage  118  and non-removable storage  120 . Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, digital media, or other data. Memory  104 , removable storage  118 , and non-removable storage  120  are all examples of computer storage media. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology. Any such computer storage media may be part of device  100 . 
     The processing unit  102  may be any processing unit  102  capable of executing computer code to decode media data from a compressed format into a useable form fast enough such that music and video may be played continuously without skips or jumps. When in a portable media device, it may also be useful if the processor  102  is efficient in using power to increase the life of the power source. The processing unit  102  may also be used to execute code to support a user interface and external communications. 
     The user interface may include one or more displays  114  for both displaying control information and displaying viewable media. The display  114  may be a color LCD screen that fits inside the device  100 . User input(s)  116  may include either manual buttons, soft buttons, or a combination of both. Soft buttons may be used when the display  114  includes a touch screen capability. Manual buttons may include re-definable keys with programmable legends. 
     The media device  100  may also contain communications connection(s)  122  that allow the device  100  to communicate with external entities  124 , such as network endpoints or a computer used for synchronization. Communications connection(s)  122  is an example of communication media. Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. The term computer readable media as used herein includes both storage media and communication media. 
     The power source may be a battery that may be rechargeable. The power source may also be a standard battery or an input from a power converter. 
     In operation, a user may activate playback of a media object using the user interface to select and play. At any point during the playback, the user may create a mark object using the user interface, for example, a soft key available only during playback. Creating the mark object may initiate activity by the processor  102  to execute a search for references. The search may be based on a combination of the media object and the playback time associated with the creation of the mark object. As described in more detail below, the results of the initial search may be used to launch a second search for information associated with the references discovered in the initial search. In one embodiment, metadata from the media object may be used as a seed for a single search. While any number of combinations of search may be used, in one exemplary embodiment, the initial search may be performed on the media device to locate metadata associated with the media object and the particular playback time. The second search may involve communication of the metadata over the communication port  122  with the external entity  124  to either directly or indirectly perform a search, such as a web search, using the metadata as a search key. Other combinations of search and data retrieval are discussed in more detail below. 
       FIG. 2 , a flow chart of a method  200  of creating and using an earmark for a media object, is discussed and described. At block  202 , a media object may be loaded onto a media device, such as a media device  100  of  FIG. 1 , capable of playing MP3 audio, MPEG video, streaming video or the like. The media object may be music, video, audio programming or any data played back using a time-based format. Optionally, metadata corresponding to the media object may also be loaded onto the media device. The metadata may be incorporated in the media object or may be a separate file associated with the media object. 
     At block  204  the media object may be played using the user interface, or played automatically by a programmable activation trigger. During playback of the media object, at block  206 , creation of a mark object may be initiated by a user via a user interface element, such as a soft key. The mark object may be persistent, that is, permanently stored, or may be transitory, stored only in local volatile memory. The complexity of the mark object may vary substantially over different embodiments based on where and how much metadata or reference information is immediately available. In one embodiment, only a media object identifier and a time indicator may be used as the mark object. In such an embodiment, virtually all the metadata or reference information may be gathered from sources outside the media object itself, either locally or remotely. In another exemplary embodiment, when the media object contains its own metadata, creation of the mark object may include extracting metadata from the media object so that the mark object itself may include metadata corresponding to the media object. 
     The metadata may be more or less specific to a given time. That is, some metadata may be appropriate to all times of the playback, such as producer or director. Other metadata may be specific to a very narrow time range, for example, a five second scene of a car driving through a city street. 
     The metadata itself may vary substantially based on a particular embodiment. The metadata may have specific search keys used to initiate a web search. Search key metadata or direct URL metadata may provide links or search keys for any kind of data, but may be particularly useful for information that may change over time, such as actor filmography or the name of a store. Alternatively, the metadata may have pre-determined information about the time range of the media in question, such as artists, instruments, actors, locations, etc. Such information may be anticipated as likely to be requested and is also relatively stable. Metadata that is complete of itself may be directly displayable on the media device itself without use of a network.—For example, the metadata may include an actor&#39;s name, a product identifier or brand name, or a geographic location (e.g. Central Park). In such a case, that search key data may be passed to a common data search engine. In another embodiment, the metadata may include a universal resource locator (URL) and may represent a web destination of its own, for example, a specific product page in a company&#39;s on-line store. In another embodiment, the metadata may include a combination or key words and URLs. To illustrate a range of embodiments, minute 1:00-1:05 of an MP3 audio track may be associated with URL metadata that points to a record label&#39;s web site. Upon reaching the web site, a list of musicians and their instruments playing during that time period of the audio track may be listed. Additionally, the record label web site may include a “listeners who liked this also enjoyed . . . ” to help promote related items. To illustrate a more complex embodiment, at minute 22:00 of a movie, an actor in business attire may leave a subway station and walk into a hotel. Associated metadata may include the actor&#39;s name, the brand name of the suit, and a URL pointing to the hotel&#39;s web site. A combination of web search and navigation to a web destination may be incorporated into the data session based on the metadata. In another exemplary embodiment, the metadata may include a schema with all the artists who perform on a track listed by identifier along with references by artist identifier by time period in the track. An inquiry regarding a guest vocalist may be answered without referring the query to a web search. However, additional information requests, for example, a request related to the guest vocalist may be queued using the data from the locally-generated answer. 
     To accommodate scenes or thematic music elements, the metadata may be organized by time range. Using the illustration above, the scene of the actor walking into the hotel may play from minute 20:05 to minute 23:30. Any mark object falling in that time range may cause an association to the same metadata. More relationships between mark objects and metadata are discussed with respect to  FIGS. 3-6 . 
     The time in a media object may be extracted according to the digital media itself. In one embodiment, the time may be cumulative from the start, while in another embodiment the time may be associated with an MPEG frame reference. In still another embodiment, the time may come from a presentation time stamp (PTS) in streaming video. 
     At block  208 , the mark object may be stored. The mark object may be stored on the media device  100  in either volatile or non-volatile memory. The mark object may be used on the media device itself, for example, in a set-top box, game consoles, smart phones, cellular phones and the like. A nominal amount of storage and network access allow utilization both local and remote metadata searches. Alternatively, the mark object may be sent to another computer or device for further processing when the media device  100  has a relatively small amount of storage or does not have a suitable network connection. As discussed above, the mark object may include as little as a media identifier and time reference. The mark object may be supplemented with locally available metadata before being sent to another device to perform the search. 
     At block  210 , a search for related data may be performed using the mark object or metadata retrieved using the mark object. In some embodiments, the metadata may include executable code for presenting a user with search options related to the media object. For example, the metadata may include HTML statements for presenting a user with search options such as whether to search using keywords from the metadata or to select from a list of destination URLs from the metadata. User options may also include allowing the user to view locally available metadata before launching an external search. The search or web inquiry may be performed from the media device  100  or an external computer, for example, a computer used in synchronizing the media device  100 . The search may be performed while the media object is still playing, providing results while the media object plays or after the playback is complete. Delaying the display of results may be standard on a portable media player, if screen size, processing power, or battery life are an issue. At block  212 , the results may be returned and at block  214 , the results may be displayed. When the results are returned in a suitable form, they may be communicated to and stored on the media device  100 , even though the search may have been performed at a network accessible computer. The results may be added to locally available media object metadata to save time if the same query is made at a later time. The use of image analysis or scene identifiers may be used instead of or in supplement to metadata-based query support. A cursor-oriented user interface may be used to indicate a location on the screen with a cursor click on a spot on the scene. The cursor click inherently marks a playback time. An examination of the scene may use image analysis at the point of the cursor mark to use edge analysis or other pattern recognition technique to identify the shape indicated. The shape may be used as a key for a local or remote search to retrevied additional information about shape 
     Other combinations of metadata and search result sources are apparent to those of ordinary skill, including searches made on accessible devices in an ad-hoc network community. 
       FIG. 3-FIG .  6  illustrate a few of the many possible combinations of mark object capture and metadata association.  FIG. 3  depicts a media object  302  and a separate file including media object metadata  304 . The media object  302  may include playable media data  308 , such as MP3 audio or MPEG video. The media object  302  may also include a media identifier  310 . When a mark object is created, the media identifier  310  may be passed over logical link  318  and incorporated with a time reference  312 , discussed above. The information may be stored and passed over link  320  and used in selecting appropriate time-specific media object metadata from the set of media object metadata items  322   324   326 . In the illustration, the time  312  matches the second metadata  324 . Using the second metadata  324 , a search may be launched over link  328  using the search criteria extracted from the metadata, as described above. 
       FIG. 4  shows another instance of a media object  402  and playable media data  404 . In this embodiment, the metadata is organized by time range as metadata  406   408   410  and stored in the media object file  402 . Because the metadata is immediately accessible, link  412  may be used to launch a search directly using search criteria  414  extracted from the metadata  406 . The metadata may include actionable items. For example, a movie scene in a department store may have metadata that, when accessed, displays a description of the scene and a list of actions that can be taken. When the viewer flags a scene and later reviews flagged items, an item for the movie may include a notation that includes the flag for that scene. The notation may include a list of actions that can be taken, such as shopping at the department store (a link and passed parameters, for example), a travel agency for a trip to that city, sporting event tickets, etc. Other actionable items may include health and beauty advice, financial services, family counseling, etc. depending on the scene and the context. Internally stored metadata, as here, and externally stored metadata of  FIG. 3  each have advantages in terms of accessibility for one and ease of updates for the other. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates another embodiment using metadata  506   508   510  embedded directly in a media object  502  also having playable media data  504 . In this exemplary embodiment, the metadata is a series of URLs, each associated with a different time range. As opposed to  FIG. 4 , where the metadata was used to develop search criteria, here the URL is used over link  512  to immediately access a destination  514  pointed to by the URL. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates yet another embodiment of ‘earmarking’ in a media object. The media object  602  may include both playable media data  604  and a set of metadata  606   608   610  each having one or more URLs and indexed by a time or time range. The link  612  may support access of a destination URL that is not an ‘endpoint’ for data, as in  FIG. 5 , but is rather a storage location for search criteria  614 , such as keywords and URLs related to the mark object, as discussed above. The search criteria  614  may then use link  616  to access destination information  618 . While this approach requires more network ‘hops’ than other embodiments, such as shown in  FIGS. 4  or  5 , the use of an intermediary for gathering search criteria  614  allows for the latest information to be referenced and continuously supplemented. 
     The use of mark objects to create search criteria targeting time-oriented elements of a media object greatly expand the amount of information available to a consumer of media without burdening the media producer with changes to media data formats or media storage capability. However, as more data storage space becomes available through technologies such as Blu-ray, the ability to add items of interest will become more commonplace. Earmarking provides a useful way to make such additional data available to both current and future media object consumers. The techniques described above allow backward compatibility to ‘small media’ such as CDs using external metadata and forward compatibility with more dense storage media incorporating integral time-organized data. 
     Although the forgoing text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the scope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possibly embodiment of the invention because describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims defining the invention.