Abstract:
The present invention provides a novel file management approach. The systems and methods comprise a schema-based file management technique that can be integrated within an operating system to provide application developers an efficient and powerful develop utility to build applications. In addition, the system and methods provide for applications that can be employed uniformly across disparate data (e.g., audio and video data) within the operating environment. The schema can include a base schema that is related to known types of data and derived schema that extend the base schema with respect to one or more characteristics of the data. The schema can be employed to generate APIs that can be employed by users and/or applications to exchange information with a file system. In addition, the systems and methods can include configurable intelligence that can be utilized perform actions and/or make decisions, which can automate processes and/or facilitate data storage and/or management.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]     The present invention generally relates to file management, and more particularly to systems and methods that store and manage audio and video data based on rich schema sets.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Computer and electronic-related technological advances over the past several decades have lead the way to the computer-age. For example, advances in transistor technology have enabled fabrication of integrated circuit with virtually twice the number of transistors per square inch (transistor density) every year (Moore&#39;s law). Such advances have lead to tremendous gains in processing power and transfer rates (e.g., data, control and address) and reductions in component/board size, power consumption and cost. In addition, advances in Internet and wireless technology have provided users with access to essentially anywhere in the world at any time via a button press or mouse click. Computer designers continue to leverage such progress to develop higher performing, more reliable and affordable computing systems with each new generation.  
         [0003]     The foregoing and many other advances have contributed to the evolution of the computer into a cost-effective, powerful and efficient mechanism that can facilitate and expedite daily personal and business activities. For examples, today&#39;s computers are routinely utilized in communication (e.g., correspondence such as email, instant messaging, chat rooms, etc.), purchasing, selling, information gathering, analysis, and archiving (e.g., documentation). In addition, today&#39;s computers are commonly utilized to access stock quotes (e.g., in real-time), obtain weather forecasts, retrieve directions, stream video, listen to music, obtain play-by-play sports updates and play games (e.g., on-line), for example. Moreover, computer technology has been incorporated into systems such as automotive vehicles, home security, manufacturing processes, cell phones, personal assistants, and cooking apparatuses, to provide intelligent systems that automate or semi-automate control and/or monitoring.  
         [0004]     Third party vendors have leveraged such technological breakthroughs to enhance user experience through applications with increased user friendliness, flexibility, options, personalization, reliability, security and speed. Such enhancements typically are achieved through modifications and/or additions of code (e.g., executable, libraries, etc.), which commonly introduce additional files and/or increased application (e.g., aggregation of files) size. Thus, third party application development that exploits the latest technology to provide improvements commonly requires more disk space. However, concurrent advances in memory and other hardware have provided for increased disk capacity and seek time rates, which can accommodate increased application size and/or retrieval of an increased number of disparate files stored throughout memory.  
         [0005]     Application development typically includes a substantial investment of time and money to structure and create applications around an existing operating system (OS). For example, developers generally have to understand at least some aspects of the OS architecture in order to build interfaces to communicate with the OS and to exploit OS computing power. In addition, developers usually design and generate unique data stores for common storage abstractions (e.g., representations of People, Places, Times and Events). As a consequence, development via a plurality of third party vendors can result in redundant, or duplicate development efforts that a plurality of sets of data that cannot be shared or utilized outside of the corresponding application; much of the information associated with an application remains locked up in files that are only accessible to the applications, which can lead to groups of non shareable data.  
         [0006]     In addition to expending resources to understand and generate applications around an operating system, third party developers are confronted with the higher probability that a modification to the file system or operating system (e.g., revision, path, and the like) or a next generation operating system can render the application incompatible and hence non-functional. For example, a change in the technique in which memory is addressed (e.g., from 16-bit to 64-bit) can render an application virtually incompatible with the operating system. Affected third party vendors would have to invest more resources into understanding operating system nuances and intricacies and retrofitting existing applications or creating new applications, knowing that another operating system revision or generation can lead to another set of unsupported applications.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.  
         [0008]     The present invention provides systems and methods for a rich file management system that can be integrated within a platform to provide third party developers a mechanism to efficiently develop arbitrary application (e.g., audio and video) front-ends that can be employed uniformly across disparate data (e.g., audio and video) within the operating environment. Conventionally, third-party vendors are tasked with understanding various aspects of an operating environment in order to build applications that can communicate with and operate within the operating system. Such efforts can consume time and resources that can be utilized more efficiently, for example, for application front-end development. Moreover, efforts from different third party vendors competing within a similar market (e.g., music player) can result in redundant or duplicate work that cannot be shared and/or numerous disparate file formats that basically are only compatible with the associated application. The present invention can mitigate such efforts by providing third parties with APIs to build applications around the operating system. In general, the APIs provided typically are based on the various rich schemas that provide for seamless operation on disparate data types such as audio and video data. Thus, third party vendors can utilize the APIs and concentrate on building applications front ends that can enhance the user&#39;s experience, while the novel file system manages disparate date.  
         [0009]     In one aspect of the present invention, a system is provided that manages files. The system includes a component that coordinates storage and retrieval of information, such as audio and/or video files. The component can employ schema common to virtually all types of data and/or schema (e.g., derived) associated with particular data. Utilizing such schema can provide for efficient and structured storage and management of disparate data such as video, audio, documents, and the like, within a similar storage medium, wherein the data can be seamlessly identified, differentiated and accessed.  
         [0010]     In another aspect of the present invention, a data management system is depicted. The system employs various schema (e.g., video and audio) to facilitate storing and/or organizing data, querying data and/or manipulating data within a database. In addition, the system can be utilized in connection with a file management system wherein virtually any and all data can be stored based on a respective schema and/or derivations thereof. In general, when a user and/or application provides data for storage, a suitable schema can be obtained and utilized to facilitate such storage, and when a user and/or application request data, a suitable schema can be obtained to facilitate servicing the request.  
         [0011]     In another aspect of the present invention, a system is provided that systematically stores and accesses information. The system comprises an API that can be utilized by a user and/or application to interact with the system. The API is typically generated based on a schema (e.g., audio and video) associated with the data. However, it can be appreciated that a common API can be utilized with a plurality of types of data. The system further comprises intelligence that facilitates storage and retrieval of data.  
         [0012]     In yet another aspect of the present invention, methodologies are provided that employ schema in connection with storing and managing files. A first methodology includes receiving a file (e.g., audio and/or video), obtaining an associated schema (e.g., common and customized), and utilizing the schema to store the file within a database. A second methodology provides an API that is generated based on one or more schemas. A developer can build applications around the API wherein a user and/or application can transfer information via a suitable API. Examples of suitable schema include generic, audio and video related schema.  
         [0013]     In still other aspects of the present invention exemplary schemas are illustrated. The exemplary schema includes media, audio and video schema. In many instances, the audio and/or video schema can be derived from the media schema.  
         [0014]     To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspects and implementations of the invention. These are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary file management system, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary schema-based file system, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary data management system, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary system that systematically stores and accesses information, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary methodology that employs a schema in connection with managing files in a database, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary methodology that facilitates user interaction with a database, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 7  illustrates exemplary associations between schema, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.  
         [0022]      FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary environment in which the novel aspects of the invention can be employed. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]     The present invention relates to systems and methods that provide a rich file management system for storing and managing data within a database. The systems and methods can be employed in connection with an operating system to provide application developers with an interface to arbitrarily generate applications that work uniformly across disparate data such as audio and video data. The present invention can reduce the effort a vendor expends interfacing and communicating with an operating system via defining schema and providing APIs therefrom. Thus, third party vendors can concentrate on building applications front ends that can enhance the user&#39;s experience.  
         [0024]     As used in this application, the term “component” is intended to refer to a computer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a computer component. One or more components may reside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. As known, a thread can have an associated “context” which is the volatile data associated with the execution of the thread. A thread&#39;s context includes the contents of system registers and the virtual address belonging to the thread&#39;s process.  
         [0025]     The present invention is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It may be evident, however, that the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing the present invention.  
         [0026]      FIG. 1  illustrates a system  100  that manages files, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The system  100  comprises a file management component  110 , a file system  110  and a log  120 . The file management component  110  can receive, store and manage disparate files (e.g., audio, video, image, document, etc.) within the file system  120 . In addition, the file management component  110  can establish links with stored information via forming relationships. Such relationships are possible since, unlike conventional systems, disparate information can be managed as an entity rather than as independent data. By way of example, relationships can provide a mechanism to link information such as an author, a picture, a logo, etc. to audio and/or video data. The foregoing provides for information sharing and efficient querying across and within multiple types of data (e.g., disparate) without the having to know the internal structure of the data.  
         [0027]     In general, a relationship can be established with one or more contact items. For example, an author relationship can be established and utilized to capture a wide class of audio and/or video authors. For example, a respective musician(s), author(s), conductor(s), violinist(s), actor(s), director(s), etc. can be considered an author of a record, and a those listed in movie credits can be considered an author of video, wherein the different types of authors can be distinguished from one another via a role associated with the relationship. Thus, audio or video can have a relationship with a contact item with a role defined as “musician,” another relationship with a different contact item with a role define as “composer,” another relationship with a different contact item with a role define as “conductor,” etc. It is to be appreciated that a contact item can additionally include information about a person such as a phone number, an address, and a link to emails, for example.  
         [0028]     As noted above, contact items provide for efficient querying across data. For example, employing a contact item provides for a query(s) across disparate data to obtain a list of credits for a movie/record. In anther example, the query(s) can be performed across data for all works associated with a particular artist (e.g., utilize the artist&#39;s contact item and enumerate all author relationships to it). Such querying can return songs authored by the artist, songs that the artist performed on, books authored and/or about the artist, movies where the artist performed, etc. It is to be appreciated that relationships to the contact items enable such functionality and that the audio and/or video data may not include such information. This benefit can be exploited with home videos wherein the director and actor of the video can be a relatives and/or friends.  
         [0029]     The file management component  110  can additionally locate, provide and associate suggested metadata with a file, wherein the suggested metadata can include a level of confidence that indicates a degree of confidence that such metadata is actually associated with the file. For example, when an audio track is received, the file management component  110  can establish relationships with suggested metadata with various levels of confidence. For example, the file management component  110  can obtain (e.g., via a local and/or remote source) record metadata determined to be associated with the source of the track based on a confidence and provide the metadata along with the confidence. In one aspect of the present invention, an algorithm can be employed to locate and obtain the metadata for a track. A user and/or intelligence employed in connection with system  100  can select suitable metadata from the suggested data, wherein any or all suggested and/or selected metadata can be stored with the record. In another example, a user requesting or listening to a track can be notified of other media related the track. For example, the user can be notified that a special regarding an artist performing on the track is scheduled to air on television.  
         [0030]     It is noted that metadata can be associated with a lifecycle via various fields that capture states that correspond to different steps and/or stages in retrieving and/or computing metadata. For example, metadata can be associated with a field that tracks the number of times retrieval of metadata is unsuccessfully attempted. Such information can be utilized to mitigate repeated attempts to retrieve metadata. For example, a threshold number of attempts can be defined, wherein once the threshold is reached, retrieval attempts can be halted unless and/or until an override signal is received. In another example, metadata can be associated with a field that defines constraints relating to resources utilized to retrieve metadata (e.g., network connectivity) and a priority that determines how rapidly metadata can be obtained.  
         [0031]     The file management component  110  can additionally facilitate resolving associations between an audio record and its source album. In general, an audio record typically includes at least some information (e.g., name, title, author, etc.) regarding its source album. However, in many instances this information, although legitimate, can incorrect and/or vary between audio records from the same source. For example, the information can be misspelled, misinterpreted and/or altered. The file management component  110  can retrieve the actual album information (e.g., name, title, author, etc.) to resolve any conflicts and store both the original, or perceived information (from the audio record) and the actual information (from the album) with the audio record. For example, the original information can be included within the properties of the relationship associated with the album. It is noted that the original information remains with an audio track (e.g., when it is copied or moved), whereas that actual information is obtained and utilized to resolve any discrepancies.  
         [0032]     The file management component  110  can additionally associate ratings with files. In general, a rating can be associated with an authority (e.g., MPAA, RIAA, TV, user, etc.), based on the type of file (e.g., movie, audio track, etc.) and reflect various scales (e.g., parental, quality, user, etc.). Such ratings can be utilized across various kinds of files. For example, the rating can be utilized to query for a user&#39;s “favorites” or to restrict the content (e.g., audio, video, book, picture, etc.) provided to a user based on the user.  
         [0033]     The file management component  110  can additionally maintain a file history. The file history can include information regarding whether a file was edited, how a file was edited, when a file was edited, was the file emailed, who the file was emailed to, etc. Such history can be utilized in connection with an algorithm to render intelligent decision-making. For example, the history can be retrieved and employed to automatically construct a “favorites” list based on the number of time a file is accessed and to automatically execute files on a particular day and time and in a particular order. Determining that a user invested a lot of time editing a file can indicate that the file is important to the user and should not be deleted.  
         [0034]     The file management component  110  can name and store additional information regarding sub-parts of video. Such capability can be utilized, for example, to indicate a favorite part of a movie. For example, the sub-part can be named “my favorite part” and include a description such as “the part where . . . ” In another example, a part of the movie that is representative of the movie content can be identified. The sub-parts can be employed to quickly play the corresponding movie parts. For example, a request can be made to play only those parts of the movie that include a particular actor.  
         [0035]     It is to be appreciated that the foregoing is illustrative and not limitative. Those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that various other file management capabilities, including the novel aspects described below, can be performed in connection with system  100 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 2  illustrates a file system  200 , in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The file system  200  comprises a data manager  210  that can receive input that is stored within a data bank  220 . The input can be virtually any type of electronic data including, but not limited to, audio and/or video data. Examples of suitable audio data include ripped audio files from CD, audio files generated from audio recorders, audio recorded via audio hardware (e.g., sound card), analog audio from an album and/or a tape (e.g., cassette, 8-track, reel-to-reel, etc.), audio files from memory (e.g., memory stick and other portable memory), audio files downloaded (e.g., via the Internet), and the like. Examples of suitable video data include data from DVDs, video CDs (VCDs), camcorders, digital camcorder, digital camera, and the like. Other data can include images, documents, etc.  
         [0037]     The data manager  210  can obtain a schema (e.g., the media, video and audio schema described in detail below) associated with the input from a schema store  230 . For example, for audio input, the data manager  210  can retrieve a schema related to audio data from the schema store  230 . Such schema can be a common, or base schema that can represent virtually any known type of input (e.g., a document, audio and video). In another example, the retrieved schema can be a derivation of a common schema that is customized and/or enhanced based on at least one characteristic (e.g., property) associated with the input. Such a derivation can include overloads and/or extensions to the base schema. In yet another example, the schema can be tailored to the data type.  
         [0038]     The data manager  210  can utilize the rich schema to facilitate systematic storage and organization of the input within the data bank  220 . Employing common schema and/or schema derived from a base schema provides for storage of disparate data (e.g., video, audio, documents, etc.) within a similar storage medium, wherein the data manager  210  can seamlessly identify, differentiate and access respective disparate data. In addition, associations can be formed across the disparate data. Such capabilities provide for an improvement over conventional file systems, which typically do not contemplate the structure of data within files; and thus, a file commonly is only accessible to the application that generated the file.  
         [0039]     The data manger  210  can further receive input related to a request for data stored within a data bank  220 . For example, a user can execute an audio player and select an audio track(s), or file(s) to play back. The data manager  210  can utilize the schema associated with the audio track(s) to locate and provide access to selected track(s). Likewise, video and other data stored within the data bank  220  can be accessed via the data manager  210  through schema associated with such data.  
         [0040]     It is to be appreciated that the file system  200  can be employed in connection with an operating system. Such an operating system would allow third party vendors to focus application development on generating rich front-ends for multi-media applications that improve user experience rather than constructing proprietary schemas that typically cannot be shared across vendors and on interfacing applications with the operating system. Thus, the novel aspects of the invention provide for an extensible platform that can be utilized as a foundation for vendors to generate arbitrary applications that employ disparate data.  
         [0041]      FIG. 3  illustrates a system  300  that manages data, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The system  300  comprises a database  310  associated with a schema  320  that includes at least a video schema  330  and an audio schema  340 . A user and/or application can interact with the database  310  in order to store and/or organize data, query and/or manipulate (e.g., edit, move and delete) data in the database  310 , wherein the data can include disparate audio and/or video information, for example.  
         [0042]     The schema  320  typically is a base, or generic schema that can represent any media, and the video schema  330  and audio schema  340  typically are extensions of the schema  320  that can include domain-specific properties for video and audio data, respectively. It is noted that in one aspect of the invention the video schema  330  and audio schema  340  can be based on the generic schema  320  and that other schemas (not shown) can additionally be provided. Such schemas can be utilized in connection with a central file system, or file management system (e.g., in connection with an operating system), wherein virtually any and all files can be stored based on a respective schema and/or derivations thereof, including the video schema  330  and the audio schema  340 .  
         [0043]     In general, when a user and/or application conveys data to the database  310  that is to be stored in the database  310 , a suitable schema can be obtained. For example, when audio data such as a track or group of tracks is transmitted to the database  310  for storage, the schema  320  or the audio schema  340  can be retrieved and utilized to facilitate storing the audio data in a structured manner. In addition, the user and/or application can utilize the schema when manipulating such saved data. For example, if the user and/or application attempts to edit, delete, move, etc. the stored audio data, the schema  320  and/or audio schema  340  can be retrieved and utilized to facilitate such manipulation. Furthermore, the schema can be retrieved and utilized to facilitate servicing a query from the user and/or application, for example, facilitating returning a music track for playback.  
         [0044]     It is to be appreciated that suitable applications can include any known audio and/or video application such as various media players, audio players and video players, for example. In addition, more than one application can concurrently employ a schema (e.g., base schema  320 , video schema  330  and audio schema  340 ), which can provide for improved efficiency and performance. It is to be understood that the more than one application can be executed via one or more users from one or more systems.  
         [0045]      FIG. 4  illustrates a system  400  that can be utilized to systematically store and access information, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. The system  400  comprises an application program interface (API)  410  that can be utilized by a user and/or application to interact with the system  400 . In one aspect of the present invention, the system  400  can include an API generator  420  that can create various APIs based on one or more schemas. For example, the API generator  420  can create an audio API based on an audio schema created by the schema generator  430 . The schema generator  430  can create such a schema via the audio configuration  440  and/or base (e.g., a media) configuration  450 .  
         [0046]     In another example, the API generator  420  can create a video API based on a video and/or generic schema that can be based on the base configuration  450  and/or a video configuration  460 . In yet another example, the API generator  420  can create a common (e.g., media) API that can be utilized with virtually any type of data. The user and/or application can employ such APIs to transmit/receive information to/from the database  470 . For example, the user and/or application can employ a suitable API to store and/or retrieve audio and/or video data from the database  470 .  
         [0047]     It is to be understood that the more than one application can be executed via one or more users from one or more systems. Thus, essentially any user and/or application can communicate with the database  470  via the API  410 .  
         [0048]     The intelligence component  480  can be employed to facilitate storage and retrieval of data, schema generation and API generation, as well as various other utilities such as automating actions and rendering decisions. For example, the intelligence component  480  can facilitate associating a track with a title. For example, a user can store several tracks to the database  470 , wherein more than one track can originate from a similar source but include a variation of source&#39;s title. For example, a user may misspell the title name after ripping a track. The intelligence component  480  can facilitate resolving such issues. For example, in one aspect of the present invention, the intelligence component can obtain and/or infer likely variations and utilize such variations to facilitate resolving an issue. In another aspect of the present invention, the intelligence component  480  can prompt the user and/or application for further information. Moreover, the intelligence component  480  can employ statistics, probabilities, classifiers and inferences.  
         [0049]     The user and/or application can define a setting, which can determine the amount (e.g., none to full) of automation and decision-making by the intelligence component  480 . In addition, the intelligence component  480  can utilize historical information to self-define the amount of automation and decision-making. For example, the intelligence component  480  can employ a number of times the user and/or application has rejected particular action and/or decision rendered by the intelligence component  480 , wherein a number greater than a threshold value can indicate that the intelligence component  480  should not employ full automation. In another aspect of the invention, the user and/or application can provide training sets to the intelligence component  480  so that the intelligence component  480  can learn from the training sets.  
         [0050]     In general, intelligence component  480  inferences refer to the process of reasoning about or inferring states of the system, environment, and/or user from a set of observations as captured via events and/or data. In addition, inferences can be employed to identify a specific context or action, or can generate a probability distribution over states, for example. Furthermore, the inference can be probabilistic, for example, the computation of a probability distribution over states of interest based on a consideration of data and events. Inference can also refer to techniques employed for composing higher-level events from a set of events and/or data. Such inference results in the construction of new events or actions from a set of observed events and/or stored event data, whether or not the events are correlated in close temporal proximity, and whether the events and data come from one or several event and data sources. Various classification schemes and/or systems (e.g., support vector machines, neural networks, expert systems, Bayesian belief networks, fuzzy logic, data fusion engines, etc.) can be employed in connection with performing automatic and/or inferred action in connection with the subject invention.  
         [0051]      FIGS. 5 and 6  illustrate methodologies, in accordance with an aspect the present invention. While, for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodologies are shown and described as a series of acts, it is to be understood and appreciated that the present invention is not limited by the order of acts, as some acts can, in accordance with the present invention, occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts from that shown and described herein. For example, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that the methodologies could alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, not all illustrated acts may be required to implement the methodologies in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0052]      FIG. 5  illustrates a methodology  500  that employs a rich schema set in connection with a file management system, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. Proceeding to reference numeral  510 , a file is received. In one aspect of the present invention, the received file can include audio and/or video data and can be conveyed by a user, an application or a user through an application, for example.  
         [0053]     At reference numeral  520 , a schema associated with the file is retrieved. For example, a common schema that can represent virtually any known type of file can be retrieved. In another example, the schema retrieved can correspond to the format of the file. For example, the schema can be an audio-based schema utilized to facilitate storing audio files or a video-based schema utilized to facilitate storing video files. It is to be appreciated that such format-based schema can be derived from the common schema and can be utilized to customize and/or enhance the common schema based on the file format.  
         [0054]     After retrieving a suitable schema, at  530  the schema can be employed to store the file within the database. Typically, the schema provides for systematically arranging the file with respect to other information within the database. It is to be appreciated that such schema, along with other schemas, can be utilized in connection with a file system, for example, in association with an operating system, wherein virtually any and/or all files can be stored based on the schema and/or derivations thereof.  
         [0055]      FIG. 6  illustrates a methodology  600  that facilitates file management within a database, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. At reference numeral  610 , an API is generated that facilitates the interaction between a user and/or application and the database. The API can be employed to store, manipulate, retrieve and/or remove files from the database. The API utilized can be file independent or dependent. An independent API, for example, can be utilized with virtually any type of file, whereas a dependent API typically is generated based on a file format and subsequently employed when communicating a file with such format. For example, an audio file based API can be utilized to convey audio file and a video file based API can be utilized to convey video files.  
         [0056]     At  620 , the user and/or application can invoke the API. For example, when the user/application desires to store an audio file, the user/application can employ the common or audio-based API to convey the file to the database. In another example, the user/application can transmit a request to manipulate a stored file. For example, the user can request to change the file name, location, type, protection, etc. In yet another example, the user/application can request the file to be removed, or deleted from the database. In still another example, the user/application can query the database to retrieve a file.  
         [0057]     At  630 , the database can obtain an associated common and/or extended (e.g., audio-based) schema to facilitate servicing the user/application. For example, the schema can be employed to facilitate schematically storing the file within the database. In another example, the schema can be utilized to define the scope of any manipulation of the file. In yet another example, the schema can determine how and if the file can be removed. In still another example, the schema can be employed in connection with searching the database for the file. Such schema can be a generic schema that can represent any media and optionally include extensions that can include domain-specific properties, for example, video and audio data.  
         [0058]     When fulfilling the user/application&#39;s request, the API can be employed by the database to notify the user/application. For example, the database can transmit acknowledgments or an error code. In addition the database can utilize the API to return a file to the user/application. It is to be appreciated that suitable applications can include any known application (e.g., media players, audio players and video players), wherein one or more application can concurrently employ a schema. Furthermore, one or more applications can be executed via one or more users from one or more systems.  
       Schema  
       [0059]     The following sections describe exemplary media, video and audio schema that can be employed in accordance with an aspect of the present invention (e.g., in connection with the systems  100 - 400  and methods  500 - 600 ). It is to be appreciated that the media schema can be derived from a Core schema (e.g., System.Storage.Core.Document) and that the video and/or audio schema can be derived from the Media schema (e.g., System.Storage.Media.Document) and/or an Item (e.g., System.Storage.Item) schema. In addition, such schema can be employed in connection with any known kind of data, for example, documents, images, photos and the like.  
       Media Schema  
       [0060]     The media schema utilizes the following schema: System.Storage and System.Storage.Core. In addition, the media schema comprises item types, extension types, relationship types, nested types. The foregoing types are described in detail below.  
         [0000]     Item Types  
         [0061]     The following table provides an exemplary Document type. In general, this type can represent an audio document such as a tracks, an albums, etc. It typically includes one or more fields that are common to documents. It can be derived from System.Storage.Core.Document.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   ContentGroup   System.Storage.String (64)   true           False            Description   ContentGroupDescription describes the larger group of sounds/music the           content belongs to (e.g. “Piano Concerto”, or “Musical Work” for music stuff).            Duration   System.Storage.Int64   true           False                Duration is the duration of the track in milliseconds.            RecordingDate   System.Storage.DateTime   true           False                The date when the media document was recorded. If the time portion is set to           00:00 on Jan/1 UI will ignore the time portion of the value (e.g. it becomes a           date field).            ReleaseDate   System.Storage.DateTime   true           False                The date when the media document was released. If the time portion is set to           00:00 on Jan/1 UI will ignore the time portion of the value (e.g. it becomes a           date field).            Genre   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Media.MVString256 &gt;                Genre refers to the kind of music (e.g. Rock; Pop; Pop: Top10 etc.)            StyleByMetadata   MultiSet&lt;   true           False       Provider   System.Storage.Media.MVString256 &gt;                Style (Genre) from the original provider of metadata (e.g. AMG could give           “Rock”).            Mood   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Media.MVString256 &gt;                Mood is one of a limited set of possibilities like “ambient”, “energetic”, etc.            Period   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                Period refers to time period/style associated with the music (e.g. “Baroque”).            Rating   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Media.Rating &gt;                An audio record may be rated by different agencies for quality, parental           advisory, etc. This multivalued field contains all such ratings for a given           document. Examples of ratings to be included are: Parental, Quality,           UserCommunity, Provider, etc.            RelevantUrl   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Media.UrlReference &gt;                Represents Urls relevant to this document.            MetadataProvider   System.Storage.String (256)   true           False            Copyright   Copyright for metadata fields provided by the provider. (e.g. PressPlay)            MetadataProvider   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False            Name   ProviderName specifies the original provider of metadata (e.g. AMG).            OriginalPhysicalID   System.Storage.String (1024)   true           False                OriginalPhysicalID (a.k.a. TOC) is an album identifier obtained by           concatenating durations of tracks in the album.            Protected   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                Protected is true if track content is protected.            ProtectedType   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                ProtectedType specifies the kind of media protection (Microsoft DRM,           certificates or Sony DRM).            History   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Media.History &gt;                The history of this media document. Which filters did I apply to it? Whom did I           mail it to? When did I print it?            MediaClass   System.Storage.Guid   true           False            PrimaryID   MediaClassPrimaryID (e.g. audio/video/playlist) identifies class of media.            MediaClass   System.Storage.Guid   true           False            SecondaryID   MediaClassSecondaryID (e.g. smart/regular playlist) identifies class of media.            NoAutoInfo   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False            Processing   Boolean that says “don&#39;t update me automatically, ever”. Can apply to audio           and video files. (and photos).                  
 
 Extension Types 
 
         [0062]     The following table provides exemplary MetadataLifecycle type. In general, this type can represent lifecycle and other state tracking. It can be derived from System.Storage.Extension.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   Constraints   System.Storage.Int32   true   0       False                Type of resource the lifecycle is awaiting in order to make its next state           transition.            MatchState   System.Storage.Int32   true   0       False                Match state as determined after we attempt to get metadata and either           succeed or fail. This governs all further processing.            Priority   System.Storage.Int32   true   0       False                Original priority as defined by caller.            RetryCount   System.Storage.Int32   true   0       False                Number of times we&#39;ve retried lifecycle after a failure.            State   System.Storage.Int32   true   0       False                State variable indicating in which part of lifecycle this tracks currently resides.            SubState   System.Storage.Int32   true   0       False                SubState variable indicating in which part of lifecycle this tracks currently           resides.                  
 
 Relationship Types 
 
         [0063]     The following table provides exemplary ContentDistributor type. In general, this type refers to the distributor of the content (e.g., PressPlay). It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Media.Document and its target type is System.Storage.Core.Contact.  
                                                             Property               Change   Content       Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   Data   System.Storage.Media.ContentDistributorData   true           False                ContentDistributor Data.                  
 
         [0064]     The EffectiveBackCoverArt type can represent a link to a picture of the back cover of a media document. It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Media.Document and its target type is System.Storage.Core.Document.  
         [0065]     The EffectiveFrontCoverArt type can represent a link to a picture of the front cover of a media document. It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Media.Document and its target type is System.Storage.Core.Document.  
         [0066]     The MetadataProviderLogo type can represents a logo associated with an original provide of metadata (e.g., AMG). In addition to the foregoing, the tables below provide exemplary types that can be employed in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Media.Document and its target type is System.Storage.Core.Document.  
         [0000]     Nested Types  
         [0067]     The following table provides exemplary ContentDistributorData type. In general, this type can represents a link to a Contact item for Content Distributor for Media information. It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. It can be derived from System.Storage.NestedType.  
                                                                                                                 Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   DisplayName   System.Storage.String (64)   true           False                Display Name of the distributor.            SubscriptionContentID   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                Subscription Content ID for the distributor.                  
 
         [0068]     The following table provides exemplary History type. In general, this type can represent a history of a media document (e.g., when it was edited, how it was edited, who was it mailed to, was it rotated, was a filtered applied, an associated play count, etc.). It can be derived from System.Storage.NestedType.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   Date   System.Storage.DateTime   true           False                The date when this operation has been performed.            Name   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                The name of operation applied. Can be the name of filter for the “Process” type           operation, “Email” for “Share” type, “Print” for “View” type, etc.            Provider   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                The name of an application that provided this history record. Example:           “MediaPlayer”.            Type   System.Storage.String (64)   false           False                The type of operation performed on this document (enum type). values can be:           “Acquisition”, “View”, “Share”, “Process”            Value   System.Storage.String (128)   true           true                One value per operation that is used by this operation. If operation is email this           will be the email address where it was emailed. if an operation is rotate this will           the the degrees rotated by. Would be nice to replace this with name-value pairs           to represent parameters if WinFS ends up supporting this.                  
 
         [0069]     The following table provides exemplary Rating type. In general, this type can represent a rating given to a media document by authority. For example, such authority can include MPAA ratings for video (e.g., PG-13, NR, R, X and NC-17), RIAA ratings for audio (e.g., explicit lyrics), TV ratings and/or user custom rating. In addition, ratings can be delineated by parental, quality, user custom, etc. Typically, there are two types of ratings: string rating and numeric rating. In general, this type is an abstract type and can be derived from System.Storage.NestedType.  
                                                                                                                 Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   RatingProvider   System.Storage.String (64)   false           False                The name of an authority issuing the rating. Example: “Microsoft”, “User”,           “MSN Community”, “CDDB”, etc.            Type   System.Storage.String (64)   false           False                The type of rating. Could be “Parental”, “Star”, “Quality”, etc.                  
 
         [0070]     The following table provides exemplary CustomRating type. In general, this type can represent a free-form string rating given to the media document by some authority. It can be derived from the abstract type System.Storage.Media.Rating, which is described above.  
                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   Value   System.Storage.String (128)   false           False                The value of the rating. Example: “PG-13”.                  
 
         [0071]     The following table provides exemplary StarRating type. In general, this type can represent a numeric rating given to the media document by some authority. It can be derived from the abstract type System.Storage.Media.Rating, which is described above.  
                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   Value   System.Storage.Int32   false           False                The value of the rating in percents. 0 star is 0%, 1 star is 1%, 2 stars in 25%, 3           stars is 50%, 4 stars is 75%, 5 stars is 100%.                  
 
         [0072]     The following table provides exemplary URLReference type. In general, this type can represent a URL and a category indicating the type URL. It can be derived from System. Storage.NestedType.  
                                                                                                 Property               Change   Content       Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   UrlString   System.Storage.String (max)   true           False                UrlString contains the URL itself. For example: “http://www.microsoft.com”            UrlType   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Media.MVString128 &gt;                The category of the URL. The category is user-defined and can be “HomePage”,           “Promotion”, “UserWeb”, “Provider”, “Source”, etc.                  
 
         [0073]     The following table provides exemplary MVString128 type. In general, this type can represent a multi-valued string wrapper. It can be derived from System.Storage.NestedType.  
                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   Data   System.Storage.String (128)   false           False                String                  
 
         [0074]     The following table provides exemplary MVString256 type. In general, this type can represent a multi-valued string wrapper. It can be derived from System.Storage.NestedType.  
                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   Data   System.Storage.String (256)   false           False                String                  
 
       Video Schema  
       [0075]     The video schema utilizes the following schema: System.Storage; System.Storage.Media, and System.Storage.Core. In addition, the media schema comprises item types, extension types, relationship types, nested types. The foregoing types are described in detail below.  
         [0000]     Item Types  
         [0076]     The following table provides an exemplary VideoRecord type. In general, this type can represent a video recording. It can be derived from System.Storage.Media.Document.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   BitRate   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                The BitRate - bandwidth required to stream this file. BitRate for variable           Boolean rate files is the average Boolean rate.            CameraModel   System.Storage.String (64)   true           False                The model name of the camera used to take the picture.            DateTakenEnd   System.Storage.DateTime   true           False                The date when the video shooting ended.            DateTakenStart   System.Storage.DateTime   true           False                The date when the video shooting started.            FrameRate   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                The number of frames per second. This only refers to the main portion of           the video. For example FBI warning may have a different Frame Rate.            AspectRatioHorizontal   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                The aspect ratio of individual pixel. This only refers to the main portion of           the video. For example FBI warning may have a different Aspect Ratio.            AspectRatioVertical   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                The aspect ratio of individual pixel. This only refers to the main portion of           the video. For example FBI warning may have a different Aspect Ratio.            SizeX   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                The number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the picture. This only           refers to the main portion of the video. For example FBI warning may           have a different SizeX.            SizeY   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                The number of pixels in the vertical direction of the picture. This only           refers to the main portion of the video. For example FBI warning may           have a different SizeY.            Summary   System.Storage.String (4000)   true           False                A short description of the Video.            Sequence   System.Storage.Int32   true   0       False                Sequence number for DVD titles and chapters.                  
 
         [0077]     The following table provides an exemplary RecordedTV type. It can be derived from System.Storage.Video.VideoRecord.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   ChannelNumber   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                TV channel from which the program was recorded.            ClosedCaptioning   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                Is closed captioning available?            Credits   System.Storage.String(max)   true           False                Credits            EpisodeTitle   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                We should use Subtitle for this. EHome application?            Repeat   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                Is it a repeat?            Sap   System.Storaqe.Boolean   true           False                Is SAP available?            StationName   System.Storage.String (32)   true           False       StationCallSign   System.Storage.String (32)   true           False                Local TV station name e.g.: KOMO4.            NetworkAffiliation   System.Storage.String (32)   true           False                Example: NBC.            VideoQuality   System.Storage.String (32)   true           False                Video quality            AudioQuality   System.Storage.String (32)   true           False                Audio quality.            RecordingRequestId   System.Storage.Guid   true           False                ID used by Media Center to know which show it is.            EncodingToolName   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                Encoding tool name.            EncodingToolVersion   System.Storage.String (32)   true           False                Encoding tool version.            ServiceId   System.Storage.String (32)   true           False       OriginalBroadcastDateTime   System.Storage.DateTime   true           False                Time of original broadcast.            IsPremiere   System.Storaqe.Boolean   true           False                Boolean if this recording represents the premiere run of this TV show           (typically a movie).            IsFinale   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                Boolean if this recording represents the Finale of this TV show.            IsSubtitled   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                Boolean if this recording has subtitles.            IsLive   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                Boolean if this recording was live at the time of airing.            IsTapeDelay   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                Boolean if this recording was tape delayed at the time of airing.                  
 
         [0078]     The following table provides exemplary VideoClip type. In general, this type can represent a video clip. It can be derived from System.Storage.Item.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   AudioClassification   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                index for audio type (MSRA) -- UNKNOWN, SPEECH, MUSIC, SILENCE,           BACKGROUND NOISE (MSRA)            AudioEnergy   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                average energy in clip (MSRA)            DateTakenEnd   System.Storage.DateTime   true           False                Denotes date/time range that video clip covers            DateTakenStart   System.Storage.DateTime   true           False                Denotes date/time range that video clip covers            MotionType   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                index for motion type (MSRA) -- PAN (8 directions), ZOOM (in/out), STILL,           SHAKE, ROTATE (cw/ccw) (MSRA)            OverallQuality   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                single score for quality (MSRA)            AspectRatioHorizontal   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                e.g. 16:9, 4:3, 14:9, Mixed, etc.            AspectRatioVertical   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                e.g. 16:9, 4:3, 14:9, Mixed, etc.            Rating   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Media.Rating &gt;                A VideoClip may be rated by different agencies for quality, parental advisory,           etc. This multivalued field contains all such ratings for a given document.           Examples of ratings to be included are: Parental, Quality, UserCommunity,           Provider, etc.            SignalFormat   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Input Video Signal Type (interlaced motion picture, non-interlaced motion           picture, frame still picture, field still picture, mixed)            SourceEndTime   System.Storage.Int64   false           False                out, relative to source (milliseconds)            SourceStartTime   System.Storage.Int64   false           False                in, relative to source (milliseconds)            Title   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                based on source file by default            MotionIntensity   System.Storage.Double   true           False                Average motion intensity for the clip.            SubShots   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Video.VideoSubShot &gt;                Sub Shots.                  
 
 Relationship Types 
 
         [0079]     The Clips type can refer to a set of clips for a video record. It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Video.VideoRecord and its target type is System.Storage.Video.VideoClip.  
         [0000]     Nested Types  
         [0080]     The following table provides exemplary VideoSubShot type. In general, this type can represent a subshot for a video record. It can be derived from System.Storage.NestedType.  
                                                                                                                                                                               Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   SubShotStartTime   System.Storage.Int32   true           False           Units are milliseconds.       SubShotEndTime   System.Storage.Int32   true           False           Units are milliseconds.       Entropy   System.Storage.Double   true           False                Range 0.0-1.0 -- average measure of image quality.            MotionType   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Primary motion type within the SubShot, an enum with values from 0 to 14.            MotionIntensity   System.Storage.Double   true           False                Average motion intensity for the shot.            TotalMotion   System.Storage.Int32   true           False           Total Motion.       MotionCount   System.Storage.Int32   true           False           Motion Count.       MotionSummary   System.Storage.Binary (28)   true           False           Motion Summary       MotionDisplacement   System.Storage.Binary (28)   true           False           Motion Displacement       SortedIndex   System.Storage.Binary (24)   true           False           Sorted index.                  
 
       Audio Schema  
       [0081]     The audio schema utilizes the following schema: System. Storage; System.Storage.Media; System.Storage.Core, and System.Storage.Image. In addition, the media schema comprises item types, extension types, relationship types, nested types. The foregoing types are described in detail below.  
         [0000]     Item Types  
         [0082]     The following table provides an exemplary CachedAlbum type. In general, this type can represent audio, which can include several tracks. It can be derived from System.Storage.Media.Document.  
                                                                                                                                                     Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   CollectionGroupID   System.Storage.Guid   true           False                CollectionGroupID is the Windows Media Information Service box set identifier           (when a bunch of albums are sold together as a box set).            CollectionID   System.Storage.Guid   true           False                CollectionID is the Windows Media Information Service album identifier.            PartOfSet   System.Storage.String (16)   true           False                PartOfSet indicates album&#39;s relation to a box set containing it (e.g. 2 of 5).                  
 
         [0083]     The following table provides an exemplary AudioRecord type. In general, this type can represent metadata associated with an audio record. The metadata can include information such as file size, file format, type of compression utilized, and the like. This type can be derived from System.Storage.Media.Document.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   Channels   System.Storage.Decimal   true           False                Channels is the number of audio channels in the track (e.g. 5.1)            ContentID   System.Storage.Guid   true           False                ContentID is the Windows Media Information Service identifier for           the track&#39;s content.            Fingerprint   System.Storage.Binary (2048)   true           False                DSPFingerprint is a 64-term array of values that uniquely identifies           the track&#39;s audio properties.            InitialKey   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                The musical key that the song starts from. Example: A♯ Major, C♯           Minor, etc.            Lyrics   System.Storage.String (4000)   true           False                Lyrics contains the text for the audio record with syncronization           anchors that connects it to the Audio stream (when available).            MetadataProviderContentID   System.Storage.String (2048)   true           False                MetadataProviderContentID (UniqueFileIdentifier) is a unique           identifier that has been assigned to this track by the Metadata           Provider            SnippetEnd   System.Storage.Int64   true           False                SnippetStart and SnippetEnd specify start and end for preview.            SnippetStart   System.Storage.Int64   true           False                SnippetStart and SnippetEnd specify start and end for preview.                  
 
         [0084]     The following table provides exemplary Track type. In general, this type can represent an audio track that includes music data. For example, it can correspond to a track that has been ripped from a CD or stored in a file system. It can be derived from System.Storage.Audio.AudioRecord.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   AutoDJ   System.Storage.Audio.AutoDJ   true           False                DSPAutoDJ is a 20-term array of values that allows us to create           playlists of similar content.            VolumeAverageLevel   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                PeakValue/AverageLevel is the maximum/average value encountered           in the track (used for volume normalization).            BeatsPerMinuteAverage   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Beats per minute for the song.            BeatsPerMinuteAtStart   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Used for cool transitions, mixes, etc. Need to query on them so as to           best match two songs.            BeatsPerMinuteAtEnd   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Used for cool transitions, mixes, etc. Need to query on them so as to           best match two songs.            BitRate   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                The BitRate - bandwidth required to stream this file. BitRate for variable           Boolean rate files is the average Boolean rate. The scale is: “128 ×           1000” (e.g. 128000).            VolumePeakValue   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                PeakValue/AverageLevel is the maximum/average value encountered           in the track (used for volume normalization).            CodecInfo   System.Storage.String (64)   true           False                Codec name and version. Example: “WMA 3.1”.            EncodedBy   System.Storage.String (64)   true           False                Person who encoded this track.            EncodingSettings   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                A free form string that he person who encoded this uses to capture the           parameters of encoding process. See also: Encoding tool name.            EncodingTime   System.Storage.DateTime   true           False                Date and time when this track has been encoded. If the time portion is           set to 00:00 on Jan/1 UI will ignore the time portion of the value (e.g. it           becomes a date field).            EncodingToolName   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                Encoding tool name.            EncodingToolVersion   System.Storage.String (32)   true           False                Encoding tool version.                  
 
         [0085]     The following table provides an exemplary CachedTrack type. In general, this type can represent metadata for a cached audio track. In one aspect of the invention, the CachedTrack type can be employed to facilitate identification of data. For example, a user can insert a CD, wherein one or more possible tracks is automatically stored in the CachedTrack and provided to the user. The user can select a track from the list (or provide a different track) that corresponds to the CD. The other tracks can then be removed from the CachedTrack and the selection can be provided to the Audio.Track or Audio.PlatterTrack. Thus, the CachedTrack can represent a location for temporary storage of potential track information. This type can be derived from System.Storage.Audio.AudioRecord.  
                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   DownloadTime   System.Storage.DateTime   true           False                Date and time when this track has been downloaded. If the time portion is set to           00:00 on Jan/1 UI will ignore the time portion of the value (e.g. it becomes a           date field).                  
 
         [0086]     The following table provides an exemplary PlatterTrack type. In general, this type can represent metadata for an audio track. Such metadata can be maintained with the data, for example, when a track is ripped from a CD the metadata can be included with the ripped track. In addition, the metadata can be utilized to recognize data. For example, a particular CD may be requested. If the wrong CD is provided, as determine via the metadata, the user can be notified that the wrong CD has been inserted. This type can be derived from System.Storage.Audio.AudioRecord.  
                                                                                                                                                     Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   Hdcd   System.Storage.Boolean   false   false       False                Is this track HDCD-enabled?            Enabled   System.Storage.Boolean   false   true       False                Is this track enabled for playback?            Ripped   System.Storage.Boolean   false   false       False                Has this track been ripped on this machine?                  
 
         [0087]     The following table provides an exemplary PlayList type. In general, this type can represent an audio playlist. It can be derived from System.Storage.Media.Document.  
                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   DetectedBrokenLinks   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                DetectedBrokenLinks is true if a link to a track is broken.                  
 
         [0088]     The following table provides an exemplary RadioStation type. In general, this type can represent a radio station that can provide streams of radio. It can be derived from System.Storage.Item.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   StationAbstract   System.Storage.String (2048)   true           true                Station description/abstract. Thisis not user-entered, but provided by the radio           station. Example: “KCRW, a community service of Santa Monica community           college.”            Featured   System.Storage.Boolean   false           False                Is this service featured? This is Windows-specific.            Format   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                Format refers to the kind of radio station. This is close to Genre, but radio           stations track this concept separately. Also there is only one format for a radio           station (this is a single-valued field). Examples: Top 40, College, Talk, Adult           Contemporary, etc.            Genre   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Media.MVString128 &gt;                Genre refers to the kind of radio station. Examples: Rock, Blues, Jazz,           Electronic, etc.            IsLocal   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                Flag for local station.            Keywords   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Core.Keyword &gt;                Keywords for the radio station. One keyword per field. These keywords are           provided by the station itself. Example: “Alternative Music”, “NPR News”            Language   System.Storage.String (32)   true           False                The standard code of the primary language of the radio station. Example: en-           us.            MetadataProviderName   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                ProviderName specifies the original provider of metadata. Examples: Microsoft,           Real, MusicMatch, etc.            Name   System.Storage.String (128)   false           true                Radio Station Name. Example: “The Mountain”            NameSortOrder   System.Storage.String (128)   false           False                NameSortOrder is the sort order of the name of the station (e.g. “The           Mountain” will have SortOrder “Mountain”).            Rating   MultiSet&lt;System.Storage.Media.Rating &gt;   true           False                An rating of this radio station. Can be user ration, popularity rating, quality           rating, etc.            RelevantUrl   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Media.UrlReference &gt;                Represents Urls relevant to this Radio station. Station web site, archive,           contact Url, etc.            ShortName   System.Storage.String (128)   true           true                Standard call letters/country-designated unique ID or RDS shortname for           station. Example: KCRW            StationID   System.Storage.Guid   false           False                A unique ID of the radio station. Windows assigns unique ids to all radio           stations for easy handling within the OS.            StatisticalReliability   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Rating of reliability. 3 = high; 2 = medium; 1 = low; 0 = inactive. (need to define           method; subject to dead air during blackouts). This field should be enum.            Tier   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Tier field reflects level of partnership with Windows. This should be an enum           field with values 1-4.            TunerPosition   System.Storage.String (32)   true           False                Terrestrial Tuning info (country/band appropriate). May only apply to some           countries. Example: 89.9            TuningBand   System.Storage.String (16)   true           False                AM, FM, Net (others per country).            IsPremium   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                Is Premium station.            PlaybackRestricted   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                if yes, the following must also contain data: PlaybackCountry (same list of           countries as in the Regional settings control panel). PlaybackZipRange (list of           numerical or alphanumerical (or combination thereof) zip or postal codes that           are allowed for playback. We will verify client side that the users zip/postal           code falls into the respective range).            RequiresUserData   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                This field is used to pass CZAG data upstream to the station                  
 
         [0089]     The following table provides an exemplary RadioStream type. In general, this type can represent a radio stream provided by a radio station. For example, it can be embedded within the RadioStation item. It can be derived from System.Storage.Item.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   AudioQuality   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Audio Quality calculated from Boolean rate, codec. 3 = high; 2 = medium; 1 = low.           Should be a enum type with these 3 values.            BitRate   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                The BitRate - bandwidth required to stream this. BitRate for variable Boolean           rate files is the average Boolean rate.            CodecInfo   System.Storage.String (64)   true           False                Codec name and version. Example: “WMA 3.1”.            ContentType   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                The type of the content.            ContentUrl   System.Storage.String (2048)   false           False                URL to stream&#39;s asx/mms/html. Example:           http://www.kcrw.org/asx/kcrwmusic.asx            Stream ID   System.Storage.Guid   true           False                A unique ID of the stream. Windows assigns unique ids to all radio streams for           easy handling within the OS.                  
 
         [0090]     The following table provides an exemplary ListeningHabits type. In general, this type can be associated with a user with respect to a track. For example, this item can be utilized for customizing the music playing experience of a user. It can be a employed on a Per-User—Per-Media data, with ACLs on each record for the “owner”. It can be derived from System.Storage.Item.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   UserId   System.Storage.Binary (85)   false           False                The SID of the user whose listening habits are captured here.            HourlyCounters   MultiSet&lt;   True           False           System.Storage.Audio.PlayCounter &gt;                24 Hourly counters for keeping track of the number of times the track was           played by this user in a given hour of the day.            DailyCounters   MultiSet&lt;   True           False           System.Storage.Audio.PlayCounter &gt;                7 daily counters for keeping track of the number of times the track was played           by this user on a given day of the week.            TimeLastPlayed   System.Storage.DateTime   true           False                Time at which this track was last played by this user.            TotalPlays   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Total number of plays.            SkippedDuringPlayback   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Total number of times this track was skipped.            StoppedDuringPlayback   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Total number of times this track was stopped.            SeekedDuringPlayback   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Total number of times this track was seeked.            DoNotEverPlayThisTrack   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                User does not like this track.                  
 
         [0091]     The following table provides an exemplary ListeningHabitslog type. In general, this type can be associated with a user with respect to a track. It can be utilized for customizing the music playing experience of a user on a per-user, per-media data with ACLs on each record for the “owner”. It can include a plurality of instances (e.g., over many months) related to media playback. In addition, an application can process and/or clean up the data and generate a summary table that honors the natural temporal decay of media listening habits. It can be derived from System.Storage.Item.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   UserId   System.Storage.Binary (85)   false           False                The SID of the user whose listening habit logs are captured here.            MediaContentId   System.Storage.Guid   false           False                The ID of the Media Content. This comes from the track.            MediaId   System.Storage.Guid   false           False                Id of the Media refered here. Since the logs may reside for a long time and           these relationships may not be traversed regularly, the Media Id is kept here as           foreign key that can be used for query purpose.            Value   System.Storage.Int32   false           False                Specially coded integer value for keeping the data compact.            Weight   System.Storage.Int32   false           False                This is an app specific data for providing weight for this data.                  
 
 Extension Types 
 
         [0092]     The following table provides an exemplary Artistlnformation type. This type can provide for intelligent grouping. It can be derived from System.Storage.Extension.  
                                                                                                                                     Property               Change   Content       Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   ArtistGenre   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Media.MVString128 &gt;                Genre refers to the kind music type the Artist is categorized with. Examples:           Rock, Blues, Jazz, Electronic, etc.            ArtistStyle   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Media.MVString128 &gt;                Style reflects the music styles that the artist&#39;s work is associated with.            ArtistRating   MultiSet&lt;   true           False           System.Storage.Media.Rating &gt;                An artist may be rated by different agencies for quality, parental advisory, etc.           This field is computed by an application using this extension.                  
 
 Relationship Types 
 
         [0093]     The following table provides an exemplary TrackAlbum type. In general, this type can represent a link from a Track to an associated Album. For example, a track typically includes information regarding its source. When the track is received, the information included with the track can be utilized to create a perceived relationship that identifies its source. When the actual source is identified, the perceived relationship can be utilized and associated with the actual source. This type can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Audio.AudioRecord and its target type is System.Storage.Audio.CachedAlbum.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   PartOfSet   System.Storage.String (16)   true           False                PartOfSet indicates album&#39;s relation to a box set containing it (e.g. 2           of 5). This is persisted as part of the track information and can get out           of sync from a similar property on the Album            AlbumArtistName   System.Storage.String (1024)   true           true                The display name of the Album Artist as it was noted in the Track.           This may be different from the Single name of the Album Artist - it           may be misspelled, modified, etc. We must capture it since it is a           part of the original track data. The Album Item will contain a correct           Artist name for the Album.            AlbumArtistNameSortOrder   System.Storage.String (1024)   true           False                AlbumArtistNameSortOrder is the sort order for the AlbumArtistName           (e.g. “The Beatles” will have SortOrder “Beatles”).            CollectionGroupID   System.Storage.Guid   true           False                CollectionGroupID is the Windows Media Information Service box set           identifier (when a bunch of albums are sold together as a box set).            CollectionID   System.Storage.Guid   true           False                CollectionID is the Windows Media Information Service album           identifier.            IsFakeTitle   System.Storage.Boolean   true   false       False                There are cases when a document does not have a Single title and           an application provides a substitute fake title for it. Usually in this           case the file name is just copied into the Title field. This field is           needed to distinguish the Single User-defined Title from a fake title           generated by application.            Title   System.Storage.String (1024)   true           true                The title of the Album as it was noted in the Track. This may be           different from the Single Album Title - it may be misspelled, modified,           etc. We must capture it since it is a part of the original track data.           The Album Item will contain a proper canonical Title of the Album.            TitleSortOrder   System.Storage.String (1024)   true           False                TitleSortOrder is the sort order of the Album title (e.g. “The Beatles”           will have SortOrder “Beatles”).            TrackNumber   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                The track number of the track in the Album.            IsCompilation   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                Boolean saying that the album is a compilation of tracks from           “Various artists”.            AlwaysPlayWithNext   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                Boolean indicates the song should be “hooked up” to the next one           during playback in a playlist. It is the application&#39;s responsibility to           apply the playing order by interpreting this flag.            PlayGapless   System.Storage.Boolean   true           False                Boolean indicates the song should be “played without gap”. This           needs to be interpreted and applied by the application playing the           song.            ArtistId   System.Storage.Guid   true           False                Artist Id information coming from the track.                  
 
         [0094]     The following table provides an exemplary SuggestedMetadata type. In general, this type can represent a set of links to track metadata. It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Audio.AudioRecord and its target type is System.Storage.Audio.CachedTrack.  
                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   Confidence   System.Storage.Double   false   0.0       False                Confidence in this particular match, as returned by the metadata provider.                  
 
         [0095]     The following table provides an exemplary RadioStationContentDistributor type. It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Audio.RadioStation and its target type is System.Storage.Core.Contact.  
                                                             Property               Change   Content       Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   Data   System.Storage.Media.ContentDistributorData   true           False                ContentDistributor refers to the distributor of the content. Examples: Clear Channel,           MSN Music, Pressplay, Radio Free Virgin, etc.                  
 
         [0096]     The following table provides an exemplary RadioStationLocation type. In general, this type can represent a location of the programming origin. It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Audio.RadioStation and its target type is System.Storage.Core.Location.  
                                                                                                                                                     Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   City   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                The City of the location.            Country   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                The Country of the location.            Region   System.Storage.String (128)   true           False                The State/Region of the location.                  
 
         [0097]     The RadioStationLogo type can represent a link to an image that includes a graphic of the logo of the radio station. It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Audio.RadioStation and its target type is System.Storage.Core.Document.  
         [0098]     The RadioStationStreams type can represent a collection of streams that the radio station can provide. It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Audio.RadioStation and its target type is System.Storage.Audio.RadioStream.  
         [0099]     The Listeners type can provide a relationship to a listener. It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Audio.ListeningHabits and its target type is System.Storage.Core.Contact.  
         [0100]     The ListenedTrack type can provide a relationship to a listened track. It can be derived from System.Storage.Relationship. Its source type is System.Storage.Audio.ListeningHabits and its target type is System.Storage.Audio.Track.  
         [0000]     Nested Types  
         [0101]     The following table provides an exemplary AutoDJ type. In general, this type can be utilized in connection with an algorithm to create one or more playlists via analyzing tracks. It can be derived from System.Storage.NestedType.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   A01   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A02   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A03   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A04   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A05   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A06   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A07   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A08   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A09   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A10   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A11   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A12   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A13   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A14   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A15   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A16   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A17   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A18   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A19   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            A20   System.Storage.Single   true           False                Technical field storing algorithm-specific information.            PerceivedSongID   System.Storage.Guid   true           False                PerceivedSongID is the id the AutoDJ algorithm assigns to the song.           The main idea is that all remixes of the same song will have the           same PerceivedSongID.                  
 
         [0102]     The following table provides exemplary PlayCounter type. In general, this type can be utilized to keep track of the number of times a track is played (e.g., hourly, daily, etc.). It can be derived from System.Storage.NestedType.  
                                                                                                                 Change   Content       Property Name   Type   Nullable   Default   Unit   Indexed                   DayTime   System.Storage.String (32)   false           False                Indicates the day (monday, tuesday etc) or the hour (1, 2, . . . 24)           for which the counter applies.            Value   System.Storage.Int32   true           False                Total number of plays durin this time period.                  
 
         [0103]      FIG. 7  illustrates several exemplary relationships between the above-described schema. It is noted that other relationships can be formed but are not illustrated for sake of brevity. As depicted, a WINFS Item type  705  can be a base type. A Core.Document type  710 , an Audio.RadioStation type  715 , an Audio.RadioStream type  720 , and a Video.VideoClip type  725  can be derived from the WINES Item type  705 . A Media.Document type  730  can be derived from the Core.Document type  710 .  
         [0104]     An Audio.AudioRecord type  735  can be derived from the Media.Document type  730 . The Audio.AudioRecord type  735  can be utilized to derive an Audio.CachedAlbum type  740 , an Audio.Track type  745 , an Audio.PlatterTrack type  750  and an Audio.CachedTrack type  755 . In general, Audio.Track type  745  corresponds to metadata for ripped audio files, Audio.PlatterTrack type  750  corresponds to track on an audio CD, and Audio.CachedTrack type  755  corresponds to downloaded metadata. A SuggestedMetadata relationship can be established that associates the Audio.Track type  745  or Audio.PlatterTrack type  750  with metadata in the Audio.CachedTrack type  755 .  
         [0105]     In addition, a History type  760  and a Ratings type  765  can be derived from the Media.Document type  730 . Furthermore, a Video.VideoRecord type  770  can be derived from the Media.Document type  730 , wherein a Video.RecordedTV type  775  can be derived from the Video.VideoRecord type  770 .  
         [0106]     With reference to  FIG. 8 , an exemplary environment  810  for implementing various aspects of the invention includes a computer  812 . The computer  812  includes a processing unit  814 , a system memory  816 , and a system bus  818 . The system bus  818  couples system components including, but not limited to, the system memory  816  to the processing unit  814 . The processing unit  814  can be any of various available processors. Dual microprocessors and other multiprocessor architectures also can be employed as the processing unit  814 .  
         [0107]     The system bus  818  can be any of several types of bus structure(s) including the memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus or external bus, and/or a local bus using any variety of available bus architectures including, but not limited to, an 8-bit bus, Industrial Standard Architecture (ISA), Micro-Channel Architecture (MSA), Extended ISA (EISA), Intelligent Drive Electronics (IDE), VESA Local Bus (VLB), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Universal Serial Bus (USB), Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), Personal Computer Memory Card International Association bus (PCMCIA), and Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI).  
         [0108]     The system memory  816  includes volatile memory  820  and nonvolatile memory  822 . The basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines to transfer information between elements within the computer  812 , such as during start-up, is stored in nonvolatile memory  822 . By way of illustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory  822  can include read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory  820  includes random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM).  
         [0109]     Computer  812  also includes removable/nonremovable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media.  FIG. 8  illustrates, for example a disk storage  824 . Disk storage  824  includes, but is not limited to, devices like a magnetic disk drive, floppy disk drive, tape drive, Jaz drive, Zip drive, LS-100 drive, flash memory card, or memory stick. In addition, disk storage  824  can include storage media separately or in combination with other storage media including, but not limited to, an optical disk drive such as a compact disk ROM device (CD-ROM), CD recordable drive (CD-R Drive), CD rewritable drive (CD-RW Drive) or a digital versatile disk ROM drive (DVD-ROM). To facilitate connection of the disk storage devices  824  to the system bus  818 , a removable or non-removable interface is typically used such as interface  826 .  
         [0110]     It is to be appreciated that  FIG. 8  describes software that acts as an intermediary between users and the basic computer resources described in suitable operating environment  810 . Such software includes an operating system  828 . Operating system  828 , which can be stored on disk storage  824 , acts to control and allocate resources of the computer system  812 . System applications  830  take advantage of the management of resources by operating system  828  through program modules  832  and program data  834  stored either in system memory  816  or on disk storage  824 . It is to be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented with various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.  
         [0111]     A user enters commands or information into the computer  812  through input device(s)  836 . Input devices  836  include, but are not limited to, a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, stylus, touch pad, keyboard, microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, TV tuner card, digital camera, digital video camera, web camera, and the like. These and other input devices connect to the processing unit  814  through the system bus  818  via interface port(s)  838 . Interface port(s)  838  include, for example, a serial port, a parallel port, a game port, and a universal serial bus (USB). Output device(s)  840  use some of the same type of ports as input device(s)  836 . Thus, for example, a USB port may be used to provide input to computer  812 , and to output information from computer  812  to an output device  840 . Output adapter  842  is provided to illustrate that there are some output devices  840  like monitors, speakers, and printers among other output devices  840  that require special adapters. The output adapters  842  include, by way of illustration and not limitation, video and sound cards that provide a means of connection between the output device  840  and the system bus  818 . It should be noted that other devices and/or systems of devices provide input and output capabilities such as remote computer(s)  844 .  
         [0112]     Computer  812  can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer(s)  844 . The remote computer(s)  844  can be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a workstation, a microprocessor based appliance, a peer device or other common network node and the like, and typically includes many or all of the elements described relative to computer  812 . For purposes of brevity, only a memory storage device  846  is illustrated with remote computer(s)  844 . Remote computer(s)  844  is logically connected to computer  812  through a network interface  848  and then physically connected via communication connection  850 . Network interface  848  encompasses communication networks such as local-area networks (LAN) and wide-area networks (WAN). LAN technologies include Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), Copper Distributed Data Interface (CDDI), Ethernet/IEEE 802.3, Token Ring/IEEE 802.5 and the like. WAN technologies include, but are not limited to, point-to-point links, circuit switching networks like Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDN) and variations thereon, packet switching networks, and Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL).  
         [0113]     Communication connection(s)  850  refers to the hardware/software employed to connect the network interface  848  to the bus  818 . While communication connection  850  is shown for illustrative clarity inside computer  812 , it can also be external to computer  812 . The hardware/software necessary for connection to the network interface  848  includes, for exemplary purposes only, internal and external technologies such as, modems including regular telephone grade modems, cable modems and DSL modems, ISDN adapters, and Ethernet cards.  
         [0114]     What has been described above includes examples of the present invention. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the present invention, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present invention are possible. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” and variants thereof are used in the detailed description or the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.” 
         [0115]     In particular and in regard to the various functions performed by the above described components, devices, circuits, systems and the like, the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., a functional equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure, which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary aspects of the invention. In this regard, it will also be recognized that the invention includes a system as well as a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the acts and/or events of the various methods of the invention.