Digital Media Asset Normalization for Cloud Storage Efficiency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing online storage services inefficiently use server space and data communication bandwidth, as they maintain separate copies of digital media assets for each user, leading to redundant storage and bandwidth usage.

Innovation Solution

A software and/or hardware facility that operates in a client-server environment, where digital media assets are normalized by removing metadata and blank regions, and then hashed to determine if an equivalent asset is already stored on the server. If so, only the metadata or a specific range of the asset is uploaded, reducing redundant storage and bandwidth usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If separate copies of media assets are maintained for each user, then user data isolation and security are improved, but server storage space and bandwidth consumption increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser data isolationVSAvoidserver storage space

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments media assets into two distinct components: normalized content (the actual media data) and metadata (user-specific information). This segmentation allows the system to store only one copy of each normalized media asset on the server while maintaining separate user-specific metadata, thereby reducing server storage space while preserving user data isolation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts and removes redundant portions of media assets during normalization, keeping only the essential content. User-specific metadata is extracted and stored separately in user databases, allowing the server to store minimal normalized content while maintaining complete user data isolation through the separate metadata storage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If separate copies of media assets are maintained for each user, then user data isolation is improved, but data communication bandwidth consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser data isolationVSAvoidbandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting media assets into normalized content and metadata, the system transmits only the normalized content once to the server, eliminating redundant bandwidth consumption. User-specific metadata is transmitted separately and stored in user databases, maintaining data isolation while minimizing bandwidth usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of copying entire media assets for each user, the patent creates a single normalized copy on the server and uses metadata to reference it. This eliminates the need for multiple redundant copies, significantly reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining user data isolation through metadata-based access control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Reliability

If complete media assets are uploaded for each user, then user data isolation and security are improved, but processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser data isolationVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary normalization of media assets during the upload process, converting them to a standardized format and storing only the essential normalized content on the server. This preliminary action eliminates the need for repeated processing of complete assets, reducing computational resources and processing time while maintaining user data isolation through separate metadata storage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Speed

If redundant copies of media assets are stored, then user access speed is improved, but server storage space and bandwidth usage increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser access speedVSAvoidserver storage space

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The normalized media asset stored on the server serves multiple users simultaneously, acting as a universal resource. Each user accesses this single copy through their own metadata, which provides user-specific access control and personalization. This eliminates the need for redundant copies while maintaining fast access speeds through efficient metadata-based retrieval.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12289371B1Efficiently managing the storage of digital media asset libraries on behalf of a group of users

Publication Date: 2025.04.29 TYMPANON LLC

AI summary

A facility for adding a media asset to a media library on behalf of a user is described. The facility identifies an original media asset in local storage, and extracts metadata from it. From a copy of the first original media asset, the facility removes the extracted metadata; reorders the remaining contents to conform their order to a standardized order; and updates at least one internal reference to reflect the removing and the reordering, to produce a normalized first media asset. The facility determines a hash value for the normalized media asset, and transmits it to a server. The facility receives from the server a challenge specifying a subrange of positions in the normalized media asset. The facility transmits to the server (a) the contents of the normalized first media asset in the specified subrange of positions, and (b) the metadata extracted from the first original media asset.