Metadata Pre-processor for Improperly Formatted Media Content

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Solution Overview

Problem

Metadata received by user equipment devices is often improperly formatted, failing to meet the requirements of metadata formats or process-specific formats, which can lead to incorrect display, missing features, and inaccessible content in media guidance applications.

Innovation Solution

A metadata pre-processor is employed to receive metadata from remote sources, determine its format, and modify it to ensure compliance with either metadata formats or process-specific formats, adding or moving information as necessary to provide a standardized and complete dataset for accurate content identification and display.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If metadata is formatted to fit display requirements (shortened titles), then display quality is improved, but search functionality and content identification accuracy deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisplay qualityVSAvoidcontent identification accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the title field into multiple components: a shortened display title for visual presentation and a full original title for search and identification purposes. This segmentation allows the metadata to serve dual functions - aesthetic display requirements and accurate content identification - by storing both versions of the title within the metadata structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If metadata format is standardized to meet process-specific requirements, then process reliability is improved, but metadata provider flexibility and ease of operation deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess reliabilityVSAvoidmetadata provider flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a metadata pre-processor as an intermediary component that receives metadata from providers in various formats, validates and standardizes it according to process-specific requirements, and outputs compliant metadata. This intermediary layer shields metadata providers from the complexity of format requirements while ensuring process reliability through automated validation and transformation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Manufacturing precision

If metadata validation is performed to ensure format compliance, then data quality is improved, but processing time and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata qualityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary validation and standardization actions through the metadata pre-processor, which checks format compliance and performs necessary transformations before metadata is used by downstream processes. This preliminary action ensures data quality is established early in the workflow, preventing errors from propagating through the system and reducing the need for complex error handling later.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9516386B2System and methods for modifying improperly formatted metadata
Publication Date: 2016.12.06 ADEIA GUIDES INC
  • US9516386B2 patent drawing
  • US9516386B2 patent drawing
  • US9516386B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Systems and methods are provided for modifying metadata associated with content that is improperly formatted. In one configuration a metadata pre-processor receives metadata from a remote source, determines whether the received metadata is properly formatted, and, if it is not, modifies the metadata based on information received from a second remote source. In one configuration the modified metadata is then used to identify information associated with the content.