Dynamic mixed media package

Abstract

It has been discovered that a dynamic mixed media package with a mechanism for dynamic modification/update provides a media experience to users that exceeds the experience offered by individual media files. A dynamic mixed media package accommodates various types of media and allows for additional media and modifications of existing media. Additional media includes media generated by consumers, such as media derived from a seed media. A seed media is marked and assembled with supplemental media into a package. The seed media is marked to allow performance of various operations, such as identification of the seed media during the lifetime of the package and attribution when the seed media is incorporated into consumer generated derivative media.

1 . A method comprising:
 examining a media package for a reference to a media package query checkpoint, wherein the media package contains seed media, supplemental media, and information that identifies the seed media;   querying the package query checkpoint for approved media package modifications for the media package with the information that identifies the seed media; and   modifying the media package with a media package modification indicated in response to the act of querying.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the seed media is a video file, an audio file, or an image file. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the media package modification is supplemental media, references to media that corresponds to the seed media, data to enhance the seed media, replacement media, or advertisements. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the modifying comprises adding content to the media package, removing content from the media package, modifying administrative information for the media package, modifying structural information of the media package, modifying meta-data in the media package, editing content of the media package, augmenting the package, or reducing the package. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the querying comprises transmitting a request to the media packager that identifies the seed media. 
     
     
         6 . A method comprising:
 associating identifying information with a seed media;   incorporating the seed media into a dynamic mixed media package;   embedding a reference to a package query checkpoint into the dynamic mixed media package, wherein the package query checkpoint indicates one or more modifications available for the package;   supplying one or more instances of the dynamic mixed media package;   discovering one or more modifications available for the dynamic mixed media package;   approving those of the one or more modifications that satisfy a set of one or more rules associated with the seed media that govern modification of an instance of the dynamic mixed media package; and   indicating the approved modifications.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the associating identifying information comprises:
 watermarking the seed media;   generating a fingerprint for the seed media; and   indicating the fingerprint in the dynamic mixed media package.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising:
 generating a hash value for the seed media; and   indicating the hash value in the dynamic mixed media package;   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7  further comprising:
 computing attribution of a media derived from multiple individual media, one of which is the seed media.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising computing royalties based on the computed attribution. 
     
     
         11 . A method comprising:
 examining user generated content of a dynamic mixed media package to determine attribution of the content, wherein the user generated content at least includes media from different authors; and   apportioning revenues generated from the user generated content based, at least in part, on the attribution.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the user generated content also includes media originally created by one or more consumers. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the examining comprises identifying the different authors utilizing watermarking, fingerprinting, and hashing. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the revenues are generated by generating revenue from one or more advertisements associated with the user generated content, or generating revenue from fees associated with the user generated content. 
     
     
         15 . A machine-readable media having encoded therein instructions, which when executed by a processing system, causes the processing system to perform operations comprising:
 examining user generated content of a dynamic mixed media package to determine attribution of the content, wherein the user generated content at least includes media from different authors; and   apportioning revenues generated from the user generated content based, at least in part, on the attribution.   
     
     
         16 . The machine-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein the user generated content also includes media originally created by one or more consumers. 
     
     
         17 . The machine-readable media of  claim 15 , wherein the operation of examining comprises identifying the different authors by watermarking, fingerprinting, or hashing. 
     
     
         18 . A machine-readable media having encoded therein instructions for execution by a processing system, the instructions comprising:
 a first set of instructions executable to,
 ascertain a reference in a dynamic mixed media package, wherein the reference indicates a package query checkpoint and the dynamic mixed media package contains a seed media; 
 ascertain data that identifies the seed media, 
 use the reference to query the package query checkpoint with the ascertained data that identifies the seed media for an approved modification; and 
   a second set of instructions executable to modify the dynamic mixed media package in accordance with an approved modification indicated by the package query checkpoint.   
     
     
         19 . The machine-readable media of  claim 18 , wherein the first set of instructions are further executable to ascertain a timestamp of a previous query for the dynamic mixed media package, and to indicate the ascertained timestamp in the query. 
     
     
         20 . A machine-readable medium having encoded therein instructions for execution by a processing system, the instructions comprising:
 a first set of instructions executable to perform an evaluation of media against a set of rules associated with a seed media that govern modification of an instance of a dynamic mixed media package that contains the seed media and executable to approve or reject modification of the dynamic mixed media package with the media based on the evaluation; and   a second set of instructions executable to track media approved by the first set of instructions; and   a third set of instructions executable to publish an indication of media tracked by the second set of instructions.   
     
     
         21 . The machine-readable media of  claim 20  further comprising a fourth set of instructions executable to search for media derived from seed media and to submit discovered media for evaluation by the first set of instructions. 
     
     
         22 . The machine-readable media of  claim 21 , wherein the fourth set of instructions are further executable to maintain a structure that indicates results of the evaluation by the first set of instructions of media discovered by the fourth set of instructions. 
     
     
         23 . An apparatus comprising:
 a set of one or more processors;   a media player operable to present a first type of media and a second type of media in a dynamic mixed media package in accordance with a presentation directive indicated in the dynamic mixed media package; and   a package query component operable to,
 detect a query event for the dynamic mixed media package, 
 determine a reference to a package query checkpoint, data that identifies a seed media, and a previous query time in the dynamic mixed media package, and 
 query a package checkpoint for a modification to the dynamic mixed package using the determined reference, identifying data, and time. 
   
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 23 , wherein the media player is further operable to present a consumer generated media with the seed media as directed by a presentation directive for the consumer generated media. 
     
     
         25 . A network comprising:
 a first system that generates a seed media; and   a second system operable to receive the seed media from the first system, mark the seed media with data for management and identification of the seed media, bundle the seed media and supplemental media into a dynamic mixed media package, supply instances of the dynamic mixed media package, and approve or rejects candidate modifications to the dynamic mixed media package in accordance with a set of rules associated with the seed media that govern modification of the dynamic mixed media package that contains the seed media.   
     
     
         26 . The network of  claim 25 , wherein the second system also maintains modifications approved for the dynamic mixed media package for distribution to media consumer systems with instances of the dynamic mixed media package. 
     
     
         27 . The network of  claim 25  further comprising a third system operable to generate a candidate modification for the dynamic mixed media package and submit an indication of the candidate modification to the second system for evaluation.