Broadcast network platform system
A multimedia search system that provides search results which may be in the form of multiple data types, including text, icon, audio, video, and/or multimedia. The system also provides the ability to preview data video associated with a potentially linkable Web site listed in the search results screen, without linking directly to the Web site, by previewing a video file from that linkable Web site on the search results screen. The searcher then has the option of linking to that Web site based on information delivered by the previewed video file. The user also has the ability to search using the numerical system in which a numerical index is used to access data which is hierarchically categorized and sub categorized in a station/channel/program structured environment. The user can directly access stations, channels, or programs using predefined numerical index numbers.
1. A broadcast network search system, comprising:
a plurality of data sources, the data sources further comprising a plurality of data types including text, image, audio, video, multimedia, and/or icon data types representing at least one broadcast allocation node or sub-node in the broadcast network;
means to provide a virtual representation of a hierarchical network having entities and sub-entities;
a numerical indexing system for nodes and sub-nodes;
means to group the entities and sub-entities into the numerical indexing system; and
a multilevel numerical index having pre-assigned numerical index numbers related to specific broadcast allocation nodes and sub-nodes of data within a broadcast network;
a search engine with means to search the database based on the pre-assigned numerical index numbers;
means to search numerically assigned broadcast allocation nodes or sub-nodes;
means to input selected numerical index numbers to the search engine; and
display means to display the results of the search such that the search results include videos related to the numerical index numbers containing information describing the content of a URL;
whereby the search engine that can search a database using pre-assigned numbers related to specific nodes and sub-nodes of data within at least one broadcast network, and display videos containing information describing the content of an associated URL.
2. A system, as in claim 1 , further comprising:
metadata, each metadata item further associated with a particular data type, and further containing information related to the plurality of data sources including text, audio, video, multimedia or pre-assigned numerical index numbers;
means to optionally define a category or a sub-category which the broadcast allocation nodes and sub-nodes should be associated with; and
displaying the results of a search using text, audio, video, multimedia or preassigned numerical index numbers;
whereby a search can be conducted in the database consisting of at least one broadcast network containing at least one broadcast allocation node or sub-node.
3. A system, as in claim 2 , further comprising:
means for a client to gather information from the metadata associated to one or more broadcast allocation nodes or sub-nodes; and
means for the client to update information in the metadata under control of a client;
whereby the client determines the contents of the metadata.
4. A system, as in claim 2 , further comprising:
icons related to a variety of data types including text, icon, audio, video, and/or multimedia, the icons further defined under control of data in the metadata;
means to display the icons as part of the search results; and
means to select a search result entry by selecting an icon;
whereby an entry in the search results can be selected by selecting the icon.
5. A system, as in claim 4 , further comprising:
means to broadcast video or multimedia data from a remote server to a broadcast allocation node or sub-node;
means to provide at least one playlist under a broadcast allocation node or sub-node;
at least one icon related to video or multimedia data is further associated with location information related to the video or multimedia data;
a multimedia window, the multimedia window simultaneously presented with the search results entries; and
means to display video or multimedia data by selecting an icon related to that multimedia data from the search results entries;
whereby multimedia data related to a search entry can be streamed to the search results and displayed in the multimedia window without linking to the remote URL.
6. A system, as in claim 5 , further comprising:
means to selectively link to a remote URL after the multimedia data has been displayed with the search results.
7. A system, as in claim 2 , further comprising:
means to selectively categorize search results by using user input related to the metadata to filter the search results; and
means to filter within the filtered search results;
whereby a user can search the database for broadcast network nodes by category, then search within the category to refine the results set.