Integration of a digital asset management system with a network sales system

[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 USC 119(e) of U.S. provisional application 60/650,965, filed Feb. 9, 2005 and fully incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] A “digital asset” is a data object that carries marketable information content. Thus, the term covers various multimedia files, including image files, audio files (e.g., music), audio-video files and the like. The term also may cover text files or data files, such as product reports, analyses, recommendations, etc. Digital assets may be sold among various participants in a market. The assets typically are sold in contracts that limit ways in which a purchasing party may use the digital asset.

[0003] Digital asset management systems, as their name implies, are computer systems that permit asset owners to manage their assets. As another example, a digital asset management system may permit consumer product manufacturers (who manufacture an array of products) to manage their retailers' or advertisers' use of product images throughout advertisements and other commercial notices regarding the products themselves.

[0004] In known digital asset management systems, consumers' user experiences in browsing through and retrieving digital assets is awkward and non-intuitive. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a digital asset management system that is easy to use.

[0005] Moreover, as noted earlier, digital assets may be marketed and sold. The effectiveness of communication networks such as the Internet as a marketing venue for various products and services has been recognized. In view of this, it would be advantageous to integrate a digital asset management system with a network sales system.

[0006] FIG. 1 shows a data structure for a digital asset according to embodiments of the present invention;

[0007] FIG. 2 shows a digital asset management system according to embodiments of the present invention;

[0008] FIGS. 3-6 show examples of screen displays of the digital asset management system;

[0009] FIG. 7 shows a network sales system according to embodiments of the present invention;

[0010] FIG. 8 shows a integrated digital asset management system and network sales system according to embodiments of the present invention;

[0011] FIG. 9 shows a linkage between a digital asset version and a product master according to embodiments of the present invention; and

[0012] FIG. 10 shows a method according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention comprise a digital asset storage, search and retrieval system. The system may access stored digital assets using a hierarchical classification system, providing for efficiency in search and retrieval. Conditions on the use of each digital asset may be included with each asset, providing needed controls. Further, a number of advantageous user-friendly features provide for ease of use.

[0014] Embodiments of the present invention further relate to an automated system and method for integrating the digital asset management system with a network sales system. The network may be the Internet. The network sales system may provide a product identity to a digital asset of the digital asset management system to facilitate sale of the digital asset.

[0015] The discussion begins with a description of a digital asset management system according to embodiments of the invention, and then moves to a description of integration of the digital asset management system with a network sales system according to embodiments of the invention.

Digital Asset Management System

[0016] The digital asset management system described herein may include objects and use object-oriented methods. As is known, a software object may include data and an interface through which other objects can read, change or add to the data. Linkages may be formed between objects. Though it is typically transparent to the object-oriented programmer, in embodiments objects may be implemented at least in part as tables comprising a plurality of modifiable entries that collectively exhibit the behavior that characterizes an object and that can logically link objects. For example, digital assets or digital asset versions of the digital asset management system may be objects that may be linked with other objects, such as business objects representing products.

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a data structure for a digital asset 100 according to embodiments of the invention. A digital asset 100 may include multiple parts. The parts may include files of all kinds. The files may include, for example, one or more media objects, such as a picture, movie, song, data or the like. The digital asset may contain multiple versions of the files, including a latest or active version, and all previous versions.

[0018] The digital asset 100 may further include properties. The properties may be used to classify the digital asset. The properties may apply to specific versions and be different for different versions. For example, the properties may identify which of the versions of a digital asset is the effective version. Properties may also apply to the digital asset 100 as a whole and not to a specific version.

[0019] A digital asset and its versions may be viewed as a “logical information object” (LOIO) and “physical information objects” (PHIOs), respectively. A digital asset as a LOIO may be thought of as representing a general concept or category—say, “Advertisement for a diaper.” A succession of versions of the digital asset represent various actual realizations of a diaper advertisement, or PHIOs. It should be understood that, as used herein, “digital asset,” unless distinguished from a version, generally means a version of a digital asset, i.e., a PHIO.

[0020] As noted, the properties may identify which of possibly many versions is active (i.e., valid or currently in effect). Only one version can be active at a time. When a new version is added to the digital asset, it need not be identified as active. For example, it can be a work in progress not yet ready for release to other parties. When a new version is identified as active, however, a formerly active version will be designated not active. A digital asset management system may review these activeness designations within a properties field to determine which media object to release to external parties.

[0021] The digital asset 100 may further include conditions on its use. The conditions may include legal rights to and/or restrictions on use of the digital asset. The digital asset may have attributes indicating whether a condition is assigned, and whether the condition is currently valid. When an operation such as viewing or download is attempted, access control may be performed to check these attributes and determine whether the operation is valid.

[0022] The conditions may be specified, for example, as a text field, to be reviewed manually by external parties to ensure compliance with the conditions. For example, the conditions may identify a date range for which the external party is entitled to use the digital asset. The conditions could also be in the form of separate documents or files, such as .pdf or .doc files. Conditions may be inherited—propagated among related digital assets. This ensures data integrity and ensures that valid conditions are assigned to all affected digital assets.

[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates a system 200 according to embodiments of the invention. The system 200 may comprise a server 210 and a terminal 220, connectable to the server 210 by a communication network 230. The network may include, for example, the Internet or World Wide Web, but could also include any wide area network (WAN) or local area network (LAN). The server 210 may include a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The server 210 may further include storage media storing computer-executable instructions to implement a digital asset management application 240 and a communication manager 250. The server 210 may execute the digital asset management application 240 and the communication manager 250. The communication manager 250 may manage communication with the terminal 220. In particular, the communication manager may send web pages, such as a browse search page 260, interactively generated by the digital asset management application 240, via the network 230 to a client at the terminal 220.

[0024] The digital asset management application 240 may further comprise a database 242 storing digital assets. An index engine 244 of the digital asset management application 240 may access digital assets in the database 242 to form an index file 246. The index file 246 may be used, among other things, for responding to user requests by generating web pages for sending to the user. Specifically, the digital asset management application 240 may receive user requests entered by a user at a terminal 220, and execute the index engine 244 to access the asset database 242 to respond to the requests. The requests may be, in particular, search parameters entered in a browse session in order to locate a desired digital asset. Based on the search parameters entered, the user may be caused to navigate through a series of displays.

[0025] Tree structures associated with the digital assets may determine a navigation path through the displays. As is well known, a tree structure in software terms may define a hierarchy of nodes, including “root” or “parent” nodes and various levels of “child” nodes. In embodiments of the present invention, the tree structures or hierarchies may be used to implement a taxonomy or classification system under which assets are organized and classified based on their properties. The hierarchies may be built, for example, by a system administrator or other system operator who uses a GUI (graphical user interface) to define classes and related subclasses. A given asset, depending on its properties, could belong to more than one hierarchy.

[0026] An example follows. The above-described components provide a number of capabilities and user-friendly features. Among these is a browse search capability. Browse search functionality according to embodiments of the present invention may use the hierarchical tree structures and their classifications to efficiently perform a search and present its results. FIG. 3 shows an example of a screen display that could be presented to a user, based on search parameters entered by the user. For example, a user might indicate that he wants to search for a digital asset. Possibly after one or more preceding displays (such as a log-on screen), the display of FIG. 3 may be presented to the user. The display shows a list of asset (document) types. Each list item (e.g., “Product Images” or “Customer logos”) represents a root node in a hierarchical tree structure.

[0027] Each root node in the hierarchy may have child nodes representing a further refinement of the classification assigned to the root node. By selecting a node (e.g. by “clicking” on the corresponding field or otherwise querying or activating a node), a user may see a display of the next-lower level in the hierarchy. FIG. 4, for example, shows a display that a user might see by selecting the “Customer Logos” field and clicking on “Show All”. A list of specific customer logos is presented. Again, each specific customer logo may represent a node, classified according to a taxonomy, in a hierarchy. A user may be able to navigate upward or downward (or, backward or forward from another perspective) in the hierarchy. Moreover, a display could show more than one level of a hierarchy. For example, a display could show both child nodes and grandchild nodes of a higher-level node.

[0028] In an advantageous feature according to embodiments of the invention, a search or navigation path report 401, which indicates the path taken through a given hierarchy up to the current screen display, may be provided. The example of FIG. 4 is rather simple but it is illustrative. In actual practice navigation paths could be considerably more complex. This feature provides for a more convenient user experience because it can help the user recall how to reach a desired asset in the future, or assist the user in searching for similar assets.

[0029] When the browser is invoked, the digital asset management application 240 may determine which nodes of the hierarchy point to stored assets. “Empty” nodes, i.e., nodes to which some classification is assigned but which do not currently point to actual stored assets are not displayed. Also, nodes which contain only assets the user is not authorized to see are not displayed.

[0030] By selecting an item, say, “BABY-SHAPED®”, in the list of customer logos, a user may see the next-lower level in the hierarchy, as shown in FIG. 5. In this example, FIG. 5 represents a “results list” where nodes in the hierarchy correspond directly to stored digital assets.

[0031] As noted earlier, the same digital asset may belong to multiple different hierarchies, depending upon whether its properties fit to a given set of classifications of a hierarchy. However, the path to the digital asset may be different for each hierarchy. For example, one or more of the digital assets shown in FIG. 5 might have also been reached if the user had selected “Product Images” instead of “Customer Logos” as the root node. However, the path may have included a different series of nodes and corresponding displays, because of the way the nodes of the “Product Images” hierarchy were classified when this hierarchy was built. Thus, according to embodiments of the present invention, among other properties of a digital asset there may be a plurality of “path” properties. Each path property may identify all the levels of a given hierarchy that must be navigated in order to reach a results list.

[0032] Returning now to FIG. 5, a number of operations may be possible with a results list. For example, a user may be able to navigate to a detail view of a listed asset by clicking on a field such as box 501, download an asset on the list by clicking a field such as box 502, mark assets via a checkbox 503, add an asset or assets to a “shopping cart” (box 504), delete an asset (box 505), subscribe to an asset (box 506) (a subscriber may receive notification, via email e.g., when an asset changes) or add an asset to a “favorites” list (box 507). An asset may include a thumbnail picture 508 and a property, such as a file type 509.

[0033] FIG. 6 shows an example of a shopping cart. A shopping cart in this context is a data container for selected assets. Shopping cart entries may include an asset report 601 that comprises such information about an asset as a file name and type, a creator of the asset and a create time, a version status (e.g. latest or active), a security status (e.g., access to the asset is public), a last-modified time, an identifier of the modifier, and the like.

[0034] Options further provided from the shopping cart may include selecting or de-selecting assets (boxes 602 and 603), converting an asset to a different file type (box 604), removing an asset from the shopping cart (box 605), and downloading selected assets (box 606). When an asset is downloaded, the asset report 601 may be downloaded along with the asset. The asset report 601 may further include hyperlinks (not shown) to downloaded assets. Additionally, the asset report is fully customizable via XSLT Style Sheets.

[0035] The above-described system may provide for mass upload/download of assets, or for upload/download of a single asset.

[0036] In another feature, a user can opt to assign a new filename to an exported asset. In typical scenarios, the user would select a product name or a document type as the new filename.

Integration of Digital Asset Management System with Network Sales System

[0037] According to embodiments of the present invention, the digital asset management system described above may be integrated with a network sales system. The integration may be useful, for example, because while the digital asset management system provides an efficient storage and retrieval mechanism, it is not necessarily adapted to selling the digital assets. Selling involves mechanisms such as product identification, pricing, billing and so on. Though not necessarily part of a digital asset management system, such mechanisms may already exist in a network sales system. Consequently, these are available for linking to a digital asset, to facilitate the selling of the digital asset.

[0038] Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention relate to the integration of a digital asset management system with a network sales system. As part of this integration, a digital asset may be linked with a product master in a network sales system. The product master may thereafter represent the digital asset for purposes of providing processes and functionality for selling the digital asset. For example, the product master may be assigned specification information, sales conditions and a price by way of the network sales system, and these can be used for sale of the digital asset. The sales conditions may relate to “who sells how,” i.e., whether sales are by a distribution chain or other sales organization, pricing, whether there is a discount involved, and the like.

[0039] FIG. 7 shows a network sales system 700. The network sales system 700 may be deployed on one or more servers 710 and terminal(s) 720, connectable to the server 710 by a communication network 730. The network may include or be part of, for example, the Internet or World Wide Web, but could also include or be part of any wide area network (WAN) or local area network (LAN). The server 710 may include a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The server 710 may further include storage media storing computer-executable instructions to implement a network sales application 740 and a communication manager 750. The server 710 may execute the network sales application 740 and communications manager 750. The system 700 may further comprise a database 760. The database 760 may include a product master file 770.

[0040] The communication manager 750 may manage communication with the terminal 720. In embodiments, the communications management applications may comprise web services and/or process agents. In particular, the communication manager 750 may interact with a client at the terminal 720 by exchange of web pages via the network 730. The web pages may be generated by the network sales application 740. Using the terminal 720, the client may order products identified in the product master file 770.

[0041] FIG. 8 illustrates an integrated system 800 according to embodiments of the present invention. In the integrated system 800, a digital asset management system 200 according to embodiments of the present invention may be linked with the Network sales system 700 via an interface 875.

[0042] As described above, both the digital asset management system 200 and the network sales system 700 may be network-based. Thus, the interface 875 may comprise the physical interconnections and media, such as routers, switches, cables, wireless transmission and reception equipment, and the like, for electronically propagating information in a network. The interface 875 may further include higher-level control logic and computers, such as APIs (application program interfaces), connectivity protocols like TCP/IP and various client/server applications and their associated hardware platforms. Linkages 815 between the respective systems and the interface may represent physical connections or logical (e.g., software-implemented) connections/relationships

[0043] It is noted that the digital asset management application 240, the network sales application 740 and the communication managers 250 and 750 need not execute on physically distinct hardware platforms. For example, server 210 and server 710 could be the same server which may act as a “portal” to all of the applications.

[0044] The integrated digital asset management/network sales system 800 may be used to sell digital assets over the network. To this end, according to embodiments of the invention, when a new digital asset or digital asset version is created on (e.g., uploaded to) the digital asset management system, it may be classified as sellable or not sellable. The classifying operation could be performed by a human operator, for example a marketing assistant, using a user interface. If a digital asset or digital asset version is classified as sellable, a corresponding product master (e.g., product master object) may be automatically created on the network sales system. The “sellable” classification may be one of the digital asset's or asset version's properties. The newly created product master may be stored, for example, in the product master file 770.

[0045] A linkage may be automatically formed between the digital asset/asset version and the product master. This is illustrated in FIG. 9. FIG. 9 shows a product master 901, a digital asset 902, and linkage 903 between the product master and each version of the digital asset. By way of the linkage, information relating to the digital asset versions may be automatically propagated to the corresponding product master. For example, a title and description of the digital asset/asset version may be automatically propagated to the corresponding product master. The linkage 903 could be implemented, for example, by way of an entry or entries in a table in a memory or database defining a relationship between objects. The linkage may further be visually represented in respective user interfaces of the digital asset management system and the network sales system. For example, each user interface may represent the linkage graphically as a “tab” or other display field. By clicking on the field in either the digital asset management system or the network sales system, a user may display information about or perform other operations on the associated digital asset or product master.

[0046] Now that there is a product master corresponding to the digital asset, the digital asset can be sold. An administrative operator (e.g. a sales assistant) may now, for example, via either the digital asset management system or the network sales system, assign a price, sales conditions, product specification or other data relevant to a sale, to the product master, and consequently to the digital asset/asset version as well. Underlying functionality in the network sales system will process this information and thereafter present it to a network shopper, and handle a sale if the shopper decides to buy the digital asset.

[0047] It may be the case that properties need to be changed for a digital asset. If so, these changes may be applied on the digital asset management system, and they may be automatically propagated to the corresponding product master on the network sales system. Further, the network sales system could include functionality whereby the product master could be modified to change, for example, pricing, product specification or other sale information.

[0048] The sellable/non-sellable decision could be overridden manually. Thus, it may happen that a previously existing digital asset or asset version that was previously classified as not sellable may have its properties changed to indicate that it is now sellable. In this event, the automatic processes described above may be performed. That is, a product master corresponding to the digital asset or asset version may be created on the network sales system and linked to the digital asset or asset version. Price, conditions and other sales data may then be assigned to the product master.

[0049] On the other hand, a digital asset or asset version that was previously classified as sellable may be re-classified as not sellable. In this event, the network sales system may be automatically updated so as to no longer present or administer the digital asset or asset version as a sellable product.

[0050] FIG. 10 shows a process according to embodiments of the present invention. As shown in block 1001, on a digital asset management system, a digital asset or digital asset version may be classified as sellable. The digital asset or digital asset version may be new or pre-existing.

[0051] Then, as shown in block 1002, on a network sales system, based on the classification, a product master corresponding to the digital asset or digital asset version may be created. The product master may be automatically linked to the digital asset or digital asset version on the digital asset management system, as shown in block 1003. Sales information, such as price, conditions and product specification may be assigned to the product master, as shown in block 1004. The digital asset or digital asset version may then be sold via the network sales system.

[0052] As noted earlier, embodiments of the present invention may comprise computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions may be stored and transported on machine-readable media such as magnetic tape, floppy disk or CD-ROM. The computer instructions may be retrieved from the machine-readable media using a suitable reading device into a memory and executed by a processor. The computer-executable instructions may be distributed across a plurality of media, such as on physically separate storage devices respectively associated with physically separate computer systems that may communicate via a network. The functionality disclosed hereinabove for performing the embodiments may find specific implementations in a variety of forms, which are considered to be within the abilities of a programmer of ordinary skill in the art after having reviewed the specification.

[0053] Several embodiments of the present invention are specifically illustrated and/or described herein. However, it will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the present invention are covered by the above teachings and within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention.