Abstract: A system and method for identifying multiple discs, prior to their use in an automated system is disclosed. A robotic arm, or similar device, is used to pick a disc from a set of unprocessed discs in a first receptacle. The robotic arm then holds the disc in position, where an imaging device captures an image of the disc. A computing system, in communication with the imaging device, determines whether a single disc is present, or multiple discs are present. Based on the result of this determination, the disc is either placed in the media reader for further processing, or rejected and placed in one of the output receptacles.

Abstract: A system and method for loading, processing and classifying media used in an automated system is disclosed. A robotic arm, or similar device, is used to pick a piece of media from a set of unprocessed discs in a first location and place that medium into a suitable media reader, such as a CDROM reader or DVD reader. A computing system, in communication with the media reader, determines whether the media was properly processed. If so, it is placed in a second location. If it is not properly processed, the robotic arm places the media in a third location, where it can be manually inspected and analyzed at a later time. In another embodiment, the computing system discriminates between various reasons for the inability to process the media and places the offending media in a location designated specifically for that failure type. At a convenient time, manual inspection and intervention can be used to correct the failed media.

Abstract: A system and method for creating digital content from a plurality of legacy media formats, such as paper, CD, VHS, DVD, etc. A coordination node is utilized to balance the computation load between the various processing units, particularly those involved in the second stage of operation. Extraction units are used to input various types of information into the system as digital media. Once the information has been extracted, the coordination node and its associated software determine the load on each processing unit in the second stage and based on this and other factors, determine which processing unit will perform the conversion. The output is then stored in storage devices. This approach maximizes system utilization, while being more cost efficient than traditional extraction systems.

Abstract: The present invention reduces the need for peripherals to be physically removed and re-installed when a malfunction occurs. In one embodiment, a device is placed in series between the system and the peripheral. This device controls the passage of power to the peripheral. When the peripheral malfunctions, the device disallows passage of power to the peripheral, and at some later point restores power, effectively emulating a physical removal and re-installation. In a second embodiment, additional software is added to the software driver for the peripheral. In this scenario, the additional software, upon detecting that the peripheral is incommunicative, would remove power being supplied to the peripheral by the system. Again, at some later point, power is restored, thereby emulating a disconnect/reconnect sequence.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a system and method for insuring the integrity and format of metadata. In the preferred embodiment, a local database is created into which metadata information can be stored. Since the database is maintained locally, it can be guaranteed to have correct and complete metadata information. Metadata searches are preferably performed hierarchically, such that the local database is checked first for the required data. If the data is not resident in the local database, the traditional search of third-party databases is performed. Information retrieved from third-party databases is then verified, such as manually. Once the metadata has been checked and approved, the metadata is then stored locally. A set of rules is also created, which define the requirements and the file manipulations that must be preformed on the metadata for each type of target device.