Method and apparatus for identifying media content presented on a media playing device

• US 10,194,187 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2011
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Audible Magic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Audible Magic Corporation
• Inventors: Ikezoye, Vance E., Schrempp, James B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Obeid, Mamon
• Application Number:
  US13/011,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,930 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50, 705 51, 705 141, 705 144, 707 1, 707104, 726 23, 726 24, 726 27, 713176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/634 Query by example, e.g. query by humming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/783 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7834 using audio features
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A media device generates a digital fingerprint of perceptual features of a segment of a work. The segment is less than an entirety of the work and includes at least one of audio or video media content. The media device sends a query to a lookup server for data associated with the work, the query including said digital fingerprint. The media device receives the data associated with said work from said lookup server in response to said query, wherein the data was identified based on a comparison of the digital fingerprint to a collection of digital fingerprints of known works. The media device then processes the received data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a media player, streamed or broadcast audio or video media content of a work, wherein the media player comprises an analog broadcast receiver, and wherein at least a portion of the audio or video media content of the work is received via the analog broadcast receiver;

playing, by the media player, the streamed or broadcast audio or video media content of the work;

determining, by an intercept unit of an embedded system of the media player, that the audio or video media content of the work is currently being played on the media player;

intercepting, by the intercept unit, audio media signals corresponding to the currently playing audio or video media content of the work;

writing, by the intercept unit, the audio media signals to a first in first out (FIFO) buffer;

receiving, via a user interface of the media player, a user request for information related to the work currently being played by the media player;

responsive to receiving the user request, generating, by a sampling unit of the embedded system of the media player and using the audio media signals, a media sample based on a segment of the media content that is less than an entirety of the work, the media sample comprising a digital fingerprint of the segment of the media content that is based on acoustical features of the segment;

sending, by the media player, a query to a lookup server for data associated with the work, the query comprising the media sample;

receiving, by the media player, the data associated with said work in response to said query, the data having been identified by the lookup server based on separate comparisons of a plurality of portions of the media sample to a collection of reference samples of known works, each of the plurality of portions of the media sample having a size that is smaller than the media sample; and

displaying the data via the user interface while the work is being played.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

buffering the segment of the media content by the media player while the segment is played on the media player.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a log of user activity based on the received data; and

offering for purchase, by the media player, at least one of a product or a service related to said work based on said log.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said media player is at least one of a portable media player or a mobile phone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said work includes at least one of a song, a musical audio track or a nonmusical audio track.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the media player is selected from a group consisting of a car stereo, a home stereo, and a television.

6. A non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a media player, cause the media player to:

receive, by the media player, streamed or broadcast audio or video media content of a work, wherein the media player comprises an analog broadcast receiver, and wherein at least a portion of the audio or video media content of the work is received via the analog broadcast receiver;

play, by the media player, the streamed or broadcast audio or video media content of the work;

determine, by an intercept unit of an embedded system of the media player, that the audio or video media content of the work is currently being played on the media player;

intercept, by the intercept unit, audio media signals corresponding to the currently playing audio or video media content of the work;

write, by the intercept unit, the audio media signals to a first in first out (FIFO) buffer;

receive, via a user interface of the media player, a user request for information related to the work currently being played on the media player;

responsive to receiving the user request, generate, by a sampling unit of the embedded system of the media player and using the audio media signals, a media sample based on a segment of the media content that is less than an entirety of the work, the media sample comprising a digital fingerprint of the segment of the media content that is based on acoustical features of the segment;

send a query to a lookup server for data associated with the work, the query comprising the media sample;

receive the data associated with said work from said lookup server in response to said query, the data having been identified by the lookup server based on separate comparisons of a plurality of portions of the media sample to a collection of reference samples of known works, each of the plurality of portions of the media sample having a size that is smaller than the media sample; and

display the data via the user interface while the work is being played.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6, the at least one processing unit further to:

generate a log of user activity based on the received data; and

offer for purchase at least one of a product or a service related to said work based on said log.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein said work includes at least one of a song, a musical audio track or a nonmusical audio track.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the media player is selected from a group consisting of a car stereo, a home stereo, and a television.

9. A media player comprising:

a receiver to receive streamed or broadcast audio media content of a work, wherein the receiver comprises an analog broadcast receiver, wherein at least a portion of the audio media content of the work is received via the analog broadcast receiver, and wherein the media player is to play the streamed or broadcast audio media content of the work on a speaker;

a speaker;

a display;

a user interface;

a first in first out (FIFO) buffer; and

an embedded system comprising an intercept unit and a sampling unit;

wherein the intercept unit of the embedded system is to;

determine that the audio media content of the work is being played;

intercept audio media signals corresponding to the audio media content of the work;

and write the audio media signals to the FIFO buffer;

wherein responsive to the media player receiving, via the user interface, a user request for information related to the work played by the media player, the sampling unit is to use the audio media signals to generate a media sample based on a segment of the media content that is less than an entirety of the work, the media sample comprising a digital fingerprint of the segment of the media content that is based on acoustical features of the segment; and

wherein the media player is further to;

send a query to a lookup server for data associated with the work, the query including said digital fingerprint;

receive the data associated with said work from said lookup server in response to said query, the data having been identified by the lookup server based on separate comparisons of distinct portions of the digital fingerprint to a collection of digital fingerprints of known works; and

output, via the user interface, the data on the display while the work is played.

10. The media player of claim 9, the at least one processing unit further to:

generate a log of user activity based on the received data; and

offer for purchase at least one of a product or a service related to said work based on said log.

11. The media player of claim 9, wherein said media player is at least one of a portable media player or a mobile phone.

12. The media player of claim 9, wherein said work includes at least one of a song, a musical audio track or a nonmusical audio track.

15. The media player of claim 9, wherein the media player is selected from a group consisting of a car stereo, a home stereo, and a television.