Apparatus and methods of delivering music and information

• US 10,275,208 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2016
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CDN Innovations, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Chen, Alexander C., Gill, Sanjivpal S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zenati, Amal S
• Application Number:
  US15/134,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20160306605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 379 81
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/634 Query by example, e.g. query by humming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/685 using automatically derived transcript of audio data, e.g. lyrics speech recognition G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/60 for measuring the quality of voice signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The invention comprises music and information delivery systems and methods. One system comprises a portable communication device configured to receive a piece of music from an audio source and transmit the piece of music via a first communication medium to a host computer. The host computer is configured to receive the piece of music from the portable communication device and search a storage medium to identify and access the piece of music from the storage medium. The host computer is configured to transmit the piece of music via a second communication medium to one or more reception units that are configured to receive the piece of music from the host computer via the second communication medium.

Claims

1. A method for controlling acquisition of an audio signal by a computing system, the method comprising:

receiving, via a microphone, at a first sensitivity level, a speech command;

determining that non-speech audio including music will be observable by the microphone based, at least in part, on the speech command without receiving additional speech commands;

in response to the determining;

increasing a sensitivity for the microphone to a second sensitivity level for observing the non-speech audio including music;

filtering ambient noise from a signal received from the microphone, at the second sensitivity level; and

searching the filtered signal for the non-speech audio; and

in response to identifying the non-speech audio in the filtered signal, matching a portion of the filtered signal to an identified audio pattern.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-speech audio includes music in a form of at least one of whistling, humming, singing, drum beats, or sound produced by another musical instrument.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein filtering ambient noise from the signal received from the microphone comprises excluding, from the filtered signal, one or more of:

talking, traffic sounds, or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the speech command comprises receiving a voice command from a user.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein receiving the voice command from the user comprises receiving a pre-established spoken keyword or key-phrase established to cause the computing system to listen for the non-speech audio.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein increasing the sensitivity for the microphone comprises changing the sensitivity for the microphone to a level sufficient to detect music at least 20 feet away.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein filtering ambient noise from the signal further comprises applying one or more of:

bandpass filters, low pass filters, high pass filters, anti-aliasing filters, or any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein matching the portion of the filtered signal to the identified audio pattern comprises:

identifying words in the filtered signal; and

comparing the identified words to previously identified words mapped to the identified audio pattern.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system comprises at least one of a mobile phone, a laptop computer, or a personal organizer.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein matching the portion of the filtered signal to the identified audio pattern is based in part on an identified location of the computing system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the filtered signal for the non-speech audio comprises:

separating the filtered signal into multiple audio signals comprising a first audio signal pattern and a second audio signal pattern;

comparing the first audio signal pattern to a first type of audio signal pattern in digital audio files of a database; and

comparing a second audio signal pattern to a second type of audio signal pattern in the digital audio files of the database.

12. A computer-readable storage medium not constituting transitory propagating signals per se, the computer storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations for controlling acquisition of an audio signal, the operations comprising:

receiving, via a microphone, at a first sensitivity level, a speech command;

determining that non-speech audio including music will be observable by the microphone based, at least in part, on the speech command without receving additional speech commands, wherein the microphone is coupled to the computing system;

in response to the determining, increasing a sensitivity for the microphone to a second sensitivity level for for observing the non-speech audio including music;

further in response to the determining, filtering ambient noise from a signal received from the microphone, at the second sensitivity level; and

providing at least a portion of the filtered signal, wherein providing the portion of the filtered signal causes matching of the portion of the filtered signal to an identified audio pattern.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein matching the portion of the filtered signal to the identified audio pattern is based in part on an identified location of the computing system.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein filtering ambient noise from the signal received from the microphone comprises excluding, from the filtered signal, one or more of:

talking, traffic sounds, or any combination thereof.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein receiving the speech command comprises receiving a voice command from a user that comprises a pre-established spoken keyword or key-phrase.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 wherein matching the portion of the filtered signal to the identified audio pattern comprises:

identifying words in the filtered signal; and

comparing the identified words to previously identified words mapped to the identified audio pattern.

17. A computing system comprising

a memory;

one or more processors;

a transceiver; and

a microphone configured to receive audio;

wherein the one or more processors are configured to;

match speech audio received through the microphone, at a first sensitivity level, to a command, the command indicating that non-speech audio including music will be observable by the microphone; and

in response to matching the speech audio received through the microphone, at the first sensitivity, to the command;

increase a sensitivity for the microphone to a second sensitivity level for observing the non-speech audio including music; and

filter ambient noise from a signal received from the microphone; and

wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit at least a portion of the signal received from the microphone, wherein transmitting the portion of the signal received from the microphone causes matching of the portion of the signal received from the microphone to an identified audio pattern.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine that the command indicates that the non-speech audio will be observable by the microphone by determining that the speech audio received through the microphone includes a voice command that comprises a pre-established spoken keyword or key-phrase.