Method and system for information alerts

• US 20030093580A1
• Filed: 11/09/2001
• Published: 05/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Lalitha, Agnihotri, Thomas, McGee
• Application Number:
  US10/053,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20030093580A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/318
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/735 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7834 using audio features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/784 the detected or recognised objects being people
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7844 using original textual content or text extracted from visual content or transcript of audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

An information alert system and method are provided. Content from various sources, such as television, radio and/or Internet, are analyzed for the purpose of determining whether the content matches a predefined alert profile, which is manually or automatically created. An alert is then automatically created to permit access to the information in audio, video and/or textual form.

Claims

1. A method of providing alerts to sources of media content, comprising:

establishing a profile corresponding to topics of interest;

automatically scanning available media sources, selecting a source and extracting from the selected media source, identifying information characterizing the content of the source;

comparing the identifying information to the profile and if a match is found, indicating the media source as available for access;

automatically scanning available media sources for a next source of media content and extracting identifying information from said next source and comparing the identifying information from said next source to the profile and if a match is found, indicating said next media source as available for access.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scanning and comparing steps are repeated until all available media sources are scanned.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the available sources of media include television broadcasts.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the available sources of media include television broadcasts and radio broadcasts.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the available sources of media include television broadcasts and website information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying information of video sources is extracted by extracting closed caption information from the video signal source.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying information is extracted using voice to text conversion processing.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying information is extracted using screen text extraction.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying information is extracted using voice pattern or face pattern recognition.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sources of media content are made available at a first location and a user at a second location remote from the first location accesses the available sources of media content.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the available media sources are recorded or downloaded and reviewed at a later time.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile includes topics of interest.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile includes topics of interest selected from the group consisting of sports, weather and traffic.

14. The method of claim 1, comprising the step of activating an alert available indicator when a profile match is made.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the profile contains a plurality of topics of interest and different topics are associated with different alert levels and the different alert levels are associated with different types of alert available indicators.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the indicator is an audible indicators.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the indicator is a visible indicator.

18. A system for creating media alerts, comprising:

a receiver device constructed to receive and scan signals containing media content from multiple sources;

a storage device capable of receiving and storing user defined alert profile information;

a processor linked to the receiver and constructed to extract identifying information from a plurality of scanned signals containing media content;

a comparing device constructed to compare the extracted identifying information to the profile and when a match is detected, make the signal containing the media content available for review.

19. The system of claim 18, comprising an alert indicator which is activated when a match is detected.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the receiver, processor and comparing device are constructed and arranged to scan through all media sources scannable by the receiver to compile a subset of available media sources for review, that match the profile.

21. The system of claim 18, including a computer constructed to receive user defined profile information and compare that information to the identifying information to identify matches.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the receiver is constructed to receive television signals.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the receiver comprises a first tuner constructed to process television signals and the system further comprises a second tuner constructed to assist in the display of either media available for review or other media.

24. The system of claim 18 comprising a tuner for processing radio signals.

25. The system of claim 18, comprising a web crawler.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the receiver, storage device, processor and comparing device are housed within a television set.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein the receiver, storage device, processor and comparing device are operatively coupled to a television set.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein the storage device is constructed and arranged to receive the profile information from a keyboard.

29. The system of claim 18, wherein the storage device is constructed and arranged to receive the profile information from a signal generated when a user performs selected mouse clicks.

30. The system of claim 18, wherein the storage device contains a plurality of selectable predefined alert profiles.