Recognizer of content of digital signals

• US 20050084103A1
• Filed: 11/04/2004
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Venkatesan, Ramarathnam, Mihcak, M. Kivanc
• Granted Patent: US 7,707,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/433 using audio data
• 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: G10H 1/0058 Transmission between separate instruments or between individual components of a musical system G10H1/0083 takes precedence

Abstract

Described herein is a technology for facilitating the recognition of the content of digital signals. This abstract itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. The scope of the present invention is pointed out in the appending claims.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method facilitating identification of a digital signal, the method comprising:

obtaining a digital signal; and

deriving an identification value representative of the digital signal such that perceptually distinct digital signals result in identification values that are approximately independent of one another and perceptually same digital signals result in identical identification values.

2. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital signals are selected from a group consisting of digital audio signals, digital image signals, digital video signals, and digital multimedia signals.

3. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital signals are digital audio signals.

4. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein the identification value is a hash value.

5. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 further comprising storing the identification value in association with the digital signal.

6. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 further comprising indexing the digital signal using the identification value.

7. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 further comprising watermarking the digital signal using, in part, the identification value to produce a watermarked digital signal.

8. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 further comprising comparing the identification value with another identification value derived from another digital signal.

9. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1 further comprising comparing identification values of two digital signals to determine if such values substantially match.

10. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 9 further comprising indicating whether such values substantially match.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs the method as recited in claim 1.

12. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure, comprising:

a first data field containing a digital signal;

a second data field derived from the first field by deriving an identification value representative of the digital signal such that perceptually distinct digital signals result in identification values that are approximately independent of one another and perceptually same digital signals result in identical identification values;

a third data field functioning to delimit the end of the data structure.

13. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 12, wherein the digital signals are selected from a group consisting of digital audio signals, digital image signals, digital video signals, and digital multimedia signals.

14. A computer-implemented method facilitating identification of a digital signal, the method comprising:

obtaining two or more digital signal;

for the obtained digital signals, deriving an identification value representative of the digital signal such that perceptually distinct digital signals result in identification values that are approximately independent of one another and perceptually same digital signals result in identical identification values;

comparing identification values of the obtained digital signals to determine if such values substantially match;

indicating whether such values substantially match.

15. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, wherein the digital signals are selected from a group consisting of digital audio signals, digital image signals, digital video signals, and digital multimedia signals.

16. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14, wherein the identification value is a hash value.

17. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14 further comprising storing the identification values in association with its associated digital signal.

18. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 14 further comprising indexing each obtained digital signals based upon its associated identification value.

19. A computer-implemented method facilitating identification of a digital signal, the method comprising:

obtaining a digital signal; and

deriving an identification value representative of the digital signal based upon intrinsic characteristics of the digital signal, wherein identification values derived from perceptually distinct digital signals are approximately independent of one another and identification values derived from perceptually same digital signals are identical.

20. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 19, wherein the digital signals are selected from a group consisting of digital audio signals, digital image signals, digital video signals, and digital multimedia signals.

21. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 19, wherein the identification value is a hash value.

22. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 19 further comprising storing the identification value in association with the digital signal.

23. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 19 further comprising indexing the digital signal using the identification value.

24. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 19 further comprising watermarking the digital signal using, in part, the identification value to produce a watermarked digital signal.

25. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 19 further comprising comparing the identification value with another identification value derived from another digital signal.

26. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 19 further comprising comparing identification values of two digital signals to determine if such values substantially match.

27. A computer-implemented method facilitating identification of a digital signal, the method comprising:

obtaining a digital signal; and

deriving an identification value representative of the digital signal based upon intrinsic characteristics of the digital signal, wherein identification values derived from perceptually distinct digital signals do not substantially match one another and identification values derived from perceptually same digital signals substantially match one another.

28. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 27, wherein the digital signals are selected from a group consisting of digital audio signals, digital image signals, digital video signals, and digital multimedia signals.

29. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 27, wherein the identification value is a hash value.

30. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 27 further comprising storing the identification value in association with the digital signal.

31. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 27 further comprising indexing the digital signal using the identification value.

32. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 27 further comprising watermarking the digital signal using, in part, the identification value to produce a watermarked digital signal.

33. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 27 further comprising comparing the identification value with another identification value derived from another digital signal.

34. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 27 further comprising comparing identification values of two digital signals to determine if such values substantially match.

35. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, perform acts comprising:

obtaining a digital signal; and

deriving an identification value representative of the digital signal based upon intrinsic characteristics of the digital signal, wherein identification values derived from perceptually distinct digital signals are approximately independent of one another and identification values derived from perceptually same digital signals are identical.

36. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 35, wherein the digital signals are selected from a group consisting of digital audio signals, digital image signals, digital video signals, and digital multimedia signals.

37. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 35, wherein the identification value is a hash value.

38. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 35 further comprising storing the identification value in association with the digital signal.

39. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 35 further comprising indexing the digital signal using the identification value.

40. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 35 further comprising watermarking the digital signal using, in part, the identification value to produce a watermarked digital signal.

41. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 35 further comprising comparing the identification value with another identification value derived from another digital signal.

42. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 35 further comprising comparing identification values of two digital signals to determine if such values substantially match.

43. A system comprising:

an acquisition means for obtaining a digital signal; and

an identification-generation means for deriving an identification value representative of the digital signal based upon intrinsic characteristics of the digital signal, wherein identification values derived from perceptually distinct digital signals do not substantially match one another and identification values derived from perceptually same digital signals substantially match one another.

44. A system as recited in claim 43, wherein the digital signals are selected from a group consisting of digital audio signals, digital image signals, digital video signals, and digital multimedia signals.

45. A system as recited in claim 43, wherein the identification value is a hash value.

46. A system as recited in claim 43 further comprising a storage means for storing the identification value in association with the digital signal.

47. A system as recited in claim 43 further comprising an indexing means for indexing the digital signal using the identification value.

48. A system as recited in claim 43 further comprising a watermarking means for watermarking the digital signal using, in part, the identification value to produce a watermarked digital signal.

49. A system as recited in claim 43 further comprising a comparison means for comparing the identification value with another identification value derived from another digital signal.

50. A system as recited in claim 43 further comprising a comparison means for comparing identification values of two digital signals to determine if such values substantially match.