Method of enhancing rendering of a content item, client system and server system

• US 20060206563A1
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gracenote, Inc. (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Original Assignee: Gracenote, Inc. (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Inventors: Van De Sluis, Bartel Marinus
• Granted Patent: US 7,849,131 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

A client system (200, 220) receives a content item. The user can mark the received content item as being of interest. In response to said marking, tracking means (204, 224) automatically provide identifying data for the marked content item to a remote server system (250). The server receives a portion of the content item from a client system (200, 220), processes the received portion to obtain an identifier for the content item, obtains further information on the content item using the identifier, and transmits the further information back to the client system (200, 220). The tracking means (204, 224) subsequently receive further information on the content item from the remote server system (250). An identifier for the content item can be used in an e-commerce system (160), for example by putting it on a shopping list (161) or to obtain a list of related items.

Claims

1. A method of identifying audio content, the method comprising:

at a mobile telephone,

capturing an audio signal using a microphone of the mobile telephone;

identifying a system to receive the audio signal; and

communicating the audio signal to the system to identify the audio signal.

2. The method of claim 1, which comprises establishing a telephone link between the mobile telephone and a base station, the base station communicating the audio signal to the system which is configured to identify the content of the audio signal.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the audio signal is at least a portion of a song, the method comprising identifying at least one of a title and an artist corresponding to the song.

4. The method of claim 3, which comprises receiving identification information from the system in response to communicating the audio signal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the identification information is received via at least one of a SMS communication, an Instant Message communication, and an e-mail communication.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is an e-commerce system, the method comprising communicating the audio signal via a network to the e-commerce system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the system to receive the audio signal comprises:

identifying a telephone number associated with the system to identify the audio signal; and

establishing a telephone link based on the telephone number.

8. A mobile telephone which comprises:

a microphone to receive an audio signal to be identified;

a processor to identify a system to receive the audio signal; and

a transmitter to communicate the audio signal to the system to identify the audio signal.

9. The mobile telephone of claim 8, wherein the transmitter is to establish a telephone link between the mobile telephone and a base station, the base station being to communicate the audio signal to the system which is configured to identify the content of the audio signal.

10. The mobile telephone of claim 8, in which the audio signal is at least a portion of a song, the processor being configured to identify at least one of a title and an artist corresponding to the song.

11. The mobile telephone of claim 8, which comprises a receiver to receive identification information from the system in response to communication of the audio signal.

12. The mobile telephone of claim 11, wherein the identification information is receivable via one of a SMS communication, an Instant Message communication, and an e-mail communication.

13. The mobile telephone of claim 8, wherein the system is an e-commerce system, the transmitter configured to communicate the audio signal via a network to the e-commerce system.

14. The mobile telephone of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to:

identify a telephone number corresponding to the system to identify the audio signal; and

initiate a telephone link based on the telephone number.

15. A computer-readable medium embodying instructions which, when executed on a mobile telephone, cause the mobile telephone to:

capture an audio signal to be identified using a microphone of the mobile telephone;

identify a system to receive the audio signal; and

communicate the audio signal to the system to identify the audio signal.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein a telephone link is established between the mobile telephone and a base station and the base station communicates the audio signal to the system which is configured to identify the content of the audio signal.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, in which the audio signal is at least a portion of a song, wherein at least one of a title and an artist corresponding to the song is identified.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein identification information is received from the system in response to communication of the audio signal.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the identification information is received via at least one of a SMS communication, an Instant Message communication, and an e-mail communication.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, which causes the mobile telephone to:

identify a telephone number corresponding to the system to identify the audio signal; and

establish a telephone link based on the telephone number.

21. A mobile telephone which comprises:

means for capturing an audio signal using a microphone of the mobile telephone;

means for identifying a system to receive the audio signal; and

means for communicating the audio signal to the system to identify the audio signal.

22. A system to identify an audio signal, the system comprising:

a receiver to receive a communication from at least one mobile telephone, the communication including an audio signal;

a communication module to;

communicate the audio signal to an audio identification system to identify the audio signal; and

receive identification information that identifies the audio signal; and

a transmitter to transmit the identification information to the mobile telephone.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the audio signal is a song and the system communicated song-related information to the mobile telephone.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the transmitter is configured to communicate the identification information via at least one of a SMS communication, an Instant Message communication, and an e-mail communication.