System and method for selective recording of information

• US 20080127240A1
• Filed: 07/08/2004
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vulcan Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: Vulcan Patents LLC
• Inventors: Withgott, M. Margaret, Covell, Michele Mae
• Granted Patent: US 7,849,475 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/40 in video content extracting overlay text G06V20/62; video retrieval G06F16/70; processing of video elementary streams in video servers H04N21/234; processing of video elementary streams in video clients H04N21/44
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/087 by sensing recorded signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 15/1875 adaptations for special effects or editing signal processing or indexing therefor G11B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10666 Ring buffers, e.g. buffers wherein an iteratively progressing read or write pointer moves back to the beginning of the buffer when reaching the last storage cell
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/56 Arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 on tape

Abstract

A system and method for selective recording of information uses sequential pattern matching of statistical vectors which characterize incoming time-based information to identify previously marked information within an incoming information stream. The system and method generate a signal to control a recording device to either elide the previously marked information from the recording, or to begin recording once the previously marked information is identified, depending upon the current mode of operation. The system and method may be utilized to omit recording of unwanted information, such as commercials in a television broadcast, or to automatically locate desired information on any of a number of available information channels without a priori knowledge of the occurrence time or channel of the information.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a recording device to effect selective recording of an incoming information stream, the system comprising:

a memory for storing at least a portion of the incoming information stream; and

control logic in communication with the memory for performing sequential pattern matching of the incoming information stream and generating a signal for the recording device to effect selective recording of the incoming information stream based on the sequential pattern matching.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the control logic performs sequential pattern matching based on a statistical characterization of at least a portion of the incoming information stream.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the control logic performs sequential pattern matching based on a block unitary transform of at least a portion of the incoming information stream.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the control logic is further operative to learn a sequential information pattern used to pattern match subsequent information sequences within the incoming information stream.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the control logic automatically learns sequential information patterns and selects those patterns to be retained based on a predetermined number of successful pattern matches within a predetermined time period.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the control logic is further operative to learn a sequential information pattern used to pattern match subsequent information sequences based on a statistical characterization of the sequential information pattern and the subsequent information sequences.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the control logic comprises a programmed microprocessor.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the incoming information stream represents video information.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising an input device in communication with the control logic for marking incoming information.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the control logic performs sequential pattern matching by computing a statistical vector representative of a portion of the incoming information stream, matching that first statistical vector to a similar stored statistical vector, computing a second statistical vector representative of the next portion of the incoming information stream, and matching that second statistical vector to a similar second stored statistical vector, wherein the first stored statistical vector identifies the second stored statistical vector.

11. A method for controlling a recording device to effect selective recording of an incoming information stream, the method comprising:

storing at least a segment of an information stream;

performing sequential pattern matching of the incoming information stream to the stored information segment; and

generating a signal based on the sequential pattern matching for the recording device to effect selective recording of the incoming information stream.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of storing comprises representing the segment of the information stream using summary statistics.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of storing comprises representing the portion of the incoming information stream using a block unitary transform.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the information streams include a plurality of information frames and wherein the step of storing comprises:

computing a statistical vector to represent each of the plurality of information frames; and

storing the sequence of statistical vectors in an indexable table.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of generating a signal comprises generating a control signal for recording by the recording device, the control signal being operative to accelerate playback of the recorded information stream.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of generating a signal comprises generating a control signal which causes the recording device to begin recording the incoming information stream.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the incoming information stream includes a plurality of information frames, the method further comprising marking a portion of the incoming information stream containing at least one of the plurality of information frames, prior to the step of storing, for use by the step of storing.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of storing comprises automatically extending the marked portion based on a matching portion of the incoming information stream.

19. The method of claim 11 further comprising automatically marking a portion of the incoming information stream based on the step of performing sequential pattern matching.

20. (canceled)