Automatic retrieval and presentation of information relevant to the context of a user's conversation

• US 20080240379A1
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pudding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Pudding Ltd.
• Inventors: Maislos, Ariel, Maislos, Ruben, Arbel, Eran
• Application Number:
  US11/882,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20080240379A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/655 Combination of telephone service and social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 where the data service is an information service

Abstract

Methods, apparatus and computer-code for electronically retrieving and presenting information are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, information is retrieved and presented in accordance with at least one feature of electronic media content of a multi-party conversation. Optionally, the multi-party conversation is a video conversation and at least one feature is a video content feature. Exemplary features include but are not limited to speech delivery features, key word features, topic features, background sound or image features, deviation features and biometric features.

Claims

1. ) A method of providing information-retrieval services, the method comprising:

a) monitoring a multi-party voice conversation not directed at the entity doing the monitoring; and

b) in accordance with content of said monitored voice conversation, retrieving and presenting information to at least one party of said multi-party voice conversation.

2. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said retrieving includes retrieving at least one of:

i) a social-network profile;

ii) a weather forecast;

iii) a traffic forecast;

iv) a Wikipedia entry;

v) a news article;

vi) an online forum entry;

vii) a blog entry;

viii) a social bookmarking web service entry;

ix) a music clip; and

x) a film clip.

3. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said includes assigning a keyword weight in accordance with an demographic parameter of a given party of said multi-party voice conversation estimated from electronic media of said multi-party conversation, said estimated demographic parameter being selected from the group consisting of:

i) an age parameter;

ii) a gender parameter; and

iii) an ethnicity parameter.

4. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said retrieving includes selecting or emphasizing an information-source from a plurality of candidate information-sources in accordance with an demographic parameter of a given party of said multi-party voice conversation estimated from electronic media of said multi-party conversation, said estimated demographic parameter being selected from the group consisting of:

i) an age parameter;

ii) a gender parameter; and

iii) an ethnicity parameter.

5. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said retrieving includes effecting a disambiguation in accordance with an demographic parameter of a given party of said multi-party voice conversation estimated from electronic media of said multi-party conversation, said estimated demographic parameter being selected from the group consisting of:

i) an age parameter;

ii) a gender parameter; and

iii) an ethnicity parameter.

6. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said includes assigning a keyword weight in accordance with a speech delivery feature of a given party of said multi-party voice conversation estimated from electronic media of said multi-party conversation said speech delivery feature being selected from the group consisting of:

i) a loudness parameter;

ii) a speech tempo parameter; and

iii) an emotional outburst parameter.

7. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said retrieving includes selecting or emphasizing an information-source from a plurality of candidate information-sources in accordance with a geographic location of a given party of said multi-party voice conversation estimated from electronic media of said multi-party conversation.

8. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said retrieving includes selecting or emphasizing an information-source from a plurality of candidate information-sources in accordance with an accent feature of at least one given party of said multi-party voice conversation.

9. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said retrieving includes assigning a keyword weight in accordance with an demographic parameter of a given party of said multi-party voice conversation estimated from electronic media of said multi-party conversation, said estimated demographic parameter being selected from the group consisting of:

i) an age parameter;

ii) a gender parameter; and

iii) an ethnicity parameter.

10. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said information-presenting for a first set of words extracted from said multi-party conversation includes displacing earlier-presented retrieved information associated with a second earlier set of words extracted from said multi-party conversation in accordance with relative speech delivery parameters of said first and second set extracted words in accordance with a speech delivery feature being selected from the group consisting of:

i) a loudness parameter;

ii) a speech tempo parameter; and

iii) an emotional outburst parameter.

11. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said multi-party voice conversation is carried out between a plurality of client terminal devices communicating via a wide-area network, and for a given client device of said client device plurality:

i) said information retrieval is carried out for incoming content relative to said given client device; and

ii) said information presenting is on a display screen of said given client device.

13. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said retrieving includes sending content of said multi-party conversation to an Internet search engine, and said presenting includes presenting search results from said Internet search engine.

12. ) A method of providing information-retrieval services, the method comprising:

a) monitoring a terminal device for incoming media content and outgoing media content of a multi-party conversation; and

b) in accordance with said incoming media content, retrieving information over a remote network and presenting said retrieved information on said monitored-terminal device.

14. ) The method of claim 12 wherein said retrieving includes retrieving at least one of:

i) a social-network profile;

ii) a weather forecast;

iii) a traffic forecast;

iv) a Wikipedia entry;

v) a news article;

vi) an online forum entry;

vii) a blog entry;

viii) a social bookmarking web service entry;

ix) a music clip; and

x) a film clip.

15. ) A method of providing information-retrieval services, the method comprising:

a) monitoring a given terminal client device for an incoming or outgoing remote call; and

b) upon detecting a said incoming or outgoing remote call, sending content of said detected incoming call or outgoing call over a wide-area network to a search engine; and

c) presenting search results from said search engine on said monitored terminal device.