METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IDENTIFYING MEDIA CONTENT PRESENTED ON A MEDIA PLAYING DEVICE

• US 20110119149A1
• Filed: 01/21/2011
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James B. Schrempp, Vance E. Ikezoye
• Original Assignee: James B. Schrempp, Vance E. Ikezoye
• Inventors: Schrempp, James B., Ikezoye, Vance E.
• Granted Patent: US 10,194,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• 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: G06F 16/783 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/7834 using audio features
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A media device generates a digital fingerprint of perceptual features of a segment of a work. The segment is less than an entirety of the work and includes at least one of audio or video media content. The media device sends a query to a lookup server for data associated with the work, the query including said digital fingerprint. The media device receives the data associated with said work from said lookup server in response to said query, wherein the data was identified based on a comparison of the digital fingerprint to a collection of digital fingerprints of known works. The media device then processes the received data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a digital fingerprint of perceptual features of a segment of a work by a media device, the segment being less than an entirety of the work and including at least one of audio or video media content;

sending a query to a lookup server for data associated with the work, the query including said digital fingerprint;

receiving the data associated with said work from said lookup server in response to said query, wherein the data was identified based on a comparison of the digital fingerprint to a collection of digital fingerprints of known works; and

processing the received data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

buffering the segment of the work by the media device while the segment is played on the media device; and

generating the digital fingerprint upon receiving a user-initiated command for the data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a log of user activity based on the received data; and

offering for purchase at least one of a product or a service related to said work based on said log.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said media device is at least one of a portable media player or a mobile phone.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the segment of the work via at least one of a microphone, a video camera or a media stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said work includes at least one of a song, a musical audio track or a nonmusical audio track, and wherein the perceptual features include acoustical features.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the data comprises displaying the data while the work is being played.

8. A machine-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to perform a method comprising:

generating a digital fingerprint of perceptual features of a segment of a work, the segment being less than an entirety of the work and including at least one of audio or video media content;

sending a query to a lookup server for data associated with the work, the query including said digital fingerprint;

receiving the data associated with said work from said lookup server in response to said query, wherein the data was identified based on a comparison of the digital fingerprint to a collection of digital fingerprints of known works; and

processing the received data.

9. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

buffering the segment of the work while the segment is played on a media device; and

generating the digital fingerprint upon receiving a user-initiated command for the data.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

generating a log of user activity based on the received data; and

offering for purchase at least one of a product or a service related to said work based on said log.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, the method further comprising:

receiving the segment of the work via at least one of a microphone, a video camera or a media stream.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein said work includes at least one of a song, a musical audio track or a nonmusical audio track, and wherein the perceptual features include acoustical features.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 8, wherein processing the data comprises displaying the data while the work is being played.

14. A media device comprising:

a memory to store instructions for obtaining information associated with a work; and

a processor to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions cause the processor to;

generate a digital fingerprint of perceptual features of a segment of the work, the segment being less than an entirety of the work and including at least one of audio or video media content;

send a query to a lookup server for data associated with the work, the query including said digital fingerprint;

receive the data associated with said work from said lookup server in response to said query, wherein the data was identified based on a comparison of the digital fingerprint to a collection of digital fingerprints of known works; and

process the received data.

15. The media device of claim 14, further comprising the instructions to cause the processor to:

buffer the segment of the work while the segment is played on the media device; and

generate the digital fingerprint upon receiving a user-initiated command for the data.

16. The media device of claim 14, further comprising the instructions to cause the processor to:

generate a log of user activity based on the received data; and

offer for purchase at least one of a product or a service related to said work based on said log.

17. The media device of claim 14, wherein said media device is at least one of a portable media player or a mobile phone.

18. The media device of claim 14, wherein the media device receives the segment of the work via at least one of a microphone, a video camera or a media stream.

19. The media device of claim 14, wherein said work includes at least one of a song, a musical audio track or a nonmusical audio track, and wherein the perceptual features include acoustical features.

20. The media device of claim 14, wherein processing the data comprises displaying the data while the work is being played.