Method and System for Communicating Between a Sender and a Recipient Via a Personalized Message Including an Audio Clip Extracted from a Pre-Existing Recording

• US 20130006627A1
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audiobyte LLC
• Original Assignee: Rednote LLC
• Inventors: Guthery, Scott, van den Bosch, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,262,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/685 using automatically derived transcript of audio data, e.g. lyrics speech recognition G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/26 Debit schemes, e.g. "pay now"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A method of communicating between a sender and a recipient via a personalized message is disclosed comprising: (a) identifying text, via the user interface of a communication device, of a desired lyric phrase from within a pre-existing audio recording; (b) extracting audio substantially associated with the desired lyric phrase from the pre-existing recording into a desired audio clip; (c) inputting personalized text via the user interface; (d) creating the personalized message with the sender identification, the personalized text and access to the desired audio clip; (e) sending an electronic message to the electronic address of the recipient, wherein the electronic message may be an SMS/EMS/MMS message, instant message or email message including a link to the personalized message or an EMS/MMS or email message including the personalized message. An associated method of earning money from the communication along with associated systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between a sender and a recipient via a personalized message created by the sender on a communication device, the sender having a sender identification, the communication device having a user interface, the method comprising:

identifying text, via the user interface, of a desired lyric phrase from within a pre-existing recording;

extracting audio substantially associated with the desired lyric phrase from the pre-existing recording into a desired audio clip via a substantially automated process;

providing an electronic address for the recipient;

inputting personalized text via the user interface;

creating the personalized message with the sender identification, the personalized text and access to the desired audio clip;

sending an electronic message to the electronic address of the recipient, wherein the message is selected from the group consisting essentially of (a) an SMS message including a link to the personalized message;

(b) an EMS message including a link to the personalized message;

(c) an MMS message including a link to the personalized message;

(d) an instant message including a link to the personalized message;

(e) an email message including a link to the personalized message;

(f) an EMS message comprised of the personalized message;

(g) an MMS message comprised of the personalized message; and

(h) an email comprised of the personalized message.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein creating the personalized message further includes:

saving the desired audio clip in a storage facility not controlled by either the sender or the recipient; and

providing a handle to the desired audio clip in the personalized message.

3. The method according to claim 2 further comprising:

creating an account for the sender;

associating the sender account with funds; and

deducting from the funds associated with the sender account upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the predetermined event is the sending of an electronic message to the electronic address of the recipient.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein the predetermined event is accessing the handle after sending the electronic message to the recipient.

6. The method according to claim 3 wherein the method further includes determining whether the sender successfully received the electronic message, the predetermined event is the successful receipt of the electronic message by the recipient.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein sending the electronic message is controlled by an administrator and the pre-existing recording is controlled by a publisher, creating the personalized message further includes:

providing a link to a web page controlled by the publisher that offers the pre-existing recording; and

associating the link with the administrator so that the publisher pays the administrator if the recipient purchases the pre-existing recording from the web page.

8. The method according to claim 3 further comprising calculating the funds deducted from the sender account based upon the publisher of the pre-existing recording.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein identifying text, via the user interface includes searching for the desired lyric phrase within one or more pre-existing recordings.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein searching for the desired lyric phrase includes:

selecting an emotion from a list of possible emotions; and

displaying the one or more pre-existing recordings pre-associated with the selected emotion.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein searching for the desired lyric phrase includes playing back at least a portion of one or more pre-existing recordings via the user interface.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein

extracting the audio substantially associated with the desired lyric phrase further creates lyrics synchronized to the pre-existing recording;

and

playing back a portion of one or more pre-existing recordings includes displaying lyrics associated with the portion of the one or more pre-existing recordings on the user interface.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the substantially automated process for extracting audio substantially associated with the desired lyric phrase from the pre-existing recording into the desired audio clip includes:

applying the adjusted best-suited wavelet template to the pre-existing recording to form a time-by-frequency matrix;

detecting vocal/non-vocal edges in the time-by-frequency matrix;

establishing vocal intervals based on the detected edges;

mapping lyrics for the pre-existing recording onto the established vocal intervals; and

extracting the desired audio clip by matching the desired lyric phrase to one of the established vocal intervals based on the mapping.

14. The method according to claim 13 further comprising:

analyzing the pre-existing recording to select the best-suited wavelet template for the pre-existing recording; and

adjusting the parameters of the best-suited wavelet template.

15. The method according to claim 13 further comprising creating the lyrics using a speech-to-text conversion program.

16. A system for communicating between a sender and a recipient via a personalized message created by the sender via a communication device, the sender having a sender identification, the system comprising:

a music database containing a plurality of pre-existing recordings;

a sender user interface in operable communication with the communication device, capable of displaying the plurality of pre-existing recordings in the music database and lyrics associated with each of the plurality of pre-existing recordings, the sender user interface supporting (a) identification by the sender of a desired lyric phrase found within one of the plurality of pre-existing recordings, (b) entry of an electronic address of the recipient and (c) entry of a personalized text;

an audio extraction engine operably associated with the music database and the sender user interface to extract audio substantially associated with the desired lyric phrase found within one of the plurality of pre-existing recordings into a desired audio clip; and

a message generator for generating the personalized message including the sender identification, the personalized text and access to the desired audio clip and for saving the personalized message in a message database.

17. The system according to claim 16 wherein the message generator generates and sends an electronic message to the electronic address of the recipient, wherein the electronic message is selected from the group consisting essentially of (a) an SMS message including a link to the personalized message;

(b) an EMS message including a link to the personalized message;

(c) an MMS message including a link to the personalized message;

(d) an instant message including a link to the personalized message;

(e) an email message including a link to the personalized message;

(f) an EMS message comprised of the personalized message;

(g) an MMS message comprised of the personalized message; and

(h) an email comprised of the personalized message.

18. The system according to claim 17 further comprising an asset management database containing a sender account for each sender, each sender account being associated with funds.

19. The system according to claim 18 wherein the asset management database further contains accounts for one or more sponsors, each sponsor account including a sponsor brand image and sponsor allocated funds, wherein the funds associated each sender account are the sponsor allocated funds.

20. The system according to claim 19 further comprising an analytic engine for monitoring events generated by at least one of the sender user interface, the message generator, the recipient user interface.

21. The system according to claim 20 wherein the analytic engine determines whether a predetermined event has occurred.

22. The system according to claim 21 wherein the predetermined event is sending an electronic message to the electronic address of the recipient.

23. The system according to claim 21 wherein the predetermined event is the successful receipt of the electronic message by the recipient.

24. The system according to claim 21 wherein the predetermined event is accessing the desired audio clip after sending the electronic message to the recipient.

25. The system according to claim 16 wherein the sender user interface further supports searching for the desired lyric phrase within the plurality of pre-existing recordings in the music database.

26. The system according to claim 25 wherein the sender user interface supports searching for the desired lyric phrase by providing an interface that facilitates the selection of an emotion from a list of possible emotions and then displays one or more pre-existing recordings pre-associated with the selected emotion.

27. The system according to claim 16 wherein the audio extraction engine uses a time-by-frequency matrix to detect vocal/non-vocal edges and thus establish likely vocal intervals, maps lyrics for the pre-existing recording onto the established likely vocal intervals and then extracts the desired audio clip by matching the desired lyric phrase to one of the established vocal intervals based on the mapping.

28. The system according to claim 27 further comprising a speech-to-text conversion program for generating the lyrics from each of the plurality of pre-existing recordings.