System and method for content retrieval

• US 6,748,375 B1
• Filed: 09/07/2000
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wong, Curtis G., Drucker, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/656,666
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 707/5, 707/4, 707/6, 707/3, 709/218, 709/250, 345/723, 345/721, 706/50
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4508 Management of client data or end-user data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A content retrieval system is provided. The system includes a communications signal analyzing system for receiving a communications signal and decoding the signal to generate key search terms associated with the communications signal. A search engine system performs a content based search using the key search terms. A display system displays search results from the search engine system concurrently with displaying an output corresponding to the communications signal.

Claims

1. A content retrieval system comprising:

a communications signal analyzing system which receives a communications signal and acts on the signal to generate key search terms associated with the communications signal;

a search engine system that performs dynamic content-based Internet searches in response to the generation of key search terms; and

a displays system which displays search results from the search engine system concurrently with displaying an output corresponding to the communications signal.

2. The system of claim 1, further including a filtering system to limit the search to at least one website.

3. The system of claim 1, further including a natural language search system.

4. The system of claim 1, further including a neural network.

5. The system of claim 1, further including an expert system.

6. The system of claim 1, the search results including active URLs.

7. The system of claim 1, the communications signal being a television broadcast.

8. The system of claim 1, the communications signal being a radio broadcast.

9. The system of claim 1, further including a pattern recognition system.

10. A content retrieval system comprising:

means for analyzing for receiving a communications signal and analyzing the signal to generate key search terms associated with the communications signal;

means for performing dynamic content based searches using the key search terms; and

means for displaying search results from the search engine system concurrently with displaying an output corresponding to the communications signal.

11. The system of claim 10, further means for limiting the search to at least one webside.

12. The system of claim 10, further including means for performing a natural language search.

13. The system of claim 10, the search results including active URLs.

14. The system of claim 10, further including means for pattern recognition.

15. A method for obtaining content associated with a communication comprising:

receiving the communication;

analyzing the communication and generating one or more key search terms corresponding to the communication;

performing an Internet based search using the key search terms for content relating to the communication, wherein the search is initiated upon generation of one or more search terms; and

displaying results of the search to the user concurrently with outputting the communication to the user.

16. The system of claim 15, further including the step of using a filtering system to limit the search to at least one website.

17. The system of claim 15, further including the step of using a natural language search system.

18. The system of claim 15, further including the step of using a neural network.

19. The system of claim 15, further including the step of using an expert system.

20. The system of claim 15, further including the step of using a pattern recognition system.

21. A content retrieval system comprising:

a closed captioned information decoding system which receives closed captioned information associated with a communications signal and decoding the closed captioned information;

a keyword generating system which receives decoded closed captioned information from the closed captioned information decoding system to generate key search terms associated with the communications signal;

a search engine system which performs one or more content based searches using the key search terms in response to the generation thereof; and

a display system which displays search results from the search engine system concurrently with displaying an output corresponding to the communications signal.

22. A content retrieval system comprising:

an audio decoding system which receives audio information associated with a communications signal and decoding the audio information;

a keyword generating system which receives decoded audio information from the audio decoding system to generate key search teams associated with the communications signal;

a search engine system which performs one or more content based searches using the key search terms in response to the generation thereof; and

a display system which displays search results from the search engine system concurrently with displaying an output corresponding to the communications signal.

23. A content retrieval system comprising:

an image decoding system which receives image information associated with a communications signal and decoding the image information;

a keyword generating system which receives decoded image information from the image decoding system to generate key search terms associated with the communications signal;

a search engine system which performs one or more content based searches using the key search terms in response to the generation thereof; and

a display system which displays search results from the search engine system concurrently with displaying an output corresponding to the communications signal.

24. A content retrieval system comprising:

a communications signal analyzing system which receives a communications signal and acting on the signal to generate key search terms associated with the communications signal;

a search engine system which performs a content based search over the Internet using and in response to the generation of key search terms; and

a display system which displays search results from the search engine system concurrently with displaying an output corresponding to the communications signal, the display system comprising at least a first computer system and a second computer system.

25. The system of claim 24, the first computer system providing for displaying information in connection with the communications signal.

26. The system of claim 24, the second computer system providing for storing information in connection with the search results.

27. A portable computing system operative to be employed in connection with a content retrieval system, the content retrieval system including a communications signal analyzing system which receives a communications signal and acting on the signal to generate key search terms associated with the communications signal;

and a search engine system which performs a dynamic content based search over the Internet using one or more generated key search terms, the portable computing system comprising;

a first component for receiving search results from the content retrieval system; and

a second component for concurrently displaying and/or storing at least a portion of the search results with the received communications signal.