Information processing apparatus and method, information processing system, and transmission medium

• US 7,190,971 B1
• Filed: 07/29/1998
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ironworks Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawamoto, Yoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dean, Raymond S.
• Application Number:
  US09/126,007
• Time in Patent Office: 3,149 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414, 455/456, 455/457, 455/566, 455/557, 455/556, 455/426, 455/427, 455/12.1
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/634 Query by example, e.g. query by humming
• 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: G10H 2240/091 Info, i.e. juxtaposition of unrelated auxiliary information or commercial messages with or between music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/28 Arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/27 specially adapted for broadcast systems covered by groups H04H20/53 - H04H20/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/64 for providing detail information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/87 accessed over computer networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/94 Telephonic networks for accessing the Internet H04H60/84
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/553 Data upload
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

When a user gets interested in some music he/she listens to somewhere, for example, in a coffee shop, the user records that music in a memory provided in a portable terminal. A processor reads the information stored in the memory and performs a predetermined process on it. The resultant information is stored on a storage device. The information stored on the storage device is then transferred to a server via a communication device. The server searches the database for the title of the music corresponding to the received information, and returns the result to the terminal. Thus, the user can easily get information about the title of the music.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus adapted to exchange information with another information processing apparatus, comprising:

capture means for capturing information including at least time information that corresponds with a time at which a predetermined content was broadcast from a broadcast source;

memory means for storing information captured via said capture means;

acquisition means for acquiring information associated with the content and the information stored in said memory means on the basis of the information stored in said memory means;

display means for displaying the information acquired via said acquisition means; and

wherein the information processing apparatus is incorporated into a cellular telephone.

2. An information processing apparatus adapted to exchange information with another information processing apparatus, comprising:

an input device for capturing information including at least time information that corresponds with a time at which a predetermined content was broadcast from a broadcast source;

a memory for storing information captured via said input device;

a circuit for acquiring information associated with the content and the information stored in said memory on the basis of the information stored in said memory;

a display for displaying the information acquired via said circuit for acquiring information; and

wherein the information processing apparatus is incorporated into a cellular telephone.

3. An information processing apparatus adapted to exchange information with another information processing apparatus, comprising:

capture means for capturing information including at least time information that corresponds with a time at which a predetermined content was broadcast from a broadcast source;

memory means for storing the information captured via said capture means;

transmission means for transmitting the information stored in said memory means to said another information processing apparatus which acquires information associated with the content and the information on the basis of the information transmitted from said information processing apparatus; and

wherein the information processing apparatus is incorporated into a cellular telephone.

4. A method of processing information with an information processing apparatus adapted to exchange information with another information processing apparatus, comprising the steps of:

capturing information including at least time information that corresponds with a time at which a predetermined content was broadcast from a broadcast source;

storing the captured information; and

transmitting the stored information to said another information processing apparatus which acquires information associated with the content and the information on the basis of the information transmitted from said informaton processing apparatus; and

wherein the information is captured within a cellular telephone.

5. An information processing apparatus, comprising:

a recording device configured to record information related to a music playing when said recording device records said information, said music being broadcast from a remote source;

a memory configured to store said information related to said music when said music is playing;

a circuit configured to acquire information associated with the music based on said information related to said music when said music is playing; and

a display device configured to display the information associated with the music acquired with said circuit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said information related to said music includes time information about a time when said music is playing.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said information acquired with said circuit relates to said music.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a telephone.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said circuit comprises:

a transmitter configured to transmit said information related to said music; and

a receiver configured to receive said information based on said information related to said music.

10. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an input device configured to receive an input and wherein said recording device is configured to activate based on said input.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said input device comprises a button.

12. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said recording device comprises a microphone.