Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and distribution media

• US 7,620,105 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2005
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohta, Masashi, Suito, Taro, Miyata, Katsunari
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TUNG T
• Application Number:
  US11/136,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20050223403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,637 Days
• Field of Search: 348/700, 348/669, 348/699, 348/553, 348/554, 348/571, 348/907, 386/46, 386/1, 386/102, 386/48, 386/125, 386/110, 37524012-24025
• US Class Current: 375/240.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/56 Arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

An information processing apparatus capable of accurately detecting commercials included in a television broadcast. A commercial candidate section detector detects a commercial candidate section based on the characteristics of transitions between a program and a commercial and based on the characteristics of commercials. Transitional criteria include quiet sections, scene change points and changes in the audio multiplex mode. A commercial block detector detects a commercial block, which is composed of a plurality of commercial sections and is interposed between program portions, in conformity with the number of frames of the individual commercial candidate sections detected by the commercial candidate section detector, and then outputs to a switch a control signal based on the result of such commercial block detection.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing data comprising audio and video signals, wherein said data includes a commercial message, said apparatus comprising:

commercial message candidate section detecting means for detecting commercial message candidate sections in said data;

a first measuring means for measuring a length of each commercial message candidate section;

a first judgment means for making a first judgment of whether the length of each commercial message candidate section is within a first predetermined range of an integral multiple of a standard length;

a second measuring means for measuring the length of an intermediate section between the commercial message candidate sections that are judged by the first judgment means;

a second judgment means for making a second judgment of whether the length of the intermediate section is within a second predetermined range; and

commercial message block determining means for determining a commercial message block of one or more commercial message candidate sections according to the first judgment and the second judgment.

2. An apparatus for processing data comprising audio and video signals, wherein said data includes a commercial message, said apparatus comprising:

commercial message extracting means for extracting at least one commercial message based on a reference criterion indicative of a commercial message characteristic;

alteration detecting means for detecting an alteration of the commercial message characteristic, wherein the alteration detection means measures a total length of the at least one commercial message and compares the total length to integral multiples of a standard length to detect the alteration of the commercial message characteristic; and

changing means for changing the reference criterion according to the alteration of the commercial message characteristic detected by said alteration detecting means.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the alteration detecting means includes means for detecting an alteration of a standard length of the commercial message.

3. An apparatus for processing data comprising audio and video signals, wherein said data includes a commercial message, said apparatus comprising:

a detector for detecting commercial message candidate sections in said data;

a measuring circuit for measuring a length of each commercial message candidate section and for measuring a length of an intermediate section between commercial message candidate sections;

a first comparator for making a first comparison of whether the length of each commercial message candidate section is within a first predetermined range of an integral multiple of a standard length;

a second comparator for making a second comparison of whether the length of the intermediate section that is not judged as a commercial candidate section by the first comparator is within a second predetermined range; and

a commercial message block detector for detecting a commercial message block of one or more commercial message candidate sections according to the first judgment and the second judgment.

4. An apparatus for processing data comprising audio and video signals, wherein said data includes a commercial message, said apparatus comprising:

a commercial message extracting circuit for extracting at least one commercial message based on a reference criterion indicative of a commercial message characteristic;

a detector for detecting an alteration of the commercial message characteristic, wherein the detector measures a total length of the at least one commercial message and compares the total length to integral multiples of a standard length to detect the alteration of the commercial message characteristic; and

a controller for changing the reference criterion according to the alteration of the commercial message characteristic detected by said detector.