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

• US 7,657,285 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• 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): Dean, Raymond S
• Application Number:
  US11/409,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20060189350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 455 301- 306, 455/556.1, 455/66.1, 455/344, 709/217, 709/219
• 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 metadata G10H2240/075
• 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 configured to exchange information with a portable type information processing apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving information from said portable type information processing apparatus;

means for judging whether the information received via said means for receiving includes a music identification code in a predetermined form, which is extracted from an audio signal captured by a microphone of the portable type information processing apparatus; and

means for transmitting information including at least a title of music indicated by said music identification code to said portable type information processing apparatus when said judgment means judges that the information includes the music identification code.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitted information also includes at least one of a singer'"'"'s name, a composer'"'"'s name, a songwriter'"'"'s name and a genre.

2. A method of processing information with an information processing apparatus configured to exchange information with a portable type information processing apparatus, said method comprising:

receiving information from said portable type information processing apparatus;

judging whether the received information includes a music identification code in a predetermined form, which is extracted from an audio signal captured by a microphone of the portable type information processing apparatus; and

transmitting information including at least a title of music indicated by said music identification code to said portable type information processing apparatus when the received information is judged to include the music identification code.

10. A method according to claim 2, wherein the transmitted information also includes at least one of a singer'"'"'s name, a composer'"'"'s name, a songwriter'"'"'s name and a genre.

3. An information processing system including a portable type first information processing apparatus and a second information apparatus adapted to exchange information with said first information processing apparatus, wherein

said first information processing apparatus comprises:

a microphone configured to capture audio data;

means for storing the audio data captured via said microphone;

means for acquiring information associated with the audio data stored in said means for storing on the basis of a music identification code, which is extracted from the audio data captured by the microphone and stored in said means for storing; and

means for displaying the information acquired; and

said second information processing apparatus comprises;

means for receiving information from said first information processing apparatus;

means for judging whether the information received via said means for receiving includes said music identification code; and

means for transmitting information including at least a title of music indicated by said music identification code to said first information processing apparatus when said means for judging judges that the information includes the music identification code.

7. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first information processing apparatus is incorporated into a cellular telephone.

11. A system according to claim 3, wherein the transmitted information also includes at least one of a singer'"'"'s name, a composer'"'"'s name, a songwriter'"'"'s name and a genre.

4. A method of processing information in an information processing system including a portable type first information processing apparatus and a second information apparatus adapted to exchange information with said first information processing apparatus, wherein

said first information processing apparatus performs a process comprising:

capturing audio data at a microphone of the first information processing apparatus;

storing the captured audio data;

acquiring information associated with the stored audio data on the basis of a music identification code extracted from the stored audio data; and

displaying the acquired information; and

said second information processing apparatus performs a process comprising;

receiving information from said first information processing apparatus;

judging whether the received information includes said music identification code; and

transmitting information including at least a title of music indicated by said music identification code to said first information processing apparatus when the received information is judged to include the music identification code.

12. A method according to claim 4, wherein the transmitted information also includes at least one of a singer'"'"'s name, a composer'"'"'s name, a songwriter'"'"'s name and a genre.

5. An information processing apparatus configured to exchange information with a portable type information processing apparatus, comprising:

a communication device configured to receive information from said portable type information processing apparatus; and

a processor configured to judge whether the information received via said communication device includes a music identification code in a predetermined form, which is extracted from an audio signal captured by a microphone of the portable type information processing apparatus, wherein said communication device transmits information including at least a title of music indicated by the music identification code to said portable type information processing apparatus when the received information is judged to include the music identification code.

6. An information processing system including a portable type first information processing apparatus and a second information apparatus adapted to exchange information with said first information processing apparatus, wherein

said first information processing apparatus comprises:

a microphone configured to capture audio data;

a memory configured to store the audio data captured by the microphone;

a circuit configured to acquire information associated with the stored music data on the basis of a music identification code extracted from the audio data stored in said memory; and

a display configured to display the information acquired via said circuit; and

said second information processing apparatus comprises;

a communication device configured to receive information from said first information processing apparatus; and

a processor configured to judge whether the information received via said communication device includes said music identification code, wherein said communication device transmits information including at least a title of the music indicated by the music identification code to said first information processing apparatus when the processor judges that the information includes the music identification code.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first information processing apparatus is incorporated into a cellular telephone.

13. A system according to claim 6, wherein the transmitted information also includes at least one of a singer'"'"'s name, a composer'"'"'s name, a songwriter'"'"'s name and a genre.

14. A storage medium readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for information exchange between a portable type information processing apparatus and another information processing apparatus, said method comprising:

receiving information from said portable type information processing apparatus;

judging whether the received information includes a music identification code in a predetermined form, which is extracted from an audio signal captured by a microphone of the portable type information processing apparatus; and

transmitting information including at least a title of music indicated by said music identification code to said portable type information processing apparatus when the received information is judged to include the music identification code.

15. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein the storage medium is at least one of a floppy disk and a CD-ROM.

16. A storage medium readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for information exchange between a portable type first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus, said method comprising:

said first information processing apparatus performs a process comprising;

capturing audio data at a microphone of the first information processing apparatus;

storing the captured audio data;

acquiring information associated with the stored audio data on the basis of a music identification code extracted from the stored audio data; and

displaying the acquired information; and

said second information processing apparatus performs a process comprising;

receiving information from said first information processing apparatus;

judging whether the received information includes said music identification code; and

transmitting information including at least a title of music indicated by said music identification code to said first information processing apparatus when the received information is judged to include the music identification code.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the storage medium is at least one of a floppy disk and a CD-ROM.

18. An information processing system including a portable type first information processing apparatus and a second information apparatus adapted to exchange information with said first information processing apparatus, wherein

said first information processing apparatus comprises:

a microphone configured to capture audio data;

means for storing the audio data captured via said microphone;

means for acquiring information associated with the audio data stored in said means for storing on the basis of a music identification code, which is extracted from the audio data captured by the microphone and stored in said means for storing; and

said second information processing apparatus comprises;

means for receiving information from said first information processing apparatus;

means for judging whether the information received via said means for receiving includes said music identification code; and

means for transmitting information including at least a title of music indicated by said music identification code to said first information processing apparatus when said means for judging judges that the information includes the music identification code.

19. An information processing system including a portable type first information processing apparatus and a second information apparatus adapted to exchange information with said first information processing apparatus, wherein

said first information processing apparatus comprises:

a microphone configured to capture audio data;

a memory configured to store the audio data captured by the microphone;

a circuit configured to acquire information associated with the stored music data on the basis of a music identification code extracted from the audio data stored in said memory; and

said second information processing apparatus comprises;

a communication device configured to receive information from said first information processing apparatus; and

a processor configured to judge whether the information received via said communication device includes said music identification code, wherein said communication device transmits information including at least a title of the music indicated by the music identification code to said first information processing apparatus when the processor judges that the information includes the music identification code.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the information processing apparatus is incorporated into a cellular telephone.

21. An information processing apparatus used in a search system including a search server, comprising:

a microphone configured to capture audio data;

means for storing said audio data captured via said microphone; and

means for transmitting a music identification code extracted from the audio data captured by said microphone and stored in said means for storing to said search server.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the microphone is configured to capture a designation identifying whether the audio data is a radio broadcast or a television broadcast.

23. An information processing apparatus used in a search system including a search server, comprising:

a microphone configured to capture audio data;

a memory configured to store said audio data captured via said microphone; and

a communication device configured to transmit a music identification code extracted from the audio data captured by said microphone and stored in said memory to said search server.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the microphone captures a designation identifying whether the audio data is a radio broadcast or a television broadcast.