Method and system to mark an audio signal with metadata

• US 7,689,422 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2003
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: amBX UK Ltd.
• Original Assignee: amBX UK Ltd.
• Inventors: Thorne, Christopher, Cole, Richard S., Eves, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil; Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEN, ERIC L
• Application Number:
  US10/540,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20060100882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,302 Days
• Field of Search: 704/231, 704/251, 704/270
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use

Abstract

A method of processing an audio signal comprises receiving an audio signal, extracting features from the audio signal, and translating the extracted features into metadata. The metadata comprises an instruction set of a markup language. A system for processing the audio signal is also disclosed, which comprises an input device for receiving the audio signal and a processor for extracting the features from the audio signal and for translating the extracted features into the metadata.

Claims

1. A method of processing an audio signal comprising acts of:

receiving an audio signal,

extracting musical features from the audio signal,

translating the extracted musical features into metadata, the metadata comprising an instruction set of a markup language,

transmitting the instruction set to a browser,

storing the metadata with associated time data, the time data defining a start time and a duration, relative to the audio signal, of each of a plurality of markup language terms of the instruction set, the time data synchronizing the metadata to the received audio signal,

receiving markup language assets, and

rendering the markup language assets in synchronization with the received audio signal, the synchronization matching the metadata to the received audio signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the musical features extracted from the audio signal include one or more of tempo, key and volume.

3. A system for processing an audio signal, comprising:

an input device for receiving an audio signal;

a processor for extracting musical features from the audio signal and for translating the extracted musical features into metadata, the metadata comprising an instruction set of a markup language;

a memory operably coupled to the processor for storing the metadata with time data, the time data defining a start time and a duration, relative to the audio signal, of each of a plurality of markup language terms of the instruction set, the time data enabling synchronizing the metadata to the received audio signal,

an output device for outputting the received audio signal; and

a browser distributed amongst a set of devices, the browser arranged to receive an instruction set of the markup language and markup language assets and to control the set of devices, thereby rendering the markup language assets in synchronization with the received audio signal.

4. The system according to claim 3, further comprising an output device for outputting the received audio signal.

5. A method of processing an audio signal comprising acts of:

receiving an audio signal,

extracting musical features from a plurality of portions of the audio signal,

translating the extracted musical features from the plurality of portions into corresponding metadata, the metadata comprising an instruction set of a markup language corresponding to real world descriptions,

storing in memory the metadata corresponding to each of the plurality of audio signal portions;

storing time data in memory in association with each of a plurality of markup language terms of the instruction set, the time data comprising a start time and a duration relative to a corresponding portion of the audio signal,

receiving markup language assets, and

rendering markup language assets as identified by the metadata terms in synchronization with the plurality of corresponding portions of the received audio signal.