Real-time recording agent for streaming data from an internet

• US 8,201,194 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2004
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pace PLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cumpson, Stephen R., Korst, Johannes H. M., Wijnands, Rudi J. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAIG, SAHAR A
• Application Number:
  US10/540,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20060146787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,081 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 725/14, 725/19, 725/46
• US Class Current: 725/19
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• 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: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• 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 21/466 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies services using the results of monitoring in broadcast systems H04H60/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4826 using recommendation lists, e.g. of programs or channels sorted out according to their score
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8113 comprising music, e.g. song in MP3 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/782 : on tape
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only

Abstract

A personal recorder/playback system (10) includes a recording agent (32) configured to transparently receive multiple audio/visual streams from analog and/or digital sources. The streams are temporarily stored in queues (52,54) for subsequent analysis. The streams, after analysis, are either discarded, stored permanently in an audio/visual collection (48,50), or used to improve the quality of previously stored streams in the collection. The recording agent (32) provides features such as virtual channels (42) and a “top-ten” list (38) of most popular stored audio/visual streams.

Claims

1. A personal recording and playback system (10) comprising:

a receiving means (19, 21) for receiving streaming audio/visual input from at least one of broadcast radio, broadcast TV stations, cable TV systems, satellite TV systems, the Internet, and other wide-area networks;

a means (21) for connecting to wide area networks including the Internet and receiving streaming audio or audio/visual input;

a storage means (36) for storing the received streaming audio or audio/visual input;

a user input means (12) for inputting user commands to the recording/playback system (10);

a user output means (14) for outputting the audio or audio/visual input;

a recording means (32) for transparently;

tracking audio or audio/visual preferences of a user of the system (10);

maintaining a user profile database (34) for storing and maintaining user preferences;

receiving multiple audio or audio/visual streams via the receiving means (19, 21) and storing the received multiple audio or audio/visual streams on the storage means (36) in the background; and

,

maintaining an audio or audio/visual recording collection (48, 50) according to the user preferences by analyzing the received audio/visual streams; and

a content analysis means (56) for examining and improving a quality of an audio or audio/visual stream stored in the recording collection and identifying at least one of;

a profile of the stream, and voice over sections of the stream, degraded sections of the stream, and commercial detection,

wherein the content analysis means (56) improves the quality of the audio or audio/visual stream stored in the recording collection by comparing a title in the audio or audio/visual recording collection (48, 50) to a title stored in a real time file system or a common memory and either;

(i) replacing a title in the audio or audio/visual recording collection (48, 50) with a title stored in the real time file system or the common memory or

(ii) replacing portions of the title in the audio or audio/visual recording collection in order to remove voice over portions or defects of any kind or commercials, and wherein the operation of the content analysis means and replacing of either the said title (i), or portion of the title (ii), in the audio or audio/visual recording collection, is performed without the user being required to have previously listened to, or listened to and/or watched, the said title (i) or portions of the title (ii).

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, further including:

virtual channels (42) stored on the storage system (36), each virtual channel configured with a virtual channel profile defining the types of audio or audio/visual streams to be included in the virtual channel and, wherein the recording means further;

updates the virtual channels by selectively including received audio or audio/visual streams in each virtual channel which matches the virtual channel profile.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a most-popular list means (38) for storing the most often broadcasted audio/visual streams, and, the recording means further;

updates the most-popular list with the most often broadcasted audio or audio/visual streams.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1, further including:

a selection means (16) for playing audio or audio/visual streams selected by the user via the input device (12) on the user output device (14) from one of;

the receiving means (19, 21) ; and

,

the audio/visual collection (48, 50).

5. The system as set forth in claim 4, further including:

a fingerprint analysis means (58) for identifying audio or audio/visual streams by matching a portion or portions of the stream to fingerprints stored in one of a local fingerprint database (60) and a remote fingerprint database (62).

6. The system as set forth in claim 4, further including a video removal means (68) for removing a video portion from an audio/visual stream, leaving an audio portion.

7. The system as set forth in claim 4, further including:

a format-check means (30) for determining and decoding a format of an audio or audio/visual stream, the formats including;

MPEG2;

MPEG4;

MP3;

Ogg Vorbis;

DIVX;

Realplayer Real-Video;

Realplayer Real-Audio;

Microsoft Windows Media;

Microsoft Netshow;

Apple Quicktime;

Xing StreamWorks; and

analog.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7, further including:

a plug-in database means (64) for storing and retrieving plug-ins to enable the format check means (30) to determine and decode additional audio or audio/visual stream formats.

9. A personal recording and playback system (10) according to claim 1 wherein:

the system includes a processor (32) programmed to;

track audio or audio/visual preferences of a user of the system (10);

maintain a user profile database (34);

receive multiple audio or audio/visual streams in the background via the receiver (19, 21) and store the received multiple audio or audio/visual streams in the memory (36); and

,

maintain an audio or audio/visual recording collection (48, 50) in the memory according to the user preferences by analyzing the received audio/visual streams.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9, further including:

a selection processor (16) configured to select audio or audio/visual streams selected by the user to be played by the input/output (12, 14), the audio or audio/visual streams being selected from one of;

the receiver (19, 21); and

,

the audio/visual collection (48, 50).

11. A method for maintaining an audio/visual collection in a device having a memory for storing audio/visual content and a processor that executes the method comprising:

receiving one or more audio or audio/visual streams in a background process transparent to a user;

storing the received audio or audio/visual streams in a memory of the device for subsequent analysis;

monitoring playback preferences of the user;

maintaining in a memory of the device a user preference profile including the user playback preferences;

storing and maintaining the audio or audio/visual streams in a audio/visual collection (48, 50) in a memory of the device;

analyzing and matching the recorded audio or audio/visual streams to the user preference profile; and

examining and improving a quality of an audio or audio/visual stream stored in the audio/visual collection and identifying at least one of;

a profile of the stream, voice over sections of the stream, degraded sections of the stream, and commercial detection,

wherein improving the quality of the audio or audio/visual stream stored in the audio/visual collection comprises comparing a title in the audio or audio/visual recording collection (48, 50) to a title stored in a real time file system or a common memory and either;

(i) replacing a title in the audio or audio/visual recording collection with a title stored in the real time file system or the common memory or

(ii) replacing portions of the title in the audio or audio/visual recording collection (48, 50) in order to remove voice over portions or defects of any kind or commercials, and wherein the operation of the content analysis means and replacing of either the said title (i), or portion of the title (ii), in the audio or audio/visual recording collection, is performed without the user being required to have previously listened to, or listened to and/or watched, the said title (i) or portions of the title (ii).

12. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein the step of maintaining a user profile further includes:

maintaining one or more virtual channels, each virtual channel configured according to specific user preferences and including stored audio or audio/video collection streams matching the specific user preferences.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the step of storing the queued stream includes:

selectively adding the stored stream to the virtual channels.

14. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein the step of maintaining a user profile further includes:

maintaining a most-popular list including a configured number of stored audio or audio/video collection streams most often received.

15. The method as set forth in claim 11, further including at least one of:

identifying each of the audio or audio/visual streams by matching its fingerprint to a local fingerprint database entry;

identifying each of the audio or audio/visual streams by matching its fingerprint to a remote fingerprint database entry; and

,

subtracting the video portion from an audio or audio/visual stream to produce an audio stream.

16. A personal recording and playback system (10) comprising:

a receiving means (19, 21) for receiving streaming audio/visual input from at least one of broadcast radio, broadcast TV stations, cable TV systems, satellite TV systems, the Internet, and other wide-area networks;

a means (21) for connecting to wide area networks including the Internet and receiving streaming audio or audio/visual input;

a storage means (36) for storing the received streaming audio or audio/visual input;

a user input means (12) for inputting user commands to the recording/playback system (10);

a user output means (14) for outputting the audio or audio/visual input;

a recording means (32) for transparently;

tracking audio or audio/visual preferences of a user of the system (10);

maintaining a user profile database (34) for storing and maintaining user preferences;

receiving multiple audio or audio/visual streams via the receiving means (19, 21) and storing the received multiple audio or audio/visual streams on the storage means (36) in the background; and

,

maintaining an audio or audio/visual recording collection (48, 50) according to the user preferences by analyzing the received audio/visual streams; and

a content analysis means (56) for examining and improving a quality of an audio or audio/visual stream stored in the recording collection and identifying at least one of;

a profile of the stream, and voice over sections of the stream, degraded sections of the stream, and commercial detection,

wherein the content analysis means (56) improves the quality of the audio or audio/visual stream stored in the recording collection by comparing a title in the audio or audio/visual recording collection (48, 50) to a title stored in a real time file system or a common memory and replacing portions of the title in the audio or audio/visual recording collection in order to remove voice over portions or defects of any kind or commercials and wherein the operation of the content analysis means and replacing of the title, or portion of the title, in the audio or audio/visual recording collection, is performed without the user being required to have previously listened to, or listened to and/or watched, the said title or portions of the title.