Medium and system for searching commercial messages

• US 8,788,355 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2007
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Osamu, Abe, Motosugu
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, MATTHEW E
• Application Number:
  US11/750,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20080107404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,623 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/26.1, 705/27.1, 725/32, 725/36, 725/22
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/44 Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a detecting unit for detecting a commercial message contained in a broadcast television program, a feature quantity calculating unit for calculating a feature quantity of the detected commercial message, a recording unit for recording incidental information relating to the commercial message and the feature quantity of the commercial message, a searching unit for searching for a commercial message satisfying an identification condition, from among commercial messages detected, the identification condition identifying the commercial message and containing a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast and a communication unit for receiving a transmitted transmission request requesting transmission of the feature quantity and the incidental information of the broadcast commercial message satisfying the identification condition, and for transmitting the feature quantity and the incidental information of all commercial messages satisfying the identification condition obtained as a result of the search.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus, connected to each other via a communication network,

(1) the first information processing apparatus including:

a first detector configured to detect a first commercial message contained in a broadcast television program,

a first feature quantity calculator configured to calculate a feature quantity of the detected first commercial message, the first feature quantity calculator calculating the feature quantity of the detected first commercial message based on an analysis of pixels in images of the detected first commercial message,

a first storage configured to store incidental information relating to the detected first commercial message and the feature quantity of the detected first commercial message,

a first searcher configured to search for a commercial message satisfying an identification condition, from among commercial messages detected at the first information processing apparatus, the identification condition including at least a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast, and

a first communication unit configured (i) to receive a transmission request from the second information processing apparatus, the transmission request requesting transmission of a feature quantity and incidental information of the commercial message satisfying the identification condition, and (ii) to transmit feature quantities and incidental information of all messages satisfying the identification condition obtained as a result of the search to the second information processing apparatus; and

(2) the second information processing apparatus including;

a second communication unit configured to transmit the transmission request to the first information processing apparatus and to receive the incidental information and the feature quantities transmitted from the first information processing apparatus,

a second storage configured to store the received incidental information and the received feature quantities,

a second detector configured to detect a second commercial message contained in a broadcast television program,

a second feature quantity calculator configured to calculate a feature quantity of the detected second commercial message, the second feature quantity calculator calculating the feature quantity of the detected second commercial message based on an analysis of pixels in images of the detected second commercial message, and

a second searcher configured to search for incidental information of the detected second commercial message by searching the stored feature quantities on the second storage for a stored feature quantity that matches the feature quantity of the detected second commercial message, wherein the incidental information of the detected second commercial message corresponds to incidental information of a commercial message having the matching feature quantity.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the identification information further includes information of a broadcast station.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire the incidental information of the detected first commercial message, the incidental information of the detected first commercial message being input by an operator of the first information processing apparatus.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second information processing apparatus further includes:

a display configured to display the incidental information of the detected second commercial message to a user at the second information processing apparatus.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first information processing apparatus further includes a first register configured (i) to determine whether the detected first commercial message is registered at the first information processing apparatus based on the feature quantity of the detected first commercial message, and if not, (ii) to register the detected first commercial message in a registration list stored on the first storage, and

the second information processing apparatus further includes a second register configured (i) to determine whether the detected second commercial message is registered at the second information processing apparatus based on the feature quantity of the detected second commercial message, and if not, (ii) to register the detected second commercial message in a registration list stored on the second storage.

4. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having stored thereon computer executable program instructions for performing functions including:

(1) at a first information processing apparatus;

(a) detecting a first commercial message contained in a broadcast television program,

(b) calculating a feature quantity of the detected first commercial message, the feature quantity of the detected first commercial message being calculated based on an analysis of pixels in images of the detected first commercial message,

(c) storing incidental information relating to the detected first commercial message and the feature quantity of the detected first commercial message,

(d) searching a commercial message satisfying an identification condition, from among commercial messages detected at the first information processing apparatus, the identification condition including at least a period within which the commercial message has been broadcast,

(e) receiving a transmission request from a second information processing apparatus, the transmission request requesting transmission of a feature quantity and incidental information of the commercial message satisfying the identification condition, and

(f) transmitting feature quantities and incidental information of all messages satisfying the identification condition obtained as a result of the search to the second information processing apparatus; and

(2) at the second information processing apparatus;

(a) receiving the incidental information and the feature quantities transmitted from the first information processing apparatus in response to the transmission request,

(b) storing the received incidental information and the received feature quantities,

(c) detecting a second commercial message contained in a broadcast television program,

(d) calculating a feature quantity of the detected second commercial message, the feature quantity of the detected second commercial message being calculated based on an analysis of pixels in images of the detected second commercial message, and

(e) searching for incidental information of the detected second commercial message by searching the stored feature quantities for a stored feature quantity that matches the feature quantity of the detected second commercial message, wherein the incidental information of the detected second commercial message corresponds to incidental information of a commercial message having the matching feature quantity.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media according to claim 4, wherein the functions further include:

determining whether the detected first commercial message is registered at the first information processing apparatus based on the feature quantity of the detected first commercial message, and if not, registering the detected first commercial message in a registration list stored at the first information processing apparatus, and

determining whether the detected second commercial message is registered at the second information processing apparatus based on the feature quantity of the detected second commercial message, and if not, registering the detected second commercial message in a registration list stored at the second information processing apparatus.