Method and apparatus for associating mobile devices using audio signature detection

• US 9,094,453 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ady, Roger W, Lombardi, Michael J
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US14/073,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20150127710A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/225, 709/228, 709/229, 709/232, 709/248
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/00 Speech or audio signals analysis-synthesis techniques for redundancy reduction, e.g. in vocoders; Coding or decoding of speech or audio signals, using source filter models or psychoacoustic analysis in musical instruments G10H
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

One disclosed method of operation includes obtaining audio data from a plurality of mobile devices, comparing the audio data to at least one stored audio signature, and grouping mobile devices that have audio data containing the at least one stored audio signature. The method may further include sending an invitation message to the grouped mobile devices to enable each mobile device to associate itself to the group. The method may also include providing content to the grouped mobile devices, where the content is related to the at least one stored audio signature. Various applications exist for the grouping of mobile devices based on audio signature, one such application being related to identifying social media groups or communities, or other content, which may be of interest to mobile device users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, from a first mobile device and a second mobile device of a plurality of mobile devices, respective audio data received by the first mobile device and respective audio data received by the second mobile device;

determining the respective audio data received by the first mobile device was generated by a first audio source associated with an event by at least comparing the respective audio data from the first mobile device to at least one stored audio signature associated with the event;

determining the respective audio data received by the second mobile device was generated by a second audio source associated with the event by at least comparing the respective audio data from the second mobile device to the at least one stored audio signature associated with the event; and

responsive to determining that the respective audio data received by the first mobile device and the respective audio data received by the second mobile device was generated by two different audio sources associated with the same event, grouping the first and second mobile devices in a mobile device group related to the event, wherein the second audio source is different from the first audio source and the first and second audio sources are each selected from a group consisting of live audio from the event, a television broadcast of the event, a radio broadcast of the event, an Internet broadcast of the event, and a playback of a media file associated with the event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein grouping the first and second mobile devices together in the mobile device group comprises sending a respective invitation message to each of the first and second mobile devices to join the mobile device group.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, to each mobile device in the mobile device group, content related to the event.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining context information from each mobile device in the mobile device group; and

subdividing, based on the context information, the mobile device group into at least a first and a second mobile device subgroup.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the context information comprises at least one of timestamp information from the respective audio data received by the first mobile device and the respective audio data received by the second mobile device, location information from the first mobile device that is related to a location of the first audio source, or location information from the second mobile device that is related to a location of the second audio source.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the at least one audio signature associated with the event by at least accessing a database of events.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein grouping the first and second mobile devices in the mobile device group related to the event comprises:

creating, on a social media platform, the mobile device group related to the event; and

sending, to each of the first and second mobile devices, a respective invitation message to join the mobile device group on the social media platform.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective audio data obtained from the first mobile device was generated by the first audio source during the event and the respective audio data obtained from the second mobile device was generated by the second audio source after the event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective audio received by the first mobile device was received by the first mobile device at a first location and the respective audio received by the second mobile device was received by the second mobile device at a second location that is different than the first location.

16. The server of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is further operable by the at least one processor to group the first and second mobile devices in the mobile device group related to the event by at least:

creating, on a social media platform, the mobile device group related to the event; and

sending, to each of the first and second mobile devices, a respective invitation message to join the mobile device group on the social media platform.

10. A server comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one module operable by the at least one processor to;

obtain, from a first mobile device and a second mobile device of a plurality of mobile devices, respective audio data received by the first mobile device and respective audio data received by the second mobile device;

determine the respective audio data received by the first mobile device was generated by a first audio source associated with an event by at least comparing the respective audio data to at least one stored audio signature associated with the event;

determine the respective audio data received by the second mobile device was generated by a second audio source associated with the event by at least comparing the respective audio data from the second mobile device to the at least one stored audio signature associated with the event; and

responsive to determining that the respective audio data received by the first mobile device and the respective audio data received by the second mobile device was generated by two different audio sources associated with the same event, group the first and second mobile devices in a mobile device group related to the event, wherein the second audio source is different from the first audio source and the first and second audio sources are each selected from a group consisting of live audio from the event, a television broadcast of the event, a radio broadcast of the event, an Internet broadcast of the event, and a playback of a media file associated with the event.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is operable by the at least one processor to group the first and second mobile devices in the mobile device group by at least sending an invitation message to each of the first and second mobile devices to join the mobile device group.

12. The server of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is operable by the at least one processor to:

provide, to each mobile device in the mobile device group, content related to the event.

13. The server of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is operable by the at least one processor to:

obtain context information from each mobile device in the mobile device group; and

subdivide, based on the context information, the mobile device group into at least a first and a second mobile device subgroup.

14. The server of claim 13, where the context information comprises at least one of timestamp information from the respective audio data received by the first mobile device and the respective audio received by the second mobile device, location information the first mobile device that is related to a location of the first audio source, or location information from the second mobile device that is related to a location of the second audio source.

15. The server of claim 10, wherein the at least one module is further operably by the at least one processor to obtain the at least one audio signature associated with the event by at least accessing a database of events.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first mobile device, first audio data generated by a first audio source associated with an event;

sending, by the first mobile device, to a server, the first audio data; and

responsive to sending the first audio data to the server, receiving, by the first mobile device, from the server, information related to a mobile device group formed by the server at least partially based on a determination that the first audio data matches at least one audio signature associated with the event, wherein;

the mobile device group comprises at least one second mobile computing device that received second audio data generated by a second audio source associated with the event,

the second audio source is different from the first audio source; and

the first and second audio sources are each selected from a group consisting of live audio from the event, a television broadcast of the event, a radio broadcast of the event, an Internet broadcast of the event, playback of a media file associated with the event.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the information related to the mobile device group comprises an invitation message to join the mobile device group.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the invitation message is an invitation message to join the mobile device group on a social media platform.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the information related to the mobile device group comprises content related to the event.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the first audio data was generated by the first audio source during the event and the second audio data was generated by the second audio source after the event.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the first audio data was generated by the first audio source after the event and the second audio data was generated by the second audio source during the event.

23. A first mobile device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one module operable by the at least one processor to;

receive first audio data generated by a first audio source associated with an event;

send, to a server, the first audio data; and

responsive to sending the first audio data to the server, receive, from the server, information related to a mobile device group formed by the server at least partially based on a determination that the first audio data matches at least one audio signature associated with the event, wherein;

the mobile device group comprises at least one second mobile computing device that received second audio data generated by a second audio source associated with the event,

the second audio source is different from the first audio source; and

the first and second audio sources are each selected from a group consisting of live audio from the event, a television broadcast of the event, a radio broadcast of the event, an Internet broadcast of the event, playback of a media file associated with the event.

24. The first mobile device of claim 23, wherein the information related to the mobile device group comprises an invitation message to join the mobile device group.

25. The first mobile device of claim 23, wherein the invitation message is an invitation message to join the mobile device group on a social media platform.

26. The first mobile device of claim 23, wherein the information related to the mobile device group comprises content related to the event.