Media processing methods and arrangements

• US 9,554,199 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2015
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Davis, Bruce L., Rodriguez, Tony F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Ricky
• Application Number:
  US14/635,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20150245090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/167 Audio streaming, i.e. formatting and decoding of an encoded audio signal representation into a data stream for transmission or storage purposes
• 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: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/64 file transfer between terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• 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 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42208 Display device provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4367 : Establishing a secure communication between the client and a peripheral device or smart card
• 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 21/44204 : Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/458 : Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• 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 21/4667 : Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 : End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 : for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 : for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 : communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 : involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/83 : Generation or processing of protective or descriptive data associated with content; Content structuring
• 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 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

The present technology concerns cell phones and other portable devices, and more particularly concerns use of such devices in connection with media content (electronic and physical) and with other systems (e.g., televisions, digital video recorders, and electronic program directories). One particular aspect of the technology concerns complementing primary content viewed on one screen (e.g., a television screen) with auxiliary content displayed on a second screen (e.g., a cell phone screen). Different auxiliary content can be paired with the primary content, depending on the profile of the user (e.g., age, location, etc.). Some embodiments make use of location information provided by the primary screen device. Other embodiments make use of content identification data provided by the primary screen device. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Claims

1. A method involving first and second devices that are in proximity to each other, the first device comprising a television system that presents first content to a person, the second device comprising a portable phone device, the method comprising the acts:

determining a geographical district in which the first and second devices are located, and determining that said devices are in proximity to each other, based on GPS location data generated by one of said devices;

sampling audio emitted by the first device, using a microphone in the second device;

transforming the sampled audio, by a fingerprinting or watermark decoding process, to generate transformed data;

submitting the transformed data to a database and receiving, in return, audio-derived content identification data identifying the first content; and

querying a data structure with two different factors, namely (a) the audio-derived content identification data identifying the first content, and (b) the determined geographical district, and receiving at the second device, in return, an identification of second content to be presented to said person on a screen of the second device;

wherein the geographical district is a zip code or a city;

wherein the method identifies one item of second content for presentation to a first person watching the first content in one geographical district, and identifies a different second item of content for presentation to a second person watching the same first content in a different geographical district, by reason of the different geographical districts; and

wherein the method determines either (a) a Youtube video, or (b) an online source for sports statistics, as the second content for presentation to the first person, but not the second person, watching the first content.

2. The method of claim 1 that includes determining the first and second devices are in proximity to each other by a wireless signal emitted by one of said devices and sensed by the other of said devices.

3. The method of claim 2 that includes determining the first and second devices are in proximity to each other by a radio frequency wireless signal emitted by one of said devices and sensed by the other of said devices.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the method determines a Youtube video as the second content for presentation to the first, but not the second, person watching the first content.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the method determines an online source for sports statistics as the second content for presentation to the first, but not the second, person watching the first content.

6. A smartphone system including a processor, a memory, a microphone, a screen, and a data structure, the smartphone being used in proximity with a television system, the smartphone system including means for determining a geographical district in which the smartphone system and television system are located, based on signals received by a wireless signal receiver in the smartphone system, the memory containing software instructions configuring the smartphone system to perform acts including:

determining that the smartphone and television systems are in proximity by using GPS location data generated by one of said systems;

using said microphone, sampling audio emitted by the television system, the audio accompanying first content being presented by the television system to a viewer;

transforming the sampled audio, by a fingerprinting or watermark decoding process, to generate transformed data;

submitting the transformed data to a database and receiving, in return, audio-derived content identification data identifying the first content; and

submitting a two-factor query to a data structure, the query namely comprising (a) the audio-derived content identification data identifying the first content, and (b) the determined geographical district, and receiving, in return, an identification of second content to be presented to said viewer on a screen of the smartphone;

wherein the geographical district is a zip code or a city;

wherein said software instructions operate in conjunction with said data structure to identify one item of second content for presentation to the viewer when the viewer is watching the first content in a first geographical district, and identify a different second item of content for presentation to the viewer when the viewer is watching the same first content in a different second geographical district, by reason of the different geographical districts; and

wherein said software instructions determine either (a) a Youtube video, or (b) an online source for sports statistics, as the second content for presentation when the viewer is watching said first content in the first, but not the second, geographic district.

7. The smartphone system of claim 6 in which the memory also contains software instructions configuring the smartphone to determine that the smartphone and television systems are in proximity by a wireless signal emitted by one of said systems and sensed by the other of said systems.

8. The smartphone system of claim 7 in which said software instructions configure the smartphone to determine that the smartphone and television systems are in proximity by a radio frequency wireless signal emitted by one of said systems and sensed by the other of said systems.

9. The smartphone system of claim 6 wherein the software instructions operate in conjunction with said data structure to identify a Youtube video for presentation to the viewer when the viewer is watching the first content in the first, but not the second, geographical district.

10. The smartphone system of claim 6 wherein the software instructions operate in conjunction with said data structure to identify an online source of sports statistics for presentation to the viewer when the viewer is watching the first content in the first, but not the second, geographical district.