Information providing system, identification information resolution server and mobile terminal device

• US 9,858,339 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Akiyama, Hitoshi, Iwase, Hiroyuki, Sakai, Takeshi, Sone, Takuro
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCORD, PAUL C
• Application Number:
  US14/110,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20140039654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,106 Days
• Field of Search: 700 94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/37 via a different channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/48 for recognising items expressed in broadcast information
• 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: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• 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 21/4784 receiving rewards

Abstract

An information providing system includes a sound emission device for emitting, as sound wave, identification information modulated into a sound signal, an identification information resolution server including a mapping table in which the identification information, valid time information and the address information of a content are stored to be associated, and a mobile terminal device for transmitting the identification information demodulated from a picked-up sound wave to the identification information resolution server thereby obtaining address information and accessing the content using the obtained address information. When received the identification information from the mobile terminal device, the identification information resolution server returns the address information of a corresponding content to the mobile terminal device when the time information is within a valid time.

Claims

1. An information providing system comprising:

a sound emission device adapted to emit, as a sound wave, identification information modulated to a sound signal;

an identification information resolution server that is connected to an information communication network and includes a mapping table storing the identification information, valid time difference information, which indicates a range of valid time of the identification information, and address information of a content corresponding to the identification information in association with each other; and

a mobile terminal device that includes a sound pickup unit adapted to pick up the sound wave emitted from the sound emission device, a demodulation unit adapted to demodulate the identification information from the picked up sound wave, an identification information resolution unit adapted to transmit the demodulated identification information to the identification information resolution server and thus acquire the address information, and a network access unit adapted to access the content using the acquired address information,

wherein the identification information resolution server receives the identification information from the mobile terminal device, refers to the mapping table using a time difference and the identification information, and returns the address information of a corresponding content to the mobile terminal device when the time difference is within the range of valid time indicated by the valid time difference information contained in the mapping table, and

wherein the time difference is between when the mobile terminal either received the sound wave emitted from the sound emission device or demodulated the identification information after receiving the sound wave, and when the mobile terminal transmits the identification information to the identification information resolution server.

2. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the sound emission device is a broadcasting receiving device,

the sound wave is transmitted from a broadcasting station, as a sound wave in a broadcasting program or promo, and

the identification information resolution server identifies address information for accessing a content relating to the program or promo, based on the received identification information.

4. The information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the identification information resolution server replies to the mobile terminal device indicating that the identification information is invalid when the time difference is out of the range of valid time indicated by the valid time information.

3. An identification information resolution server comprising:

a reception unit adapted to receive identification information through an information communication network from a mobile terminal device that is adapted to pick up a sound wave including the identification information and demodulate the identification information from the sound wave, the identification information being modulated to a sound signal;

a storage unit storing therein a mapping table in which the identification information, valid time difference information, which indicates a range of valid time of the identification information, and address information of a content corresponding to the identification information in association with each other; and

an identification information resolution section adapted to refer to the mapping table using a time difference and the identification information received by the reception unit, and return the address information of a corresponding content to the mobile terminal device when the time difference is within the range of valid time indicated by the valid time difference information,

wherein the time difference is between when the mobile terminal either received the sound wave emitted from the sound emission device or demodulated the identification information after receiving the sound wave, and when the mobile terminal transmits the identification information to the identification information resolution server.

5. The identification information resolution server according to claim 3, wherein the identification information resolution section replies to the mobile terminal device indicating that the identification information is invalid when the time difference is out of the range of valid time indicated by the valid time information.