Media processing methods and arrangements

• US 9,955,215 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2017
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• 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:
  US15/582,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20170332126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 download of applications H04M1/72406; transfer of messages, e.g. SMS, e-mail or MMS H04M1/7243
• 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). Some aspects of the technology allow users to easily transfer displayed content from cell phone screens onto a television screens for easier viewing, or vice versa for content portability. Others enable users to participate interactively in entertainment content, such as by submitting plot directions, audio input, character names, etc., yielding more engaging, immersive, user experiences. Still other aspects of the technology involve a program directory database, compiled automatically from information reported by network nodes that watch and identify content traffic passing into (and/or out of) networked computers. By identifying content resident at a number of different repositories (e.g., web sites, TV networks, P2P systems, etc.), such a directory allows cell phone users to identify the diversity of sources from which desired content can be obtained—some available on a scheduled basis, others available on demand. Depending on the application, the directory information may be transparent to the user—serving to identify sources for desired content, from which application software can pick for content downloading, based, e.g., on context and stored profile data. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Claims

1. A data processing method involving a television and a microphone-equipped device, the method comprising the acts:

applying a content recognition process to audio captured from a user'"'"'s ambient environment by the microphone of said device, the audio captured from the user'"'"'s ambient environment including audio emitted from the television as it renders entertainment content, the recognition process being performed by a hardware processor and yielding content identification data, but said content identification data being insufficient to identify the rendered entertainment content because the audio of said entertainment content is not adequately sampled;

based on said content identification data and also based on user data, refining a content identification hypothesis identifying the rendered entertainment content, the user data including data selected from a list consisting of;

(i) data about sports teams of interest to the user, (ii) data indicating the user'"'"'s age or gender, (iii) data about a social group to which the user belongs, (iv) search history records of the user, (v) records of web pages visited by the user, (vi) records of user emails, (vii) records of travel reservations by the user, (viii) cell phone billing records of the user, (ix) credit card records of the user, (x) records of user purchases made from the Amazon or EBay service, and times of day that are memorialized in said records (iv)-(x);

after the identification hypothesis has been refined, providing further content for presentation to the user, the provided further content being determined based on data including (1) the refined entertainment content identification hypothesis, and (2) the user data;

wherein further content for presentation to the user is determined based on user data from said list, and user data from said list is also employed in refining the content identification hypothesis—

on which hypothesis determination of the further content is also based.

2. The method of claim 1 that includes performing a domain transformation operation on the captured audio, from a temporal signal domain to a frequency signal domain, as part of said content recognition process.

3. The method of claim 1 that includes refining the content identification hypothesis based on search history records of the user.

4. The method of claim 1 that includes refining the content identification hypothesis based on records of web pages visited by the user.

5. The method of claim 1 that includes refining the content identification hypothesis based on records of travel reservations by the user.

6. The method of claim 1 that includes refining the content identification hypothesis based on cell phone billing records of the user.

7. The method of claim 1 that includes refining the content identification hypothesis based on credit card records of the user.

8. The method of claim 1 that includes refining the content identification hypothesis based on records of user shopping from the Amazon or EBay service.

9. The method of claim 1 that includes providing further content for presentation to the user, determined based on data including (1) the refined entertainment content identification hypothesis, (2) the user data, and (3) GPS data for the user.

10. The method of claim 1 that further includes transmitting the content identification data to a remote server with an HTTP request, wherein the further content is provided in response to said HTTP request.

11. A data processing method involving a television and a microphone-equipped device, the method comprising the acts:

applying a content recognition process to audio captured from a user'"'"'s ambient environment by the microphone of said device, the audio captured from the user'"'"'s ambient environment including audio emitted from the television as it renders entertainment content, said content recognition process being performed by a hardware processor and including performing a domain transformation operation on the captured audio from a temporal signal domain to a frequency signal domain, said content recognition process yielding content identification data;

obtaining user data compiled in a data store, the user data including data selected from a list consisting of;

search history records of the user, records of web pages visited by the user, records of user emails, records of travel reservations by the user, records of user shopping from the Amazon or EBay service, and times of day that are memorialized in said records;

providing auxiliary entertainment content, complementary to that presented on the television, for presentation to the user, the auxiliary content being determined based on data including;

(1) GPS data for the user, (2) the obtained user data, and (3) the content identification data.

12. The data processing method of claim 11 in which:

said content identification data is insufficient to identify the rendered entertainment content, because the audio of said entertainment content is not adequately sampled;

the method further including, based on said content identification data and also based on user data selected from said list, refining a content identification hypothesis identifying the rendered entertainment content;

wherein further content for presentation to the user is determined based on user data from said list, and user data from said list is also employed in refining the content identification hypothesis—

on which hypothesis the determination of the further content is also based.

13. The data processing method of claim 11 in which the obtained user data includes records of user shopping from the Amazon or EBay service.

14. A data processing method involving a television and a microphone-equipped device, the method comprising the acts:

applying a content recognition process to audio captured from a user'"'"'s ambient environment by the microphone of said device, the audio captured from the user'"'"'s ambient environment including audio emitted from the television as it renders entertainment content, the recognition process being performed by a hardware processor and yielding content identification data about the entertainment content, but said content identification data being insufficient to identify the rendered entertainment content because the audio of said entertainment content is not adequately sampled;

based on said content identification data and also based on user data, refining a content identification hypothesis identifying the rendered entertainment content, the user data including data selected from a list consisting of;

(i) data about sports teams of interest to the user, (ii) data indicating the user'"'"'s age or gender, (iii) data about a social group to which the user belongs, (iv) search history records of the user, (v) records of web pages visited by the user, (vi) records of user emails, (vii) records of travel reservations by the user, (viii) cell phone billing records of the user, (ix) credit card records of the user, (x) records of user purchases made from the Amazon or EBay service, and times of day that are memorialized in said records (iv)-(x);

transmitting said refined content identification data with an HTTP request sent by the device to a remote server, to obtain further content, said content identification data being included in an HTTP packet as header data; and

receiving, in response to said HTTP request, content that the remote server has adapted for the user, based on the content identification data;

wherein transmission of said content identification data, about entertainment content being rendered in the user'"'"'s environment, with the HTTP request, serves as a clue to user interests, and enables a provider of the requested content to customize the content delivered to the user device in accordance with such interests.

15. The method of claim 14 in which the further content comprises a web page from an address specified by the user and included with said HTTP request.

16. The method of claim 14 in which the content is news from a news website, and the entertainment content that is being audibly rendered in the environment of the device is sports programming, wherein a provider of the news website can customize a web page sent to the device to give prominence to sporting news, by reason of said content identification data.

17. The method of claim 14 in which the content recognition process includes subtracting a short-term average of the captured audio from its instantaneous amplitude.

18. The method of claim 14 in which said content identification data correctly identifies the content 20 percent of the time, or less.