Methods of Searching Using Captured Portions of Digital Audio Content and Additional Information Separate Therefrom and Related Systems and Computer Program Products

• US 20080057922A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kokes, Mark, Bloebaum, L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/433 using audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/634 Query by example, e.g. query by humming
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/68 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/685 using automatically derived transcript of audio data, e.g. lyrics speech recognition G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files

Abstract

A method of conducting a search using a mobile electronic device may include playing digital audio content at the mobile electronic device, and accepting user input at the mobile electronic device to capture a portion of the digital audio content. Search criteria may be provided wherein the search criteria is based on the captured portion of the digital audio content and on information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content. A search may be conducted using the search criteria based on the captured portion of the digital audio content and on the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content. A result of the search may be provided at the mobile electronic device, and the result of the search may be displayed at the mobile electronic device.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a search at a mobile electronic device, the method comprising:

playing digital audio content at the mobile electronic device;

accepting user input at the mobile electronic device to capture a portion of the digital audio content;

providing information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content;

providing at the mobile electronic device a result of a search wherein the search is conducted using search criteria based on the captured portion of the digital audio and the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content; and

displaying the result of the search at the mobile electronic device.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

performing recognition on the captured portion of the digital audio content at the mobile electronic device to generate text or other non-audio information representing the captured portion of the digital audio content so that the search criteria includes the text or other non-audio information representing the captured portion of the digital audio content and the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content; and

transmitting the search criteria including the text and the information separate from the captured portion from the mobile electronic device to a remote processing device.

3. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting the captured portion of the digital audio content and the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content from the mobile electronic device to a remote processing device.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the information separate from captured portion of the digital audio content comprises metadata associated with the digital audio content.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content comprises at least one of a location determined at the mobile electronic device, a time provided at the mobile electronic device, a date provided at the mobile electronic device, manually entered data accepted through a user interface at the mobile electronic device, data acquired at the mobile electronic device via a local-area wireless communications interface, and/or data received in a communication with another user and stored within, or accessible by, the mobile electronic device.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the search criteria comprises text or other non-audio information representing the captured portion of the digital audio content.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the result of the search comprises a network link, the method further comprising:

accepting user selection of the network link at the mobile electronic device; and

responsive to accepting user selection of the network link, providing communication between the mobile electronic device and a remote network element defined by the network link.

8. A method of conducting a search using a mobile electronic device, the method comprising:

playing digital audio content at the mobile electronic device,

accepting user input at the mobile electronic device to capture a portion of the digital audio content;

providing search criteria wherein the search criteria is based on the captured portion of the digital audio content and on information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content;

conducting a search using the search criteria based on the captured portion of the digital audio content and on the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content;

providing a result of the search at the mobile electronic device; and

displaying the result of the search at the mobile electronic device.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content comprises metadata associated with the digital audio content.

10. A method according to claim 8 wherein the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content comprises at least one of a location determined at the mobile electronic device, a time provided at the mobile electronic device, a date provided at the mobile electronic device, manually entered data accepted through a user interface at the mobile electronic device, data acquired at the mobile electronic device via a local-area wireless communications interface, and/or data received in a communication with another user and stored within, or accessible by, the mobile electronic device.

11. A method according to claim 8 wherein providing the search criteria comprises performing recognition on the captured portion of the digital audio content so that the search criteria includes text or other non-audio information representing the captured portion of the digital audio content.

12. A method according to claim 8 wherein the result comprises a network link, the method further comprising:

accepting user selection of the network link at the mobile electronic device; and

responsive to accepting user selection of the network link, providing communication between the mobile electronic device and a remote network element defined by the network link.

13. A method according to claim 8 wherein providing the search criteria comprises providing the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content at the mobile electronic device and transmitting the information over a wireless interface and over a network to a remote processing device.

14. A method according to claim 8 wherein providing the result of the search comprises transmitting the result of the search from a remote processing device over a network and over a wireless interface to the mobile electronic device.

15. A method of conducting a search for a mobile electronic device, the method comprising:

providing search criteria at a processing device remote from the mobile electronic device wherein the search criteria is based on a portion of digital audio content captured at the mobile terminal and based on information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content;

conducting a search at the processing device using the search criteria based on the captured portion of the digital audio content and on the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content; and

transmitting a result of the search from the remote processing device to the mobile electronic device for display on a screen of the mobile electronic device.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein providing the search criteria includes,

receiving the captured portion of digital audio content at the remote processing device from the mobile electronic device, and

performing recognition on the captured portion of the digital audio content to generate text or other non-audio information representing the captured portion of the digital audio content so that the search criteria includes the text or other non-audio information representing the captured portion of the digital audio content and the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content.

17. A method according to claim 15 further wherein providing the search criteria includes receiving text or other non-audio information representing the captured portion of the digital audio content at the remote processing device from the mobile electronic device so that the search criteria includes the text or other non-audio information representing the captured portion of the digital audio content and the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content.

18. A method according to claim 15 wherein the information separate from captured portion of the digital audio content comprises metadata associated with the digital audio content.

19. A method according to claim 15 wherein the information separate from the captured portion of the digital audio content comprises at least one of a location determined at the mobile electronic device, a time provided at the mobile electronic device, a date provided at the mobile electronic device, manually entered data accepted through a user interface at the mobile electronic device, data acquired at the mobile electronic device via a local-area wireless communications interface, and/or data received in a communication with another user and stored within, or accessible by, the mobile electronic device.

20. A method according to claim 15 wherein the search criteria comprises text or other non-audio information representing the captured portion of the digital audio content.

21. A method according to claim 15 wherein transmitting the result of the search comprises transmitting the result of the search from the remote processing device over a network and over a wireless interface to the mobile electronic device.