Identifying works for initiating a work-based action, such as an action on the internet

• US 7,058,223 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2001
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Network-1 Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dr. Ingemar J Cox
• Inventors: Cox, Ingemar J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESIRE, GREGORY M
• Application Number:
  US09/950,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20020032698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 382/190, 382/191, 382/209, 725/86, 725/88, 725/89, 725/91, 725/100, 725/131, 707/102, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 382/190
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system is described for linking traditional media works, such as print and broadcast media for example, to a more interactive media conduit, such as the Internet. The system avoids the need to modify the media work in anyway. Instead, it employs a passive recognition system that uniquely identifies the specific work, such as a particular television or radio broadcast or printed commercial. The identification may be based in intra-work and/or extra-work information. Several different embodiments/environments are described. The best embodiment may depend, at least in part, on costs of hardware and communication. These costs can change over time. In one embodiment, all of the databases and computation are performed at the user'"'"'s premises. In another embodiment, all of the databases and computation occur at remote sites that user premise equipment can query using uniquely identifying extra-work information, such as the time, place and station on which the work was broadcast. This second embodiment is most suitable for content that is published, e.g. magazines, newspapers, etc., or broadcasted, e.g. cable, satellite and terrestrial television and radio. Alternative embodiments, in which various operations are performed at both the user'"'"'s premises and remote locations are also possible.

Claims

1. A method for associating extra work information with an identification of a work, the method comprising:

a) accepting a work and extra-work information associated with the work;

b) identifying the work as one of a predetermined number of known works, each of the predetermined number of known works having an identifier; and

c) associating the identifier of the one of the predetermined number of known works with the extra-work information,

wherein the act of identifying the work as one of a predetermined number of known works includes;

a) extracting features from the work;

b) comparing the extracted features with stored sets of feature vectors, wherein each of the stored sets of feature vectors includes an associated work identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the work is a video work and wherein the features extracted from the work are selected from a group consisting of (A) a pseudo-random sample of pixels from a frame of the video work, (B) a pseudo-random sample of pixels from a low-resolution copy of a frame from the video work, (C) intensities of blocks of pixels, (D) a frequency-based decomposition of a signal of the video work, (E) frequencies from a signal of the video work, and (F) information from some or all pixels of the video work.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the work is an audio work and wherein the features extracted from the work are selected from a group consisting of (A) a frequency decomposition of a signal of the audio work, (B) information samples of the audio work, (C) average intensities of sampled windows of the audio work, and (D) information from frequencies of the audio work.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the extra-work information associated with the work is determined by a client device on which the work is received.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the work is one of an audio broadcast and an audio file.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the extra work information includes at least one of a time of broadcast, a location of a user receiving the broadcast, a station performing the broadcast, a name of the work, a publication date of the work, and a publication page number.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the work is one of a video broadcast and a video file.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the extra-work information includes at least one of (A) a channel over which the work is or was broadcast, (B) a station which broadcast the work, (C) a time that the work broadcast is or was received, (D) a time that the work is or was broadcast, and (E) a geographic region in which the work is or was broadcast.

9. A method for associating extra work information with an identification of a work, the method comprising:

a) accepting a work and extra-work information associated with the work;

b) identifying the work as one of a predetermined number of known works, each of the predetermined number of known works having an identifier; and

c) associating the identifier of the one of the predetermined number of known works with the extra-work information,

wherein the act of associating the identifier of the one of the predetermined number of known works with the extra-work information uses a monitoring of the works and uses a comparison technique selected from a group consisting of (A) linear correlation, (B) statistical correlation, (C) mutual information, (D) Euclidean distance, (E) Lp-norms, (F) clustering, (G) kd-trees, (H) vantage point trees, and (I) excluded middle vantage point forest.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

d) storing the associated the identifier of the one of the predetermined number of known works and the extra-work information in a database.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

e) accepting a client query including extra-work information; and

f) using the accepted extra-work information to lookup an identifier in the database.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

g) using an identifier found in the database to lookup a work-related action.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the work-related action is transiting the client sourcing the client query to an Internet web site.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the extra-work information includes at least one of a time of broadcast, a location of a user receiving the broadcast, a station performing the broadcast, a name of the work, a publication date of the work, and a publication page number.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

g) using an identifier found in the database to lookup a work-related action.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the work is one of an audio broadcast and an audio file, and

wherein the work-related action includes at least one of promoting commerce and enhancing interest in the work.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the work-related action includes providing a song title.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the work-related action includes transiting the client sourcing the client query to an Internet web site.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the work-related action includes at least one of promoting commerce or enhancing interest in the work.

21. The method of claim 9, wherein if the work is not identified as one of a predetermined number of known works, then d) assigning a new work identifier to the work;

and e) storing the identifier and work as a known work.

14. The method of 11 wherein the work is one of an audio broadcast and an audio file.

22. A method for associating extra work information with an identification of a work, the method comprising:

a) accepting a work and extra-work information associated with the work;

b) identifying the work as one of a predetermined number of known works, each of the predetermined number of known works having an identifier; and

c) associating the identifier of the one of the predetermined number of known works with the extra-work information,

wherein the means for identifying include;

a) means for extracting features from the work; and

b) means for comparing the extracted features with stored sets of feature vectors, wherein each of the stored sets of feature vectors includes an associated work identifier.

23. The monitoring apparatus of claim 22 further comprising:

d) a database for storing records, one of the records including the associated the identifier of the one of the predetermined number of known works and the extra-work information.

24. The monitoring apparatus of claim 22 further comprising means for assigning an identifier to a previously unknown work, wherein if the means for identifying does not identify the work as one of a predetermined number of known works, then providing the work to the means for assigning.

25. The monitoring apparatus of claim 22 wherein the extra-work information includes at least one of (A) a channel over which the work is or was broadcast, (B) a station which broadcast the work, (C) a time that the work broadcast is or was received, (D) a time that the work is or was broadcast, and (E) a geographic region in which the work is or was broadcast.

26. A method for associating a media work with an action, the method comprising:

a) extracting features from the media work;

b) determining an identification of the media work based on the features extracted;

c) determining an action based on the identification of the media work determined,

wherein the media work is a video work and wherein the features extracted from the work are selected from a group consisting of (A) a pseudo-random sample of pixels from a frame of the video work, (B) a pseudo-random sample of pixels from a low-resolution copy of a frame from the video work, (C) intensities of blocks of pixels, (D) a frequency-based decomposition of a signal of the video work, (E) frequencies from a signal of the video work, and (F) information from some or all pixels of the video work.

27. The method of 26, wherein the video work is one of (A) a broadcast, (B) a digital file, (C) an MPEG-2 digital file, and (D) a compressed format digital file.

28. The method of 26 wherein the act of extracting features is performed locally by a user device, and

wherein the act of determining an identification is performed remotely, by a device other than the user device.

29. The method of 26 wherein the action includes at least one of promoting commerce and enhancing interest in the video.

30. A method for associating a media work with an action, the method comprising:

a) extracting features from the media work;

b) determining an identification of the media work based on the features extracted;

c) determining an action based on the identification of the media work determined,

wherein the media work is an audio work and wherein the features extracted from the work are selected from a group consisting of (A) a frequency decomposition of a signal of the audio work, (B) information samples of the audio work, (C) average intensities of sampled windows of the audio work, and (D) information from frequencies of the audio work.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein the act of extracting features is performed locally by a user device, and

wherein the act of determining an identification is performed remotely, by a device other than the user device.

31. The method of 30 wherein the audio work one of (A) a broadcast, (B) a digital file, and (C) an MP3 file.

33. The method of 30 wherein the action includes at least one of promoting commerce and enhancing interest in the work.

34. A method for associating a media work with an action, the method comprising:

a) extracting features from the media work;

b) determining an identification of the media work based on the features extracted;

c) determining an action based on the identification of the media work determined,

wherein the act of determined an identification of the media work based on the features extracted uses a comparison technique selected from a group consisting of (A) linear correlation, (B) statistical correlation, (C) mutual information, (D) Euclidean distance, (E) Lp-norms, (F) clustering, (G) kd-trees, (H) vantage point trees, and (I) excluded middle vantage point forest.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein the media work is at includes at least one of audio, video and images.

37. The method of claim 34 wherein the action includes at least one of promoting commerce and enhancing interest in the work.

36. The method of 34 wherein the act of extracting features is performed locally by a user device, and

wherein the act of determining an identification is performed remotely, by a device other than the user device.

38. A method for associating extra work information with an identification of a work, the method comprising:

a) accepting a work and extra-work information associated with the work;

b) identifying the work as one of a predetermined number of known works, each of the predetermined number of known works having an identifier; and

c) associating the identifier of the one of the predetermined number of known works with the extra-work information,

wherein the extra-work information associated with the work is not sent by a server that broadcast the work.

39. A method for associating extra work information with an identification of a work, the method comprising:

a) accepting a work and extra-work information associated with the work;

b) identifying the work as one of a predetermined number of known works, each of the predetermined number of known works having an identifier; and

c) associating the identifier of the one of the predetermined number of known works with the extra-work information,

wherein the extra-work information associated with the work is provided apart from a broadcast of the work.