System and method for searching based on audio search criteria

• US 8,311,823 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• 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: Bloebaum, L. Scott, Kokes, Mark G.
• Primary Examiner(s): PULLIAS, JESSE SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US11/468,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20080086539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,266 Days
• Field of Search: 704/270, 704/235, 704/231, 704/275, 704/270.1
• US Class Current: 704/235
• 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: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files

Abstract

A method of conducting a search includes tagging a user selected segment of audio content that includes search criteria to define an audio clip. The audio clip is captured from the audio content and transferred to a search support function to conduct a search based on the search criteria from the audio clip.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a search, comprising:

receiving prerecorded audio content with an electronic device;

playing the audio content to a user with the electronic device;

tagging a user selected segment of the played audio content that includes a spoken phrase to define an audio clip;

capturing the audio clip from the audio content;

converting the spoken phrase in the audio clip to text-based search criteria using speech recognition, the text-based search criteria being a textual representation of the spoken phrase; and

transferring the text-based search criteria to a search support function to conduct a text-based Internet search using the text-based search criteria converted from the audio clip.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the search support function is hosted remotely from a local device that captured the audio clip.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving search results from the search support function.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tagging and capturing is carried out by a mobile radio terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the audio content is stored by the mobile radio terminal.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the audio content is streamed to the mobile radio terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio content is played to the user and repeated to facilitate tagging in response to user input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tagging is based on command inputs based on user action.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the command inputs are based on depression of a button by a user.

10. A non-transient computer readable medium storing a computer program to conduct a search and comprising executable logic to:

receive prerecorded audio content with an electronic device that includes the non-transient computer readable medium;

play the audio content to a user;

tag a user selected segment of the played audio content that includes a spoken phrase to define an audio clip;

capture the audio clip from the audio content;

convert the spoken phrase in the audio clip to text-based search criteria using speech recognition, the text-based search criteria being a textual representation of the spoken phrase; and

transfer the text-based search criteria to a search support function to conduct a text-based Internet search using the text-based search criteria converted from the audio clip.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the search support function is hosted remotely from a local device that captures the audio clip.

12. An electronic device, comprising:

an audio processing circuit to playback prerecorded audio content that has been received by the electronic device to a user; and

a processing device that executes logic to conduct a search, the logic including code that;

tags a user selected segment of the audio content that has been played to the user and that includes a spoken phrase to define an audio clip;

captures the audio clip from the audio content;

converts the spoken phrase in the audio clip to text-based search criteria using speech recognition, the text-based search criteria being a textual representation of the spoken phrase; and

transfers the text-based search criteria to a search support function to conduct a text-based Internet search using the text-based search criteria converted from the audio clip.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the electronic device is a mobile radio terminal and further includes a radio circuit to establish communications with a communications network.

14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the search support function is hosted remotely from the electronic device.