Identifying and generating audio cohorts based on audio data input

• US 8,626,505 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Angell, Robert L., Friedlander, Robert R., Kraemer, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Han, Qi
• Application Number:
  US13/605,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20120330654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 704/231, 704/245, 704/257, 704/278, 704/272, 704/9, 704/246, 704/249, 704/250
• US Class Current: 704/231
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/06 Creation of reference templates; Training of speech recognition systems, e.g. adaptation to the characteristics of the speaker's voice G10L15/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A computer implemented method, system, and/or computer program product generates an audio cohort. Audio data from a set of audio sensors is received by an audio analysis engine. The audio data, which is associated with a plurality of objects, comprises a set of audio patterns. The audio data is processed to identify audio attributes associated with the plurality of objects to form digital audio data. This digital audio data comprises metadata that describes the audio attributes of the set of objects. A set of audio cohorts is generated using the audio attributes associated with the digital audio data and cohort criteria, where each audio cohort in the set of audio cohorts is a cohort of accompanied customers in a store, and where processing the audio data identifies a type of zoological creature that is accompanying each of the accompanied customers.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of generating audio cohorts, the computer implemented method comprising:

receiving audio data from a set of audio sensors, by an audio analysis engine, wherein the audio data is associated with a plurality of objects, and wherein the audio data comprises a set of audio patterns;

processing the audio data to identify audio attributes associated with the plurality of objects to form digital audio data, wherein the digital audio data comprises metadata describing the audio attributes of the set of objects; and

generating a set of audio cohorts using the audio attributes associated with the digital audio data and cohort criteria, wherein each audio cohort in the set of audio cohorts is a cohort of accompanied customers in a store, wherein said processing the audio data includes identifying a type of zoological pet creature that is represented by at least part of the audio attributes associated with the objects and is accompanying each of the accompanied customers.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the zoological pet creature is dog.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

augmenting the set of audio cohorts with a cohort of pet owners walking their dogs in a park, wherein the cohort of pet owners is generated from sounds of footsteps along a jogging path and one or more dogs barking in the park.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the set of audio cohorts by an inference engine; and

processing the set of audio cohorts by the inference engine, wherein the inference engine uses the set of audio cohorts to generate a set of inferences, and wherein the set of inferences predicts a future activity by the accompanied customers.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the audio attributes of the audio data comprise an identification of a sound.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the audio attributes of the audio data comprise an identification of a sound that is identified as human speech, and wherein the audio attributes of the audio data identify one or more of sound identifications from a group consisting of a language spoken, a regional dialect associated with the human speech, an accent associated with the human speech, an identification of whether the speaker is male or female, an identification of words spoken in the human speech, and an identification of a vocalized breathing sound.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the audio attributes of the audio data comprise sound wave properties, wherein a sound wave property is at least one of frequency, wavelength, amplitude, intensity, speed, and direction of a sound associated with an object in the plurality of objects.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the audio attributes of the audio data comprise an origin of a sound, and wherein the audio attributes of the audio data identify whether the origin of the sound is indoors or outdoors based on a presence or absence of an echo.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the audio data is a first set of audio data generated at a first time interval, and further comprising:

receiving a second set of audio data taken at a second time interval; and

processing the first audio data and the second audio data to generate the digital audio data, wherein the digital audio data describes the audio attributes of the first audio data and the second audio data.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the set of audio cohorts using the digital audio data further comprises:

analyzing the digital audio data by a cohort generation engine to identify the set of audio cohorts, wherein the cohort generation engine processes and identifies attributes of sounds associated with vibrations, and wherein the cohort generation engine identifies customers speaking a particular language.

11. A computer program product for generating audio cohorts, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions to receive audio data from a set of audio sensors, by an audio analysis engine, wherein the audio data is associated with a plurality of objects, and wherein the audio data comprises a set of audio patterns;

second program instructions to process the audio data to identify audio attributes associated with the plurality of objects to form digital audio data, wherein the digital audio data comprises metadata describing the audio attributes of the set of objects; and

third program instructions to generate a set of audio cohorts using the audio attributes associated with the digital audio data and cohort criteria, wherein each audio cohort in the set of audio cohorts is a cohort of accompanied customers in a store, wherein said processing the audio data includes identifying a type of zoological pet creature that is represented by at least part of the audio attributes associated with the objects and is accompanying each of the accompanied customers; and

wherein

the first, second, and third program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the zoological pet creature is a dog.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

fourth program instructions to augment the set of audio cohorts with a cohort of pet owners walking their dogs in a park, wherein the cohort of pet owners is generated from sounds of footsteps along a jogging path and one or more dogs barking in the park, wherein the fourth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the audio attributes of the audio data comprise an identification of a sound that is identified as human speech, and wherein the audio attributes of the audio data identify one or more of sound identifications from a group consisting of a language spoken, a regional dialect associated with the human speech, an accent associated with the human speech, an identification of whether the speaker is male or female, an identification of words spoken in the human speech, and an identification of a vocalized breathing sound.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the audio attributes of the audio data comprise an origin of a sound, and wherein the audio attributes of the audio data identify whether the origin of the sound is indoors or outdoors based on a presence or absence of an echo.

16. A computer system comprising:

a processor, a computer readable memory, and a computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions to receive audio data from a set of audio sensors, by an audio analysis engine, wherein the audio data is associated with a plurality of objects, and wherein the audio data comprises a set of audio patterns;

second program instructions to process the audio data to identify audio attributes associated with the plurality of objects to form digital audio data, wherein the digital audio data comprises metadata describing the audio attributes of the set of objects; and

third program instructions to generate a set of audio cohorts using the audio attributes associated with the digital audio data and cohort criteria, wherein each audio cohort in the set of audio cohorts is a cohort of accompanied customers in a store, wherein said processing the audio data includes identifying a type of zoological creature that is represented by at least part of the audio attributes associated with the objects and is accompanying each of the accompanied customers; and

wherein

the first, second, and third program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the zoological creature is a minor human.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the zoological creature is a pet animal.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the audio attributes of the audio data comprise an identification of a sound that is identified as human speech, and wherein the audio attributes of the audio data identify one or more of sound identifications from a group consisting of a language spoken, a regional dialect associated with the human speech, an accent associated with the human speech, an identification of whether the speaker is male or female, an identification of words spoken in the human speech, and an identification of a vocalized breathing sound.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the audio attributes of the audio data comprise an origin of a sound, and wherein the audio attributes of the audio data identify whether the origin of the sound is indoors or outdoors based on a presence or absence of an echo.