Media processing methods and arrangements

• US 8,739,208 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2013
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• 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): Featherstone, Mark D
• Application Number:
  US13/972,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20130339996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 279 Days
• US Class Current: 725/37
• 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. One claim recites a method employing a portable device including a processor, microphone and an interface to receive user inputs, the portable device also including a display screen. The method comprises: receiving a first user request, through the interface, for processing audio content captured with the microphone; processing the audio to yield fingerprint data; communicating the fingerprint data and portable device location information to a remote computer system; in response to said communicating, receiving information including a title associated with the audio content; presenting the title on the display screen; in response to a second user request, through the interface, displaying information associated with audio content captured by other portable devices in an area associated with the portable device location information. Of course, other claims and combinations are provided too.

Claims

1. A method employing a portable device including a processor, microphone and an interface to receive user inputs, the portable device also including a display screen, said method comprising:

receiving a first user request, through the interface, for processing audio content captured with the microphone;

processing the audio content to yield fingerprint data;

communicating the fingerprint data to a remote computer system;

in response to said communicating, receiving data including a title associated with the audio content;

displaying the title on the display screen;

in response to a second user request, through the interface, displaying information on the display screen, the displayed information being associated with audio content captured by other portable devices in an area associated with the portable device, in which the displayed information is presented in map form;

in response to a third user request, through the interface, displaying a history of previously encountered audio content on the display screen; and

maintaining geographic data related to a capture location of an item of audio content represented in the history.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the displayed information corresponds to a timeframe in which the first user request is received.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the processing identifies landmarks within the audio content, and in which the processing extracts timing and frequencies of certain landmarks.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising capturing audio through the microphone during a background media collection mode.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating portable device location information to the remote computer system, in which the area associated with the portable device corresponds to the portable device location information.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the history of previously encountered audio content is searchable based on geographic information.

7. The method of claim 1 in which each item of audio content represented within the history of previously encountered audio content is associated with its capture location, and in which the history is navigable via geographic data.

8. The method of claim 5 in which the portable device location information comprises information obtained from a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

30. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying one or more icons which are user selectable to display additional information.

9. A method employing a portable device including a processor, microphone and an interface to receive user inputs, the portable device also including a display screen, said method comprising:

without user prompting, capturing audio content with the microphone during a background media collection mode, and providing the audio content for processing, the processing comprising deriving an identifier from characteristics of the audio content;

communicating portable device location information to a remote computer system;

in response to the providing, receiving data including a title associated with the audio content;

in response to a first user request, through the interface, displaying information on the display screen, the displayed information being associated with audio content captured by other portable devices in an area associated with the portable device location information, in which the displayed information is presented in map form; and

in response to a second user request, through the interface, displaying a history of previously encountered audio content on the display screen; and

maintaining geographic data related to a capture location of an item of audio content represented in the history.

10. The method of claim 9 in which the processing is performed by the processor.

11. The method of claim 9 in which the processing is performed remotely relative to the portable device.

12. The method of claim 9 in which the portable device location information comprises information obtained from a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

13. The method of claim 9 in which the displayed information corresponds to a timeframe in which the first user request is received.

14. The method of claim 9 in which the processing identifies landmarks within the audio content, and in which the processing extracts timing and frequencies of certain landmarks.

15. A cell phone programmed to perform the method of claim 9.

16. The method of claim 9 in which each item of audio content represented within the history of previously encountered audio content is associated with its capture location, and in which the history is navigable via geographic data.

17. The method of claim 9 further comprising displaying one or more icons which are user selectable to display additional information.

18. The method of claim 9 in which the history of previously encountered audio content is searchable based on geographic information.

19. A portable device comprising:

a microphone for capturing audio content;

a display screen;

an interface for receiving user inputs; and

one or more processors programmed for;

operating a background media collection mode in which audio content is captured with the microphone without user prompting of audio capture;

processing the audio content to yield fingerprint data;

communicating the fingerprint data to a remote computer system;

in response to said communicating, receiving data including a title associated with the audio content;

controlling display of the title on the display screen;

in response to a first user request, through the interface, controlling display of information on the display screen, the information being associated with audio content captured by other portable devices in an area associated with said portable device;

in response to a second user request, through the interface, controlling display of a history of previously encountered audio content on the display screen; and

maintaining geographic data related to a capture location for a represented item of audio content within the history.

20. The portable device of claim 19 in which the displayed information corresponds to a timeframe in which the first user request is received.

21. The portable device of claim 19 in which the processing identifies landmarks within the audio content, and in which the processing extracts timing and frequencies of certain landmarks.

22. The portable device of claim 19 further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

23. The portable device of claim 19 in which the one or more processors are programmed for communicating portable device location information to the remote computer system, in which the area associated with said portable device corresponds to the portable device location information.

24. The portable device of claim 19 in which the one or more processors are programmed for searching the history of previously encountered audio based on user inputted geographic information.

25. The apparatus of claim 19 in which each item of audio content represented within the history of previously encountered audio content is associated with its capture location, and the history is navigable via geographic data.

26. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon to cause one or more processors to perform the following:

receiving a first user request, through a device interface, for processing audio content captured with a microphone carried by a portable device;

processing the audio content to yield fingerprint data;

communicating the fingerprint data to a remote computer system;

controlling receipt of data including a title associated with the audio content;

controlling display of the title on a display screen;

in response to a second user request, through the interface, controlling display of information on the display screen, the displayed information being associated with audio content captured by other portable devices in an area associated with the portable device, in which said controlling display of information presents the displayed information in map form; and

in response to a third user request, through the interface, controlling display of a history of previously encountered audio content; and

maintaining geographic data related to a capture location of an item of audio content represented in the history.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26 in which each item of represented audio content within the history of previously encountered audio content is associated with its capture location, and in which the history is navigable via geographic data.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26 further comprising instructions for controlling communication of portable device location information to the remote computer system, in which the area associated with the portable device corresponds to the portable device location information.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26 further comprising instructions for searching the history of previously encountered audio content based on user inputted geographic criteria.