Abstract: A system for monitoring and recognizing audio broadcasts is described. The system includes a plurality of geographically distributed monitoring stations, each of the monitoring stations receiving unknown audio data from a plurality of audio broadcasts. A recognition system receives the unknown audio data from the plurality of monitoring stations and compares the unknown audio data against a database of signature files. The database of signature files, or index sets, corresponds to a library of known audio files, such that the recognition system is able to identify known audio files in the unknown audio stream as a result of the comparison.

Abstract: A method and system for provides a user with an ability to capture a sample of an experiential environment and deliver that sample to an interactive service to trigger one or more predetermined events. In exemplary embodiments of the invention such triggered events include the delivery of information and services to the user, the execution of tasks and instructions by the service on the user's behalf, communication events; surveillance events and other control-oriented events that are responsive to the user's wishes. In other exemplary embodiments of the invention, the triggered events include transaction-oriented events, entertainment events, and events associated with enhancements to human ability or function.

Abstract: A user (102) hears an audio program being broadcast and can record a sample of the audio. The sample is then conveyed to an analyzing means (106) to determine to which broadcast station the user is listening. The analyzing means monitors many broadcast channels. Thus, characteristics of the audio sample and samples taken from the broadcast channels can be compared to find a match. Broadcast information pertaining to the broadcast channel from which the match was found may then be reported back to the user, combined with an advertisement of a promotion, prize notification, discount offers, and other information specific for a certain radio station for example.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing lyric information for a song within an audio signal. This may be done, for example, to allow a user to sing along with a song the user hears on a radio. To provide the lyric information, an interactive service may be accessed. A sample of an audio signal that includes at least a portion of the song may be captured. The sample of the audio signal may provided to the interactive service. Lyric information may then be received for the song at a user device. The user device may also display the lyric information in synchrony with the rendering of the song within the audio signal to, for example, allow the user to sing along with the song.

Abstract: A user (102) hears an audio program being broadcast and can record a sample of the audio. The sample is then conveyed to an analyzing means (106) to determine to which broadcast station the user is listening. The analyzing means monitors many broadcast channels. Thus, characteristics of the audio sample and samples taken from the broadcast channels can be compared to find a match. Broadcast information pertaining to the broadcast channel from which the match was found may then be reported back to the user, combined with an advertisement of a promotion, prize notification, discount offers, and other information specific for a certain radio station for example.

Abstract: A method for recognizing an audio sample locates an audio file that most closely matches the audio sample from a database indexing a large set of original recordings. Each indexed audio file is represented in the database index by a set of landmark timepoints and associated fingerprints. Landmarks occur at reproducible locations within the file, while fingerprints represent features of the signal at or near the landmark timepoints. To perform recognition, landmarks and fingerprints are computed for the unknown sample and used to retrieve matching fingerprints from the database. For each file containing matching fingerprints, the landmarks are compared with landmarks of the sample at which the same fingerprints were computed. If a large number of corresponding landmarks are linearly related, i.e., if equivalent fingerprints of the sample and retrieved file have the same time evolution, then the file is identified with the sample.

Abstract: A method and system is described which allows users to identify (pre-recorded) sounds such as music, radio broadcast, commercials, and other audio signals in almost any environment. The audio signal (or sound) must be a recording represented in a database of recordings. The service can quickly identify the signal from just a few seconds of excerption, while tolerating high noise and distortion. Once the signal is identified to the user, the user may perform transactions interactively in real-time or offline using the identification information.

Abstract: A media content monitoring system uses a rack adapted to receive multiple carrier boards to improve the system's ability to be configured to specific applications. Each carrier board contains tuner modules for receiving AM/FM broadcasts, satellite radio broadcasts, TV audio broadcasts, HD, IBOC, DAB and DRM digital radio broadcasts, etc. The tuner modules produce a USB output that is combined by a USB hub on the carrier boards into a single USB output. The carrier board outputs are in turn combined by a rack based USB hub into single USB output that is provided to a host computer. The host computer includes content identification software that automatically identifies selected media content received by the tuner modules and stores the selected content in a database. The host computer can send control codes to the tuner modules to alter their reception parameters.

Abstract: A method of characterizing the overlap of two media segments is provided. In an instance where there is some amount of overlap of a file and a data sample, the file could be an excerpt of an original file and begin and end within the data sample. By matching identified features of the file with identified features of the data sample, a beginning and ending time of a portion of the file that is within the data sample can be determined. Using these times, a length of the file within the data sample can also be determined.

Abstract: The present invention provides an innovative technique for rapidly and accurately determining whether two audio samples match, as well as being immune to various kinds of transformations, such as playback speed variation. The relationship between the two audio samples is characterized by first matching certain fingerprint objects derived from the respective samples. A set (230) of fingerprint objects (231,232), each occurring at a particular location (242), is generated for each audio sample (210). Each location (242) is determined in dependence upon the content of the respective audio sample (210) and each fingerprint object (232) characterizes one or more local features (222) at or near the respective particular location (242). A relative value is next determined for each pair of matched fingerprint objects. A histogram of the relative values is then generated. If a statistically significant peak is found, the two audio samples can be characterized as substantially matching.

Abstract: A method and system for provides a user with an ability to capture a sample of an experiential environment and deliver that sample to an interactive service to trigger one or more predetermined events. In exemplary embodiments of the invention such triggered events include the delivery of information and services to the user, the execution of tasks and instructions by the service on the user's behalf, communication events; surveillance events and other control-oriented events that are responsive to the user's wishes. In other exemplary embodiments of the invention, the triggered events include transaction-oriented events, entertainment events, and events associated with enhancements to human ability or function.

Abstract: A media content monitoring system uses a rack adapted to receive multiple carrier boards to improve the system's ability to be configured to specific applications. Each carrier board contains tuner modules for receiving AM/FM broadcasts, satellite radio broadcasts, TV audio broadcasts, HD, IBOC, DAB and DRM digital radio broadcasts, etc. The tuner modules produce a USB output that is combined by a USB hub on the carrier boards into a single USB output. The carrier board outputs are in turn combined by a rack based USB hub into single USB output that is provided to a host computer. The host computer includes content identification software that automatically identifies selected media content received by the tuner modules and stores the selected content in a database. The host computer can send control codes to the tuner modules to alter their reception parameters.

Abstract: A system for monitoring and recognizing audio broadcasts is described. The system includes a plurality of geographically distributed monitoring stations, each of the monitoring stations receiving unknown audio data from a plurality of audio broadcasts. A recognition system receives the unknown audio data from the plurality of monitoring stations and compares the unknown audio data against a database of signature files. The database of signature files, or index sets, corresponds to a library of known audio files, such that the recognition system is able to identify known audio files in the unknown audio stream as a result of the comparison.

Abstract: A method and system for content sampling (106) and identification is presented. A data stream is recorded, and samples of the stream are identified. Samples (106) can be initially taken at random for identification. Once a sample (106) is identified and segmented within the data stream, the next time to sample (106) may be calculated to be outside the time frame of the identified sample (106). Thus, the sampling period can be adaptively adjusted to be at times after identified tracks.

Abstract: A method of characterizing the overlap of two media segments is provided. In an instance where there is some amount of overlap of a file and a data sample, the file could be an excerpt of an original file and begin and end within the data sample. By matching identified features of the file with identified features of the data sample, a beginning and ending time of a portion of the file that is within the data sample can be determined.

Abstract: A method for automatically creating a database of parameters (e.g., fingerprints/landmarks) used in a media sample recognition system. The user places a media sample in his media player, e.g., a CD or DVD player in his personal computer. A software process installed on the user's personal computer, to which is connected the CD/DVD player, extracts the constellation or “raw parameters” from the CD tracks as the CD plays, or under control of the software process. This extraction process may operate in the background. These raw parameters are then transmitted via the Internet (or other computer network) to a server coupled to a recognition database. The raw parameters are stored in the database. At some point in time, the raw parameters are processed into fingerprint/landmarks (e.g., using linkage) using another software process and then stored either back in the database or in random access memory (RAM) for use during a subsequent recognition process.

Abstract: A method for recognizing an audio sample locates an audio file that most closely matches the audio sample from a database indexing a large set of original recordings. Each indexed audio file is represented in the database index by a set of landmark timepoints and associated fingerprints. Landmarks occur at reproducible locations within the file, while fingerprints represent features of the signal at or near the landmark timepoints. To perform recognition, landmarks and fingerprints are computed for the unknown sample and used to retrieve matching fingerprints from the database. For each file containing matching fingerprints, the landmarks are compared with landmarks of the sample at which the same fingerprints were computed. If a large number of corresponding landmarks are linearly related, i.e., if equivalent fingerprints of the sample and retrieved file have the same time evolution, then the file is identified with the sample.

Abstract: A user (102) hears an audio program being broadcast and can record a sample of the audio. The sample is then conveyed to an analyzing means (106) to determine to which broadcast station the user is listening. The analyzing means monitors many broadcast channels. Thus, characteristics of the audio sample and samples taken from the broadcast channels can be compared to find a match. Broadcast information pertaining to the broadcast channel from which the match was found may then be reported back to the user, combined with an advertisement of a promotion, prize notification, discount offers, and other information specific for a certain radio station for example.

Abstract: A system and method are described for recognizing repeated audio material within at least one media stream without prior knowledge of the nature of the repeated material. The system and method are able to create a screening database from the media stream or streams. An unknown sample audio fragment is taken from the media stream and compared against the screening database to find if there are matching fragments within the media streams by determining if the unknown sample matches any samples in the screening database.

Abstract: A method for recognizing an audio sample locates an audio file that most closely matches the audio sample from a database indexing a large set of original recordings. Each indexed audio file is represented in the database index by a set of landmark timepoints and associated fingerprints. Landmarks occur at reproducible locations within the file, while fingerprints represent features of the signal at or near the landmark timepoints. To perform recognition, landmarks and fingerprints are computed for the unknown sample and used to retrieve matching fingerprints from the database. For each file containing matching fingerprints, the landmarks are compared with landmarks of the sample at which the same fingerprints were computed. If a large number of corresponding landmarks are linearly related, i.e., if equivalent fingerprints of the sample and retrieved file have the same time evolution, then the file is identified with the sample.