Patents Assigned to Gracenote, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11580120
    Abstract: Examples described herein may perform various operations based on mood congruency. An example method involves accessing, by a processor, from a database, a score that represents a degree of congruency between a first mood vector that describes first media data and a second mood vector that describes second media data, wherein the score is generated based on (i) a first value that the first mood vector associates with a first mood, (ii) a second value that the second mood vector associates with a second mood, and (iii) a degree of congruency between the first and second moods, based on the score, comparing, by the processor, a first characteristic of the first media data, other than the first mood, with a second characteristic of the second media data, other than the second mood, and based at least in part on an output of the comparing, providing an indicator to a module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Ching-Wei Chen, Kyogu Lee, Peter C. DiMaria, Markus K. Cremer
  • Patent number: 11581969
    Abstract: In one aspect, an example method to be performed by a vehicle-based media system includes (a) receiving audio content; (b) causing one or more speakers to output the received audio content; (c) using a microphone of the vehicle-based media system to capture the output audio content; (d) identifying reference audio content that has at least a threshold extent of similarity with the captured audio content; (e) identifying visual content based at least on the identified reference audio content; and (f) outputting, via a user interface of the vehicle-based media system, the identified visual content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventor: Nisarg A. Modi
  • Patent number: 11574008
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for audio identification during a performance are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes at least one memory and at least one processor to transform a segment of audio into a log-frequency spectrogram based on a constant Q transform using a logarithmic frequency resolution, transform the log-frequency spectrogram into a binary image, each pixel of the binary image corresponding to a time frame and frequency channel pair, each frequency channel representing a corresponding quarter tone frequency channel in a range from C3-C8, generate a matrix product of the binary image and a plurality of reference fingerprints, normalize the matrix product to form a similarity matrix, select an alignment of a line in the similarity matrix that intersects one or more bins in the similarity matrix with the largest calculated Hamming similarities, and select a reference fingerprint based on the alignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Dale T. Roberts, Bob Coover, Nicola Marcantonio, Markus K. Cremer
  • Patent number: 11574618
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for harmonic source enhancement are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes an interface to receive a media signal. The example apparatus also includes a harmonic source enhancer to determine a magnitude spectrogram of audio corresponding to the media signal; generate a time-frequency mask based on the magnitude spectrogram; and apply the time-frequency mask to the magnitude spectrogram to enhance a harmonic source of the media signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventor: Zafar Rafii
  • Patent number: 11568678
    Abstract: An example method may include applying an automated face detection program implemented on a computing device to a plurality of training digital images associated with a particular media content program to identify a sub-plurality of the training digital images, each containing a single face of a particular person associated with the particular media content program. An automated feature extraction program may be applied to the sub-plurality to generate a set of feature vectors associated with the particular person, each feature vector of the set corresponding to a different training digital image. An automated face recognition program may be applied to a runtime digital image associated with the particular media content program to recognize the particular person, together with respective geometric coordinates. The runtime digital image may be stored together with information identifying the particular person and the respective geometric coordinates of the particular person in the runtime digital image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Scott, Aneesh Vartakavi
  • Patent number: 11568679
    Abstract: An example method may include receiving, at a computing device, a digital image associated with a particular media content program, the digital image containing one or more faces of particular people associated with the particular media content program. A computer-implemented face recognition program together with a set of computational models associated with the particular media content program may be applied to the digital image to recognize one or more of the particular people in the digital image, together with respective geometric coordinates for each of the one or more detected faces. At least a subset of the set of the computational models may be associated with a respective one of the particular people. The digital image together may be stored in non-transitory computer-readable memory, together with information assigning respective identities of the recognized particular people, and associating with each respective assigned identity geometric coordinates in the digital image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Scott, Aneesh Vartakavi
  • Patent number: 11568644
    Abstract: A computing system automatically detects, in a sequence of video frames, a video frame region that depicts a scoreboard. The video frames of the sequence depict image elements including (i) scoreboard image elements that are unchanging across the video frames of the sequence and (ii) other image elements that change across the video frames of the sequence. Given this, the computing system (a) receives the sequence, (b) engages in an edge-detection process to detect, in the video frames of the sequence, a set of edges of the depicted image elements, (c) identifies a subset of the detected set of edges based on each edge of the subset being unchanging across the video frames of the sequence, and (d) detects, based on the edges of the identified subset, the video frame region that depicts the scoreboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Scott, Markus Kurt Peter Cremer, Nishit Parekh, Dewey Ho Lee
  • Patent number: 11551435
    Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes a processor (1) applying a feature map network to an image to create a feature map comprising a grid of vectors characterizing at least one feature in the image and (2) applying a probability map network to the feature map to create a probability map assigning a probability to the at least one feature in the image, where the assigned probability corresponds to a likelihood that the at least one feature is an overlay. The method further includes the processor determining that the probability exceeds a threshold, and responsive to the processor determining that the probability exceeds the threshold, performing a processing action associated with the at least one feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Wilson Harron, Irene Zhu
  • Patent number: 11551723
    Abstract: In one aspect, an example method includes (i) receiving a first group of video content items; (ii) identifying from among the first group of video content items, a second group of video content items having a threshold extent of similarity with each other; (iii) determining a quality score for each video content item of the second group; (iv) identifying from among the second group of video content items, a third group of video content items each having a quality score that exceeds a quality score threshold; and (v) based on the identifying of the third group, transmitting at least a portion of at least one video content item of the identified third group to a digital video-effect (DVE) system, wherein the system is configured for using the at least the portion of the at least one video content item of the identified third group to generate a video content item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Dale T. Roberts, Michael Gubman
  • Patent number: 11543729
    Abstract: Example systems and methods to transform events and/or mood associated with playing media into lighting effects are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes a content identifier to identify a first event occurring during presentation of media content at a first time. The example apparatus includes a content driven analyzer to determine a first lighting effect to be produced by a light-producing device based on the first event and instruct the light-producing device to produce the first lighting effect based on the first event during presentation of the media content. The content identifier is to identify a second media event occurring during presentation of the media content at a second time after the first time. The content driven analyzer is to instruct the light-producing device to one of maintain the first lighting effect based on the second event or produce a second lighting effect based on the second event during presentation of the media content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Markus Kurt Cremer, Shashank Merchant, Aneesh Vartakavi
  • Patent number: 11546071
    Abstract: Example methods and systems for modifying the playback of content using pre-processed profile information are described. Example instructions, when executed, cause at least one processor to access a media stream that includes media and a profile of equalization parameters, the media stream provided to a device via a network, the profile of equalization parameters included in the media stream selected based on a comparison of a reference fingerprint to a query fingerprint generated based on the media, the profile of equalization parameters including an equalization parameter for the media; and modify playback of the media based on the equalization parameter specified in the accessed profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: GRACENOTE, INC.
    Inventors: Vadim Brenner, Markus K. Cremer, Michael Becker
  • Patent number: 11540003
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and systems are disclosed for synchronizing streaming media content. An example apparatus includes a storage device, and a processor to execute instructions to identify a first source streaming broadcast media to a first computing device based on an audio fingerprint of audio associated with the broadcast media, identify sources broadcasting the broadcast media streaming to the first computing device, the sources available to a second computing device including the processor, select a second source of the identified sources for streaming the broadcast media to the second computing device, the second source different than the first source, detect termination of the streaming of the broadcast media on the first computing device, the termination corresponding to a termination time of the broadcast media, and automatically start, by using the selected second source, streaming of the broadcast media to the second computing device at the termination time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Suresh Jeyachandran, Roger Tsai, Paul Emmanuel Quinn, Markus K. Cremer
  • Patent number: 11531700
    Abstract: In one aspect, an example method to be performed by a computing device includes (a) receiving a request to use a camera of the computing device; (b) in response to receiving the request, (i) using a microphone of the computing device to capture audio content and (ii) using the camera of the computing device to capture an image; (c) identifying reference audio content that has at least a threshold extent of similarity with the captured audio content; and (d) outputting an indication of the identified reference audio content while displaying the captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Nisarg A. Modi, Brian T. Hamilton
  • Patent number: 11531699
    Abstract: Example methods and systems for inserting information into playing content are described. In some example embodiments, the methods and systems may identify a break in content playing via a playback device, select an information segment representative of information received by the playback device to present during the identified break, and insert the information segment into the content playing via the playback device upon an occurrence of the identified break.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: GRACENOTE, INC.
    Inventors: Vadim Brenner, Markus K. Cremer
  • Patent number: 11513760
    Abstract: A machine is configured to identify a media file that, when played to a user, is likely to modify an emotional or physical state of the user to or towards a target emotional or physical state. The machine accesses play counts that quantify playbacks of media files for the user. The playbacks may be locally performed or detected by the machine from ambient sound. The machine accesses arousal scores of the media files and determines a distribution of the play counts over the arousal scores. The machine uses one or more relative maxima in the distribution in selecting a target arousal score for the user based on contextual data that describes an activity of the user. The machine selects one or more media files based on the target arousal score. The machine may then cause the selected media file to be played to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: GRACENOTE, INC.
    Inventors: Aneesh Vartakavi, Peter C. DiMaria, Michael Gubman, Markus K. Cremer, Cameron Aubrey Summers, Gregoire Tronel
  • Patent number: 11494435
    Abstract: An embodiment may involve a server device transmitting, over a wide area network, a first playlist with a first duration to a client device. Possibly while the client device is playing out a current audio file of a first plurality of audio files in the playlist, the server device may receive an instruction from the client device and generate a second playlist. The second playlist may include references to a second plurality of audio files, where playout of the second plurality of audio files may have a duration that is less than the duration of the playout of the first plurality of audio files. The server device may transmit, over the wide area network, the second playlist to the client device. Reception of the second playlist at the client device may cause the audio player application to retrieve and play out the second plurality of audio files.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Rishabh Sharma, Markus Cremer
  • Patent number: 11495238
    Abstract: A machine may be configured to generate one or more audio fingerprints of one or more segments of audio data. The machine may access audio data to be fingerprinted and divide the audio data into segments. For any given segment, the machine may generate a spectral representation from the segment; generate a vector from the spectral representation; generate an ordered set of permutations of the vector; generate an ordered set of numbers from the permutations of the vector; and generate a fingerprint of the segment of the audio data, which may be considered a sub-fingerprint of the audio data. In addition, the machine or a separate device may be configured to determine a likelihood that candidate audio data matches reference audio data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Jinyu Han, Robert Coover
  • Patent number: 11487814
    Abstract: Techniques of content unification are disclosed. In some example embodiments, a computer-implemented method comprises: determining clusters based a comparison of a plurality of audio content using a first matching criteria, each cluster of the plurality of clusters comprising at least two audio content from the plurality of audio content; for each cluster of the plurality of clusters, determining a representative audio content for the cluster from the at least two audio content of the cluster; loading the corresponding representative audio content of each cluster into an index; matching the query audio content to one of the representative audio contents using a first matching criteria; determining the corresponding cluster of the matched representative audio content; and identifying a match between the query audio content and at least one of the audio content of the cluster of the matched representative audio content based on a comparison using a second matching criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter C. DiMaria, Markus K. Cremer, Barnabas Mink, Tanji Koshio, Kei Tsuji
  • Patent number: 11487813
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for filtering at least one media content catalog based on criteria for a station library to generate a first list of candidate tracks for the station library, combining a similarity score and a popularity score for each track of the first list of candidate tracks to generate a total score for each track of the first list of candidate tracks, generating a list of top ranked tracks for the first genre, and returning the list of top ranked tracks of the first genre as part of the station library.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter C. DiMaria, Andrew Silverman
  • Patent number: 11481628
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed methods and apparatus for audio equalization based on variant selection. An example apparatus includes a processor to obtain training data, the training data including a plurality of reference audio signals each associated with a variant of music and organize the training data into a plurality of entries based on the plurality of reference audio signals, a training model executor to execute a neural network model using the training data, and a model trainer to train the neural network model by updating at least one weight corresponding to one of the entries in the training data when the neural network model does not satisfy a training threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Coover, Joseph Renner, Cameron A. Summers