U.S. patent application number 13/931057 was filed with the patent office on 2013-10-31 for program identification using a portable communication device.
The applicant listed for this patent is SONY CORPORATION, SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS AB. Invention is credited to Staffan LINCOLN.
Application Number | 20130291033 13/931057 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39970577 |
Filed Date | 2013-10-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130291033 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LINCOLN; Staffan |
October 31, 2013 |
PROGRAM IDENTIFICATION USING A PORTABLE COMMUNICATION DEVICE
Abstract
According to one aspect, a portable communication device records
a program being presented by a media presenting apparatus as media
data, generates a query regarding a media channel and a program on
that channel, which query includes said media data and sends said
query to a system for determining a program on a media channel
operated by a program determination service provider. The system
receives the query, compares the query media data with data of a
number of sets of reference media data related to at least one
reception environment, where each set corresponds to a broadcast
media channel, identifies the media channel, identifies a program
in the media channel through using an electronic program guide, and
sends data identifying the channel and the program to the portable
communication device.
Inventors: |
LINCOLN; Staffan; (Lund,
SE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
SONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS AB
SONY CORPORATION |
Lund
Tokyo |
|
SE
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
39970577 |
Appl. No.: |
13/931057 |
Filed: |
June 28, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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11747670 |
May 11, 2007 |
8499316 |
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13931057 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
725/105 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/4334 20130101;
H04N 21/6181 20130101; H04H 2201/37 20130101; H04N 21/274 20130101;
H04N 21/8106 20130101; H04N 21/8133 20130101; H04N 21/8126
20130101; H04H 60/64 20130101; H04H 2201/30 20130101; H04N 21/4126
20130101; H04N 21/4223 20130101; H04H 60/39 20130101; H04N 21/41407
20130101; H04N 21/8173 20130101; H04N 21/4722 20130101; H04H 60/90
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/105 |
International
Class: |
H04N 21/81 20060101
H04N021/81 |
Claims
1-36. (canceled)
37. A device comprising: a processor to: receive a query from a
portable communication device, the query including: media data
obtained by the portable communication device, and information
identifying a time that the media data was obtained by the portable
communication device; identify, based on the media data, a
particular media channel from which the media data was obtained by
the portable communication device; identify, based on the time that
the media data was obtained by the portable communication device, a
particular program broadcast via the particular media channel; and
send information identifying the particular media channel and
information identifying the particular program to the portable
communication device.
38. The device of claim 37, where the processor is further to:
generate a set of reference media data for the particular media
channel; and where, when identifying the particular media channel,
the device is to: compare the media data included in the query to
reference media data included in the set of reference media data,
determine that the media data included in the query matches one of
the reference media data included in the set of reference media
data, and identify the particular media channel based on the media
data included in the query matching the one of the media data
included in the reference set of media data.
39. The device of claim 38, where, when generating the set of
reference media data, the processor is to: receive the particular
media channel, demodulate the particular media channel, and
generate the set of reference media data based on demodulating the
particular media channel.
40. The device of claim 37, where the media data includes video
data; and where, when identifying the particular media channel, the
processor is to: compare the video data to a reference set of media
data.
41. The device of claim 37, where the processor is further to:
receive information identifying a favorite program of a user
associated with the portable communication device; determine that
the particular program corresponds to the favorite program; and
send, to the portable communication device, information identifying
a future broadcast of the particular program based on the
particular program corresponding to the favorite program.
42. The device of claim 37, where the processor is further to:
receive recorded media data from the portable communication device,
the recorded media data including audio data broadcast via a
plurality of different media channels; and determine, based on the
audio data, a set of reference media channels included in a
reception environment associated with a user of the portable
communication device; and where, when identifying the particular
media channel, the processor is to: identify the particular media
channel based on reference media data associated with the set of
reference media channels.
43. The device of claim 42, where, when determining the set of
reference media channels, the processor is to: determine a location
of the portable communication device, and determine the set of
reference media channels further based on the location of the
portable communication device.
44. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions,
the instructions comprising: one or more instructions that, when
executed by a processor, cause the processor to: receive a query
from a wireless communication device, the query including: media
data recorded by the wireless communication device, and information
identifying a time that the media data was recorded by the wireless
communication device; identify, based on the media data, a
particular media channel from which the media data was recorded by
the wireless communication device; identify, based on the time that
the media data was recorded by the wireless communication device, a
particular program broadcast via the particular media channel; and
send information identifying the particular media channel and
information identifying the particular program to the wireless
communication device.
45. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 44, where
the instructions further comprise: one or more instructions that,
when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: generate a
set of reference media data for the particular media channel; and
where the one or more instructions to identify the particular media
channel further cause the processor to: compare the media data
included in the query to reference media data included in the set
of reference media data, determine that the media data included in
the query matches one of the reference media data included in the
set of reference media data, and identify the particular media
channel based on the media data included in the query matching the
one of the media data included in the reference set of media
data.
46. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 45, where
the one or more instructions to generate the set of reference media
data further cause the processor to: receive the particular media
channel, demodulate the particular media channel, and generate the
set of reference media data based on demodulating the particular
media channel.
47. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 44, where
the media data includes video data; and where the one or more
instructions to identify the particular media channel further cause
the processor to: compare the video data to a reference set of
video data.
48. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 44, where
the instructions further comprise: one or more instructions that,
when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive
information identifying a favorite program of a user associated
with the wireless communication device; determine that the
particular program corresponds to the favorite program; and send,
to the wireless communication device, information identifying a
future broadcast of the particular program based on the particular
program corresponding to the favorite program.
49. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 44, where
the instructions further comprise: one or more instructions that,
when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive
recorded media data from the wireless communication device, the
recorded media data including audio data broadcast via a plurality
of different media channels; and determine, based on the audio
data, a set of reference media channels included in a reception
environment associated with a user of the wireless communication
device; and where the one or more instructions to identify the
particular media channel further cause the processor to: identify
the particular media channel based on reference media data
associated with the set of reference media channels.
50. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 49, where
the one or more instructions to determine the set of reference
media channels further cause the processor to: determine a location
of the wireless communication device, and determine the set of
reference media channels further based on the location of the
wireless communication device.
51. A method comprising: receiving, by a device, a query from a
portable communication device, the query including: media data
obtained by the portable communication device, and information
identifying a time that the media data was obtained by the portable
communication device; identifying, by the device and based on the
media data, a particular media channel from which the media data
was obtained by the portable communication device; identifying, by
the device and based on the time that the media data was obtained
by the portable communication device, a particular program
broadcast via the particular media channel; and sending, by the
device, information identifying the particular media channel and
information identifying the particular program to the portable
communication device.
52. The method of claim 51, further comprising: generating a set of
reference media data for the particular media channel; and where
identifying the particular media channel includes: comparing the
media data included in the query to reference media data included
in the set of reference media data, determining that the media data
included in the query matches one of the reference media data
included in the set of reference media data, and identifying the
particular media channel based on the media data included in the
query matching the one of the media data included in the reference
set of media data.
53. The method of claim 51, where the media data includes video
data; where identifying the particular media channel includes:
comparing the video data to a reference set of media data.
54. The method of claim 51, further comprising: receiving
information identifying a favorite program of a user associated
with the portable communication device; determining that the
particular program corresponds to the favorite program; and
sending, to the portable communication device, information
identifying a future broadcast of the particular program based on
the particular program corresponding to the favorite program.
55. The method of claim 51, further comprising: receiving recorded
media data from the portable communication device, the recorded
media data including audio data broadcast via a plurality of
different media channels; and determining, based on the audio data,
a set of reference media channels included in a reception
environment associated with a user of the portable communication
device; and where identifying the particular media channel
includes: identifying the particular media channel based on
reference media data associated with the set of reference media
channels.
56. The method of claim 55, where determining the set of reference
media channels includes: determining a location of the portable
communication device, and determining the set of reference media
channels further based on the location of the portable
communication device.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention may relate to the field of providing
services for communication devices such as portable communication
devices. The present invention may relate to a method, system, or
computer program product that may determine a program on a media
channel for a user of a communication device as well as to a
method, communication device, or computer program product for
receiving a determination of a program on a media channel from a
program determination service provider.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
[0002] Television is a source of enjoyment for many people. When a
viewer watches a program on his/her television set he/she may be
interested in finding out information about the program he/she is
watching. The user may not have access to electronic program guides
and, in this case, it may be burdensome for the user to find out
what program is being broadcast, especially if the user does not
have a remote control close at hand. Most users today have a
communication device, such as a portable communications device,
which may be a cellular phone.
SUMMARY
[0003] Some embodiments may provide a service for a television
viewer or radio listener in which the program being viewed or
listened to can be identified with the help of a portable
communication device.
[0004] A first aspect may be directed towards a method for
determining a program on a media channel for a user of a portable
communication device. The method may include receiving a query over
a wireless wide area network from the user regarding a media
channel and a program being broadcast on that channel, which query
includes media data recorded by the user, comparing the media data
of the query with data of a number of sets of reference media data
related to at least one reception environment, where each set
corresponds to a broadcast media channel, and identifying the media
channel based on a match between media data of the query and data
of a set of reference media data, identifying a program in the
media channel based on a match between time data of media data used
in the identification of the channel and time data of a program in
an electronic program guide for said channel, and sending data
identifying the channel and the program to the portable
communication device of the user over the wireless wide area
network.
[0005] A second aspect may include the features of the first
aspect, and further may include receiving and demodulating a number
of media channels and recording said media channels in order to
generate said sets of reference media data.
[0006] A third aspect may include the features of the first aspect,
wherein each set of reference media data may include reference time
data associated with the time of broadcasting a media channel, the
query received from the user may include time data indicating when
the media data was recorded and comparing may include comparing
media data of the sets of reference media data in an interval
covering the time data of the query.
[0007] A fourth aspect may include the features of the third
aspect, wherein the time data used for identifying the program is
the time data provided by the user.
[0008] A fifth aspect may include the features of the first aspect,
wherein the time data used for identifying the program is time data
associated with a part of the set of reference media data of the
media channel being identified.
[0009] A sixth aspect may include the features of the first aspect,
and further may include investigating, in the electronic program
guide, if the identified program is being broadcast in the future
and sending reminder data to the user over the wireless wide area
network indicating when the identified program is being broadcast
in the future.
[0010] A seventh aspect may include the features of the sixth
aspect, wherein the query may include a favourites setting and
investigating if the identified program is being broadcast in the
future and sending of reminder data are performed based on this
favourites setting.
[0011] An eighth aspect may include the features of the sixth
aspect, wherein investigating if the identified program is being
broadcast in the future is performed recurrently and sending
reminder data is performed each time the identified program is to
be broadcast.
[0012] A ninth aspect may include the features of the sixth aspect,
wherein investigating if the identified program is being broadcast
in the future is performed once and sending reminder data may
include sending reminder data identifying a number of times the
electronic program guide indicates that the program will be
broadcast in the future.
[0013] A tenth aspect may include the features of the first aspect,
wherein identifying a program in the media channel may include
identifying a section of the program.
[0014] An eleventh aspect may include the features of the first
aspect, wherein there are several possible reception environments
and further may include receiving environment identifying data from
the user.
[0015] A twelfth aspect may include the features of the eleventh
aspect, wherein the environment identifying data may include media
data recorded by the user of media channels that can be received in
the reception environment.
[0016] A thirteenth aspect may include the features of the eleventh
aspect, wherein the receiving environment identifying data and the
query may include location data, wherein restrictions are applied
on services related to the identifying of the media program if a
difference between the location data of the environment identifying
data and the location data of the query is above a location
difference threshold.
[0017] A fourteenth aspect is directed towards a system for
determining a program on a media channel for a user of a portable
communication device and may include: a wireless wide area network
communication interface for receiving a query via the wireless wide
area network regarding a media channel and a program being
broadcast on that channel, which query may include media data
recorded by the user, and a program determination device including
an electronic program guide, a sound comparing unit, and a program
handling unit arranged to order the sound comparing unit to compare
the media data of the query with the data of a number of sets of
reference media data related to at least one reception environment,
where each set corresponds to a broadcast media channel, identify
the media channel based on a match between media data of the query
and data of a set reference media data, identify a program in the
media channel based on a match between time data of media data used
in the identification of the channel and time data of a program in
an electronic program guide for said channel, and order the
wireless wide area network communication device to send data
identifying the channel and the program to the portable
communication device of the user.
[0018] A fifteenth aspect may include the features of the
fourteenth aspect, and further may include a set of media channel
receiving devices for receiving and demodulating said media
channels and a set of media recording devices for recording said
media channels in order to generate said sets of reference media
data.
[0019] A sixteenth aspect may include the features of the
fourteenth aspect, wherein each set of reference media data may
include reference time data associated with the time of
broadcasting a media channel, the query received from the user may
include time data indicating when the media data was recorded and
the program handling unit when ordering the sound comparing unit to
compare media data of the query with the data of the reference
media data sets is arranged to order comparing media data of the
sets of reference media data in an interval covering the time data
received from the user.
[0020] A seventeenth aspect may include the features of the
sixteenth aspect, wherein the located time data used for
identifying the media program is the time data provided by the
user.
[0021] An eighteenth aspect may include the features of the
fourteenth aspect, wherein the time data used for identifying the
program is time data associated with a part of the set of reference
media data for which a media channel is identified.
[0022] A nineteenth aspect may include the features of the
fourteenth aspect, wherein the program handling unit is further
arranged to investigate in the electronic program guide if the
identified program is being broadcast in the future and order the
wireless wide area network communication device to send reminder
data to the user indicating when the identified program is being
broadcast in the future.
[0023] A twentieth aspect may include the features of the
nineteenth aspect, wherein the query may include a favourites
setting and the program handling unit is arranged to investigate if
the identified program is being broadcast in the future and order
the wireless wide area network communication device to send
reminder data based on this favourites setting.
[0024] A twenty-first aspect may include the features of the
nineteenth aspect, wherein the program handling unit is arranged to
investigate if the identified program is being broadcast in the
future recurrently and order the sending of reminder data each time
the identified program is to be broadcast.
[0025] A twenty-second aspect may include the features of the
nineteenth aspect, wherein the program handling unit is arranged to
only once investigate if the identified program is being broadcast
in the future and when ordering the sending of reminder data is
further arranged to order sending of reminder data identifying a
number of times that the electronic program guide indicates the
program will be broadcast in the future.
[0026] A twenty-third aspect may include the features of the
fourteenth aspect, wherein the identifying of a program in the
media channel may include identifying a section of the program.
[0027] A twenty-fourth aspect may include the features of the
fourteenth aspect, wherein there are several possible reception
environments and the program handling unit is further arranged to
receive environment identifying data from the user.
[0028] A twenty-fifth aspect may include the features of the
twenty-fourth aspect, wherein the receiving environment identifying
data may include media data recorded by the user of every media
channel that can be received in the reception environment.
[0029] A twenty-sixth aspect may include the features of the
twenty-fourth aspect, wherein the receiving environment identifying
data and the query may include location data, wherein the program
handling unit is arranged to apply restrictions on services related
to the identifying of the media program if a difference between the
location data of the environment identifying data and the location
data of the query is above a location difference threshold.
[0030] A twenty-seventh aspect is directed towards a computer
program product for determining a program on a media channel for a
user of a portable communication device and may include: computer
program code, to make a program determination device of a system
for providing program determination execute, when said program code
is loaded in the program determination device, order a sound
comparing unit to compare media data of a query with data of a
number of sets of reference media data, where said query has been
received over a wireless wide area network and concerns a media
channel and a program on that channel being broadcast and the media
data has been recorded by the user, while each set of reference
media data is related to at least one reception environment, where
each set corresponds to a broadcast media channel,
identify the media channel based on a match between media data of
the query and data of a set of reference media data, identify a
program in the media channel based on a match between time data of
media data used in the identification of the channel and time data
of a program in an electronic program guide for said channel, and
order a wireless wide area network communication device to send
data identifying the channel and the program to the portable
communication device of the user.
[0031] A twenty-eighth aspect is directed towards a method for
receiving a determination of a program on a media channel from a
program determination service provider and may include: recording a
section of a program being presented by a media presenting
apparatus as media data, generating a query regarding a media
channel and a program on that channel, which query may include said
recorded media data, sending said query over a wireless wide area
network to said program determination service provider, and
receiving data identifying the channel and the program from the
program determination service provider over the wireless wide area
network.
[0032] A twenty-ninth aspect may include the features of the
twenty-eighth aspect, where the program has been determined through
the media program determination service provider having compared
the media data of the query with data of a number of sets of
reference media data related to at least one reception environment,
where each set corresponds to a broadcast media channel,
identifying the media channel based on a match between media data
of the query and data of a set of reference media data and
identifying the program in the media channel based on a match
between time data of media data used in the identification of the
channel and time data of a program in an electronic program guide
for said channel.
[0033] A thirtieth aspect may include the features of the
twenty-eighth aspect, and further may include registering time data
when the section is recorded and including the time data in the
query.
[0034] A thirty-first aspect may include the features of the
twenty-eighth aspect, and further may include receiving reminder
data over the wireless wide area network indicating when the
identified program is being broadcast in the future.
[0035] A thirty-second aspect may include the features of the
thirty-first aspect, and further may include receiving a favourites
setting from the user and including the favourites setting in the
query, wherein receiving reminder data is performed based on this
favourites setting.
[0036] A thirty-third aspect may include the features of the
thirty-first aspect, wherein the reminder data is received
recurrently at points in time when the identified program is being
broadcast.
[0037] A thirty-fourth aspect may include the features of the
thirty-first aspect, wherein the reminder data is received at least
once and may include data identifying a number of times the program
will be broadcast in the future and further may include making at
least one favourites reminding setting according to the received
reminder data and alerting the user of the broadcasting of the
favourites program based on said favourites reminding setting.
[0038] A thirty-fifth aspect may include the features of the
twenty-eighth aspect, wherein the data identifying the program in
the media channel may include data identifying a section of the
program.
[0039] A thirty-sixth aspect may include the features of the
twenty-eighth aspect, wherein there are several possible reception
environments and further may include sending environment
identifying data to the media program determination service
provider.
[0040] A thirty-seventh aspect may include the features of the
thirty-sixth aspect, and further may include recording media data
including data from every media channel the media presenting
apparatus can receive and including this media data in the
environment identifying data.
[0041] A thirty-eight aspect may include the features of the
thirty-sixth aspect, wherein the receiving environment identifying
data and the query include location data, in order to allow the
program determination service provider to apply restrictions on
services related to the identifying of the media program.
[0042] A thirty-ninth aspect is directed towards a portable
communication device for receiving a determination of a program on
a media channel from a program determination service provider may
include: a media recording unit, a wireless wide area network
communication unit, and a control unit arranged to order the media
recording unit to record a section of a media program being
presented by a media presenting apparatus as media data, generate a
query regarding a media channel and a program on that channel,
which query may include said recorded media data, order said
wireless wide area network communication unit to send said query to
said program determination service provider, and receive data
identifying the channel and the program from the program
determination service provider via the wireless wide area network
communication unit.
[0043] A fortieth aspect may include the features of the
thirty-ninth aspect, wherein the program has been determined
through the media program determination service provider having
compared the media data of the query with data of a number of sets
of reference media data related to at least one reception
environment, where each set corresponds to a broadcast media
channel, identifying the media channel based on a match between
media data of the query and data of a set of reference media data
and identifying the program in the media channel based on a match
between time data of media data used in the identification of the
channel and time data of a program in an electronic program guide
for said channel.
[0044] A forty-first aspect may include the features of the
thirty-ninth aspect, wherein the control unit is further arranged
to register time data when the section is recorded and include the
time data in the query.
[0045] A forty-second aspect may include the features of the
thirty-ninth aspect, wherein the control unit is further arranged
to receive reminder data indicating when the identified program is
being broadcast in the future via the wireless wide area network
communication unit.
[0046] A forty-third aspect may include the features of the
forty-second aspect, and further may include a user interface,
where the control unit is further arranged to receive a favourites
setting from the user via the user interface and include the
favourites setting in the query, where the reception of reminder
data is based on this favourites setting.
[0047] A forty-fourth aspect may include the features of the
forty-second aspect, wherein the reminder data is received
recurrently at points in time when the identified program is being
broadcast.
[0048] A forty-fifth aspect may include the features of the
forty-second aspect, and further may include a favourites reminding
storage, where the reminder data is received at least once and may
include data identifying a number of times the program will be
broadcast in the future and the control is further arranged to make
at least one favourites reminding setting according to the received
reminder data in the favourites reminding storage and alert the
user of the broadcasting of the favourites program based on said
setting.
[0049] A forty-sixth aspect may include the features of the
thirty-ninth aspect, wherein the data identifying the program in
the media channel may include data identifying a section of the
program.
[0050] A forty-seventh aspect may include the features of the
thirty-ninth aspect, wherein there are several possible reception
environments and the control unit is further arranged to order
sending of environment identifying data to the program
determination service provider.
[0051] A forty-eighth aspect may include the features of the
forty-seventh aspect, wherein the control unit is further arranged
to order the media recording unit to record media data including
data from media channels the media presenting apparatus can receive
and including this media data in the environment identifying
data.
[0052] A forty-ninth aspect may include the features of the
forty-seventh aspect, and further may include a position unit,
where the control unit is arranged to receive location data from
said position unit for inclusion in the receiving environment
identifying data and the query include location data, in order to
allow the media program determination service provider to apply
restrictions on services related to the identifying of the media
program.
[0053] A fiftieth aspect may include the features of the
thirty-ninth aspect, wherein the portable communication device is a
cellular phone.
[0054] A fifty-first aspect is directed towards a computer program
product for receiving a determination of a program on a media
channel from a media program determination service provider and may
include: computer program code, to make a portable communication
device execute, when said program code is loaded in the portable
communication device, order a media recording unit to record a
section of a program being presented by a media presenting
apparatus as media data, generate a query regarding a media channel
and a program on that channel, which query may include said
recorded media data, order a wireless wide area network
communication unit to send said query to said program determination
service provider, and receive data identifying the channel and the
program from the program determination service provider via the
wireless wide area network communication unit.
[0055] Exemplary embodiments may be implemented in a cellular phone
with limited additional functionality, because all of the hardware
may already be there. Exemplary embodiments may be implemented by
only including some additional software. Exemplary embodiments may
enable a user to find out information about a program on a media
channel in a simple way using his/her portable communication
device.
[0056] It should be emphasized that the term "comprises/comprising"
when used in this specification is taken to specify the presence of
stated features, steps or components, but does not preclude the
presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, components or groups thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0057] Embodiments will now be described in more detail in relation
to the enclosed drawings, in which:
[0058] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary environment including a portable
communication device and a media presenting apparatus for one
embodiment;
[0059] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary block schematic of an exemplary
system for determining a program on a media channel according to
one embodiment;
[0060] FIG. 3 shows a front view of an exemplary portable
communication device;
[0061] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary block schematic of the relevant
parts of the portable communication device in one embodiment;
[0062] FIG. 5 shows a flow chart of an exemplary process for
determining a reception environment of a user;
[0063] FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of an exemplary process for
determining a program on a media channel in order to determine the
reception environment of the user;
[0064] FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of an exemplary process for
determining a television program for the user;
[0065] FIG. 8 shows a flow chart of an exemplary process for
determining a program on a media channel in order to determine the
television program for the user;
[0066] FIG. 9 shows a flow chart of an exemplary process for
alerting the user of a favourite program; and
[0067] FIG. 10 shows an exemplary CD ROM disc on which program code
for executing methods according to one embodiment may be
provided.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0068] In the following there will be described how a user of a
portable communication device may determine the television program
he/she is watching on a television apparatus with the aid of a
portable communication device. However, it should be realised that
the principles given below are not limited to television, but may
just as well be applied for radio.
[0069] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary environment that may include a
portable communication device and a media presenting apparatus in
one embodiment. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a portable
communication device 10 may be provided close to a media presenting
apparatus, which may include a television apparatus 11. The media
presenting apparatus may include a radio. The portable
communication device 10 may communicate with a system for
determining a program on a media channel via a wireless wide area
network. In one embodiment, the portable communication device 10
may communicate with a system for determining a program on a media
channel via a wired line. The portable communication device 10 may
communicate, via a wireless wide area network N, with a system 12
for determining a program on a media channel. This network N may be
a GSM (Global System for Mobil Communications) network, a WCDMA
(Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) network, or an LTE (Long
Term Evolution) network, for example. Network N may be any
wireless, wide-area network allowing the transmission of data. In
one embodiment, network N may be a wireless, local-area network. In
one embodiment, the portable communication device 10 may be in
wireless contact with the network N, while the system 12 may have a
fixed, e.g., wired, connection. It should, however, be realised
that the system 12 may also be in contact with the network N
wirelessly.
[0070] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary block schematic of an exemplary
system 12 for determining a program on a media channel according to
one embodiment. The system 12 may be run by a program determination
service provider, which may be a service provider that provides the
service of determining media programs such as television programs.
In one embodiment, system 12 may remind a user of the broadcasting
of favourite programs. The system 12 may include a set of media
channel receiving devices 14, which may be television channel
receiving devices arranged to receive and demodulate a number of
television channels being broadcast. There may be provided one
receiving device for each channel that may exist in a number of
reception environments. In one embodiment, a reception environment
may be a terrestrial reception environment, e.g., limited to the
terrestrial television signals received in a geographical area,
such as in a country, state, or region or in various parts of a
country, state or region. A reception environment may also be a
cable television reception environment, e.g., the channels provided
by a cable television supplier or a satellite television reception
environment, e.g., the channels provided by a satellite television
supplier. A reception environment may also be a channel or group of
channels provided over a network connection, such as an Internet
connection. There may be provided a set of media recording devices.
The media recording devices may include television recording
devices 16, where there may be one television recording device for
each television channel receiving device 14, for example. The
television recording devices may be connected to a program file
storage 18 and may save the recorded television channels as a
number of sets of reference media data together with reference time
data of when they were broadcast, e.g., broadcast times, in the
program file storage 18. This reference time data may be provided
in the form of time stamps associated with a stored media stream.
There may be a program file storage section provided for each
television channel. In one embodiment, only sound may be recorded.
In another embodiment, sound and video may be recorded. Therefore,
the sets of reference media data may, for example, be saved in the
MP3 format. In one embodiment, it may be possible to apply the
principles on recorded video. In this embodiment, it may be
possible to save the reference media data, for example, in the MPEG
format. If only sound is recorded, the costs and required storage
space may be lowered. However, if the sets of reference media data
are stored in a video format, the sets of reference media may be
compared to both sound and video, which may allow a greater
flexibility that can be adapted to the media recording capabilities
of different portable communication devices.
[0071] The system 12 may include a wireless wide area network
communication interface 20 for communicating with the wireless wide
area network N. The interface 20 may be connected to a program
handling unit 24 of a program determination device 22. In this
device 22 the program handling unit 24 may be connected to an
electronic program guide 26, to a sound comparing unit 29 as well
as to a user storage 28. The user storage 28 may include data about
each user of the service. This storage 28 may store information
such as which reception environment a user belongs to and data
about various favourite programs of the user.
[0072] FIG. 3 shows a front view of an exemplary portable
communication device according to one embodiment. In one
embodiment, the device may include a cellular phone 10. The phone
10 has a display 32, a user input unit in the form of a keypad 30
including a number of keys, a speaker 34 and a media recording unit
in the form of a microphone 36. The keypad 14 may be used for
entering information, such as selecting of functions and responding
to prompts. The display 12 may be used for displaying prompts and
information about functions to a user of the phone 10. The speaker
34 may be arranged to emit sound, like speech or music being played
in the phone, alerting the user of events etc. The microphone 36
may be arranged to record sound. The cellular phone 10 may be just
one example of a device in which an embodiment may be implemented.
In embodiment may, for example, the device may include a PDA
(personal digital assistant), a palm-top computer, or a lap-top
computer. In one embodiment, these alternative devices may record
sound and/or video and may communicate wirelessly.
[0073] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary block schematic of the relevant
components of the portable communication device 10 in one
embodiment. The phone 10 may include a control unit 46 connected to
a radio communication unit 38 that in turn may be connected to a
first antenna 40 for communication in the wireless wide area
network. The phone 10 may include a positioning unit 42 connected
to a second antenna 44 for receiving position signals. The position
unit 42 may include a GPS (Global Positioning System) position unit
receiving position signals from a GPS satellite. The position unit
42 may be a unit that calculates the position of the cellular phone
10 using triangulation between nodes in the wireless wide-area
network. The control unit 46 may be connected to the keypad 30, the
display 32, the speaker 34 and the microphone 36. Finally the
control unit 46 may be connected to a favourites reminding storage
50 and to a clock 48.
[0074] A user of a cellular phone who may watch TV on a television
apparatus may be, according to one embodiment, able to receive
information about the program he/she is watching through the use of
the phone together with the system for determining a program on a
media channel. However, for some functionality, in one embodiment,
it may be desirable to know the reception environment that the user
is located in. This environment may be the reception environment of
his/her home. It may be possible for the user to provide this
information to a television program determination service provider,
which may operate the system, in several ways. According to one
embodiment, the user may inform the service provider through
sending reception environment data which the user has manually
gathered. This data may include data such as the home address of
the user as well as indications of if he/she has cable TV, a
satellite dish, the suppliers of satellite or cable television etc.
This supplier may furthermore have packaged the channels into
different packages. The data may thus also include supplier and
package information, from which information it may be possible to
learn which channels the user has access to. All, or some, of this
information may thus be sent to the service provider. The service
provider may be informed of what channels the user can receive,
e.g., the reception environment. In the case of terrestrial
broadcast channels, the user may inform the service provider of any
subscriptions of coded channels that he/she has access to. For
terrestrial channels the service provider may also get to know the
reception environment through knowledge about what channels can be
received in the geographical location, such as the home
address.
[0075] According to another embodiment, information about the
reception environment of the user may be provided to the service
provider in another way. This variation will now be described with
reference being made to the previously described FIGS. 1 to 4, as
well as with reference to FIG. 5, which shows a flow chart of a
process that may be performed in the cellular phone 10 in order to
determine a reception environment of a user, and to FIG. 6, which
shows a flow chart of an exemplary process that may be performed in
the system 12 in order to determine the reception environment of
the user.
[0076] The user may start a client application that may be run by
the control unit 46 of the phone 10 through a selection being made
using the keypad 30. In this application, the user may be
presented, via the display 32, of the option to determine reception
environment. If the user selects this option, via the keypad 30,
he/she may be requested to zap through the television channels that
can be received by the television apparatus 11 (block 52). As used
herein, to zap means to cycle through the television channels
using, for example, a remote control. If the user accepts this,
he/she may be told to zap while holding the microphone 36 towards
the television apparatus 11 during a recording time. As the user
zaps the channels, the sound may be recorded by the microphone 36
for each channel being zapped and the sound from all channels may
be stored as media data by the control unit 46 (block 54). Time
data in the form of one or more time stamps of the recording may,
at the same time, be registered by the control unit 46 using, for
example, clock 48 (block 56). A time stamp may also be obtained via
a system clock of the network N. The control unit 46 may obtain
position data from the position unit 42 and may register the
location of the phone using these position data (block 58). The
control unit 46 may order the wireless wide area network
communication unit 38 to send an environment identifying data
message to the system 12 of the service provider (block 60), where
this message may include the recorded media data (e.g., in the form
of a sound file such as MP3 or WAV, for example), the registered
time stamp, and registered location.
[0077] The environment identifying data message may be received by
the wireless wide area network interface 20 (block 62), of the
system 12 and may be forwarded to the program handling unit 24 of
the program determination device 22. The program handling unit 24
may search through media data of the channels that have been
recorded in the program file storage 18 and may send relevant parts
of them (based on the received time stamp of the user recorded
media data) to the sound comparing unit 29. The sound comparing
unit 29 may play the files and may compare the sound of the user
recorded media data with the sound of the sets of reference media
data. The media data may have time stamps that may be the same or
may be provided in an interval, for example, covering all time
stamps provided in the media file from the user. The user recorded
media data may be compared with the reference media data sets for a
time period that corresponds to the time indicated in time data,
e.g., time stamps, from the user (block 64). Matching channels may
be detected (block 66). The program handling unit 24 may store data
identifying these detected channels together with the received
location data in the user storage 28 as a reception environment for
the user (block 68).
[0078] In this way the service provider may know what channels the
user has access to in his/her reception environment and it may now
be possible to use this information in relation to determining a
program according to one embodiment.
[0079] How a program of a channel may be determined for a user will
now be described in relation to FIGS. 1 to 4, 7, and 8. FIG. 7
shows a flow chart of a process that may be performed in the
cellular phone 10 in order to determine a television program for
the user. FIG. 8 shows a flow chart of a process that may be
performed in the system 12 to determine the television program for
the user.
[0080] The user may start or access the client application being
run by the control unit 46 through using the keypad 30. In one
embodiment, the user may be presented, via the display 32, of the
option to determine a program on a television channel. The user may
want to select this option if he/she is watching a program on the
television apparatus 11 and desires to find out what program that
is being aired. If the user selects this option, via the keypad 30,
he/she may be asked to hold the microphone 36 towards the
television apparatus 11 during a recording time. The sound may be
recorded by the microphone 36 for a channel that the television
apparatus 11 is tuned to and the sound may be stored as media data
by the control unit 46 (block 70). In this embodiment, a section of
the program may be recorded. Time data in the form of one or more
time stamps of the recording may be registered by the control unit
46 using clock 48, for example, or the system clock of the network
N (block 72). The control unit 46 may obtain position data from the
position unit 42 and may register the location of the phone 10
using this position data (block 74). The control unit 46 may ask
the user, via the display 32, if the program is a favourite
program. The user may indicate that the program is a favourite or
indicate that the program is not via the keypad 30, which response
may be received by the control unit 46. If the response was that
the program is a favourite (block 76), the control unit 46 makes a
favourites setting (block 78), and may generate a query (block 80).
If the program is not a favourite (block 76), the query may be
generated without a favourites setting (block 80). This query may
include the recorded media data (here in the form of a sound file),
the registered time stamp, registered location, and favourites
setting. The control unit 46 may order the wireless wide area
network communication unit 38 to send the query to the system 12 of
the service provider. The control unit 46 may receive a response
from the system 12 via the wide area wireless communication unit 38
(block 84). The response may include program information that may
be presented to the user, for example, via the display 32. In this
embodiment, the user may find out what program is being aired.
Depending on the favourites setting as well as on different
embodiments, the control unit 46 may receive one or several
response messages to the query.
[0081] The query may be received by the wireless wide area network
interface 20 of the system 12 and may be forwarded to the program
handling unit 24 of the program determination device 22 (block 88).
The program handling unit 24 may search through sets of reference
media data of channels that have been recorded in the program file
storage 18, may send relevant parts of them (based on the received
time stamp) to the sound comparing unit 29. The sound comparing
unit may play the files and may compare the sound of the media data
from the query with the sound of the sets of reference media data.
The reference media data may have time stamps that may be the same
or may be provided in an interval covering all time stamps provided
in the media file from the user. The user recorded media data may
be compared with the sets of reference media data for a time period
corresponding to time indicated in time data, e.g., time stamps,
from the user (block 90). If a match is made, the channel may be
identified (block 92). In one embodiment, in order to expedite the
searching the channels, the channels of the reception environment
of the user may be investigated first. In one embodiment, other
channels may be searched if, for example, there is no match for
these channels of the reception environment. Thus, if a match is
made and the channel identified, the program handling unit 24 may
investigate the electronic program guide 26 in order to locate a
program that is being broadcast at the time of the received time
stamp. The program of the channel may be identified using the
received time stamp (block 94). The program handling unit 24 may
investigate if the query had a favourites setting. If there was no
such setting (block 96), a response may be sent (block 106) that
may include information or data identifying the channel and the
program that was being broadcast.
[0082] However, if the query had a favourites setting (block 96),
the program handling unit 24 fetches the location data of the
reception environment of the user from storage 28 and may compare
the current location of the phone, e.g., the location indicated by
the location data provided in the query, with the fetched location
associated with the reception environment (block 100). If there is
a difference between these locations that may be above a location
difference threshold T (block 102), the response may be sent (block
106) only including information about which program is being
broadcast. However, if the difference was below this threshold T
(block 102), the program handling unit 24 may look in the
electronic program guide 26 and may locate future broadcasts of
this program (block 104). The response may be sent (block 106). In
one embodiment, the services provided for favourites programs to
the user may be restricted based on this threshold.
[0083] In one embodiment, a single response including the above
mentioned data identifying the program may be sent. According to
another embodiment, the response may also include information about
some or all future broadcasts of the program located through
investigating the electronic program guide. This information about
future broadcasts is also denoted reminder data. In this
embodiment, the program handling unit 24 may identify a number of
times that the electronic program guide indicates that the program
will be broadcast in the future and may send data regarding these
future broadcasts in the response to the query. As an alternative,
in another embodiment, data about future broadcasts of the program
may be stored in the user storage 28. When the favourites program
is about to be broadcast in the future, the program handling unit
24 may send a reminder to the user via the interface 20 in order to
inform him/her that the program is to be broadcast. In this
embodiment, reminder data is sent recurrently and may be sent each
time the identified program is to be broadcast. This embodiment may
provide the advantage of enabling sending reminders to the user of
the showing of his/her favourite program. The reminders may be
up-to-date and may take account of changes in the planning of the
airing of programs. The data regarding the future broadcasts need
not be limited to the channel involved in the query, but may be
made also for airing of the same program on a different channel in
the reception environment of the user.
[0084] The threshold described above can be set differently based
on if terrestrial broadcast is considered or if cable or satellite
broadcasting is considered. In the case of satellite and cable, the
threshold may be set very low. Also in the case of terrestrial
broadcasting the threshold may be varied based on the distance of
the location of the reception environment to a border, like a
border to another country, state or region where the channels
differ. For this reason the comparison may also consider a
directional component of the position of the user indicating the
direction to or from a border.
[0085] As mentioned above the response to the query may include
data of future airings of the favourites program. How this may be
handled in the device 10, e.g., cellular phone, will now be
described in relation to FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 9. FIG. 9 shows a flow
chart of a process to alert the user of a favourite program. The
process of FIG. 9 may be performed in the cellular phone 10.
[0086] As the response to the query is received by the control unit
46 via the wireless wide area communication unit 38, it may collect
the future airing data of the favourites program from the response
and may make favourites reminding settings for the program in the
favourites reminding storage 50 (block 108). These settings may
indicate the airing times of the favourites program. The control
unit 46 may investigate the clock 48 or the network clock (block
110). If an airing time coincides with or is close to the time of
the clock (block 112), the user may be alerted of the showing
(block 114). The alerting is done through presenting data of the
program, the channel and the airing time and can be provided
through a combination of sound via the speaker 34 and image via the
display 32. If the airing time is not close at hand (block 112),
the control unit 46 may resume with investigating the clock (block
110). When alerting has been done, the control unit 46 may
investigate if the setting was the last. In case it was not the
last (block 116), the control unit 46 may resume investigating the
clock (block 110), while if it was the last (block 116), the method
may end (block 118). In this way the user may be reminded of the
showing of his/her favourite programs.
[0087] One embodiment may provide a way for a user to find out what
program he/she is watching and the user may also find out when it
is being aired in the future. This embodiment may allow a user not
to miss his/her favourite programs. In one embodiment, the
information of a program is not limited to the program itself. It
may be possible to provide information about sections of a program,
for instance a section where a music video of an artist is aired.
If a favourites setting is made, the user may also receive
information about the video, artist, an album that the video is
taken from, the name of the song, composer of the song, director of
the video etc. In this embodiment, it may be possible for the user
to find out the future airing of the artist, other songs of the
artist from the particular album the song is on or future airings
of the song. This may be made for only the particular channel, for
example, or for all of the channels of the reception environment of
the user. The information about a program being sent may not e
limited to the name of the program. Further information may also be
possible, such as the director of the program, actors involved etc.
The program may also not be limited to a specific program but may
be a reference to a program series. Reminders may be sent regarding
a whole program series or just the specific program of the series.
In this way the user may, for example, receive information about
when a specific program, which he/she has perhaps just caught a bit
of, will be aired next. One embodiment may be particularly well
suited for radio.
[0088] According to one aspect, an embodiment may be implemented in
a cellular phone with limited additional functionality, since the
hardware may already be present. In this case, embodiments may be
implemented by including some software. Embodiments may also enable
a user to find out information about a program on a media channel
in a simple way using his/her portable communication device.
[0089] In one embodiment, video may be compared to reference video
if the phone has video capturing functionality.
[0090] The control unit in the phone, according to one embodiment,
may be provided in the form of one or more processors with
corresponding memory containing the program code for performing its
function, whereas the favourites reminder storage may be provided
as a memory module or a part of a memory module, which may be a
RAM, ROM or a flash memory. A radio communication unit may be
provided as separate hardware modules, for example, in the form of
an ASIC circuit. A radio communication unit may, however, be
combined with other modules. The different hardware units of the
phone may be connected using a data bus.
[0091] In one embodiment, the program handling unit and sound
comparing unit of the program determination device may likewise be
implemented as a processor with corresponding memory comprising
program code for performing their functions. The electronic program
guide and user storage may also be provided as memory modules like
RAM and ROM memory modules. The program file storage a may be
provided as one or memory modules, for example, in the form of hard
discs.
[0092] The program code mentioned above may also be provided on one
or more computer program products such as a CD ROM disc 120 as
depicted in FIG. 10, which will perform the functioning of either
the control unit in the phone or the program handling unit and
sound comparing unit in the program determination device when
loaded into a phone having suitable processing capabilities or when
loaded into the program determination device, which is normally a
computer. Naturally, other types of products may be provided for
this, like for instance a removable memory like a memory stick. The
computer program product can also be provided as software, which
may be downloaded remotely from a server either outside or inside
the cellular network or be downloaded via a computer like a PC to
which the phone is temporarily connected.
[0093] There are a number of further variations that can be made to
the present invention in addition to those already mentioned. In
the system it is not necessary to provide the receiving and
recording devices. The reference media data can just as well be
obtained from another source, for instance directly from the
producers of the material via the Internet. In one embodiment,
material is received together with time data indicating when it is
being broadcast. It is also not necessary to implement the
reminding function. In this case there is therefore no need for the
use of any position units or comparison of location data. It may
also not necessary to determine a reception environment. As an
alternative it is furthermore possible with several reception
environments associated with a user, where these can be home, in
the country house, in the car and in the office. In this case the
user may, when sending a query, also send information about which
environment is to be applied. This may allow a quicker location of
program information for the user. Finally it is possible to use the
time stamps of the set of reference media data to locate a program
in the electronic program guide instead of the time stamp of the
user recorded media data.
[0094] Although the present invention has been described in
connection with specific embodiments, it is not intended to be
limited to the specific form set forth herein. Rather, the scope of
the present invention is limited only by the accompanying
claims.
* * * * *