IP Library Granted Patent US 9,183,849
Granted Patent B2
US 9,183,849 · App. 13/725,004 · Granted Nov 10, 2015

Audio matching with semantic audio recognition and report generation

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,183,849
App. No.
13/725,004
Granted
Nov 10, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

System, apparatus and method for determining semantic information from audio, where incoming audio is sampled and processed to extract audio features, including temporal, spectral, harmonic and rhythmic features. The extracted audio features are compared to stored audio templates that include ranges and/or values for certain features and are tagged for specific ranges and/or values. The semantic information may be associated with audio signature data Extracted audio features that are most similar to one or more templates from the comparison are identified according to the tagged information. The tags are used to determine the semantic audio data that includes genre, instrumentation, style, acoustical dynamics, and emotive descriptor for the audio signal.

Claims (74)

1. A processor-based method for producing supplemental information for audio signature data, comprising:

obtaining the audio signature data during a first time period, the audio signature data including data relating to at least one of time or frequency representing a first characteristic of media;

obtaining first semantic audio signature data for the first time period, the first semantic audio signature data being a measure of at least one of a temporal feature, a spectral feature, a harmonic feature, or a rhythmic feature relating to a second characteristic of the media; and

storing in a memory, the audio signature data of the first time period in association with a second time period when the processor determines that second semantic audio signature data for the second time period substantially matches the first semantic audio signature data for the first time period.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temporal feature includes at least one of amplitude, power, or zero crossing of at least some of the media.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the spectral feature includes at least one of a spectral centroid, a spectral rolloff, a spectral flux, a spectral flatness measure, a spectral crest factor, a Mel-frequency cepstral coefficient, a Daubechies wavelet coefficient, a spectral dissonance, a spectral irregularity, or a spectral inharmonicity of at least some of the media.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the harmonic feature includes at least one of a pitch, a tonality, a pitch class profile, a harmonic change, a main pitch class, an octave range of dominant pitch, a main tonal interval relation, or an overall pitch strength of at least some of the media.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rhythmic feature includes at least one of a rhythmic structure, a beat period, a rhythmic fluctuation, or an average tempo for at least some of the media.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the audio signature data is generated by transforming an audio signal of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semantic audio signature data is generated by transforming an audio signal of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

8. An apparatus for producing supplemental information for audio signature data, the apparatus including:

a processor to:

obtain the audio signature data during a first time period, the audio signature data including data relating to at least one of time or frequency representing a first characteristic of media;

obtain first semantic audio signature data for the first time period, the first semantic audio signature data being a measure of at least one of a temporal feature, a spectral feature, a harmonic feature, or a rhythmic feature relating to a second characteristic of the media; and

a memory to store the audio signature data of the first time period in association with a second time period when the processor determines that second semantic audio signature data for the second time period substantially matches the first semantic audio signature data for the first time period.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the temporal feature includes at least one of amplitude, power, or zero crossing of at least some of the media.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the spectral feature includes at least one of a spectral centroid, a spectral rolloff, a spectral flux, a spectral flatness measure, a spectral crest factor, a Mel-frequency cepstral coefficient, a Daubechies wavelet coefficient, a spectral dissonance, a spectral irregularity, or a spectral inharmonicity of at least some of the media.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the harmonic feature includes at least one of a pitch, a tonality, a pitch class profile, a harmonic change, a main pitch class, an octave range of dominant pitch, a main tonal interval relation, or an overall pitch strength of at least some of the media.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the rhythmic feature includes at least one of a rhythmic structure, a beat period, a rhythmic fluctuation, or an average tempo for at least some of the media.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the audio signature data is generated by transforming an audio signal of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the semantic audio signature data is generated by transforming an audio signal of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

15. A processor-based method for producing supplemental information for audio signature data, comprising:

obtaining the audio signature data at an input from a data network, the audio signature data received from a device, the audio signature data including data relating to at least one of time or frequency representing a first characteristic of media;

obtaining semantic audio signature data at the input from the data network, the semantic audio signature data received from the device, the semantic audio signature data being a measure of at least one of a temporal feature, a spectral feature, a harmonic feature, or a rhythmic feature relating to a second characteristic of the media;

associating the semantic audio signature data to the audio signature data using a processor; and

processing the associated semantic audio signature data and audio signature data to determine a change in the second characteristic relative to the first characteristic.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein:

the temporal feature includes at least one of amplitude, power, or zero crossing of at least some of the media,

the spectral feature includes at least one of a spectral centroid, a spectral rolloff, a spectral flux, a spectral flatness measure, a spectral crest factor, a Mel-frequency cepstral coefficient, a Daubechies wavelet coefficient, a spectral dissonance, a spectral irregularity, or a spectral inharmonicity of at least some of the media,

the harmonic feature includes at least one of a pitch, a tonality, a pitch class profile, a harmonic change, a main pitch class, an octave range of dominant pitch, a main tonal interval relation, or an overall pitch strength of at least some of the media, and

the rhythmic feature includes at least one of a rhythmic structure, a beat period, a rhythmic fluctuation, or an average tempo for at least some of the media.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first characteristic includes at least one of a media identification, a media distributor identification, or a media broadcaster identification.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second characteristic includes at least one of a genre, an instrumentation, a style, acoustical dynamics, or an emotive descriptor.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the audio signature data is generated by transforming at least some of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the semantic audio signature data is generated by transforming at least some of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

21. An article of manufacture comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

obtain audio signature data during a first time period, the audio signature data including data relating to at least one of time or frequency representing a first characteristic of media;

obtain first semantic audio signature data for the first time period, the first semantic audio signature data being a measure of at least one of a temporal feature, a spectral feature, a harmonic feature, or a rhythmic feature relating to a second characteristic of the media; and

store in a memory, the audio signature data of the first time period in association with a second time period when the processor determines that second semantic audio signature data for the second time period substantially matches the first semantic audio signature data for the first time period.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21 , wherein the temporal feature includes at least one of amplitude, power, or zero crossing of at least some of the media.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 21 , wherein the spectral feature includes at least one of a spectral centroid, a spectral rolloff, a spectral flux, a spectral flatness measure, a spectral crest factor, a Mel-frequency cepstral coefficient, a Daubechies wavelet coefficient, a spectral dissonance, a spectral irregularity, or a spectral inharmonicity of at least some of the media.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 21 , wherein the harmonic feature includes at least one of a pitch, a tonality, a pitch class profile, a harmonic change, a main pitch class, an octave range of dominant pitch, a main tonal interval relation, or an overall pitch strength of at least some of the media.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 21 , wherein the rhythmic feature includes at least one of a rhythmic structure, a beat period, a rhythmic fluctuation, or an average tempo for at least some of the media.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 21 , wherein the audio signature data is generated by transforming an audio signal of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 21 , wherein the semantic audio signature data is generated by transforming audio of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

28. An apparatus for producing supplemental information for audio signature data, the apparatus including:

a processor to:

obtain the audio signature data at an input from a data network, the audio signature data received from a device, the audio signature data including data relating to at least one of time or frequency representing a first characteristic of media;

obtain semantic audio signature data at the input from the data network, the semantic audio signature data received from the device, the semantic audio signature data being a measure of at least one of a temporal feature, a spectral feature, a harmonic feature, or a rhythmic feature relating to a second characteristic of the media;

associate the semantic audio signature data to the audio signature data; and

process the associated semantic audio signature data and audio signature data to determine a change in the second characteristic relative to the first characteristic.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 , wherein:

the temporal feature includes at least one of amplitude, power, or zero crossing of at least some of the media,

the spectral feature includes at least one of a spectral centroid, a spectral rolloff, a spectral flux, a spectral flatness measure, a spectral crest factor, a Mel-frequency cepstral coefficient, a Daubechies wavelet coefficient, a spectral dissonance, a spectral irregularity, or a spectral inharmonicity of at least some of the media,

the harmonic feature includes at least one of a pitch, a tonality, a pitch class profile, a harmonic change, a main pitch class, an octave range of dominant pitch, a main tonal interval relation, or an overall pitch strength of at least some of the media, and

the rhythmic feature includes at least one of a rhythmic structure, a beat period, a rhythmic fluctuation, or an average tempo for at least some of the media.

30. The apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the first characteristic comprises at least one of a media identification, a media distributor identification, or a media broadcaster identification.

31. The apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the second characteristic includes at least one of a genre, an instrumentation, a style, acoustical dynamics, or an emotive descriptor.

32. The apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the audio signature data is generated by transforming at least some of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

33. The apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the semantic audio signature data is generated by transforming at least some of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

34. An article of manufacture comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

obtain the audio signature data at an input from a data network, the audio signature data received from a device, the audio signature data including data relating to at least one of time or frequency representing a first characteristic of media;

obtain semantic audio signature data at the input from the data network, the semantic audio signature data received from the device, the semantic audio signature data being a measure of at least one of a temporal feature, a spectral feature, a harmonic feature, or a rhythmic feature relating to a second characteristic of the media;

associate the semantic audio signature data to the audio signature data; and

process the associated semantic audio signature data and audio signature data to determine a change in the second characteristic relative to the first characteristic.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 34 , wherein:

the temporal feature includes at least one of amplitude, power, or zero crossing of at least some of the media,

the spectral feature includes at least one of a spectral centroid, a spectral rolloff, a spectral flux, a spectral flatness measure, a spectral crest factor, a Mel-frequency cepstral coefficient, a Daubechies wavelet coefficient, a spectral dissonance, a spectral irregularity, or a spectral inharmonicity of at least some of the media,

the harmonic feature includes at least one of a pitch, a tonality, a pitch class profile, harmonic changes, a main pitch class, an octave range of dominant pitch, a main tonal interval relation, or an overall pitch strength of at least some of the media, and

the rhythmic feature includes at least one of a rhythmic structure, a beat period, a rhythmic fluctuation, or an average tempo for at least some of the media.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 34 , wherein the first characteristic includes at least one of a media identification, a media distributor identification, or a media broadcaster identification.

37. The article of manufacture of claim 34 , wherein the second characteristic includes at least one of a genre, an instrumentation, a style, acoustical dynamics, or an emotive descriptor.

38. The article of manufacture of claim 34 , wherein the audio signature data is generated by transforming an audio signal of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

39. The article of manufacture of claim 34 , wherein the semantic audio signature data is generated by transforming an audio signal of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

Assignments (10)
RELEASE (REEL 054066 / FRAME 0064) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063605/0001 →
RELEASE (REEL 053473 / FRAME 0001) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063603/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 8, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063574/0632 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063561/0381 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 31, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063560/0547 →
RELEASE (REEL 037172 / FRAME 0415) Recorded Oct 13, 2022
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 061750/0221 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE PATENTS LISTED ON SCHEDULE 1 RECORDED ON 6-9-2020 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 053473 FRAME 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SUPPLEMENTAL IP SECURITY AGREEMENT. Recorded Oct 7, 2020
From: A.C. NIELSEN (ARGENTINA) S.A.; A.C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; ACN HOLDINGS INC.; ACNIELSEN CORPORATION; ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM; AFFINNOVA, INC.; ART HOLDING, L.L.C.; ATHENIAN LEASING CORPORATION; CZT/ACN TRADEMARKS, L.L.C.; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC; NIELSEN AUDIO, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER INSIGHTS, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE, INC.; NIELSEN FINANCE CO.; NIELSEN FINANCE LLC; NIELSEN INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.; NIELSEN MOBILE, LLC; NMR INVESTING I, INC.; TCG DIVESTITURE INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; VIZU CORPORATION; VNU MARKETING INFORMATION, INC.; NMR LICENSING ASSOCIATES, L.P.; NIELSEN HOLDING AND FINANCE B.V.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY B.V.; VNU INTERNATIONAL B.V.
To: CITIBANK, N.A
Reel/Frame 054066/0064 →
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 9, 2020
From: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; ACN HOLDINGS INC.; ACNIELSEN CORPORATION; ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM; AFFINNOVA, INC.; ART HOLDING, L.L.C.; ATHENIAN LEASING CORPORATION; CZT/ACN TRADEMARKS, L.L.C.; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC; NIELSEN AUDIO, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER INSIGHTS, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE, INC.; NIELSEN FINANCE CO.; NIELSEN FINANCE LLC; NIELSEN INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.; NIELSEN MOBILE, LLC; NIELSEN UK FINANCE I, LLC; NMR INVESTING I, INC.; TCG DIVESTITURE INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; VIZU CORPORATION; VNU MARKETING INFORMATION, INC.; NMR LICENSING ASSOCIATES, L.P.; NIELSEN HOLDING AND FINANCE B.V.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY B.V.; VNU INTERNATIONAL B.V.
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053473/0001 →
SUPPLEMENTAL IP SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 30, 2015
From: THE NIELSEN COMPANY ((US), LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT FOR THE FIRST LIEN SECURED PARTIES
Reel/Frame 037172/0415 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 24, 2014
From: NEUHAUSER, ALAN; STAVROPOULOS, JOHN
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 033812/0156 →