IP Library Granted Patent US 9,640,156
Granted Patent B2
US 9,640,156 · App. 14/862,508 · Granted May 2, 2017

Audio matching with supplemental semantic audio recognition and report generation

Inventors: Alan Neuhauser (Silver Spring, MD); John Stavropoulos (Edison, NJ)
Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
G10H1/0008G06F17/28G10L19/018G10L25/09G10L25/18G10L25/21G10L25/24G10H2210/041G10H2210/066G10H2210/071G10H2210/076G10H2210/081G10H2240/041G10H2240/085G10H2240/095G10H2250/031G10L25/03G10L25/51
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,640,156
App. No.
14/862,508
Granted
May 2, 2017
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 codes to determine changing characteristics of identified media during a time period.

Claims (77)

1. A processor-based method for producing supplemental information for media containing an embedded audio code, the method comprising:

obtaining an audio code from a device during a first time period, the audio code representing a first characteristic of the media, wherein the audio code is read from an audio portion of the media;

obtaining first semantic audio signature data from the device during 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

associating the audio code of the first time period to a second time period when the processor determines that second semantic audio signature data of 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 an amplitude, a power, or a zero crossing of at least some of the audio 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, Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, Daubechies wavelet coefficients, a spectral dissonance, a spectral irregularity or a spectral inharmonicity of at least some of the audio 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 audio 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 audio of the media.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the audio code is decoded by transforming at least some of the audio from a time domain to a frequency domain.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first semantic audio signature data is formed by transforming at least some of the audio from a time domain to a frequency domain.

5. An apparatus for producing supplemental information for media containing an audio code, the apparatus comprising:

a processor to:

obtain an audio code from a device during a first time period, the audio code representing a first characteristic of the media, wherein the audio code is read from an audio portion of the media;

obtain first semantic audio signature data from the device during 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

associate the audio code of the first time period to a second time period when second semantic audio signature data of the second time period substantially matches the first semantic audio signature data for the first time period.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:

the temporal feature includes at least one of an amplitude, a power and a zero crossing of at least some of the audio 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, Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, Daubechies wavelet coefficients, a spectral dissonance, a spectral irregularity, or a spectral inharmonicity of at least some of the audio 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 audio 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 audio of the media.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the audio code is formed by transforming at least some of the audio from a time domain to a frequency domain.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the semantic audio signature data is formed by transforming at least some of the audio from a time domain to a frequency domain.

9. A tangible computer readable storage device comprising instructions, that when executed, cause a computing device to at least:

obtain an audio code from a device during a first time period, the audio code representing a first characteristic of media;

obtain first semantic audio signature data from the device during 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

associate the audio code of the first time period to a second time period when second semantic audio signature data of the second time period substantially matches the first semantic audio signature data of the first time period.

10. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 9 , wherein:

the temporal feature includes at least one of an amplitude, a power and a zero crossing of at least some audio 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, Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, Daubechies wavelet coefficients, a spectral dissonance, a spectral irregularity, or a spectral inharmonicity of at least some of the audio 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 audio 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 audio of the media.

11. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 9 , wherein the audio code is formed by transforming at least some of the audio from a time domain to a frequency domain.

12. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 9 , wherein the semantic audio signature data is formed by transforming at least some of the audio from a time domain to a frequency domain.

13. A processor-based method for producing supplemental information for media containing audio codes, the method comprising:

obtaining audio codes from a device, the audio codes representing a first characteristic of the media, wherein the audio codes are read from audio portions of the media;

obtaining semantic audio signature data from the device, the semantic audio signature data includes 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 codes; and

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

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein:

the temporal feature includes at least one of an amplitude, a power, or a zero crossing of at least some of the audio 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, Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, Daubechies wavelet coefficients, a spectral dissonance, a spectral irregularity, or a spectral inharmonicity of at least some of the audio 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 audio 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 audio of the media.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first characteristic includes one of a media identification, a media distributor identification, or a media broadcaster identification.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second characteristic includes one of a genre, an instrumentation, a style, acoustical dynamics, or an emotive descriptor.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the audio codes are formed by transforming at least some of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the semantic audio signature data is formed by transforming at least some of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

19. An apparatus for producing supplemental information for media containing audio codes, the apparatus comprising:

a processor to:

obtain audio codes from a device, the audio codes representing a first characteristic of the media, wherein the audio codes are read from audio portions of the media;

obtain semantic audio signature data 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 codes; and

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

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein:

the temporal feature includes at least one of an amplitude, a power, or a zero crossing of at least some of the audio 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, Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, Daubechies wavelet coefficients, a spectral dissonance, a spectral irregularity, or a spectral inharmonicity of at least some of the audio 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 audio 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 audio of the media.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the first characteristic includes one of a media identification, a media distributor identification, or a media broadcaster identification.

22. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the second characteristic includes one of a genre, an instrumentation, a style, acoustical dynamics, or an emotive descriptor.

23. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the audio codes are formed by transforming at least some of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

24. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the semantic audio signature data is formed by transforming at least some of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

25. A tangible computer readable storage device comprising instructions, that when executed, cause a computing device to at least:

obtain audio codes from a device, the audio codes representing a first characteristic of media;

obtain semantic audio signature data 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 codes; and

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

26. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 25 , wherein:

the temporal feature includes at least one of an amplitude, a power, or a zero crossing of at least some audio 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, Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients, Daubechies wavelet coefficients, a spectral dissonance, a spectral irregularity, or a spectral inharmonicity of at least some of the audio 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 audio 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 audio of the media.

27. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 25 , wherein the second characteristic includes one of a genre, an instrumentation, a style, acoustical dynamics, or an emotive descriptor.

28. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 25 , wherein the audio codes are formed by transforming at least some of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

29. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 25 , wherein the semantic audio signature data is formed by transforming at least some of the media from a time domain to a frequency domain.

30. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 25 , wherein the first characteristic includes one of a media identification, a media distributor identification, or a media broadcaster identification.

Assignments (8)
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 →
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 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 23, 2015
From: NEUHAUSER, ALAN; STAVROPOULOS, JOHN
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 036667/0062 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 13725021 · Dec 21, 2012
Continuation In Part 13724836 · Dec 21, 2012
Related Publication 20160012807A1 · Jan 14, 2016