Targeted fingerprinting of radio broadcast audio

Abstract

A system includes: an intermediate communication platform providing an interface to an internet network; and a first server including: a port operatively coupled to the intermediate communication platform, processing circuitry, and a service application executed by the processor. The service application is configured to: receive geographic location information of a radio receiver via the intermediate communication platform; determine, based on the geographic location information, one or more radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver; and transmit metadata of the radio broadcasts via the intermediate communication platform to the radio receiver, the metadata including an indication of whether the content of the radio broadcasts is suitable for an audio fingerprinting process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology described in this patent document relates to systems and methods for providing supplemental data (e.g., metadata) associated with airborne radio broadcast signals. Background Technology

[0002] Over-the-air radio broadcasts are used to deliver a wide variety of programming content (e.g., audio) to radio receiver systems. Such over-the-air radio broadcasts can include traditional AM (amplitude modulation) and FM (frequency modulation) analog broadcast signals, digital radio broadcast signals, hybrid analog and digital broadcast signals, or other broadcast signals. Hybrid radio broadcasting and digital radio broadcasting technologies can deliver audio and data services to mobile, portable, and fixed receivers.

[0003] Service data, including multimedia programming, can be included along with radio broadcasts. Broadcasting of service data can be contracted by companies to include multimedia content associated with primary or main radio program content. However, service data may not always be available with radio broadcasts. In such cases, it may be desirable to identify the audio content being broadcast and match the service data with that content. Some current broadcast radio content information systems rely on digital “fingerprinting” of the audio content. However, audio fingerprinting consumes significant amounts of storage space in radio receivers, and the identification service for fingerprinting can be costly and resource-intensive, requiring considerable storage and processing resources from the radio receiver. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This summary is provided to introduce, in a simplified form, the selection of concepts further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] In general, embodiments of the radio broadcast metadata distribution system and method determine whether received audio is suitable for fingerprinting before fingerprinting is used to obtain audio metadata related to the radio broadcast. An example radio system includes: an intermediate communication platform providing an interface to an internet network; and a first server including: a port operatively coupled to the intermediate communication platform, processing circuitry, and a service application executed by the processing circuitry. The service application is configured to: receive geographic location information of a radio receiver via the intermediate communication platform; determine one or more radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver based on the geographic location information; and transmit metadata of the radio broadcast via the intermediate communication platform to the radio receiver, the metadata including an indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process.

[0006] An example radio receiver includes radio frequency (RF) receiver circuitry, an internet network interface, a display, processing circuitry, and a client application that includes instructions executable by the processing circuitry. The RF circuitry is configured to receive radio broadcast signals. The client application is configured to: send geolocation information to an audio metadata service application via the internet network interface; and receive metadata about radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver via the internet network interface, the metadata including an indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for an audio fingerprinting process.

[0007] It should be noted that alternative embodiments are possible, and the steps and elements discussed herein may be modified, added, or eliminated depending on a particular embodiment. These alternative embodiments include structural changes that may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as well as alternative steps and elements that may be used. Attached Figure Description

[0008] In accompanying drawings that are not necessarily drawn to scale, the same reference numerals may describe similar components in different views. The same reference numerals with different letter suffixes may indicate different instances of similar components. The accompanying drawings generally illustrate the various embodiments discussed in this document by way of example rather than limitation.

[0009] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a radio system.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of an example of a server that provides Internet Protocol (IP) streams to a radio receiver.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for distributing metadata to a radio receiver.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of a portion of an example of a radio receiver. Detailed Implementation

[0013] In the following description of embodiments of the radio broadcast metadata distribution system, reference is made to the accompanying drawings. These drawings illustrate, by way of illustration, specific examples of how embodiments of the metadata distribution system can be implemented. It will be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0014] Over-the-air radio broadcasts are typically used to deliver a wide variety of programmatic content (e.g., audio) to radio receiver systems. Primary Program Service (MPS) data and Supplementary Program Service (SPS) data can be provided to the radio receiver system. Metadata associated with the programmatic content can be delivered in MPS or SPS data via the over-the-air radio broadcast. Metadata can be included in the subcarriers of the primary radio signal. In IBOC radio, radio broadcasts can be hybrid radio signals, which may include streaming analog broadcasts and digital audio broadcasts. Subcarriers of the primary channel broadcast may include digital information such as text or numerical information, and metadata can be included in the digital information of the subcarriers. Therefore, hybrid over-the-air radio broadcasts may include analog audio broadcasts, digital audio broadcasts, and other text and numerical digital information (such as metadata streamed with the over-the-air broadcast). Programmatic content can be broadcast according to DAB standards, Digital Radio World (DRM) standards, Radio Data System (RDS) protocols, Radio Broadcast Data System (RBDS) protocols, or High Definition (HD) IBOC radio protocols.

[0015] Metadata can include both "static" and "dynamic" metadata. Static metadata does not change frequently or does not change at all. Static metadata can include a radio station's call sign, name, logo (e.g., higher or lower logo resolution), slogan, station format, station genre, language, web page Uniform Resource Locator (URL), social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) URLs, phone numbers, Short Message Service (SMS) numbers, SMS short codes, Program Identification (PI) codes, country, or other information.

[0016] Dynamic metadata changes relatively frequently. Dynamic metadata can include song titles, artist names, album names, album art, artist images (e.g., related to what is currently being broadcast), advertisements, enhanced advertising (e.g., titles, slogans, images, phone numbers, SMS numbers, URLs, search terms), programming schedules (images, schedules, titles, artist names, DJ names, phone numbers, URLs), service tracking data, or other information. When a radio receiver system is receiving airborne radio broadcast signals from a particular radio station, the receiver system can receive both static and dynamic metadata.

[0017] Another approach to providing service data is to combine over-the-air (OTA) radio information broadcasts with content delivered via Internet Protocol (IP) to deliver an enhanced user experience. An example of this type of service is... ConnectedRadio TM The service, Connected Radio TM The service combines OTA analog / digital AM / FM radio with IP-delivered content. The combined service receives dynamic metadata (such as artist information and song titles, over-the-air radio program information, and station contact information) directly from local radio broadcasters, which is then paired with IP-delivered content (e.g., metadata) and displayed in the vehicle. The DTS Connected Radio service supports all global broadcasting standards, including analog, DAB, DAB+, and HD Radio. TM The vehicle's radio receiver integrates data from internet services with broadcast audio to create a rich media experience. One of the internet services provided is information about what the radio station is currently playing and what it has played.

[0018] As explained earlier in this article, service data may not always be available along with radio broadcasts, and it may be desirable to send audio fingerprints to identify the content of over-the-air radio broadcasts and receive metadata of the identified radio broadcasts to present to the user. Audio fingerprints can be transmitted from an in-vehicle radio receiver to a server that performs Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) to identify the content of over-the-air radio broadcasts.

[0019] However, digital fingerprinting and identification using audio fingerprinting is expensive in terms of service cost and radio receiver resources (such as processor and memory usage). These resources are wasted if the broadcast audio being received by the radio receiver is unsuitable for the ACR fingerprinting and identification process. For example, if the broadcast audio does not include music, the ACR process will fail. This will also happen if the broadcast audio contains talk shows or commercials. An improvement would be to verify that the broadcast audio is suitable for ACR fingerprinting and identification before the process begins.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a block diagram outlining an embodiment of the illustrated radio system. A conventional broadcast radio station 100 transmits an OTA audio signal 105 to a vehicle's radio receiver 110. The OTA audio signal 105 can be an analog audio signal, a digital audio signal, or a mixed audio signal. The provided radio service is a combined OTA-IP radio service, and the vehicle's radio receiver 110 can receive the OTA audio signal 105 and the IP stream. The IP stream is received from one or more servers 120 via an intermediate communication platform 108. The intermediate communication platform 108 can be a cellular telephone network or a telematics network.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of an example radio system server that provides IP streams to radio receivers. Server 220 includes processing circuitry 272, memory 274, and a service application 276 or application programming interface (API) executed by processor 272. Service application 276 may include software that operates using the operating system software of server 220. Server 220 includes a port 270 operatively coupled to an interface of an intermediate communication platform 208 that provides IP streams and receives information from radio receivers.

[0022] Return to Figure 1 To receive metadata for radio broadcasts, the vehicle-mounted radio receiver 110 sends geolocation information to a service application on server 120. One or more servers determine the radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver based on the geolocation information, and the service application sends the metadata of the determined radio broadcasts to the radio receiver via an intermediate communication platform. One or more servers also send an indication of the suitability of the radio broadcast content for the fingerprinting process. The indication may be included along with the metadata (e.g., included in a designated field of the metadata). The indication indicates whether the content is suitable or unsuitable for audio fingerprinting. A suitability indication is sent for each of the radio broadcasts determined to be available to the radio receiver. The suitability indication may be a flag or numeric codeword stored in memory for the radio broadcast. In a variant, the fingerprinting suitability indication may be stored in association with the radio broadcast's metadata.

[0023] If the vehicle's radio receiver 110 subsequently tunes to a radio broadcast for which it does not have metadata (e.g., dynamic metadata), then the radio receiver 110 checks the content of the radio broadcast for an indication of suitability for fingerprint processing. If the indication for the radio broadcast is that the content is suitable for the fingerprint processing procedure, then the radio receiver generates an audio fingerprint and sends the audio fingerprint 130 to the service application. The service application determines the audio metadata of the radio broadcast corresponding to the audio fingerprint and sends the determined audio metadata 125 to the radio receiver 110. The service application can track radio broadcasts tuned to by multiple radio receivers. In response to determining audio metadata from the audio fingerprint provided by the first radio receiver, the service application can send the audio metadata to multiple radio receivers that are receiving the radio broadcast. An intermediate communication platform 108 can be used to send the audio metadata.

[0024] If the radio broadcast indicates that the content is unsuitable for the fingerprinting process, the radio receiver does not generate an audio fingerprint. The radio receiver 110 may do nothing, or may simply send back an acknowledgment via the intermediate communication platform 108 according to the communication protocol. The radio receiver 110 may display available metadata (e.g., static metadata). The radio receiver's resources are not wasted on generating and transmitting digital fingerprints that would cause the ACR fingerprinting process to fail.

[0025] According to some embodiments, in order to determine the audio metadata corresponding to a received audio fingerprint, server 120 includes a memory capable of storing a fingerprint database that stores audio metadata in association with the audio fingerprint information. A service application determines the audio metadata by retrieving the audio metadata from the memory using the audio fingerprint.

[0026] In some embodiments, the service application receives audio metadata from the audio identification source 150. The service application of the first server 120 receives the audio fingerprint 130 from the radio receiver 110 and forwards the audio fingerprint 140 to the audio identification source 150. The first server and the audio identification source can communicate using a communication network. The communication network can be an intermediate communication platform 108 or another communication network. Figure 2 As shown in the example, server 220 may include a second port 260 operatively coupled to Internet network interface 215. In some embodiments, Internet network interface 215 includes an Internet access point (e.g., a modem), and port 260 may include, among other options, a communication (COMM) port or a universal serial bus (USB) port.

[0027] Audio recognition source 150 Figure 1The audio fingerprint is shown as residing in the cloud. The term "cloud" is used herein to refer to a hardware abstraction. Instead of a dedicated server processing the audio fingerprint and returning audio metadata, sending the audio fingerprint to the cloud may include sending the audio fingerprint to a data center or processing center. The actual servers used to process the audio file content information are interchangeable at the data center or processing center. The audio identification source 150 may include a second server that includes a fingerprint database. The audio identification source 150 receives the audio fingerprint 140 forwarded from the first server and returns the audio metadata 160 to the first server, and may send other associated metadata to the first server 120. The first server 120 sends the audio metadata 125 to the radio receiver 110.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of method 300 for providing metadata to a radio receiver. This method relates to a vehicle communicating with a radio system (such as a DTS Connected Radio system) that combines OTA radio broadcasts with IP-delivered content. This method can be performed using a client program on the vehicle's radio receiver. At 305, the vehicle-mounted radio receiver is tuned to a radio station, and the receiver lacks dynamic metadata associated with the program currently being broadcast by the radio station. At 310, the radio receiver has queried a radio service system for static radio station metadata related to the radio broadcast. The radio service system may include an application programming interface (API) or service application running on a server of the radio service system.

[0029] The radio receiver can send geolocation information along with a query to the radio system, and the API sends static metadata about any radio broadcasts that can be received by the radio receiver. The API also includes in the metadata an indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for audio fingerprinting and identification.

[0030] At point 315, the radio receiver has received from the API an indication that the radio broadcast lacking dynamic metadata is suitable for ACR fingerprinting and identification. Based on this indication, at point 320, the radio receiver generates an audio fingerprint and sends it to the API. The ACR fingerprinting process can be performed by a client program or by other software on the radio receiver.

[0031] The radio receiver uses an internet connection to send an audio fingerprint to the radio system. The radio system identifies the audio program corresponding to the audio fingerprint and determines the audio metadata associated with the audio program. At 325, the API distributes dynamic metadata to the radio receiver and may distribute the dynamic metadata to other radio receivers receiving radio broadcasts (e.g., via an intermediate communication platform). In some embodiments, the dynamic metadata is distributed to radio receivers capable of receiving radio broadcasts, regardless of the radio station the receiver is tuned to.

[0032] In some embodiments, the radio receiver may store an audio fingerprint database, and at 330, before sending the audio fingerprint to the radio system, the radio receiver may first determine whether it is storing missing dynamic metadata locally. For example, the radio receiver may store the results of previous audio fingerprint processing and may check the database to see if a corresponding audio program was previously identified. If an audio fingerprint is found in the local database, the radio receiver uses the corresponding dynamic metadata for radio broadcasting. This reduces the resources consumed at the radio receiver when determining audio metadata.

[0033] At point 340, in response to a query for a radio broadcast, the radio receiver receives an indication from the API that the content of the radio broadcast is not suitable for ACR fingerprint processing. In this case, at point 345, the radio receiver's client program does not consume any of the radio receiver's resources, such as processing bandwidth, memory space, or communication time, when generating and transmitting the digital fingerprint of the radio broadcast. The radio receiver can display available metadata (e.g., static metadata).

[0034] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of a portion of an example radio receiver 400. The radio receiver is capable of receiving OTA radio broadcasts and IP-delivered content. In some variations, the radio receiver is a DTS Connected Radio receiver. Radio receiver 400 can be... Figure 1 The example shows a vehicle radio receiver 110. Radio receiver 400 includes a wireless internet network interface 440 for receiving metadata via wireless IP and other components for receiving over-the-air radio broadcast signals. The internet network interface 440 and receiver controller 430 can be collectively referred to as the wireless internet protocol hardware communication module of the radio receiver.

[0035] The radio receiver 400 includes radio frequency (RF) receiver circuitry, which includes a tuner 456 having an input 452 connected to an antenna 454. The antenna 454, tuner 456, and baseband processor 451 can be collectively referred to as an over-the-air radio broadcasting hardware communication module for a radio receiver. The RF circuitry is configured to receive audio broadcast signals.

[0036] Within the baseband processor 451, the intermediate frequency signal 457 from the tuner 456 is provided to the analog-to-digital converter and digital down-converter 458 to generate a baseband signal comprising a series of complex signal samples at the output 460. The signal samples are complex because each sample includes both "real" and "imaginary" components. The analog demodulator 462 demodulates the analog modulation portion of the baseband signal to generate an analog audio signal on line 464. The digital modulation portion of the sampled baseband signal is filtered by an isolation filter 466 having subcarriers f1-f1 present in the received OFDM signal. n The passband frequency response of the total set. A first adjacent canceller (FAC) 468 suppresses the effects of first adjacent interference. The complex signal 469 is routed to the input of an acquisition module 470, which acquires or recovers the OFDM symbol timing offset / error and carrier frequency offset / error from the received OFDM symbols represented in the received complex signal 469. The acquisition module 470 forms the symbol timing offset Δt and carrier frequency offset Δf, as well as status and control information. The signal is then demodulated (block 472) to demodulate the digital modulation portion of the baseband signal. The digital signal is deinterleaved by a deinterleaver 474 and decoded by a Viterbi decoder 476. A service demultiplexer 478 separates the main and supplementary program signals from the data signal. The supplementary program signal may include digital audio files received in the IBOC DAB radio broadcast signal.

[0037] Audio processor 480 processes the received signals to generate audio signals on lines 482 and MPSD / SPSD 481. In an embodiment, analog and main digital audio signals are mixed as shown in block 484, or a supplemental program signal is passed through to generate audio output on line 486. Data processor 488 processes the received data signals and generates data output signals on lines 490, 492, and 494. Data lines 490, 492, and 494 can be multiplexed together to a suitable bus (such as I2C). 2 On a network (C, SPI, UART, or USB). Data signals may include, for example, data representing metadata to be rendered at the radio receiver.

[0038] The Internet network interface 440 can be managed by the receiver controller 430. For example... Figure 4As shown, Internet network interface 440 and receiver controller 430 are operatively coupled via line 442, and data transmitted between Internet network interface 440 and receiver controller 430 is sent via this line 442. Selector 420 can be connected to receiver controller 430 via line 436 to select specific data received from Internet network interface 440. The data may include metadata (e.g., text, images, video, etc.) and may be rendered at substantially the same time as the main or supplementary program content received over the air in the IBOC DAB radio signal.

[0039] Receiver controller 430 receives and processes data signals. Receiver controller 430 may include a microcontroller operatively coupled to user interface 432 and memory 434. The microcontroller may be an 8-bit RISC microprocessor, an advanced RISC machine 32-bit microprocessor, or any other suitable microprocessor or microcontroller. Furthermore, some or all of the functionality of receiver controller 430 may be executed in a baseband processor (e.g., audio processor 480 and / or data processor 488). User interface 432 may include an input / output (I / O) processor controlling display 444, which may be any suitable visual display, such as an LCD or LED display. In some embodiments, user interface 432 may also control user input components via a touchscreen display. In some embodiments, user interface 432 may also control user input from a keyboard, rotary dial, knob, or other suitable input terminal. Memory 434 may include any suitable data storage medium, such as RAM, Flash ROM (e.g., an SD memory card), and / or a hard disk drive. Radio receiver 400 may also include a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver 496 to receive GPS coordinates.

[0040] The processing circuitry of receiver controller 430 is configured to execute instructions included in a client application or "client" installed in the radio receiver. Client 446 is capable of generating an audio fingerprint from audio broadcasts received via the RF receiver circuitry. Client 446 also sends geolocation information to an audio metadata service application via Internet network interface 440. The radio receiver may include a GPS receiver 496, and the client may send GPS coordinates as geolocation information. In response to sending geolocation information, client 446 receives metadata for any radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver at its indicated geolocation. This metadata includes an indication of whether the content of each radio broadcast is suitable for the ACR fingerprint processing and identification process.

[0041] As explained earlier, when audio metadata is missing or unavailable for the current radio broadcast tuned to by the radio receiver, and when the indication for that radio broadcast is that its content is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process, the client generates an audio fingerprint for that radio broadcast. Client 446 sends the generated audio fingerprint to the audio metadata service application via the Internet network interface. The audio fingerprint is processed by the service application, and client 446 receives dynamic metadata associated with the radio broadcast corresponding to the audio fingerprint. The dynamic metadata may be received via the Internet network. In some embodiments, the dynamic metadata is received via one or more subcarriers broadcast over the main channel OTA. Client 446 displays the information included in the received dynamic metadata.

[0042] When the content of the indication is a radio broadcast signal that is not suitable for the audio fingerprinting process, client 446 does not generate an audio fingerprint. Client 446 may do nothing in response to the missing audio metadata, or it may display the available metadata (e.g., static metadata instead of dynamic metadata).

[0043] The described system, apparatus, and method provide metadata to a vehicle's radio receiver. The radio receiver is capable of performing audio fingerprinting; however, when the content of the radio broadcast is unsuitable for the fingerprinting and identification process, the system, apparatus, and method prevent the radio receiver from performing audio fingerprinting and requesting identification of the audio fingerprint. This saves the radio receiver significant computational resources and communication bandwidth.

[0044] Alternative embodiments and exemplary operating environments

[0045] Example 1 includes a subject (such as a system for providing audio metadata to a radio receiver), comprising: an intermediate communication platform providing an interface to an internet network; and a first server. The first server includes: a port operatively coupled to the intermediate communication platform, processing circuitry, and a service application executed by the processor. The service application is configured to: receive geographic location information of the radio receiver via the intermediate communication platform; determine one or more radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver based on the geographic location information; and send metadata of the radio broadcasts via the intermediate communication platform to the radio receiver. The metadata includes an indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for an audio fingerprinting process.

[0046] In Example 2, the subject of Example 1 may optionally include: a server configured to store, in association with metadata of a plurality of radio broadcasts, indications of the suitability of an audio fingerprinting process for the plurality of radio broadcasts; and a server application configured to: determine, based on the geographic location information, all radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver; and, in response to receiving the geographic location information, send metadata of the determined radio broadcasts, the metadata of the determined radio broadcasts including indications of the suitability of an audio fingerprinting process for the determined radio broadcasts.

[0047] In Example 3, the subject of one or both of Examples 1 and 2 may optionally include a service application configured to: receive an audio fingerprint from the radio receiver via the intermediate communication platform; determine audio metadata of a radio broadcast corresponding to the audio fingerprint; and send the determined audio metadata to the radio receiver.

[0048] In Example 4, the subject of one or any combination of Examples 1-3 may optionally include a service application configured to send determined audio metadata to multiple radio receivers via the intermediate communication platform.

[0049] In Example 5, the subject of one or any combination of Examples 1-4 may optionally include a server, the server including a memory configured to store audio metadata in association with audio fingerprint information, and the service application configured to determine audio metadata by retrieving the audio metadata from the memory using the audio fingerprint.

[0050] In Example 6, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-4 may optionally include: a second server configured to store audio metadata; and a communication network operatively coupled to the first and second servers. The service application of the first server is configured to determine audio metadata by forwarding the audio fingerprint to the second server via the communication network and receiving audio metadata from the second server.

[0051] In Example 7, the subject of one or any combination of Examples 1-6 may optionally include a service application configured to: send an indication, along with static metadata, of whether the content of a radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process; receive an audio fingerprint from the radio receiver via the intermediate communication platform; determine dynamic metadata of the radio broadcast corresponding to the audio fingerprint; and send the determined dynamic metadata to the radio receiver via the intermediate communication platform.

[0052] In Example 8, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-7 may optionally include the intermediate communication platform as a cellular telephone network.

[0053] In Example 9, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 1-7 may optionally include the intermediate communication platform as a telematics network.

[0054] Example 10 may include a subject (such as a radio receiver) or may optionally be combined with one or any combination of Examples 1-9 to include a subject comprising: radio frequency (RF) receiver circuitry configured to receive radio broadcast signals; an internet network interface; a display; processing circuitry; and a client application including instructions executable by the processing circuitry. The client application is configured to: send geolocation information to an audio metadata service application via the internet network interface; and receive metadata via the internet network interface of radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver, the metadata including an indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process.

[0055] In Example 11, the subject of Example 10 may optionally include a client application configured to: determine that dynamic metadata associated with a radio broadcast is not available for presentation using the display; generate an audio fingerprint of the radio broadcast when the indication is that the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process; send the audio fingerprint to the audio metadata service application via the Internet network interface; receive dynamic metadata associated with the radio broadcast corresponding to the audio fingerprint; and display information included in the dynamic metadata.

[0056] In Example 12, one or both of the subjects in Examples 10 and 11 may optionally include: a memory; and a client application configured to: determine that dynamic metadata associated with a radio broadcast is not available for presentation using the display; generate an audio fingerprint of the radio broadcast when the indication is that the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process; identify the metadata stored in the memory using the generated audio fingerprint; and display information included in the identified metadata.

[0057] In Example 13, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 10-12 may optionally include a client application configured to: determine that metadata associated with a radio broadcast is not available for presentation using the display; and not generate an audio fingerprint for the radio broadcast when the indication is that the content of the radio broadcast signal is not suitable for the audio fingerprinting process.

[0058] In Example 14, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 10-13 may optionally include a client application configured to: receive metadata of all radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver for the geographic location information via the Internet network interface; and indicate whether the content of the radio broadcast received for each available radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process.

[0059] In Example 15, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 10-14 may optionally include an Internet network interface as a cellular telephone network.

[0060] In Example 16, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 10-14 may optionally include an Internet network interface as a telematics network.

[0061] Example 17 may include a subject, or may optionally be combined with one or any combination of Examples 1-16, to include a subject such as a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a server, cause the processing circuitry to perform actions including: receiving geographic location information of a radio receiver via an intermediate communication platform that provides an interface to an Internet network; determining, based on the geographic location information, a radio broadcast available to the radio receiver; and sending metadata of the radio broadcast via the intermediate communication platform to the radio receiver, the metadata including an indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for an audio fingerprinting process.

[0062] In Example 18, the subject of Example 17 may optionally include a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions to cause the processing circuitry to perform actions including: determining all radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver based on the geographic location information; and, in response to receiving the geographic location information, transmitting metadata of the determined radio broadcasts, the metadata of the determined radio broadcasts including an indication of the suitability of an audio fingerprint processing procedure for the determined radio broadcasts.

[0063] In Example 19, the subject matter of one or both of Examples 17 and 18 may optionally include a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that cause the processing circuitry to perform actions including: receiving an audio fingerprint from the radio receiver; determining audio metadata of a radio broadcast corresponding to the audio fingerprint; and sending the determined audio metadata to the radio receiver.

[0064] In Example 20, the subject matter of one or any combination of Examples 17-19 may optionally include a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions to cause the processing circuitry to perform actions including transmitting audio metadata determined based on an audio fingerprint received from the radio receiver to a plurality of other radio receivers via the intermediate communication platform.

[0065] These non-limiting examples can be combined in any substitution or combination. As can be seen from this document, many other variations exist besides those described herein. For example, depending on the embodiment, certain actions, events, or functions of any method and algorithm described herein may be performed in a different order, may be added, combined, or omitted entirely (so that not all described actions or events are necessary for the practice of the method and algorithm). Furthermore, in some embodiments, actions or events may be performed concurrently, such as through multithreaded processing, interrupt handling, or multiple processors or processor cores or other parallel architectures, rather than sequentially. Additionally, different tasks or processes may be performed by different machines and computing systems that can operate together.

[0066] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, methods, and algorithmic processes and sequences described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, and process actions have been described above generally according to their functionality. Whether this functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the system as a whole. For each specific application, the described functionality may be implemented in varying ways, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as deviating from the scope of this document.

[0067] The various illustrative logic blocks and modules described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or executed by a machine, such as a general-purpose processor, processing device, computing device having one or more processing devices, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device designed to perform the functions described herein, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. General-purpose processors and processing devices may be microprocessors, but alternatively, the processor may be a controller, microcontroller, or state machine, a combination thereof, etc. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0068] Embodiments of the targeted fingerprint processing radio system and method described herein can operate in a variety of general-purpose or special-purpose computing system environments or configurations. Generally, computing environments can include any type of computer system, including but not limited to computer systems based on one or more microprocessors, mainframe computers, digital signal processors, portable computing devices, personal managers, device controllers, computing engines in devices, mobile phones, desktop computers, mobile computers, tablet computers, smartphones, and devices with embedded computers, etc.

[0069] Such computing devices are typically found in devices with at least some minimum computing power, including but not limited to personal computers, server computers, handheld computing devices, laptop or mobile computers, communication devices such as cellular phones and PDAs, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set-top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, audio or video media players, etc. In some embodiments, the computing device will include one or more processors. Each processor may be a dedicated microprocessor, such as a digital signal processor (DSP), a very long instruction word (VLIW) or other microcontroller, or may be a conventional central processing unit (CPU) with one or more processing cores, including dedicated graphics processing unit (GPU) cores in multi-core CPUs.

[0070] The process actions or operations of the methods, procedures, or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be directly implemented in hardware, in software modules executed by a processor, or in any combination of both. Software modules may be contained in computer-readable media accessible by a computing device. Computer-readable media include volatile and non-volatile media, which may be removable, non-removable, or some combination thereof. Computer-readable media are used to store information, such as computer-readable or computer-executable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media may include computer storage media and communication media.

[0071] Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, computer or machine-readable media or storage devices such as Blu-ray Disc (BD), Digital Multifunction Disc (DVD), Compact Disc (CD), floppy disk, tape drive, hard drive, optical drive, solid-state storage device, RAM memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, flash memory or other memory technology, magnetic tape cassette, magnetic tape, disk storage device or other magnetic storage device, or any other device that can be used to store desired information and can be accessed by one or more computing devices.

[0072] Software modules may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, media, or physical computer storage known in the art. An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to a processor, allowing the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0073] As used in this document, the phrase “non-transitory” means “persistent or long-lived.” The phrase “non-transitory computer-readable medium” includes any and all computer-readable media, with the sole exception of transiently propagating signals. By way of example and not limitation, this includes non-transitory computer-readable media such as register memory, processor cache, and random access memory (RAM). The phrase “audio signal” is a signal representing physical sound.

[0074] The retention of information such as computer-readable or computer-executable instructions, data structures, program modules, etc., can also be achieved by encoding one or more modulated data signals, electromagnetic waves (such as carrier waves), or other transmission mechanisms or communication protocols using various communication media, including any wired or wireless information delivery mechanism. Generally, these communication media refer to signals whose one or more characteristics are set or altered in such a way that information or instructions are encoded within the signal. For example, communication media include wired media (such as wired networks or direct wired connections carrying one or more modulated data signals) and wireless media (such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, laser, and other wireless media used for transmitting, receiving, or both of one or more modulated data signals or electromagnetic waves). Any combination of the above should also be included within the scope of communication media.

[0075] Additionally, one or any combination of various embodiments of the in-vehicle real-time guide generation system and method described herein, or a portion thereof, may be stored, received, transmitted, or retrieved from any desired combination of computer or machine-readable media or storage devices and communication media in the form of computer-executable instructions or other data structures.

[0076] The embodiments of the in-vehicle real-time boot generation system and method described herein can be further described in the general context of computer-executable instructions (such as program modules) executed by computing devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The embodiments described herein can also be practiced in a distributed computing environment in which tasks are performed by one or more remote processing devices, or in a cloud of one or more devices linked through one or more communication networks. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can reside in local and remote computer storage media, including media storage devices. Furthermore, the aforementioned instructions can be implemented, in whole or in part, as hardware logic circuitry, which may or may not include a processor.

[0077] Unless otherwise stated or otherwise understood in the context, the conditional language used herein (such as "can," "may," "may," "for example," etc., among others) is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include certain features, elements, and / or states, while others do not, and certain features, elements, and / or states. Therefore, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, and / or states are required in any way by one or more embodiments, or that one or more embodiments must include logic for determining whether such features, elements, and / or states are included or to be performed in any particular embodiment, with or without author input or prompting. The terms "comprising," "having," etc., are synonymous and used inclusively in an open-ended manner, and do not exclude additional elements, features, actions, operations, etc. Furthermore, the term "or" is used in its inclusive sense (not in its exclusive sense), such that when used for, for example, a list of connecting elements, the term "or" refers to one, some, or all of the elements in the list.

[0078] While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features applicable to various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and variations in the form and details of the illustrated devices or algorithms may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. As will be appreciated, certain embodiments of the invention described herein may be embodied in a form that does not provide the features and advantages set forth herein, as some features may be used or practiced separately from others.

Claims

1. A system for providing audio metadata to a radio receiver, the system comprising: An intermediate communication platform, which provides an interface to an Internet network; as well as A first server, comprising: a port operatively coupled to the intermediate communication platform, processing circuitry, and a service application executed by the processing circuitry, wherein the service application is configured to: The geographical location information of the radio receiver is received via the intermediate communication platform; Based on the geographic location information, determine one or more radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver; Metadata of the one or more radio broadcasts is sent to the radio receiver via the intermediate communication platform. The metadata includes an indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process, wherein the indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process is sent together with static metadata. An audio fingerprint is received from the radio receiver via the intermediate communication platform, wherein the audio fingerprint is generated at the radio receiver when the indication is that the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprint processing procedure. Determine the dynamic audio metadata of the radio broadcast corresponding to the audio fingerprint; and The determined dynamic audio metadata is sent to the radio receiver via the intermediate communication platform.

2. The system as described in claim 1, The first server is configured to store, in association with metadata of multiple radio broadcasts, an indication of the suitability of the audio fingerprint processing procedure for the multiple radio broadcasts; The service application is configured as follows: Based on the geographic location information, determine all radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver; as well as In response to receiving the geographic location information, metadata of the determined radio broadcast is sent, the metadata of the determined radio broadcast including an indication of the suitability of the audio fingerprint processing procedure for the determined radio broadcast.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the service application is configured to send determined audio metadata to a plurality of radio receivers via the intermediate communication platform.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first server includes a memory configured to store audio metadata in association with audio fingerprint information, and the service application is configured to determine audio metadata by retrieving audio metadata from the memory using the audio fingerprint.

5. The system of claim 1, comprising: A second server, configured to store audio metadata; as well as A communication network operatively coupled to the first server and the second server; The service application of the first server is configured to determine audio metadata by forwarding the audio fingerprint to the second server via the communication network and receiving audio metadata from the second server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermediate communication platform is a cellular telephone network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermediate communication platform is a remote information processing network.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein if the radio broadcast contains music, then whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the indication of the audio fingerprinting process is affirmative.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein if the radio broadcast contains talk show or commercial content, then the indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process is negative.

10. A radio receiver, comprising: A radio frequency (RF) receiver circuit configured to receive radio broadcast signals; Internet network interface; monitor; Processing circuitry; as well as A client application, the client application including instructions for execution by the processing circuitry, wherein the client application is configured to: The location information is sent to the audio metadata service application via the Internet network interface. Receive metadata of radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver via the Internet network interface, the metadata including an indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process; It was determined that dynamic metadata associated with the radio broadcast could not be used for presentation using the display. An audio fingerprint of the radio broadcast is generated when the indication is that the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process. The audio fingerprint is sent to the audio metadata service application via the Internet network interface and dynamic metadata associated with the radio broadcast corresponding to the audio fingerprint is received, or the generated audio fingerprint is used to identify dynamic metadata stored in the memory of the radio receiver; as well as Displays information included in the dynamic metadata.

11. The radio receiver of claim 10, wherein if the radio broadcast contains music, then whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the indication of the audio fingerprinting process is affirmative.

12. The radio receiver of claim 10, wherein if the radio broadcast contains talk show or commercial content, then the indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process is negative.

13. The radio receiver of claim 10, wherein the client application is configured to: Determine that the metadata associated with the radio broadcast is not available for presentation using the display; and An audio fingerprint for a radio broadcast is not generated if the content of the radio broadcast signal is not suitable for the audio fingerprinting process.

14. The radio receiver of claim 10, wherein the client application is configured to: Receive metadata about all radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver regarding the geographic location information via the Internet network interface; and For each available radio broadcast, an indication is given as to whether the content of the received radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process.

15. The radio receiver of claim 10, wherein the Internet network interface is a cellular telephone network.

16. The radio receiver of claim 10, wherein the Internet network interface is a telematics network.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a server, cause the processing circuitry to perform actions including: The location information of the radio receiver is received via an intermediate communication platform, which provides an interface to the Internet. Based on the geographic location information, determine the radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver; Metadata of the radio broadcast is sent to the radio receiver via the intermediate communication platform. The metadata includes an indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process, wherein the indication of whether the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprinting process is sent together with static metadata. An audio fingerprint is received from the radio receiver via the intermediate communication platform, wherein the audio fingerprint is generated at the radio receiver when the indication is that the content of the radio broadcast is suitable for the audio fingerprint processing procedure. Determine the dynamic audio metadata of the radio broadcast corresponding to the audio fingerprint; as well as The determined dynamic audio metadata is sent to the radio receiver via the intermediate communication platform.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions that cause the processing circuitry to perform the following actions: Based on the geographic location information, determine all radio broadcasts available to the radio receiver; and In response to receiving the geographic location information, metadata of the determined radio broadcast is sent, the metadata of the determined radio broadcast including an indication of the suitability of the audio fingerprint processing procedure for the determined radio broadcast.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, comprising instructions for the processing circuitry to perform the action of transmitting audio metadata determined based on an audio fingerprint received from the radio receiver to a plurality of other radio receivers via the intermediate communication platform.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, comprising instructions for the processing circuitry to perform the following actions: configuring the server's memory to store audio metadata in association with audio fingerprint information, and determining audio metadata by retrieving audio metadata from the memory using the audio fingerprint.

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