Client Device Content Identification via Local Pattern Matching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing content identification systems require user interaction and rely heavily on central servers for content recognition, leading to delays and missed opportunities for identifying media content in real-time.

Innovation Solution

A client device continuously performs content identification based on stored content patterns, with the ability to query a server for content identity upon receiving an instruction, thereby reducing reliance on central servers and enabling real-time recognition.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a central server performs computational intensive procedures to identify content, then content identification accuracy is improved, but system response time deteriorates due to limited server availability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent identification accuracyVSAvoidsystem response time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent distributes content identification capabilities from a centralized server to individual client devices. Each client device stores local content patterns and performs content identification locally, providing different levels of service: quick local identification for common content and server-based identification for unknown content. This resolves the contradiction by improving response time through local processing while maintaining accuracy through server backup.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the content identification system into multiple independent components: client devices with local content pattern databases and server infrastructure. This segmentation allows parallel processing where multiple clients can perform local identification simultaneously without competing for server resources, improving overall system response time while maintaining identification accuracy through the distributed architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of information

If a central server receives all content identification requests, then comprehensive content database access is improved, but system scalability deteriorates due to request volume

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontent database accessVSAvoidsystem scalability
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the content pattern database from the central server and places it on client devices. This allows clients to independently perform content identification using local patterns without generating server requests for every piece of content. The server retains access to the comprehensive database for updating patterns and handling unknown content, while scalability improves due to reduced request volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary action by pre-loading content patterns onto client devices before they are needed for identification. Clients receive content patterns in advance through updates from the server, enabling immediate local identification without server intervention. This preliminary preparation reduces ongoing server request volume while maintaining comprehensive content coverage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Speed

If content identification is performed continuously at client device, then real-time recognition capability is improved, but device computational load increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereal-time recognition capabilityVSAvoiddevice computational load
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements partial action by having client devices perform content identification only on specific segments of audio streams using pre-loaded content patterns. Instead of continuously analyzing all audio data, clients compare incoming audio against stored patterns, performing minimal computational operations. This enables real-time recognition capability while keeping computational load and energy consumption manageable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS9256673B2Methods and systems for identifying content in a data stream
Publication Date: 2016.02.09 APPLE INC
  • US9256673B2 patent drawing
  • US9256673B2 patent drawing
  • US9256673B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Methods and systems for identifying content in a data stream are provided. In one example, a client device receives a continuous data stream and substantially continuously performs a content identification of content in the data stream based on content patterns stored on the client device. The content patterns stored on the client device may include information associated with extracted features of a media file, or a temporally mapped collection of features describing a media file. The client device may determine whether the continuous data stream includes media content, and based on the determination, continuously perform the content identification of content in the data stream at the client device. The client device may query a server to determine an identity of content in the data stream based on receiving an instruction.