Custom Ringback Tone Selection via Server-Side Audio Transcoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Ringback tone systems offer limited user customization, with only a fixed catalogue of short clips available, restricting users' ability to choose meaningful parts of songs as their RBT.
Innovation Solution
A system and method allowing users to select and assign specific portions of audio files as RBTs through mobile or desktop applications, where the selected audio is encrypted, transcoded, and transferred to the mobile operator network for playback, enabling user-defined RBTs with customizable durations and smoothing to avoid harsh edges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a fixed catalogue of short RBT clips is provided by music labels, then the system complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but user customization capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the audio file by allowing users to select specific time ranges (start time and duration) from a full song to create customized RBT clips. This segmentation enables users to extract meaningful portions from complete songs, transforming a fixed catalogue system into a flexible customization system while maintaining operational simplicity through a user-friendly selection interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static fixed catalogue to a dynamic customization system where users can freely select any portion of any song. The server dynamically processes user-selected time ranges, transcodes the audio, and generates personalized RBT clips on-demand, enabling adaptability while keeping the user interface simple and intuitive.
2Adaptability or versatility
If users can select any portion of a full song as RBT, then user customization capability is improved, but system complexity increases due to additional processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as an intermediary between the user's selection and the network delivery. It receives user-selected time ranges, performs transcoding and smoothing operations, and delivers the processed RBT clips to the network. This intermediary approach handles the complexity of audio processing centrally, keeping the user interface simple while enabling extensive customization capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The server automatically processes user selections without requiring manual intervention. It self-manages the transcoding, smoothing, and delivery of customized RBT clips based on user-provided time ranges, reducing the need for complex user-side processing while maintaining high customization capability.
3Ease of operation
If conventional RBT clips of 30 seconds duration are used, then the system is simple to operate, but the meaningful part of the song may be missed as users cannot select specific portions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables precise segmentation of songs by allowing users to specify start times and durations, ensuring that only the meaningful portions are extracted as RBT clips. This eliminates the need to use arbitrary 30-second segments that may miss important content, while maintaining simple operation through an intuitive time-selection interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by allowing users to select specific time ranges that contain the most meaningful parts of songs. Instead of uniformly applying 30-second clips throughout, users can target specific local portions (verses, choruses, bridges) that have the highest value to them, preserving important content while keeping the system easy to use.
Data Source
AI summary
The present subject matter relates to a method and a system for selecting a ring back tone to be provided to a caller. The method comprising selecting, by a subscriber, an editable audio file with a predetermined duration; encrypting the selected editable audio file on a storage device; communicating, by a communication interface, a start time of the selected editable audio file to the server, the server transcodes and smoothens the selected portion of the editable audio file; transferring, by the server, the transcoded audio file to the mobile operator network as a ring back tone.