New pending patent applications are published by the USPTO on Thursdays. Both of today's Spotlight Applications concern aspect of digital fingerprinting. Assigned to Gracenote, the first application discloses techniques for detecting an event within interactive media including spatialized multi-channel audio content. Assigned to Facebook the second application discloses techniques for periodic ambient waveform analysis for enhanced social functions.
20160139756, "Detecting an event within interactive media including spatialized multi-channel audio content," assigned to Gracenote.
Abstract
As a user is being presented with interactive media by a presenting device, a separate monitoring device may be used to monitor the presentation of the interactive media and detect an event that occurs therein. Such a monitoring device may be configured and positioned to access media content from the presentation of the interactive media. For example, the monitoring device may be configured and positioned to record video content with a camera and record audio content with a microphone. Having accessed this media content, the monitoring device may generate an identifier, such as a fingerprint or watermark, of the media content and compare the generated identifier with a reference identifier that is generated from the source of the media content. Based on the generated identifier matching the reference identifier, the monitoring device may detect that an event has occurred within the interactive media presentation and present a corresponding notification.20160140971, "Periodic ambient waveform analysis for enhanced social functions," assigned to Facebook.
Abstract
In particular embodiments, one or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embody software that is operable when executed to receive an audio waveform fingerprint and a client-determined location from a client device. The received audio waveform fingerprint may be compared to a database of stored audio waveform fingerprints, each stored audio waveform fingerprint associated with an object in an object database. One or more matching audio waveform fingerprints may be found from a comparison set of audio waveform fingerprints obtained from the audio waveform fingerprint database. Location information associated with a location of the client device may be determined, and the location information may be sent to the client device. The client device may be operable to update the client-determined location based at least in part on the location information.