摘要:
The present technology concerns cell phones and other portable devices, and more particularly concerns use of such devices in connection with media content (electronic and physical) and with other systems (e.g., televisions, digital video recorders, and electronic program directories). Some aspects of the technology allow users to easily transfer displayed content from cell phone screens onto a television screens for easier viewing, or vice versa for content portability. Others enable users to participate interactively in entertainment content, such as by submitting plot directions, audio input, character names, etc., yielding more engaging, immersive, user experiences. Still other aspects of the technology involve a program directory database, compiled automatically from information reported by network nodes that watch and identify content traffic passing into (and/or out of) networked computers. By identifying content resident at a number of different repositories (e.g., web sites, TV networks, P2P systems, etc.), such a directory allows cell phone users to identify the diversity of sources from which desired content can be obtained—some available on a scheduled basis, others available on demand. Depending on the application, the directory information may be transparent to the user—serving to identify sources for desired content, from which application software can pick for content downloading, based, e.g., on context and stored profile data. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
摘要:
The presently claimed invention relates to network searching and handheld devices. One claim recites a method including: from a first wireless device, wirelessly communicating with a second wireless device to determine whether the second wireless device has performed an internet or database search; receiving, at the first wireless device, information from the second wireless device regarding the internet or database search, if the information satisfies predetermined criteria on the first wireless device, requesting from the second wireless device at least a subset of results obtained from the internet or database search. Another claim recites: a method of searching comprising: receiving search criteria in a first, handheld mobile device; upon sensing a second, handheld mobile device by the first, handheld mobile device, automatically and wirelessly querying the second, handheld mobile device to determine whether the second, handheld mobile device has any content stored thereon corresponding to the search criteria; and receiving content corresponding to the search criteria from the second, handheld mobile device. Of course, other claims and combinations are also provided.
摘要:
Cell phones and other portable devices are equipped with a variety of technologies by which existing functionality can be improved, and new functionality can be provided. Some relate to visual search capabilities, and determining appropriate actions responsive to different image inputs. Others relate to processing of image data. Still others concern metadata generation, processing, and representation. Yet others relate to coping with fixed focus limitations of cell phone cameras, e.g., in reading digital watermark data. Still others concern user interface improvements. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
摘要:
The disclosure relates generally to geographic-based signal detection. One claims recites a method including: receiving information indicating a geographical area; with reference to at least a portion of the information indicating a geographical area, selecting a machine-readable indicia detector that corresponds to the information indicating a geographical area; using a programmed processor, processing machine-readable indicia with the selected machine-readable indicia detector to obtain a plural-bit message; and carrying out an action using the plural-bit message. Of course, other claims and combinations are provided as well.
摘要:
Many of the detailed technologies are useful in enabling a smart phone to respond to a user's environment, e.g., so it can serve as an intuitive hearing and seeing device. A few of the detailed arrangements involve optimizing division of shared processing tasks between the phone and remote devices; using a phone GPU for exhaustive speculative execution and machine vision purposes (including facial recognition); novel device architectures involving abstraction layers that facilitate substitution of different local and remote services; interactions with private networks as they relate to audio/image processing; adapting the orders in which operations are executed, and the types of data that are exchanged with remote servers, in accordance with current context; reconfiguring networks based on sensed social affiliations among users and in accordance with predictive models of user behavior; etc. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
摘要:
This disclosure describes a distributed reader architecture for a mobile computing device such as cellular telephone handset. This architecture includes a reader library that reads device capabilities and business model parameters in the device, and in response, for selects an appropriate configuration of reader modules for identifying a content item. The reader modules each perform a function used in identifying a content item. The modules are selected so that the resources available on the device and in remote devices are used optimally, depending on available computing resources on the device and network bandwidth. One example of a reader module is a fast watermark detection module that quickly detects the presence of a watermark, enabling resources to be focused on portions of content that are most likely going to lead to successful content identification. A watermark signal structure for fast watermark detection is comprised of a dense array of impulse functions in a form of a circle in a Fourier magnitude domain, and the impulse functions having pseudorandom phase. Alternative structures are possible.
摘要:
Image data, such as from a mobile phone camera, is analyzed to determine a colorfulness metric (e.g., saturation) or a contrast metric (e.g., Weber contrast). This metric is then used in deciding which of, or in which order, plural different image recognition processes should be invoked in order to present responsive information to a user. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
摘要:
The present technology concerns cell phones and other portable devices, and more particularly concerns use of such devices in connection with media content (electronic and physical) and with other systems (e.g., televisions, digital video recorders, and electronic program directories). Some aspects of the technology allow users to easily transfer displayed content from cell phone screens onto a television screens for easier viewing, or vice versa for content portability. Others enable users to participate interactively in entertainment content, such as by submitting plot directions, audio input, character names, etc., yielding more engaging, immersive, user experiences. Still other aspects of the technology involve a program directory database, compiled automatically from information reported by network nodes that watch and identify content traffic passing into (and/or out of) networked computers. By identifying content resident at a number of different repositories (e.g., web sites, TV networks, P2P systems, etc.), such a directory allows cell phone users to identify the diversity of sources from which desired content can be obtained—some available on a scheduled basis, others available on demand. Depending on the application, the directory information may be transparent to the user—serving to identify sources for desired content, from which application software can pick for content downloading, based, e.g., on context and stored profile data. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
摘要:
Digital watermark encoding—and associated registry transactions—are made transparent to consumers—performed as built-in features of common image processing operations, such as taking a picture, or printing a picture. In one arrangement, a user interacts with buttons and other controls of a graphical user interface on the touchscreen of a printer to author specific experiences that should be triggered by a hardcopy image—such as launching a related video, playing a recorded audio clip, displaying other images in a story narrative to which the hardcopy image relates, etc. The printer then attends to interactions with network infrastructure components needed to give the hardcopy print the user-desired functionality. In another arrangement, the content experience triggered by a printed image is authored automatically, e.g., by reference to data mined from the image's online context (e.g., Facebook photo album). A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.
摘要:
Arrangements involving portable devices (e.g., smartphones and tablet computers) are disclosed. One arrangement enables a content creator to select software with which that creator's content should be rendered—assuring continuity between artistic intention and delivery. Another utilizes a device camera to identify nearby subjects, and take actions based thereon. Others rely on near field chip (RFID) identification of objects, or on identification of audio streams (e.g., music, voice). Some technologies concern improvements to the user interfaces associated with such devices. Others involve use of these devices in connection with shopping, text entry, sign language interpretation, and vision-based discovery. Still other improvements are architectural in nature, e.g., relating to evidence-based state machines, and blackboard systems. Yet other technologies concern use of linked data in portable devices—some of which exploit GPU capabilities. Still other technologies concern computational photography. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.