Apparatus, System and Method for Reading Codes From Digital Audio on a Processing Device

Abstract

Apparatus, system and method for reading ancillary code embedded into digital audio, where a processing device executes a decoder application that includes a decoder application interface that is communicatively coupled to a media player application within one or more frameworks of the processing device. As digital audio is received and sampled, the decoder application is configured to transform the digital audio from a time domain to a frequency domain and to process frequency characteristics to determine the presence of ancillary audio codes.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A processing device, comprising:
 an audio input configured to receive digital audio from one of (i) a computer network and (ii) a digital media file;   a memory, operatively coupled to the audio input;   a processing apparatus, communicatively coupled to the audio input, wherein the processing apparatus is configured to activate a decoder application on said processing device to transform the received digital audio from a time domain to a frequency domain and store the transformed digital audio in the memory;   wherein the decoding application is configured to process the stored digital audio using a decoder application interface to determine the presence of ancillary codes encoded into the digital audio, wherein the ancillary codes identify at least one characteristic of the digital audio.   
     
     
         2 . The processing device of  claim 1 , wherein the decoding application is configured to communicate with a media player application In the processing device. 
     
     
         3 . The processing device of  claim 2 , wherein the media player application is configured to communicate with a core services layer in the processing device. 
     
     
         4 . The processing device of  claim 1 , wherein the transformed digital audio comprises audio transformed via fast Fourier transform (FFT). 
     
     
         5 . The processing device of  claim 1 , wherein the decoding application produces a plurality of symbol values for each code symbol of the ancillary codes, said symbol values representing one of digital audio signal energy, power and amplitude. 
     
     
         6 . The processing device of  claim 5 , wherein the decoding application accumulates symbol values over time and processes the accumulated symbol values to determine the presence of ancillary codes encoded into the digital audio. 
     
     
         7 . The processing device of  claim 1 , wherein the ancillary codes comprise single frequency code components. 
     
     
         8 . A processor-based method for configuring a processing device to read ancillary codes embedded in digital audio, comprising:
 receiving digital audio at an input of the processing device from one of (i) a computer network and (ii) a digital media file; and   configuring a processor on the processing device to activate a decoder application on said processing device to transform the received digital audio from a time domain to a frequency domain and store the transformed digital audio in a memory;   wherein the decoding application is configured to process the stored digital audio using a decoder application interface to determine the presence of ancillary codes encoded into the digital audio, wherein the ancillary codes identify at least one characteristic of the digital audio.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the decoding application is configured to communicate with a media player application In the processing device. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the media player application is configured to communicate with a core services layer in the processing device. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the transformed digital audio comprises audio transformed via fast Fourier transform (FFT). 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the decoding application produces a plurality of symbol values for each code symbol of the ancillary codes, said symbol values representing one of digital audio signal energy, power and amplitude. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the decoding application accumulates symbol values over time and processes the accumulated symbol values to determine the presence of ancillary codes encoded into the digital audio. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the ancillary codes comprise single frequency code components. 
     
     
         15 . A computer program product, comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code tangibly embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for reading ancillary code from digital audio, said method comprising:
 sampling the digital audio from an input of the processing device, said input being configured to receive the digital audio from one of (i) a computer network and (ii) a digital media file; and   activating a decoder application on said processing device to transform the received digital audio from a time domain to a frequency domain and store the transformed digital audio in a memory;   wherein the decoding application is configured to process the stored digital audio using a decoder application interface to determine the presence of ancillary codes encoded into the digital audio, and wherein the ancillary codes identify at least one characteristic of the digital audio.   
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein the decoding application is configured to communicate with a media player application. In the processing device. 
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 15 , wherein the media player application is configured to communicate with a core services layer in the processing device. 
     
     
         17 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein the transformed digital audio comprises audio transformed via fast Fourier transform (FFT). 
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein the decoding application produces a plurality of symbol values for each code symbol of the ancillary codes, said symbol values representing one of digital audio signal energy, power and amplitude. 
     
     
         19 . The computer program product of  claim 18 , wherein the decoding application accumulates symbol values over time and processes the accumulated symbol values to determine the presence of ancillary codes encoded into the digital audio. 
     
     
         20 . The computer program product of  claim 14 , wherein the ancillary codes comprise single frequency code components.