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Apple Applies for Patent on 'Audio Hyperlinking' to Facilitate Accessing Supplementary Podcast Content

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Apple has applied for a patent with the U.S Patent and Trademark Office (via AppleInsider) on methods for using hyperlinks embedded into audio streams that could offer content creators the capability to link to other forms of media or control a device altogether. The main concept of the patent is outlined in the abstract of the filing, and explains how audio hyperlinks could be used to allow listeners to access such content within audio:
Hyperlinks within an audio stream provide a way for a listener to access linked resources. An audio hyperlink encoded in an audio stream indicates the presence of an audio hyperlink in the audio stream, as well as providing information for traversing the hyperlink to the linked resource. The hyperlink may be conditionally traversed upon a user interaction or automatically upon detection in the audio stream, possibly pausing the audio stream containing the hyperlink during the traversal of the hyperlink and resuming the audio stream if the audio stream is returned to from the linked material. The linked material may be other audio content, but may also be any other type of desired content that may be accessible by the system processing the audio stream.
Click to expand...
hyperlink_patent1.jpg

In the patent application, Apple gives an example of a podcast which could link to other podcasts, websites, or other media, and Apple describes how software could either automatically activate audio hyperlinks when detected or offer a user interface to allow users to have control over activation of the links.
hyperlink_patent4.jpg
While the patent application does not make any references to specific devices, examples and drawings outline how the process could be applied to such mobile devices such as iPhones, iPads, and iPods.

Article Link: Apple Applies for Patent on 'Audio Hyperlinking' to Facilitate Accessing Supplementary Podcast Content
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/08/08/apple-applies-for-patent-on-audio-hyperlinking-to-facilitate-accessing-supplementary-podcast-content/
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pancakedrawer

macrumors regular
Dec 13, 2010
190
6
Melbourne
Another one of those ideas that makes you wonder why nobody has thought of it until now.

This could be a great way for podcasts to link to relevant content such as news articles and for bands to link to their tour page from their album for example.
 
J

Jodles

macrumors regular
Dec 5, 2008
172
3
This isn't a new idea. This is very much inline with cutting-edge research being done everywhere on music information retrieval (MIR), whose primary research goal is to enable all kinds of music content, recordings, MIDI, sheet music, anything to be able to link together with no metadata at all.
 
Last edited:
JarJarThomas

JarJarThomas

macrumors regular
Mar 18, 2013
122
0
pancakedrawer said:
Another one of those ideas that makes you wonder why nobody has thought of it until now.

This could be a great way for podcasts to link to relevant content such as news articles and for bands to link to their tour page from their album for example.
Click to expand...

or interactive audiobooks ... thinking like the old adventure books
 
O

ominx

macrumors 6502
Jun 23, 2010
356
9
Squilly said:
Meh. Sounds a lot like an ad to me.
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Exactly. I'm sure there will be "good" uses for this but I too see it as a way to link to an external ad without having it encoded in the stream or at a particular time-stamp.
 
Joe-Diver

Joe-Diver

macrumors 6502
Aug 2, 2009
265
0
What's the point? If it catches on and is a really cool feature....other companies will just steal the technology, copy it and market it... slamming Apple in the process. When Apple tries to enforce their patent, the others will just claim that its critical technology to the platform, FRAND, blah blah blah...and the patent will then get tossed out.

Friggan joke.
 
P

pancakedrawer

macrumors regular
Dec 13, 2010
190
6
Melbourne
Joe-Diver said:
What's the point? If it catches on and is a really cool feature....other companies will just steal the technology, copy it and market it... slamming Apple in the process. When Apple tries to enforce their patent, the others will just claim that its critical technology to the platform, FRAND, blah blah blah...and the patent will then get tossed out.

Friggan joke.
Click to expand...

Get ahead of yourself much?
 
P

PraisiX-windows

macrumors regular
May 19, 2011
185
0
I don't understand this, could someone clarify for me?
- is it that you can link to certain parts of an audio file? - Say, 10:46 in an hour long audio file?
Or is it that an audio file (or stream, whatever) can link to stuff - if so,*how does one activate those links,*do they get activated when a certain point is reached in the audio file or is it done by other means?
 
ConCat

ConCat

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2012
722
0
In an ethereal plane of existence.
Jodles said:
This isn't a new idea. This is very much inline with cutting-edge research being done everywhere on music information retrieval (MIR), whose primary research goal is to enable all kinds of music content, recordings, MIDI, sheet music, anything to be able to link together with no metadata at all.
Click to expand...

Yes, but guess who patented it first. :) Funny world we live in.
 
P

PraisiX-windows

macrumors regular
May 19, 2011
185
0
Joe-Diver said:
What's the point? If it catches on and is a really cool feature....other companies will just steal the technology, copy it and market it... slamming Apple in the process. When Apple tries to enforce their patent, the others will just claim that its critical technology to the platform, FRAND, blah blah blah...and the patent will then get tossed out.

Friggan joke.
Click to expand...

What are you on about? Quit this nonsense.
 
gnasher729

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,565
Joe-Diver said:
What's the point? If it catches on and is a really cool feature....other companies will just steal the technology, copy it and market it... slamming Apple in the process. When Apple tries to enforce their patent, the others will just claim that its critical technology to the platform, FRAND, blah blah blah...and the patent will then get tossed out.
Click to expand...

FRAND patents become FRAND only if the patent holder makes them FRAND.

"Standard essential patents" are patents that are needed to implement a standard. When a standard is created, everyone involve will try to make sure that everyone holding a patent that would be standards essential will be made available as FRAND; if they refuse then the standard makers have a problem and need to change the standard so that the patent isn't required.

In neither case will the patent be thrown out.
 
charlituna

charlituna

macrumors G3
Jun 11, 2008
9,636
816
Los Angeles, CA
Santabean2000 said:
Def an interesting concept. More pops to get creative = good.
Click to expand...

I could see this going beyond just podcasts. Or even just audio. Imagine iTunes U with synced slides popping up during audio feeds or even just written comments, perhaps added by students themselves (much like those vocal recorders apps)

Or second screen applications or switching on and off audio tracks for other languages or commentary.

Or yes even advertising.

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Joe-Diver said:
When Apple tries to enforce their patent, the others will just claim that its critical technology to the platform, FRAND, blah blah blah...and the patent will then get tossed out.
Click to expand...

You can't just call something FRAND and it is so. Google tried it several times and it didn't work.

Companies have to agree to add their IP into a standard and it has to be something with basically no other possible method or this is the overwhelming preferred method.
 
H

hybride

macrumors newbie
Feb 27, 2012
7
0
[...]that could offer content creators the capability to link to other forms of media or control a device altogether.
Click to expand...

If it was used with applescript, it could be really interesting for tutorials as well... No need for a video file, just audio, and everything plays out on screen... of course you wouldn't be able to do something else at the same time... But with this:

The hyperlink may be conditionally traversed upon a user interaction or automatically upon detection in the audio stream,[...].
Click to expand...

You could turn it off...

Of course the ad thing springs to mind... and that would be annoying, especially if it does so automatically upon detection...
 
R

reden

macrumors 6502a
Aug 30, 2006
716
823
Apple lately seems to be spending most of its time patenting rather than innovating.
 
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