Patent ID: 7606790

Claim:
A router method that transforms search criteria to search one or more different databases, the method comprising: receiving a search request including search criteria from a requesting computing device, the search request comprising a perceptual characteristic of an audio or video signal; converting the search criteria into one or more different search criteria for corresponding different databases such that formats of the different search criteria are compatible with the different databases to which the different search criteria are submitted, including transforming the perceptual characteristic of the audio or video signal into different perceptual characteristic formats corresponding to the different databases; wherein the transforming includes mathematically transforming the perceptual characteristic of the audio or video signal into different hash formats corresponding to the different databases, and wherein the different databases comprise databases including an index of audio or video content in which audio or video signals have been automatically indexed in the different hash formats corresponding to the different databases based on perceptual features derived from the audio or video signals; submitting the different search criteria to the corresponding databases that generate search results in the different databases; wherein the search results are generated by searching the different databases, including comparing hashes in the different hash formats with hashes in the different databases, the search results being forwarded to a requesting computing device.