Sequentially overlaying media content

• US 10,334,286 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roku, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Grover, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Boyd, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US15/842,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20180109822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/71 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/74 Browsing; Visualisation therefor end-user interfaces for requesting or interacting with video content, e.g. video on demand interfaces or electronic program guides, H04N21/472
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/783 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A method, system, or device to determine when media content has been displayed. The method can include receiving a unique identifier (UID) and fingerprint for a media segment. The method can also include determining a media segment ID for the media segment, generating and submitting a query for the media segment ID in a record database, determining that the media segment ID is not stored in the record database, and identifying an overlay content segment ID. The method can include generating and submitting for the overlay content segment ID in the record database, determining it is not stored in an entry, sending the overlay content segment to the electronic device, and receiving a notification from the electronic device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processing device; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in communication with the processing device, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed on the processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising;

receiving a media segment ID and a unique identifier from an electronic device configured to display media content, the received media segment ID corresponding to a media segment of media content scheduled to be displayed by the electronic device, and the unique identifier identifying the electronic device;

determining that a record database includes an entry associated with the unique identifier identifying the received media segment ID, thereby indicating that the electronic device previously displayed the media segment scheduled to be displayed by the electronic device;

identifying an overlay content segment ID corresponding to an overlay content segment from a set of overlay content segments to replace the media segment of media content scheduled to be displayed by the electronic device;

determining that the record database does not include an entry for the overlay content segment ID, thereby indicating that the electronic device has not previously displayed the overlay content segment corresponding to the identified overlay content segment ID;

communicating the overlay content segment corresponding to the identified overlay content segment ID to the electronic device for display, the electronic device configured to display the communicated overlay content segment during a time period when the media segment of media content corresponding to the received media segment ID was scheduled to be displayed by the electronic device;

recording, in the record database, the identified overlay content segment ID as a new media segment ID entry associated with the unique identifier identifying the received media segment ID without recording the received media segment ID; and

erasing the identified overlay content segment ID from the set of overlay segments.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the received media segment ID corresponds to a fingerprint for the received media segment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the communicated overlay content segment includes a trigger overlay.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, after communicating the overlay content corresponding to the identified overlay content segment ID to the electronic device:

receiving a notification indicating that the electronic device displayed the communicated overlay content segment; and

in response to the notification, recording, in the record database, the identified overlay content segment ID as the new media segment ID entry associated with the unique identifier identifying the received media segment ID without recording the received media segment ID.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise, after communicating the overlay content corresponding to the identified overlay content segment ID to the electronic device:

receiving a notification indicating that the electronic device displayed the communicated overlay content segment; and

in response to the notification, determining that the communicated overlay content segment includes a trigger overlay.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a set of criteria for overlay content segment identification; and

based on the received set of criteria for overlay content segment identification, identifying the overlay content segment ID corresponding to the overlay content segment from the set of overlay content segments to replace the media segment of media content scheduled to be displayed by the electronic device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the set of criteria comprises rules based on demographic information of a user of the electronic device.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the set of criteria comprises rules based on a time of day.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, at a processing device, a media segment ID and a unique identifier from an electronic device configured to display media content, the received media segment ID corresponding to a media segment of media content scheduled to be displayed by the electronic device and the unique identifier identifying the electronic device;

determining, by the processing device, that a record database includes an entry associated with the unique identifier identifying the received media segment ID, thereby indicating that the electronic device previously displayed the media segment scheduled to be displayed by the electronic device;

identifying, by the processing device, an overlay content segment ID corresponding to an overlay content segment from a set of overlay content segments to replace the media segment of media content scheduled to be displayed by the electronic device;

determining, by the processing device, that the record database does not include an entry for the overlay content segment ID, thereby indicating that the electronic device has not previously displayed the overlay content segment corresponding to the identified overlay content segment ID;

communicating, by the processing device, the overlay content segment corresponding to the identified overlay content segment ID to the electronic device for display, the electronic device configured to display the communicated overlay content segment during a time period when the media segment of media content corresponding to the received media segment ID was scheduled to be displayed by the electronic device;

recording, in the record database by the processing device, the identified overlay content segment ID as a new media segment ID entry associated with the unique identifier identifying the received media segment ID without recording the received media segment ID; and

erasing, by the processing device, the identified overlay content segment ID from the set of overlay segments.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the received media segment ID corresponds to a fingerprint for the received media segment.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining, by the processing device, that the communicated overlay content segment includes a trigger overlay.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising, after communicating the overlay content corresponding to the identified overlay content segment ID to the electronic device:

receiving, at the processing device, a notification indicating that the electronic device displayed the communicated overlay content segment; and

in response to the notification, recording, in the record database by the processing device, the identified overlay content segment ID as the new media segment ID entry associated with the unique identifier identifying the received media segment ID without recording the received media segment ID.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising, after communicating the overlay content corresponding to the identified overlay content segment ID to the electronic device:

receiving, at the processing device, a notification indicating that the electronic device displayed the communicated overlay content segment; and

in response to the notification, determining, by the processing device, that the communicated overlay content segment includes a trigger overlay.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, at the processing device, a set of criteria for overlay content segment identification; and

based on the received set of criteria for overlay content segment identification, identifying, by the processing device, the overlay content segment ID corresponding to the overlay content segment from the set of overlay content segments to replace the media segment of media content scheduled to be displayed by the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the set of criteria comprises rules based on demographic information of a user of the electronic device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the set of criteria comprises rules based on a time of day.