Methods and apparatus for monitoring the insertion of local media into a program stream

• US 10,356,446 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2016
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Ramaswamy, Arun, Kemper, Paul C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Randy A
• Application Number:
  US15/368,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20170085926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3018 used signal is a pilot signal outside the frequency band of the recorded main information signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/322 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/103 Transmitter-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/106 Receiver-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/14 for monitoring programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/54 where broadcast information is generated
• 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 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25883 being end-user demographical data, e.g. age, family status or address arrangements for identifying locations of users in broadcast systems H04H60/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for monitoring locally inserted media are disclosed. A disclosed system for detecting locally inserted media includes a tag encoder and a media monitoring device at a media presentation location. The tag encoder is to associate an identifying tag with a segment of a media stream carrying local media that was spliced into a primary media stream after the primary media stream was received by an editing station of a media distributor. The media monitoring device is to: detect presentation of the media stream; determine that the segment is local media that was spliced into the primary media stream based on changes in the media stream indicative of transitions between primary media and local media, the changes including changes in identifying tags; and store an indication to credit presentation of the media and to indicate that the media stream includes locally inserted media.

Claims

1. A system for detecting locally inserted media, the system comprising:

a tag encoder to insert an identifying tag with a segment of a secondary media stream carrying local media that was spliced into a primary media stream after the primary media stream was received at an end user location by a local content insertion module in a device at the end user location; and

a media monitoring device at the end user location and different from the tag encoder, the media monitoring device to;

detect presentation of the secondary media stream;

determine that the presentation includes the segment of the secondary media stream carrying the local media that was spliced into the primary media stream based on the inserted identifying tag; and

store an indication to credit presentation of the secondary media stream and to indicate that the secondary media stream includes the locally inserted media.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on a change in a repetition rate of a plurality of packet identifiers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on at least one of changes in values of identifying tags or changes in transition times between the identifying tags.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes in metadata associated with the secondary media stream.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes to a program map associated with the secondary media stream.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes in instructions to control splicing of the local media into the primary media stream.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes in at least one of blank frames or quiet audio sections.

8. A method for detecting locally inserted media, the method comprising:

associating an identifying tag with a segment of a secondary media stream carrying local media that was spliced into a primary media stream at an end user location by a local content insertion module in a first device at the end user location;

detecting, by executing an instruction with a processor of a second device different from the first device, presentation of the secondary media stream at the end user location;

determining, by executing an instruction with the processor of the second device, that the presentation includes the segment of the secondary media stream carrying the local media that was spliced into the primary media stream at the end user location, the determining based on the identifying tag; and

storing an indication to credit presentation of the secondary media stream and to indicate that the secondary media stream includes the locally inserted media.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes in a repetition rate of a plurality of packet identifiers.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on at least of one changes in values of identifying tags or changes in transition times between the identifying tags.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes in metadata associated with the secondary media stream.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes to a program map associated with the secondary media stream.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes in instructions to control splicing of the local media into the primary media stream.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes in at least one of blank frames or quiet audio sections.

15. An article of manufacture comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to at least:

detect, at a first device, presentation of a secondary media stream carrying local media that was spliced into a primary media stream by a local content insertion module in a second different device at an end user location after the primary media stream was received at the end user location;

determine, based on an identifying tag associated with a segment of the secondary media stream by a tag encoder at the end user location, that the presentation includes the segment of the secondary media signal, the segment carrying the local media that was spliced into the primary media stream; and

store an indication to credit presentation of the secondary media stream and to indicate that the secondary media stream includes the locally inserted media.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on a change in a repetition rate of a plurality of packet identifiers.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on at least of one changes in values of the identifying tags, or changes in transition times between the identifying tags.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes in metadata associated with the secondary media stream.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes to a program map associated with the secondary media stream.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes in instructions to control splicing of the local media into the primary media stream.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the identifying tag is inserted based on changes in at least one of blank frames or quiet audio sections.