Broadcast verification system, broadcast verification method, broadcast verification apparatus and storage medium storing broadcast verification program

• US 20020044659A1
• Filed: 05/15/2001
• Published: 04/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ohta, Mutsumi
• Granted Patent: US 6,880,082 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/241
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/14 for monitoring programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• 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 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26603 for automatically generating descriptors from content, e.g. when it is not made available by its provider, using content analysis techniques
• 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]

Abstract

A broadcast verification system is provided which enables broadcast verification to be performed by a third party being independent of a broadcasting station, without being assisted by another, at low costs and to be reported to a client.

The client submits CM (Commercial Message) images to the broadcasting station and registers feature descriptors in a database. When the broadcasting station broadcasts the CM images in accordance with a contract, a receiving device in a checking base extracts contents from received broadcasting waves and a checking section compares feature descriptors of the contents with that of contents stored in the database. When there is coincidence between them, the checking section transmits comparison results to an aggregating section which creates a report including broadcast time, broadcasting channel, broadcasting state and submits it to the client. A broadcast verifying agent receives a broadcast verification entrusting fee.

Claims

1. A broadcast verification system made up of a broadcasting station, a client entrusting said broadcasting station to broadcast contents including images, and a broadcast verification apparatus to verify whether said contents are broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, said broadcast verification apparatus comprising:

a feature descriptor calculating means to calculate a feature descriptor of said contents that said client entrusted said broadcasting station to broadcast;

a storing means to store said feature descriptor of said contents;

a comparing means to calculate said feature descriptor of contents detected from broadcasting waves transmitted from said broadcasting station and to compare said feature descriptor obtained by said calculation with said feature descriptor stored in said storing means;

a reporting means to report a comparison result obtained by said comparison to said client; and

wherein said client checks, by acquiring said comparison result, whether said contents entrusted by said client to be broadcast have been broadcast.

2. A broadcast verification system made up of a broadcasting station, a client entrusting said broadcasting station to broadcast contents including images, and a broadcast verification apparatus to verify whether said contents are broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, said broadcast verification apparatus comprising:

an identification number storing means to store an identification number assigned to said contents that said client entrusted said broadcasting station to broadcast,

a comparing means to take out said identification number implanted, by using digital watermarking technology making a digital watermark, in contents detected from broadcasting waves broadcast by said broadcasting station and to compare said identification number with said stored identification number;

a reporting means to report a comparison result obtained by said comparison to said client; and

wherein said client has a watermark implanting section to implant said identification number assigned to said contents that said client wants to broadcast, by using said watermarking implanting technology, and entrusts said broadcasting station to broadcast said contents and checks, by acquiring said comparison result, whether, contents entrusted by said client to be broadcast have been broadcast.

3. A broadcast verification system made us of a broadcasting station, a client entrusting said broadcasting station to broadcast contents including images, and a broadcast verification apparatus to verify whether said contents are broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, said broadcast verification apparatus comprising:

an implanting means to assign an identification number to each of said contents transmitted from said client and to implant said identification number in each of said contents by using a digital watermarking technology making a digital watermark and to return it to said client;

a storing means to store said identification number that has been implanted in said contents returned back to said client;

a comparing means to take out said identification number implanted, using digital watermarking technology, in said contents detected from broadcasting waves broadcast by said broadcasting station and to compare it with said stored identification;

a reporting means to report a comparison result obtained through said comparison to said client; and

wherein said client entrusts said broadcasting station to broadcast said returned contents and, by acquiring said comparison result, checks whether said contents entrusted by said client to be broadcast have been broadcast.

4. A broadcast verification system made up of a broadcasting station, a client entrusting said broadcasting station to broadcast contents including images, and a broadcast verification apparatus to verify whether said contents are broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, said broadcast verification apparatus comprising:

a storing means to store all or a part of said contents that said client entrusted sand broadcasting station to broadcast;

a comparing means to compare said contents detected from broadcasting waves broadcast by said broadcasting station with all or a part of said stored contents;

a reporting means to report a comparison result obtained through said comparison to said client; and

wherein said client, by acquiring said comparison result, checks whether said contents entrusted by said client to be broadcast have been broadcast.

5. A broadcast verification apparatus for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, comprising:

a storing means to store feature descriptors of said contents;

a registering means to calculate said feature descriptors of said contents transmitted from said client and to register them on said storing means;

a detecting means to receive broadcasting waves broadcast by said broadcasting station and to detect said contents;

a feature descriptor calculating means to calculate feature descriptors of said detected contents;

a comparing means to compare said calculated feature descriptors with those stored in said storing means; and

a reporting means to report said comparison result obtained through said comparison to said client.

6. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said feature descriptor calculating means generates said feature descriptor by dividing image data of said contents into a plurality of blocks, creating a reduced image using each of said blocks and performing frequency conversion and quantizing processing on said reduced image.

7. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said feature descriptor calculating means calculates said feature descriptors in all frames to be received.

8. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 5, said feature descriptor calculating means calculates said feature descriptors only in a part of said frames to be received.

9. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a time information generating means to generate time information obtained when said comparing means detects said contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification from said broadcasting waves;

a time information adding means to add said time information to said detected contents; and

a storing means to store said contents with said time information added.

10. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said contents are made us of not only said images but also voices, said detecting means detects voice data making up said contents contained in said broadcasting waves, said storing means stores voice data making up said contents that said client entrusts said broadcasting station to broadcast and said comparing means compares said detected data with said stored voice data and outputs comparison results.

11. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said reporting means obtains said comparison results after having continued aggregation for a specified period of time and transmits said results to said client.

13. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising:

a time information generating means to generate time information obtained when said comparing means detects said contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification from said broadcasting waves;

a time information adding means to add said time information to said detected contents; and

a storing means to store said contents with said time information added.

14. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said contents are made up of not only said images but also voices, said detecting means detects voice data making up said contents contained in said broadcasting waves, said storing means stores voice data making up said contents that said client entrusts said broadcasting station to broadcast and said comparing means compares said detected data with said stored voice data and outputs comparison results.

15. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said reporting means obtains said comparison results after having continued aggregation for a specified period of time and transmits said results to said client.

17. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

a time information generating means to generate time information obtained when said comparing means detects said contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification from said broadcasting waves;

a time information adding means to add said time information to said detected contents; and

a storing means to store said contents with said time information added.

18. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said contents are made up of not only said images but also voices, said detecting means detects voice data making up said contents contained in said broadcasting waves, said storing means stores voice data making up said contents that said client entrusts said broadcasting station to broadcast and said comparing means compares said detected data with said stored voice data and outputs comparison results.

19. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said reporting means obtains said comparison results after having continued aggregation for a specified period of time and transmits said results to said client.

12. A broadcast verification apparatus for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, comprising:

a storing means to store an identification number assigned to each of said contents;

a registering means to assign said identification number to said contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification and to issue said identification number to said client and to register it on said storing means;

a detecting means to receive broadcasting waves obtained when said contents with the issued identification number implanted, by using a digital watermarking technology making a digital watermarks, are broadcast by said broadcasting station and to detect said identification number implanted by said client, using said digital watermarking technology, from said broadcasting waves;

a comparing means to compare said detected identification number with said identification number stored in said storing means; and

a reporting means to report said comparison result obtained through said comparison to said client.

16. A broadcast verification apparatus for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, comprising:

a storing means to store an identification number assigned to each of said contents;

a registering means to assign said identification number to said contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification and to register said identification number to said storing means;

an implanting means to implant said identification number in said contents on which said broadcast verification is to be performed by using digital watermarking technology making a digital watermark and to transmit them to said client;

a detecting means to receive broadcasting waves obtained when said contents with said identification implanted are broadcast by said broadcasting station and to detect said identification number implanted in said contents, using said digital watermarking technology, from said broadcasting waves;

a comparing means to compare said detected identification number with that stored in said storing means; and

a reporting means to report said comparison result obtained through said comparison to said client.

20. A broadcast verification apparatus for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, comprising:

a storing means to store said contents;

a registering means to register all or a part of said contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification;

a detecting means to receive broadcasting waves broadcast by said broadcasting station and to detect contents contained in said broadcasting waves;

a comparing means to compare said detected contents with all or a part of said contents stored in said storing means; and

a reporting means to report said comparison result obtained through said comparison to said client.

21. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising:

a time information generating means to generate time information obtained when said comparing means detects said contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification from said broadcasting waves;

a time information adding means to add said time information to said detected contents; and

a storing means to store said contents with said time information added.

22. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said contents are made up of not only said images but also voices, said detecting means detects voice data making up said contents contained in said broadcasting waves, said storing means stores voice data making up said contents that said client entrusts said broadcasting station to broadcast and said comparing means compares said detected data with said stored voice data and outputs comparison results.

23. The broadcast verification apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said reporting means obtains said comparison results after having continued aggregation for a specified period of time and transmits said results to said client.

24. A broadcast verification method for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, comprising:

a step of receiving contents from said client;

a step of calculating feature descriptors of said received contents;

a step of storing said calculated feature descriptors;

a step of receiving broadcasting waves broadcast by said broadcasting station and detecting said contents;

a step of calculating feature descriptors of said detected contents;

a step of comparing said calculated feature descriptors with said stored calculated feature descriptors; and

a step of transmitting a result obtained by said comparison to said client.

25. A broadcast verification method for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, comprising:

a step of assigning an identification number to each of said contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification;

a step of issuing said identification number to clients and storing identification numbers;

a step of receiving broadcasting waves obtained when said broadcasting stations broadcast contents in which said identification number has been implanted by said client by using digital watermarking technology making a digital watermark and of detecting contents from said broadcasting waves;

a step of judging whether said watermark exists in said detected contents;

a step of detecting, if said watermark exists, said identification number implanted, using said digital watermarking technology, in said detected contents;

a step of comparing said detected identification number with said stored identification number; and

a step of transmitting a result obtained through said comparison to said client.

26. A broadcast verification method for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, comprising:

a step of receiving contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification;

a step of assigning an identification number to each of said received contents and storing said identification number;

a step of implanting said identification number in said contents on which said broadcast verification has to be performed, using digital watermarking technology making a digital watermark;

a step of returning said contents with said identification number implanted to said client;

a step of receiving broadcasting waves obtained when said broadcasting station broadcasts said contents with said identification number implanted and detecting said contents from said broadcasting station,

a step of judging whether said watermark exists in said detected contents;

a step of detecting, if said watermark exists, said identification number implanted, using said digital watermarking technology, in said detected contents;

a step of comparing said detected identification number with said stored identification number; and

a step of transmitting a result obtained through said comparison to said client.

27. A broadcast verification method for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, comprising:

a step of receiving contents from said client;

a step of storing all or a part of said received contents;

a step of receiving broadcasting waves broadcast by said broadcasting station and detecting contents;

a step of comparing said detected contents with all or a part of said stored contents; and

a step of transmitting a result obtained through said comparison to said client.

28. A computer-readable storage medium storing a broadcast verification program for causing a computer to execute a broadcast verification method for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, said broadcast verification method comprising:

a step of receiving contents from said client;

a step of calculating feature descriptors of said received contents;

a step of storing said calculated feature descriptors;

a step of receiving broadcasting waves broadcast by said broadcasting station and detecting said contents;

a step of calculating feature descriptors of said detected contents;

a step of comparing said calculated feature descriptors with said stored calculated feature descriptors; and

a step of transmitting a result obtained by said comparison to said client.

29. A computer-readable storage medium storing a broadcast verification program for causing a computer to execute a broadcast verification method for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, said broadcast verification method comprising:

a step of assigning an identification number to each of said contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification;

a step of issuing said identification number to clients and storing identification numbers;

a step of receiving broadcasting waves obtained when said broadcasting stations broadcast contents in which said identification number has been implanted by said client by using digital watermarking technology making a digital watermark and of detecting contents from said broadcasting waves;

a step of judging whether said watermark exists in said detected contents;

a step of detecting, if said watermark exists, said identification number implanted, using said digital watermarking technology, in said detected contents;

a step of comparing said detected identification number with said stored identification number; and

a step of transmitting a result obtained through said comparison to said client.

30. A computer-readable storage medium storing a broadcast verification program for causing a computer to execute a broadcast verification method for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, said broadcast verification method comprising:

a step of receiving contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification;

a step of assigning an identification number to each of said received contents and storing said identification number;

a step of implanting said identification number in said contents on which said broadcast verification has to be performed, using digital watermarking technology making a digital watermark;

a step of returning said contents with said identification number implanted to said client;

a step of receiving broadcasting waves obtained when said broadcasting station broadcasts said contents with said identification number implanted and detecting said contents from said broadcasting station;

a step of judging whether said watermark exists in said detected contents;

a step of detecting, if said watermark exists, said identification number implanted, using said digital watermarking technology, in said detected contents;

a step of comparing said detected identification number with said stored identification number; and

a step of transmitting a result obtained through said comparison to said client.

31. A computer-readable storage medium storing a broadcast verification program for causing a computer to execute a broadcast verification method for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, said broadcast verification method comprising:

a step of receiving contents from said client;

a step of storing all or a part of said received contents;

a step of receiving broadcasting waves broadcast by said broadcasting station and detecting contents;

a step of comparing said detected contents with all or a part of said stored contents; and

a step of transmitting a result obtained through said comparison to said client.

32. A broadcast verification apparatus for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, comprising:

a storing section to store feature descriptors of said contents;

a registering section to calculate said feature descriptors of said contents transmitted from said client and to register them on said storing section;

a detecting section to receive broadcasting waves broadcast by said broadcasting station and to detect said contents;

a feature descriptor calculating section to calculate feature descriptors of said detected contents;

a comparing section to compare said calculated feature descriptors with those stored in said storing section; and

a reporting section to report said comparison result obtained through said comparison to said client.

33. A broadcast verification apparatus for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, comprising:

a storing section to store an identification number assigned to each of said contents;

a registering section to assign said identification number to said contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification and to issue said identification number to said client and to register it on said storing section;

a detecting section to receive broadcasting waves obtained when said contents with the issued identification number implanted, by using a digital watermarking technology making a digital watermark, are broadcast by said broadcasting station and to detect said identification number implanted by said client, using said digital watermarking technology, from said broadcasting waves;

a comparing section to compare said detected identification number with said identification number stored in said storing section; and

a reporting section to report said comparison result obtained through said comparison to said client.

34. A broadcast verification apparatus for verifying, for a client which entrusts a broadcasting station to broadcast contents containing images, whether said contents have been broadcast as agreed to by a contract between said broadcasting station and said client, comprising:

a storing section to store said contents;

a registering section to register all or a part of said contents on which said client wants to perform said broadcast verification;

a detecting section to receive broadcasting waves broadcast by said broadcasting station and to detect contents contained in said broadcasting waves;

a comparing section to compare said detected contents with all or a part of said contents stored in said storing section; and

a reporting section to report said comparison result obtained through said comparison to said client.