Detecting and logging triggered events in a data stream

• US 20050281293A1
• Filed: 06/22/2004
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bushlow, Robert J., Kiyabu, Stephen H., Adler, George
• Application Number:
  US10/875,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20050281293A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/526
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• 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 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

A method and apparatus for detecting triggering events in a data stream, comprising extracting audio portions from the data stream, detecting a sequence of one or more Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) signals representing the events from the extracted audio portions, and logging data representative of the sequence of DTMF signals into a database.

Claims

1. A method of detecting triggering events in a data stream, comprising:

(a) extracting audio portions from the data stream;

(b) detecting a sequence of one or more Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) signals representing the events from the extracted audio portions; and

(c) logging data representative of the sequence of DTMF signals into a database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data stream comprises program materials to be transmitted by a direct broadcast system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sequence of DTMF signals identifies advertisements in the program materials.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the sequence of DTMF signals represents a particular category of program material.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the sequence of DTMF signals represents a particular content provider for the program materials.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sequence of DTMF signals represents a type of programming offered by the content provider.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the logging step further comprises logging data representative of the date, time and channel associated with the sequence of DTMF signals into the database.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the logged data to an end user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating reports from the logged data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the reports provide a breakdown of a sequence of events, dates, times, and channels.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the reports are used to monitor the triggering events during some specified time period.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the reports are used to identify events that have not occurred during a specified time period.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the reports are used to identify events that have not been completed during a specified time period.

14. An apparatus for detecting triggering events in a data stream, comprising:

(a) means for extracting audio portions from the data stream;

(b) means for detecting a sequence of one or more Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) signals representing the events from the extracted audio portions; and

(c) means for logging data representative of the sequence of DTMF signals into a database.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the data stream comprises program materials to be transmitted by a direct broadcast system.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the sequence of DTMF signals identifies advertisements in the program materials.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the sequence of DTMF signals represents a particular category of program material.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the sequence of DTMF signals represents a particular content provider for the program materials.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the sequence of DTMF signals represents a type of programming offered by the content provider.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the means for logging further comprises means for logging data representative of the date, time and channel associated with the sequence of DTMF signals into the database.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising means for displaying the logged data to an end user.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising means for generating reports from the logged data.

23. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the reports provide a breakdown of a sequence of events, dates, times, and channels.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the reports are used to monitor the triggering events during some specified time period.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the reports are used to identify events that have not occurred during a specified time period.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the reports are used to identify events that have not been completed during a specified time period.

27. A system for detecting triggering events in a data stream, comprising:

(a) at least one receiver for extracting audio portions from the data stream;

(b) at least one decoder for detecting a sequence of one or more Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) signals representing the events from the extracted audio portions; and

(c) at least one computer for logging data representative of the sequence of DTMF signals into a database.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the data stream comprises program materials to be transmitted by a direct broadcast system.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the sequence of DTMF signals identifies advertisements in the program materials.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the sequence of DTMF signals represents a particular category of program material.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the sequence of DTMF signals represents a particular content provider for the program materials.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the sequence of DTMF signals represents a type of programming offered by the content provider.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the computer for logging further comprises at least one computer for logging data representative of the date, time and channel associated with the sequence of DTMF signals into the database.

34. The system of claim 27, further comprising at one least computer for displaying the logged data to an end user.

35. The system of claim 27, further comprising at least one computer for generating reports from the logged data.