METHODS AND APPARATUS TO VERIFY CONSUMPTION OF PROGRAMMING CONTENT

• US 20070107022A1
• Filed: 12/08/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Lawrence, Bradley
• Application Number:
  US11/608,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20070107022A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/92
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/59 of video recognising characters or patterns in general G06F18/00, G06V20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to verify consumption of content are described herein. In an example method, a content library is generated within a data structure. The content library includes at least one content identifier associated with programming content. The programming content is insertable into content stream. A content stream including content for broadcasting on a broadcast device is received. To verify consumption of the programming content, a broadcast content identifier associated with the content for broadcasting is compared to the at least one content identifier of the content library.

Claims

1. A method to verify consumption of programming content comprising:

generating a content library within a data structure, the content library having at least one content identifier associated with programming content, the programming content being insertable into content stream;

receiving a content stream, the content stream including content for broadcasting on a broadcast device; and

comparing a broadcast content identifier associated with the content for broadcasting to the at least one content identifier of the content library.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the content library within the data structure comprises generating a content library having at least one of an audio signature, a video signature, an audio code, a video code, a digital identifier, and a portion of the programming content.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the content library within the data structure comprises:

tuning to a broadcast channel to receive a content stream;

extracting the content identifier associated with programming content from the content stream; and

storing the content identifier in the content library.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the content library within the data structure comprises receiving the at least one content identifier via one of an in-band transmission and an out-of-band transmission.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the content library within the data structure comprises generating a content library including at least one content identifier associated with one of a television advertisement, a television program, an interactive television application, and an alternate portion of the television program.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein receiving the content stream having programming content for broadcasting on the broadcast device comprises receiving a broadcast content identifier associated with one of a television advertisement and a television program.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein comparing the broadcast content identifier to the at least one content identifier of the content library comprises comparing at least one of an audio signature, a video signature, an audio code, a video code, a digital identifier, and a portion of the content for broadcasting on the broadcast device to the at least one content identifier of the content library.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein comparing the broadcast content identifier to the at least one content identifier of the content library comprises determining whether the broadcast content identifier matches the at least one content identifier of the content library.

9. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising identifying content information via a data structure in response to the broadcast content identifier matching the at least one content identifier of the content library and providing the content information to a data collection facility.

10. An apparatus to verify consumption of programming content comprising:

a memory storing a content library having at least one content identifier associated with programming content, the programming content being insertable into content stream; and

a processor configured to generate the content library, to receive a content stream including content for broadcasting on a broadcast device, and to compare a broadcast content identifier associated with the content for broadcasting to the at least one content identifier of the content library.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10 comprises one of a personal video recorder (PVR) and a video cassette recorder (VCR).

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the at least one content identifier of the content library comprises at least one of an audio signature, a video signature, an audio code, a video code, and a portion of the programming content.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the broadcast content identifier comprises at least one of an audio signature, a video signature, an audio code, a video code, a digital identifier, and a portion of the content for broadcasting.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the programming content comprises one of a television advertisement, a television program, an interactive television application, and an alternate portion of the television program.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the content for broadcasting comprises one of a television advertisement and a television program.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to receive the at least one content identifier via one of an in-band transmission and an out-of-band transmission.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to identify content information via a data structure in response to the broadcast content identifier matching the at least one content identifier of the content library and to provide the content information to a data collection facility.

18. A machine readable medium storing instructions, the instructions being structured to cause a machine to:

generate a content library within a data structure, the content library having at least one content identifier associated with programming content, and the programming content being insertable into content stream;

receive a content stream, the content stream including content for broadcasting on a broadcast device; and

compare a broadcast content identifier associated with the content for broadcasting to the at least one content identifier of the content library.

19. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the machine to generate the content library within the data structure by generating a content library having at least one of an audio signature, a video signature, an audio code, a video code, a digital identifier, and a portion of the programming content.

20. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the machine to generate the content library within the data structure by:

tuning to a broadcast channel to receive a content stream;

extracting a content identifier associated with programming content from the content stream; and

storing the content identifier in the content library.

21. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the machine to generate the content library within the data structure by receiving the at least one content identifier via one of an in-band transmission and an out-of-band transmission.

22. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the machine to generate the content library within the data structure by generating a content library including at least one content identifier associated with one of a television advertisement, a television program, an interactive television application, and an alternate portion of the television program.

23. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the machine to receive the content stream including content for broadcasting by receiving a content stream including one of a television advertisement and a television program.

24. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the machine to compare the broadcast content identifier to the at least one content identifier of the content library by comparing at least one of an audio signature, a video signature, an audio code, a video code, a digital identifier, and a portion of the content for broadcasting to the at least one content identifier associated with the programming content.

25. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the machine to compare the broadcast content identifier to the at least one content identifier of the content library by determining whether the broadcast content identifier matches the at least one content identifier of the content library.

26. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 18 further comprising instructions to cause a machine to identify content information via a data structure in response to the broadcast content identifier matching the at least one of content identifier of the content library and to provide the content information to a data collection facility.

27. A machine readable medium as defined in claim 18 is one of a programmable gate array, application specific integrated circuit, erasable programmable read only memory, read only memory, random access memory, magnetic media, and optical media.

28. A system to verify consumption of programming content comprising:

a data structure configured to store a content library having at least one content identifier associated with programming content, the programming content being insertable into content stream;

a broadcast device configured to present programming content; and

a recording device operatively coupled to the data structure and the broadcast device, the recording device being configured to generate the content library within the data structure, and to compare a broadcast content identifier associated with content for broadcasting to the at least one content identifier of the content library.

29. A system as defined in claim 28, wherein the data structure and the recording device are integrated into one of a personal video recorder (PVR) and a video cassette recorder (VCR).

30. A system as defined in claim 28, wherein the at least one content identifier of the content library comprises at least one of an audio signature, a video signature, an audio code, a video code, a digital identifier, and a portion of the programming content.

31. A system as defined in claim 28, wherein the broadcast content identifier comprises at least one of an audio signature, a video signature, an audio code, a video code, a digital identifier, and a portion of the content for broadcasting.

32. A system as defined in claim 28, wherein the programming content comprises one of a television advertisement, a television program, an interactive television application, and an alternate portion of the television program.

33. A system as defined in claim 28, wherein the content for broadcasting comprises one of a television advertisement and a television program.

34. A system as defined in claim 28, wherein the recording device configured to receive the at least one content identifier via one of an in-band transmission and an out-of-band transmission.

35. A system as defined in claim 28, wherein the recording device comprises one of a personal video recorder (PVR) and a video cassette recorder (VCR).

36. A system as defined in claim 28, wherein the recording device is configured to identify content information via a data structure in response to the broadcast content identifier matching the at least one content identifier of the content library and to provide the content information to a data collection facility.