METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING VIDEO SEGMENTS AND DISPLAYING CONTEXTUALLY TARGETED CONTENT ON A CONNECTED TELEVISION

• US 20100306808A1
• Filed: 05/27/2010
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inscape Data, Inc. (VIZIO, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cognitive Media Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Neumeier, Zeev, Liberty, Edo
• Granted Patent: US 8,595,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/105
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/44204 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 21/4532 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 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts

Abstract

Systems and methods for identifying which video segment is being displayed on a screen of a television system. The video segment is identified by deriving data from the television signals, the derived data being indicative of the video segment being displayed on the screen. This feature can be used to extract a viewer'"'"'s reaction (such as changing the channel) to a specific video segment (such as an advertisement) and reporting the extracted information as metrics. The systems and methods may further provide contextually targeted content to the television system. The contextual targeting is based on not only identification of the video segment being displayed, but also a determination concerning the playing time or offset time of the particular portion of the video segment being currently displayed.

Claims

1. A method for providing contextually targeted content to a television system comprising a screen, comprising the following steps:

(a) storing a respective data set for each of a multiplicity of video segments, each data set comprising data identifying a respective video segment, data points derived from television signals for respective portions of said respective video segment, and associated offset time data indicating a respective sequence in time of said respective portions of said respective video segment;

(b) receiving data points from said television system during display of a video segment on said screen;

(c) retrieving from said database identifying data and offset time data associated with the data points that best match said received data points, wherein said identifying data and said offset time data, in combination, indicate which portion of said video segment is being displayed on said screen;

(d) retrieving from said database content associated with said identified portion of said video segment being displayed on said screen when a threshold likelihood of successful identification is attained or exceeded; and

(e) sending said retrieved content to said television system.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said data point that best matches said received data point is determined as follows:

determining which data points in said database are possible matches to said received data points;

computing a probability distribution for the data points which are possible matches; and

selecting said data points having the greatest probability of matching said received cue points.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said data points are pixel cue points, each of said pixel cue points being derived by extracting a multiplicity of patches of pixel data, each of said patches comprising a two-dimensional array of sets of pixel values, and computing a respective average or weighted average of the sets of pixel values for each array, said computed average for each patch forming a respective pixel cue point.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said data points are audio cue points, each of said audio cue points being derived by extracting a multiplicity of sets of audio data samples, and computing values which are a function of respective sets of audio data samples, said computed values for each set of audio data samples forming a respective audio cue point.

5. A system comprising a database storing cue points and content for a multiplicity of video segments, and a first processor system programmed to perform the following steps:

(a) determining which cue points stored in said database are possible matches to cue points received from a television system via a network;

(b) computing a probability distribution for the cue points determined in step (a);

(c) determining which of said possible matches have a greatest probability of matching said cue points received from said television system;

(d) retrieving from said database a program identifier and a playing time associated with the cue points determined in step (c) to have a greatest probability of matching said cue points received from said television system;

(e) retrieving from said database content associated with said program identifier and said playing time retrieved in step (d); and

(f) sending said content to said television system via said network.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein said cue points are pixel cue points, each of said pixel cue points being derived by extracting a multiplicity of patches of pixel data, each of said patches comprising a two-dimensional array of sets of pixel values, and computing a respective average or weighted average of the sets of pixel values for each array, said computed average or weighted average for each patch forming a respective pixel cue point.

7. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein said cue points are audio cue points, each of said audio cue points being derived by extracting a multiplicity of sets of audio data samples, and computing values which are a function of respective sets of audio data samples, said computed values for each set of audio data samples forming a respective audio cue point.

8. The system as recited in claim 5, further comprising a second processor system programmed to construct said database, said step of constructing said database comprising the steps of extracting cue points from broadcast feeds and content from content feeds, and storing said extracted cue points and said extracted content in memory such that portions of said extracted content are associated with respective ones of said extracted cue points.

9. A system comprising a network, a server connected to said network, and a television system connected to said network, wherein said television system comprises a multi-pixel screen and a first processor system, said first processor system comprising a widget engine and a client programmed to generate a request addressed to said server and comprising cue points, and wherein said server comprises a database storing cue points and content for a multiplicity of video segments, and a second processor system programmed to perform the following steps:

(a) determining which cue points stored in said database are possible matches to cue points received from a television system via a network;

(b) computing a probability distribution for the cue points determined in step (a);

(c) determining which of said possible matches have a greatest probability of matching said cue points received from said television system;

(d) retrieving from said database a program identifier and a playing time associated with the cue points determined in step (c) to have a greatest probability of matching said cue points received from said television system;

(e) retrieving from said database content associated with said program identifier and said playing time retrieved in step (d); and

(f) sending said content to said television system via said network.

10. A method for automatically identifying a video segment being displayed on a multi-pixel screen of a television system, comprising the following steps:

(a) storing a respective data set for each of a multiplicity of video segments, each data set comprising data identifying a respective video segment and data points derived from television signals for respective portions of said respective video segment;

(b) receiving data points from said television system during display of a video segment on said screen; and

(c) retrieving from said database identifying data associated with the data points that best match said received data points, wherein said identifying data indicates which video segment is being displayed on said screen.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said data point that best matches said received data point is determined as follows:

determining which data points in said database are possible matches to said received cue points;

computing a probability distribution for the data points which are possible matches; and

selecting said data points having the greatest probability of matching said received data points.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said data points are pixel cue points, each of said pixel cue points being derived by extracting a multiplicity of patches of pixel data, each of said patches comprising a two-dimensional array of sets of pixel values, and computing a respective average or weighted average of the sets of pixel values for each array, said computed average or weighted average for each patch forming a respective pixel cue point.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein said data points are audio cue points, each of said audio cue points being derived by extracting a multiplicity of sets of audio data samples, and computing values which are a function of respective sets of audio data samples, said computed values for each set of audio data samples forming a respective audio cue point.

14. The method as recited in claim 10, further comprising the step of generating a report including said identifying data for said video segment displayed on said screen.

15. A method for automatically identifying a video segment being displayed on a screen of a television system, comprising the following steps:

(a) storing a respective data set for each of a multiplicity of video segments, each data set comprising data identifying a respective video segment and cue points derived from television signals representing said respective video segment;

(b) receiving cue points from said television system via a network during display of a video segment on said screen;

(c) determining which cue points stored in said database are possible matches to cue points received from said television system;

(d) computing a probability distribution for the cue points determined in step (c);

(e) determining which of said possible matches have a greatest probability of matching said cue points received from said television system;

(f) retrieving from said database identifying data associated with the data points that best match said received data points, wherein said identifying data indicates which video segment is being displayed on said screen; and

(g) generating a report including said identifying data for said video segment displayed on said screen.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said cue points are pixel cue points, each of said pixel cue points being derived by extracting a multiplicity of patches of pixel data, each of said patches comprising a two-dimensional array of sets of pixel values, and computing values which are a function of respective sets of pixel values for each array, said computed values for each patch forming a respective pixel cue point.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein said data points are audio cue points, each of said audio cue points being derived by extracting a multiplicity of sets of audio data samples, and computing values which are a function of respective sets of audio data samples, said computed values for each set of audio data samples forming a respective audio cue point.

18. A system for automatically identifying a video segment being displayed on a screen of a television system, comprising:

a database storing a respective data set for each of a multiplicity of video segments, each data set comprising data identifying a respective video segment and cue points derived from television signals representing said respective video segment; and

a first processor system programmed to perform the following steps;

(a) receiving cue points from said television system via a network during display of a video segment on said screen;

(b) determining which cue points stored in said database are possible matches to cue points received from said television system;

(c) computing a probability distribution for the cue points determined in step (b);

(d) determining which of said possible matches have a greatest probability of matching said cue points received from said television system;

(e) retrieving from said database identifying data associated with the data points that best match said received data points, wherein said identifying data indicates which video segment is being displayed on said screen; and

(f) generating a report including said identifying data for said video segment displayed on said screen.

19. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein said cue points are pixel cue points, each of said pixel cue points being derived by extracting a multiplicity of patches of pixel data, each of said patches comprising a two-dimensional array of sets of pixel values, and computing values which are a function of respective sets of pixel values for each array, said computed values for each patch forming a respective pixel cue point.

20. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein said data points are audio cue points, each of said audio cue points being derived by extracting a multiplicity of sets of audio data samples, and computing values which are a function of respective sets of audio data samples, said computed values for each set of audio data samples forming a respective audio cue point.