VERIFICATION OF PLAYOUT OF SIGNAGE

• US 20140152786A1
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Convergent Mobile Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Robert Nicholson
• Inventors: NICHOLSON, ROBERT
• Granted Patent: US 9,025,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• 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 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A video sign based advertising method involves providing a video display that is adapted to display images as an arrangement of pixels; sending video signals representing an advertisement to the video display; capturing an image of a sample of less than all of the pixels of the video display; determining if the captured sample matches a bitmap of the image sample of the image that is being sent to the display; logging play-out of the advertisement if a match is detected; and initiating an error condition action if a match is not detected. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Claims

1. A video sign based advertising system, comprising:

a video display that is adapted to display images as an arrangement of pixels;

an advertisement player configured to send video signals representing an advertisement to the video display;

a sensor configured to capture an image of a sample of less than all of the pixels of the video display;

one or more processors configured to;

determine if the sample captured by the sensor matches a bitmap of the image sample of the image that is being sent to the display;

log a play-out of the advertisement if a match is detected; and

initiate an error condition action if a match is not detected.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1, where the sample captured by the sensor is in a location that contains a distinct pattern that is unique to each advertisement.

3. The system in accordance with claim 1, where the sample captured by the sensor is in a location that contains a distinct pattern that is generated by the processor and inserted into the video image sent to the display.

4. The system in accordance with claim 1, where the distinct pattern is randomly generated by the processor for each advertisement.

5. The system in accordance with claim 1, where the sample captured by the sensor is at a corner of the display.

6. The system in accordance with claim 1, where the sensor comprises a charge coupled device sensor that is affixed to a surface of the display.

7. The system in accordance with claim 1, where the sensor comprises a camera situated in a location that captures the sampled area of the display.

8. The method according to claim 1, where the sample is less than 1% of the image area.

9. The method according to claim 1, where a match is deemed to have occurred if the sampled area of the displayed image has a brightness that is greater than a brightness threshold.

10. The system in accordance with claim 1, where a match is deemed to have occurred if the sampled area contains one or more edges that matches edges in the bitmap of the sampled area.

11. The system in accordance with claim 1, where the processor is further configured to carry out a pattern matching algorithm on the sampled area to identify the pattern defined in the bitmap of the sampled area.

12. The system in accordance with claim 1, where the error condition action comprises alerting central office of the error via a communication interface.

13. The system in accordance with claim 1, where the processor is further configured to carry out a sensor alignment process as a part of a system boot operation.

14. The system in accordance with claim 1, where the sensor comprises a black and white sensor.

15. A video sign based advertising system, comprising:

a video display that is adapted to display images as an arrangement of pixels;

an advertisement player configured to send video signals representing an advertisement to the video display;

a sensor configured to capture an image of a sample of less than 1% of all of the pixels of the video display at a corner of the video display;

where the sensor comprises a charge coupled device that is situated at the corner of the video display and is affixed to a surface of the video display;

one or more processors configured to;

determine if the sample captured by the sensor matches a bitmap of the image sample of the image that is being sent to the display;

log a play-out of the advertisement if a match is detected; and

initiate an error condition action if a match is not detected.

16. The system in accordance with claim 15, where the sample captured by the sensor is in a location that contains a distinct pattern that is unique to each advertisement.

17. The system in accordance with claim 15, where the sample captured by the sensor is in a location that contains a distinct pattern that is generated by the processor and inserted into the video image sent to the display.

18. The system in accordance with claim 15, where the distinct pattern is randomly generated by the processor for each advertisement.

19. A video sign based advertising method, comprising:

providing a video display that is adapted to display images as an arrangement of pixels;

sending video signals representing an advertisement to the video display;

capturing an image of a sample of less than all of the pixels of the video display;

at a processor, determining if the captured sample matches a bitmap of the image sample of the image that is being sent to the display;

the processor logging a play-out of the advertisement if a match is detected; and

the processor initiating an error condition action if a match is not detected.

20. The method in accordance with claim 19, where the sample captured by the sensor is in a location that contains a distinct pattern that is unique to each advertisement.

21. The method in accordance with claim 19, where the sample captured by the sensor is in a location that contains a distinct pattern that is generated by the processor and inserted into the video image sent to the display.

22. The method in accordance with claim 19, where the distinct pattern is randomly generated by the processor for each advertisement.

23. The method in accordance with claim 19, where the sample captured by the sensor is at a corner of the display.

24. The method in accordance with claim 19, where the sensor comprises a charge coupled device sensor that is affixed to a surface of the display.

25. The method in accordance with claim 19, where the sensor comprises a camera situated in a location that captures the sampled area of the display.

26. The method according to claim 19, where the sample is less than 1% of the image area.

27. The method according to claim 19, where a match is deemed to have occurred if the sampled area of the displayed image has a brightness that is greater than a brightness threshold.

28. The method in accordance with claim 19, where a match is deemed to have occurred if the sampled area contains one or more edges that matches edges in the bitmap of the sampled area.

29. The method in accordance with claim 19, where the processor is further configured to carry out a pattern matching algorithm on the sampled area to identify the pattern defined in the bitmap of the sampled area.

30. The method in accordance with claim 19, where the error condition action comprises alerting central office of the error.

31. The method in accordance with claim 19, further comprising carrying out a sensor alignment process as a part of a system boot operation.