SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING VIDEO SEGMENTS FOR DISPLAYING CONTEXTUALLY RELEVANT CONTENT

• US 20140201769A1
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Published: 07/17/2014
• 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, Reed, Brian, Collette, Michael, Hoarty, W. Leo
• Granted Patent: US 9,055,309 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• 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 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/236 Assembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. transport stream, by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, e.g. inserting a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] into a video stream, multiplexing software data into a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bit-rate; Assembling of a packetised elementary stream multiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2401 Monitoring of the client buffer
• 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 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 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 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/4424 Monitoring of the internal components or processes of the client device, e.g. CPU or memory load, processing speed, timer, counter or percentage of the hard disk space used error monitoring in general G06F11/30; arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/32; diagnosis, testing or measuring for television receivers H04N17/04
• 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 21/6581 : Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• 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 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 : involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8133 : specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 : involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal

Abstract

A system and method for the identification of specific video segments in a video program, such as certain TV commercials, is presented. A means is described for an accelerated identification of the video segment of interest in conjunction with a means to communicate said information to a process in a remote television system such that the remote television system can anticipate the future start of said video segment of interest and display contextually related material in close proximity to the start of said video segment.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining at least one relation of at least one client and at least one channel;

receiving one or more indications of a targeted video segment on a monitored channel;

determining one or more clients associated with the monitored channel, based at least in part on at least one obtained relation of at least one client and at least one channel; and

providing one or more triggers related to the targeted video segment to the determined one or more clients.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining at least one relation of at least one client and at least one channel comprises:

receiving at least some information related to a content of a video display buffer of at least one client;

determining, at least partially based on the received at least some information, at least a channel associated with the content and the at least one client; and

storing the determined channel and an identifier related to the at least one client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining at least one relation of at least one client and at least one channel comprises:

obtaining at least one relation including at least one latency associated with at least one client and at least one channel.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining at least one relation including at least one latency associated with at least one client and at least one channel comprises:

receiving at least some information related to a content of a video display buffer of at least one client;

determining, at least partially based on the received at least some information, at least (i) a channel associated with the content and the at least one client, and (ii) a latency associated with a network feed and the channel associated with the content; and

storing the determined channel, the determined latency, and an identifier related to the at least one client.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving one or more indications of a targeted video segment on a monitored channel comprises:

receiving one or more indications of a targeted video segment on a monitored channel, wherein an audiovisual stream associated with the monitored channel is received at least some quantum of time in advance of the audiovisual stream being received by a client receiving the channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving one or more indications of a targeted video segment on a monitored channel comprises:

receiving one or more of at least one frame, at least one sample of a data stream, or at least one still image broadcast via at least one channel;

determining one or more hash values associated with the received one or more of at least one frame, at least one sample of a data stream, or at least one still image;

receiving at least one of one or more candidates or one or more suspects from a data store based at least partially on the determined one or more hash values, the data store including at least some hash values associated with one or more targeted video segments; and

probabilistically determining a targeted video segment based on the received at least one of one or more candidates or one or more suspects.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more clients associated with the monitored channel, based at least in part on at least one obtained relation of at least one client and at least one channel comprises:

retrieving one or more client identifiers associated with matching one or more stored relations between one or more determined channels and one or more clients with one or more identifiers related to the monitored channel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining one or more clients associated with the monitored channel, based at least in part on at least one obtained relation of at least one client and at least one channel comprises:

determining one or more clients associated with the monitored channel, the one or more clients tuned to the same channel as the monitored channel, wherein an audiovisual stream associated with the monitored channel is received previous to the audiovisual stream being received by a client receiving a channel corresponding to the monitored channel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing one or more triggers related to the targeted video segment to the determined one or more client systems comprises:

providing one or more triggers related to the targeted video segment to the determined one or more clients, the one or more triggers including at least one time offset related to one or more obtained latencies.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing one or more triggers related to the targeted video segment to the determined one or more client systems comprises:

providing one or more triggers related to the targeted video segment to the determined one or more client systems, the one or more triggers including at least some data related to at least one of a video sample, a frame, or a still image of the targeted video segment.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein providing one or more triggers related to the targeted video segment to the determined one or more client systems comprises:

providing one or more triggers related to the targeted video segment to the determined one or more client systems, the one or more triggers including at least one time offset related to one or more obtained latencies and including at least some data related to at least one of a video sample, a frame, or a still image of the targeted video segment.

12. A method, comprising:

sending at least some data related to a video display buffer;

receiving one or more triggers; and

providing, based at least partially on at least one of the one or more triggers, at least some contextually-related content.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein sending at least some data related to a video display buffer and receiving one or more triggers comprise:

sending at least some data related to a video display buffer of a client tuned to a particular channel and receiving one or more triggers associated with a network feed of a channel corresponding to the channel to which the client is tuned, wherein the one or more triggers relate to a target video segment detected via an ingest module receiving the network feed, the one or more triggers received by the client subsequent to detection of the target video segment at the ingest module and prior to reception of the target video segment at the client.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein providing, based at least partially on at least one of the one or more triggers, at least some contextually-related content comprises:

providing at least some contextually-related content received previous to sending at least some data related to a video display buffer.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein providing, based at least partially on at least one of the one or more triggers, at least some contextually-related content comprises:

determining a time at which to provide the contextually-related content based at least partially on at least one of the one or more triggers; and

providing the contextually-related content at the determined time.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein providing, based at least partially on at least one of the one or more triggers, at least some contextually-related content comprises:

identifying a target frame, the target frame including at least one of a video sample, a frame, or a still image of the targeted video segment, the target frame associated with the received trigger; and

comparing at least some data associated with a video display buffer with at least some data associated with the identified target frame and, if the at least some data associated with a video display buffer matches the at least some data associated with the identified target frame, providing the contextually-related content.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein identifying a target frame, the target frame including at least one of a video sample, a frame, or a still image of the targeted video segment, the target frame associated with the received trigger comprises:

identifying a target frame, the target frame including at least one of a video sample, a frame, or a still image of the targeted video segment and at least one of received substantially contemporaneously with the trigger or received previous to sending at least some data related to a video display buffer.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

iteratively comparing at least some data associated with a video display buffer with at least some data associated with the identified target frame for at least one period of time and, if the at least some data associated with a video display buffer does not match the at least some data associated with the identified target frame within the at least one period of time, providing the contextually-related content.

19. A system, comprising:

one or more clients associated with one or more video display buffers configured for at least sending at least some data related to the one or more video display buffers and receiving one or more triggers associated with contextually-related content; and

a central media center, the central media center including at least;

a media data store configured for at least maintaining at least some data capable of identifying video segments;

an ingest module in communication with the media data store, the ingest module configured for at least receiving broadcasts and signaling the media data store to maintain at least some identifying data related to at least some received broadcasts;

a context data store, the context data store configured for at least maintaining at least some data related to one or more targeted video segments;

a video segment detection module in communication with the context data store and the ingest module, the video segment detection module configured for detecting one or more targeted video segments within one or more received broadcasts;

a client tracking module in communication with the media data store and the one or more clients, the client tracking module configured for at least receiving at least some data associated with one or more video display buffers from the one or more clients and determining, based at least in part on the received at least some data and the media data store, one or more program sources associated with the one or more clients; and

a client triggering module in communication with the client tracking module and the video segment detector, the client triggering module configured for at least sending one or more triggers associated with contextually-related content to at least one of the one or more clients based at least partially on one or more indications received from the video segment detection module related to one or more targeted video segments and based at least partially on one or more indications received from the client tracking module related to one or more determined program sources associated with one or more clients.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the one or more clients and the central media center comprise:

one or more clients tuned to a particular channel and a central media center including at least an ingest module receiving a network feed of the particular channel to which the one or more clients are tuned, wherein the ingest module receives an audiovisual stream of the network feed previous to the corresponding audiovisual stream being received by the one or more clients tuned to the particular channel corresponding to the network feed, the difference in time being a latency period, wherein a duration associated with sending one or more triggers from a client triggering module of the central media center and receiving the one or more triggers by the one or more clients is less than the latency period.