Detection rules for a digital video recorder

• US 7,206,494 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2002
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AdaptFlow Technologies LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Engle, Joseph C., Odutola, Akinyemi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Thai Q.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TOPGYAL, GELEK W
• Application Number:
  US10/143,571
• Publication Number:
  US 20030210889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,804 Days
• Field of Search: 386/1, 386/35, 386/46, 386/83, 386/95, 386/125, 725/22, 725/32, 725/36, 725/42
• US Class Current: 386/250
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/375 Commercial
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/59 of video recognising characters or patterns in general G06F18/00, G06V20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 for more than one processing mode
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 358/908 Pause control, i.e. "commercial killers"

Abstract

The invention concerns a method and system for identifying commercial message segments of a video signal. A set of rules is applied for determining the occurrence of commercial messages with a higher degree of accuracy as compared to conventional methods. In general, method includes the steps of monitoring a digital bit stream comprising the video signal, detecting a change in a control field of the digital bit stream, and then selectively generating a commercial event notification responsive to the detecting step. According to one aspect of the invention, a change in at least one of a video sequence header and a sequence display extension can be detected. Alternatively, or in addition to checking for a change in control field, the method can comprise the step of detecting a change in an informational parameter of the video signal exclusive of the audio-visual content.

Claims

1. A method for identifying commercial message segments of a video signal, comprising the steps of:

monitoring a digital bit stream comprising said video signal;

detecting a change in an informational parameter of said video signal exclusive of said audio-visual content; and

selectively generating a commercial event notification responsive to said detecting step, wherein said detection step additionally comprises;

detecting the presence of a splice table in said digital bit stream;

comparing a timing of said commercial event notification indicating the occurrence of a commercial message, to commercial message insertion data contained in said splice table; and

,

verifying the presence of a commercial message based on said comparing step.

2. A system for identifying commercial message segments of a video signal, comprising:

a digital bit stream monitor for monitoring a digital bit stream comprising said video signal;

a digital video processor for detecting a change in an informational parameter of said video signal exclusive of said audio-visual content; and

means for selectively generating a commercial event notification responsive to said detected change, wherein said digital bit stream monitor further comprises

a means for detecting the presence of a splice table in said digital bit stream and

a processing means for comparing a timing of said commercial event notification indicating the occurrence of a commercial message, to commercial message insertion data contained in said splice table and for verifying the presence of a commercial message based on said comparing step.