Statistical metering and filtering of content via pixel-based metadata

• US 7,805,680 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2001
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Mattila, Jonka, Lundin, Terje, Meyers, Stephan, Rasanen, Eero, Holopainen, Jussi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Thanh T
• Application Number:
  US09/753,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20020087403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,555 Days
• Field of Search: 345/744, 345/764, 345/766, 345/760
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/06 Notations for structuring of protocol data, e.g. abstract syntax notation one [ASN.1]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 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 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

An apparatus for using metadata to more precisely process displayed content may include a processor executing stored instructions, which causes the apparatus to at least receive an image data frame including pixels having a visual object(s), wherein bits in the image data frame includes pixel data for a single pixel. The pixel data includes content and metadata fields. The metadata field includes a value. The metadata value indicates that the single pixel is part of a visual object in a category. The execution of the stored instructions may also cause the apparatus to identify pixels including a visual object by their metadata fields. The pixels include a visual object identifiable within the image data frame such that certain operations are performed on the pixels forming an individual visual object separate from pixels forming remaining visual objects in the visual field. Corresponding methods and computer program products are also provided.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a processor for execution of stored instructions, the execution of which causes the apparatus to:

facilitate display of image data comprising a plurality of pixels; and

process said image data, wherein, for each of the plural pixels, said image data comprises at least first and second portions of image data that are linked together, the first portion including payload data and the second portion including metadata, said payload data comprises content for the pixel and said metadata comprises a value selected from a predefined set of values which classifies the pixel independently from the other pixels;

facilitate classification of each of the processable pixels individually according to a particular metadata value selected from the predefined set of values;

perform operations on individual pixels based on their metadata; and

facilitate filtering of the content by obscuring the content of only a plurality of pixels that has a metadata value that exceeds a discretionary threshold value without preventing display of the content of the remaining plurality of pixels that does not have a metadata value that exceeds the discretionary threshold value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor for execution of stored instructions is further configured to cause the apparatus to:

determine a display metric, said display metric being the result of multiplying the number of pixels having a certain metadata value by an amount of time those pixels are visible on a display.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein obscuring the content of only a plurality of pixels comprises at least one of blurring, scrambling or displaying the pixels as black, showing only silhouette.

4. A method comprising:

facilitating display of a plurality of pixels;

receiving image data, wherein, for each of the plural pixels, said received image data comprises at least first and second portions of image data that are linked together, the first portion including payload data and the second portion including metadata,

wherein said payload data comprises content for the pixel and said metadata comprises a metadata value selected from a predefined set of values which classifies the pixel independently from the other pixels;

causing said received image data to be supplied to a display;

processing the content for each respective pixel based on the metadata value of each respective pixel;

obscuring the content of only a plurality of pixels that has a metadata value exceeding a discretionary threshold value, and

facilitating display of the content of the remaining plurality of pixels that do not have a metadata value exceeding the discretionary threshold value.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the display is embodied in a wireless terminal.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a display metric, said display metric being the result of multiplying the number of pixels having a certain metadata value by an amount of time those pixels are visible on the display.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein obscuring the content of only a plurality of pixels comprises at least one of blurring, scrambling or facilitating display of the pixels as black, showing only silhouette.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising controlling, via a processor, at least one of a graphics board, a browser of markup language documents, or an e-mail program.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the metadata value indicates that a single pixel is part of a visual object within a particular category and the category comprises at least one of violent content, pornographic content, or advertisements.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising, facilitating filtering for one of blocking and/or obscuring a visual object by obscuring a plurality of pixels forming said visual object, wherein each of the plural pixels forming said visual object has a metadata value which indicates that its pixel is part of a visual object which must be blocked and/or obscured.

11. An apparatus comprising a processor for execution of stored instructions, the execution of which causes the apparatus to:

receive an image data frame comprising a plurality of pixels which, comprise one or more visual objects, wherein a plurality of contiguous bits in the image data frame comprises pixel data for a single pixel, the pixel data comprises a content field and a metadata field for the single pixel, wherein the metadata field comprises a value from a predefined set of metadata values, and wherein the metadata value indicates that the single pixel is part of a visual object within a particular category; and

identify pixels which comprise a visual object by their metadata fields,

wherein, because the pixels comprising an individual visual object are identifiable within the image data frame, certain operations are performed only on the pixels forming an individual visual object separate from the pixels forming the remaining visual objects in the visual field.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor for execution of stored instructions is further configured to cause the apparatus to control a graphics board, a browser of markup language documents, and/or an e-mail program.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the particular category comprises at least one of violent content, pornographic content, or advertisements.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor for execution of stored instructions is further configured to cause the apparatus to:

facilitate filtering configured to block and/or obscure a visual object by obscuring each of a plurality of pixels forming said visual object, wherein each of the plural pixels forming said visual object has a metadata value which indicates that its pixel is part of a visual object which must be blocked and/or obscured.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor for execution of stored instructions is further configured to cause the apparatus to:

determine a display metric, said display metric being the result of multiplying the number of pixels having a certain metadata value by an amount of time those pixels are visible on a display.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the certain operations performed only on the pixels forming an individual visual object comprises at least one of blurring, scrambling or facilitating display of the pixels as black, showing only silhouette.

17. A computer-readable storage medium being encoded with a computer program, the computer program comprising:

program code for facilitating display of a plurality of pixels;

program code for receiving image data;

program code for causing said received image data to be supplied to a display;

program code for processing the content for each respective pixel based on the metadata value of each respective pixel;

program code for obscuring the content of only a plurality of pixels that has a metadata value exceeding a discretionary threshold value, and

program code for facilitating display of the content of the remaining plurality of pixels that do not have a metadata value exceeding the discretionary threshold value;

wherein, for each of the plural pixels, said received image data comprises at least first and second portions of image data that are linked together, the first portion including payload data and the second portion including metadata; and

wherein said payload data comprises content for the pixel and said metadata comprises a metadata value selected from a predefined set of values which classifies the pixel independently from the other pixels.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the display is embodied in a wireless terminal.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

program code for determining a display metric, said display metric being the result of multiplying the number of pixels having a certain metadata value by an amount of time those pixels are visible on the display.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein obscuring the content of only a plurality of pixels comprises at least one of blurring, scrambling and facilitating display of the pixels as black, showing only silhouette.