Method and system for TV everywhere authentication based on automatic content recognition

• US 9,319,740 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Turner Broadcasting System Incorporated (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sinha, Nishith Kumar, Loheide, Donald Jude, Giles, Matthew Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, RUEBEN M
• Application Number:
  US13/730,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20130205330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 725/14, 725/18, 725/19, 725/20
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24558 Binary matching operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0021 Image watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25866 Management of end-user data customer care in data networks H04L41/5077
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/432 Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• 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 21/44008 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 21/441 Acquiring end-user identification , e.g. using personal code sent by the remote control or by inserting a card
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• 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 21/4667 Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4784 receiving rewards
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

An automatic content recognition (ACR)-enabled connected TV device may be operable to identify, utilizing an ACR system, a network which is being tuned to. An authentication may be performed by the ACR-enabled connected TV device for receiving content through a TV everywhere service associated with the identified network based on information identified by the ACR system. The ACR-enabled connected TV device may be operable to pair with a paired device utilizing a companion application downloaded in the paired device. The paired device may communicate with the ACR-enabled connected TV device using near field communication (NFC). In instances when the ACR-enabled connected TV device has been authenticated for receiving the content through the TV everywhere (TVE) service, the paired device may also be authenticated. The performing of the authentication may comprise identifying a set-top box (STB) coupled to the ACR-enabled connected TV device as well as determining a service provider.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in an automatic content recognition (ACR)-enabled connected TV device, wherein;

said ACR-enabled connected TV device comprises an ACR module that communicates with an ACR system that is external to said ACR-enabled connected TV device, and said ACR system assigns same interactive event identifiers to different sets of video fingerprints that are generated from same video content by different video fingerprint technologies from multiple vendors based on timing of assignment of the interactive event identifiers to multiple sequences of the video fingerprints that are generated from the same video content;

said ACR module providing fingerprints to said ACR system for matching; and

said ACR module receiving information and/or content from said ACR system based on said matching;

identifying by said ACR module, utilizing the information received from said ACR system, a network to which said ACR-enabled connected TV device is being tuned, wherein said received information identifies one or more locations to take fingerprints of content being displayed on said ACR-enabled connected TV device; and

performing by said ACR module, an authentication for presenting content through a TV everywhere (WE) service associated with said identified network based on information identified by said ACR system.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising pairing with a paired device utilizing a companion application downloaded in said paired device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said paired device communicates with said ACR-enabled connected TV device using near field communication (NFC).

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said paired device comprises a tablet, a laptop and/or a smartphone.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein said paired device is also authenticated for presenting said content through said TV everywhere (TVE) service when said ACR-enabled connected TV device has been authenticated for said presenting said content through said TV everywhere (TVE) service.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said performing of said authentication comprises identifying a set-top box (STB) coupled to said ACR-enabled connected TV device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said performing of said authentication comprises determining a service provider of said ACR-enabled connected TV device.

8. The method according to claim 7, comprising determining said service provider based on a logo on a program guide, wherein said logo is identified by said ACR system.

9. The method according to claim 7, comprising determining said service provider based on one or both of:

a zip code obtained from an IP address of said ACR-enabled connected TV device; and

channel lineup information identified by said ACR system.

10. The method according to claim 7, comprising determining said service provider based on local commercials run by said service provider during local ad breaks provided by a national programmer, wherein said local commercials are identified by said ACR system.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more locations comprise coordinates in a video frame.

12. A system, comprising:

an automatic content recognition (ACR)-enabled connected TV device, wherein;

said ACR-enabled connected TV device comprises an ACR module that communicates with an ACR system that is external to said ACR-enabled connected TV device, and said ACR system assigns same interactive event identifiers to different sets of video fingerprints that are generated from same video content by different video fingerprint technologies from multiple vendors based on timing of assignment of the interactive event identifiers to multiple sequences of the video fingerprints that are generated from the same video content;

said ACR module providing fingerprints to said ACR system for matching;

said ACR module receiving information and/or content from said ACR system based on said matching; and

said device is operable to;

identify by said ACR module, utilizing said information received from said ACR system, a network to which said ACR-enabled connected TV device is being tuned, wherein said received information identifies one or more locations to take fingerprints of content being displayed on said ACR-enabled connected TV device; and

perform by said ACR module, an authentication for presenting content through a TV everywhere (TVE) service associated with said identified network based on information identified by said ACR system.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said device is operable to pair with a paired device utilizing a companion application downloaded in said paired device.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said paired device communicates with said ACR-enabled connected TV device using near field communication (NFC).

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein said paired device comprises a tablet, a laptop and/or a smartphone.

16. The system according to claim 13, wherein said paired device is also authenticated for presenting said content through said TV everywhere (TVE) service when said ACR-enabled connected TV device has been authenticated for said presenting said content through said TV everywhere (TVE) service.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein said performing of said authentication comprises identifying a set-top box (STB) coupled to said ACR-enabled connected TV device.

18. The system according to claim 12, wherein said performing of said authentication comprises determining a service provider of said ACR-enabled connected TV device.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said device is operable to determine said service provider based on a logo on a program guide, said logo is identified by said ACR system.

20. The system according to claim 18, wherein said device is operable to determine said service provider based on one or both of:

a zip code obtained from an IP address of said ACR-enabled connected TV device; and

channel lineup information identified by said ACR system.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein said device is operable to determine said service provider based on local commercials run by said service provider during local ad breaks provided by a national programmer, said local commercials are identified by said ACR system.

22. The system according to claim 12, wherein the one or more locations comprise coordinates in a video frame.

23. A system, comprising:

an automatic content recognition (ACR) system comprising;

a fingerprint matching system;

a plurality real-time fingerprint servers;

wherein;

the finger print matching system is communicatively coupled to the plurality of real-time fingerprint servers; and

said ACR system assigns same interactive event identifiers to different sets of video fingerprints that are generated from same video content by different video fingerprint technologies from multiple vendors based on timing of assignment of the interactive event identifiers to multiple sequences of the video fingerprints that are generated from the same video content; and

an ACR-enabled connected TV device comprising an ACR module, wherein said ACR-enabled connected TV device is communicatively coupled to said ACR system;

wherein;

said ACR module provides fingerprints to said ACR system for matching;

said ACR module receives information and/or content from the ACR system based on said matching; and

said ACR module identifies, utilizing said information received from said ACR system, a network to which said ACR-enabled connected TV device is being tuned, wherein said received information identifies one or more locations to take fingerprints of content being displayed on said ACR-enabled connected TV device; and

said ACR module performs an authentication for presenting content through a TV everywhere (TVE) service associated with said identified network based on information identified by said ACR system.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the one or more locations comprise coordinates in a video frame.