Media content marking and tracking methods and apparatus

• US 9,558,751 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2015
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sparcq, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sparcq, Inc.
• Inventors: Mufti, Mohammed Umair
• Primary Examiner(s): Flanders, Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US14/611,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20150221316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/683 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• 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 21/4394 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 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A system, method, and apparatus for media content marking and tracking are disclosed. An example method includes determining an identification code responsive to a request from a third-party client, generating an audio file including the identification code, transmitting the audio file to the third-party client enabling the third-party client to embed the audio file including the identification code into media content, receiving content information associated with the media content from the third-party client, storing the content information in correspondence to a stored copy of the identification code, receiving a message including the identification code from a consumer device that detected the identification code within the media content, determining the identification code corresponds to the content information, transmitting the content information to the consumer device, receiving an event from the consumer device based on the content information, and making data associated with the event graphically available for the third-party client.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, via a first processor, an identification code responsive to a request from a third-party client;

generating, via the first processor, an audio file including the identification code;

transmitting, via the first processor, the audio file to the third-party client enabling the third-party client to embed the audio file including the identification code into media content;

causing a second processor to store a copy of the identification code to a data structure accessible by the third-party client;

receiving, via the second processor, content information associated with the media content from the third-party client;

storing, via the second processor, the content information in correspondence to the stored copy of the identification code;

receiving, via the second processor, a message including the identification code from a consumer device that detected the identification code within the media content;

determining, via the second processor, the identification code corresponds to the content information;

transmitting, via the second processor, the content information to the consumer device;

receiving, via a third processor, an event from the consumer device based on the content information, the event being indicative of an action performed by the consumer device after the consumer device received the content information; and

making, via the third processor, data associated with the event graphically available for the third-party client.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, via the second processor, a second event based on the content information;

transmitting, via the second processor, the second event to the third processor; and

making, via the third processor, data associated with the second event graphically available for the third-party client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content information includes at least one of an Entertainment Identifier Registry (“

EIDR”

), an Ad-ID, metadata, an electronic file, an advertisement, a promotion, and a hyperlink associated with the media content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio file includes a pulse-code modulated WAV file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the audio file includes:

setting a duration during which the identification code is to be repeated within the audio file based on a first time specified by the third party-client,

setting an offset of the identification code within the audio file based on a second time specified by the third-party client, and

modulating the identification code in a frequency band based on a channel specified by the third-party client.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification code includes a 48-bit identifier and an 18 bit timecode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the identifier is selected from among a sub-set of identifiers available to the processor.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a first server configured to;

receive a request from a third-party client for an identification code; and

determine the identification code including an identifier and a timecode;

a second server configured to;

generate an audio file including the identification code;

receive media content from the third-party client;

embed the audio file into the media content; and

transmit electronically the media content including the embedded identification code to the third-party client; and

a third server configured to;

store content information in correspondence to a stored copy of the identification code;

receive a message including the identification code from a consumer device that detected the identification code within the media content;

determine the identification code corresponds to the content information;

transmit the content information to the consumer device;

receive an event from a consumer device based on the content information, the event being indicative of an action performed by the consumer device after the content information was received by the consumer device; and

store information related to the event to a database.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first server or the second server is configured to transmit the identification code to the third server, which stores the identification code to a data structure that is made available to the third-party client.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second server is configured to generate the audio file by encoding the identification code into the audio file using coded orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing at a determined frequency band.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second server determines a first frequency band when the third-party client is a media content distributor and a second frequency band different from the first frequency band when the third-party client is a media content creator.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the first server is configured to;

receive a request from a second third-party client for a second identification code; and

determine a second identification code including a second identifier and a second timecode; and

the second server configured to;

generate a second audio file including the second identification code; and

transmit electronically the second audio file to the second third-party client enabling the second third-party client to embed the second audio file including the second identification code into media content.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the third-party client is a creator of the media content and the second third-party client is a distributor of the media content downstream from the creator.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the second third-party client embeds the second identification code in the media content by (i) identifying the identification code within the media content, (ii) removing the identification code from the media content, and (iii) adding the second identification code to the media content in place of the first identification code.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the first server configured to;

receive a second request from the third-party client for a second identification code; and

determine the second identification code including a second identifier and a second timecode; and

the second server is configured to;

generate the audio file including the identification code within a first time period and the second identification code within a second time period after the first time period; and

transmit electronically the audio file to the third-party client enabling the third-party client to embed the audio file including the identification code and the second identification code into the media content.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the identification code is associated with first content information including an Entertainment Identifier Registry and the second identification code is associated with second content information including metadata to be transmitted to a consumer device that detects the second identification code.

26. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the third server is integrated with at least one of the first server or the second server.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a first server configured to;

receive a copy of an identification code from an identification code generator, the identification code being embedded into media content by a third-party client;

receive, at a first time, first content information associated with the media content from the third-party client;

store the first content information in conjunction with the copy of the identification code to a data structure accessible by the third-party client;

receive, at a subsequent second time, second content information associated with the media content;

replace the first content information with the second content information stored in conjunction with the copy of the identification code;

receive from a consumer device, after the second time, a message including the identification code;

determine the identification code corresponds to the second content information; and

transmit the second content information to the consumer device; and

a second server configured to;

receive an event based from the consumer device based on the second content information; and

make data associated with the event graphically available for the third-party client.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second content information associated with the media content is received from the third-party.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first server is configured to:

generate a second event based on the first content information; and

transmit the second event to the second server.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the second content information transmitted to the consumer device includes at least one of an advertisement, a promotion, a hyperlink, and metadata associated with the media content.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first server is configured to update the second content information based on a condition.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second server is configured to make the event graphically available by displaying a time the consumer device detected the identification code, a geographic location where the consumer device detected the identification code, and information regarding a user of the consumer device.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the consumer device plays the media content and digitally detects the identification code within the media content.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the consumer device includes a microphone that senses audio of the media content played by another device, the audio including the identification code.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second server is configured to:

receive a subscription request from the third-party client for events associated with at least one of the first content information and the second content information;

determine the event is associated with at least one of the first content information and the second content information; and

transmit a message to the third-party client including the event.