Metering of internet protocol video streams

• US 9,602,852 B1
• Filed: 01/25/2016
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rowe, Simon Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US15/005,757
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• Field of Search: 725/910, 725/14, 725/46, 709/231
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• 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 21/44226 on social networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• 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 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A processor-implemented method meters IP video streams. The processor implements a meter. The method includes detecting, by the processor, a video watch page; harvesting, by the processor, data from the video watch page; storing, by the processor, the harvested data as current page data; detecting, by the processor, a video play button operation indicating a video playing; and inferring, by the processor, the video playing correlates to a video referenced in the current page data.

Claims

1. A method of metering media streams, comprising:

receiving, at a gateway device coupling a connected media device to a media delivery system, a request for a media webpage from the connected media device;

transmitting, by the gateway device, the request to the media delivery system;

receiving, by the gateway device, the media webpage from the media delivery system;

extracting, by the gateway device, identification data from the media webpage;

storing, by the gateway device, the identification data as current page data;

transmitting, by the gateway device, the media webpage to the connected media device;

transmitting, by the gateway device, the current page data to an analytics server;

receiving, at the analytics server, the current page data;

determining, by the analytics server, that the current page data does not match an entry in a reference library; and

creating, by the analytics server responsive to the determination that the current page data does not match an entry in the reference library, a recipe for future extraction of identification data from a same or similar media webpage based on the current data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising pushing the recipe to the gateway device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, updating, by the analytics server responsive to the determination that the current page data does not match an entry in the reference library, the reference library to reflect the current page data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein updating the reference library comprises creating, by the analytics server, a new entry in the reference library and reporting media consumed data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the identification data from the media webpage comprises consulting a library of recipes for extracting data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the identification data from the media webpage comprises extracting the identification data using a recipe specific to the media webpage.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the identification data from the media webpage comprises extracting the identification data using a generic recipe for similar media webpages.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein extracting the identification data from the media webpage comprises extracting the identification data using a default recipe.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the gateway device from the analytics server, the recipe;

receiving, at the gateway device, a second request for a second media webpage from the connected media device;

extracting, by the gateway device, second identification data from the second media webpage using the recipe;

storing, by the gateway device, the second identification data as second current page data;

transmitting, by the gateway device, the second current page data to an analytics server;

receiving, at the analytics server, the second current page data; and

determining, by the analytics server, that the second current page data matches an entry in the reference library; and

reporting, by the analytics server responsive to the determination that the third current page data matches an entry in the reference library, second media consumed data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, at the gateway device, a third request for a third media webpage from the connected media device;

extracting, by the gateway device, third identification data from the third media webpage using the recipe, the third identification data different from the second identification data;

storing, by the gateway device, the third identification data as third current page data;

transmitting, by the gateway device, the third current page data to an analytics server;

receiving, at the analytics server, the third current page data;

determining, by the analytics server, that the third current page data matches an entry in the reference library; and

reporting, by the analytics server responsive to the determination that the third current page data matches an entry in the reference library, third media consumed data.

11. A system for metering media streams, comprising:

a gateway device coupling a connected media device to a media delivery system, the gateway device configured to;

receive a request for a media webpage from the connected media device,

transmit the request to the media delivery system,

receive the media webpage from the media delivery system,

extract identification data from the media watch page,

store the identification data as current page data,

transmit the media webpage to the connected media device, and

transmit the current page data to an analytics server; and

an analytics server configured to;

receive the current page data,

determine that the current page data does not match an entry in a reference library, and

create, responsive to the determination that the current page data does not match an entry in the reference library, a recipe for future extraction of identification data from a same or similar media webpage based on the current page data.

12. They system of claim 11, the analytics server further configured to push the recipe to the gateway device.

13. They system of claim 11, the analytics server further configured to update, responsive to the determination that the current page data does not match an entry in the reference library, the reference library to reflect the current page data.

14. They system of claim 13, wherein updating the reference library comprises creating, by the analytics server, a new entry in the reference library and reporting media consumed data.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein extracting the identification data from the media webpage comprises consulting a library of recipes for extracting data.

16. They system of claim 11, wherein extracting the identification data from the media webpage comprises extracting the identification data using a recipe specific to the media webpage.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein extracting the identification data from the media webpage comprises extracting the identification data using a generic recipe for similar media webpages.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein extracting the identification data from the media webpage comprises extracting the identification data using a default recipe.

19. The system of claim 11, the gateway device further configured to:

receive the recipe from the analytics server;

receive a second request for a second media webpage from the connected media device;

extract second identification data from the second media webpage using the recipe;

store the second identification data as second current page data; and

transmit the second current page data to the analytics server, and wherein the analytics server is further configured to;

receive the second current page data;

determine that the second current page data matches an entry in the reference library; and

report, responsive to the determination that the third current page data matches an entry in the reference library, second media consumed data.

20. The system of claim 19, the gateway device further configured to:

receive a third request for a third media webpage from the connected media device;

extract third identification data from the third media webpage using the recipe, the third identification data different from the second identification data;

store the third identification data as third current page data; and

transmit the third current page data to an analytics server, wherein the analytics server is further configured to;

receive the third current page data;

determine that the third current page data matches an entry in the reference library; and

report, responsive to the determination that the third current page data matches an entry in the reference library, third media consumed data.