Systems apparatus and methods for encoding/decoding persistent universal media codes to encoded audio

• US 9,711,152 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Neuhauser, Alan, Stavropoulos, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwivedi, Mahesh
• Assistant Examiner(s): JOHNSON, JOHNESE T
• Application Number:
  US13/955,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20150039320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 707802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal

Abstract

Apparatus, system and method for encoding and/or decoding persistent universal media identification (ID) codes embedded in audio. For encoding, a persistent identifier code is generated or received from a registry database, where the code includes data for uniquely identifying a media object. Audio code components including frequency characteristics are generated to represent symbols of the persistent identifier code and the audio code components are psychoacoustically embedded into an audio portion of the media object to include the persistent identifier code within one or more of a plurality of encoding layers. Such embedded audio may be subsequently decoded by transforming the audio data into a frequency domain and processing the transformed audio data to detect the persistent identifier code.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a persistent media identification code including non-acoustically encoded metadata for uniquely identifying a media object, the media object including an audio data portion and a non-audio data portion, the received persistent media identification code being embedded in the non-audio data portion of the media object and absent from the audio data portion of the media object;

transposing the received persistent media identification code including the non-acoustically encoded metadata into an audio format by generating audio code components having respective frequency characteristics to represent symbols of the received persistent media identification code; and

psychoacoustically embedding the generated audio code components into the audio data portion of the media object to include the transposed persistent media identification code within one or more of a plurality of encoding layers of the audio data portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the persistent media identification code is received over a computer network from a registry database, the persistent media identification code including a registry prefix and a registry suffix, the registry suffix including data uniquely identifying the media object from a plurality of other media objects.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio code components include single frequency code components.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein none of the single frequency code components representing respective symbols within a first one of the encoding layers represent any other symbol within any other one of the encoding layers.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein at least one of the single frequency code components representing respective symbols within a first one of the encoding layers represents another symbol within another one of the encoding layers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein psychoacoustically embedding the generated audio code components into the audio data portion of the media object includes embedding a first synchronization symbol in a first one of the encoding layers and a second synchronization symbol in a second one of the encoding layers, the first and second synchronization symbols including information to enable synchronization of ones of symbols in the first one of the encoding layers with corresponding ones of symbols in the second one of the encoding layers.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the persistent media identification code is a persistent universal media identification code for uniquely identifying the media object across a plurality of media distribution platforms.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory including computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause the processor to at least;

access a persistent media identification code including non-acoustically encoded metadata for uniquely identifying a media object, the media object including an audio data portion and a non-audio data portion, the accessed persistent media identification code being embedded in the non-audio data portion of the media object and absent from the audio data portion of the media object;

transpose the accessed persistent media identification code including the non-acoustically encoded metadata into an audio format by generating audio code components having respective frequency characteristics to represent symbols of the accessed persistent media identification code; and

psychoacoustically embed the generated audio code components into the audio data portion of the media object to include the transposed persistent media identification code within one or more of a plurality of encoding layers of the audio data portion.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to access the persistent media identification code over a computer network from a registry database, the persistent media identification code including a registry prefix and a registry suffix, the registry suffix including data uniquely identifying the media object from a plurality of other media objects.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the audio code components include single frequency code components.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein none of the single frequency code components representing respective symbols within a first one of the encoding layers represent any other symbol within any other one of the encoding layers.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one of the single frequency code components representing respective symbols within a first one of the encoding layers represents another symbol within another one of the encoding layers.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the instructions are further to cause the processor to embed a first synchronization symbol in a first one of the encoding layers and a second synchronization symbol in a second one of the encoding layers, the first and second synchronization symbols including information to enable synchronization of ones of symbols in the first one of the encoding layers with corresponding ones of symbols in the second one of the encoding layers.

20. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the persistent media identification code is a persistent universal media identification code for uniquely identifying the media object across a plurality of media distribution platforms.

13. A machine readable storage device or storage disk comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to, at least:

access a persistent media identification code including non-acoustically encoded metadata for uniquely identifying a media object, the media object including an audio data portion and a non-audio data portion, the accessed persistent media identification code being embedded in the non-audio data portion of the media object and absent from the audio data portion of the media object;

transpose the accessed persistent media identification code including the non-acoustically encoded metadata into an audio format by generating audio code components having respective frequency characteristics to represent symbols of the accessed persistent media identification code; and

psychoacoustically embed the generated audio code components into the audio data portion of the media object to include the transposed persistent media identification code within one or more of a plurality of encoding layers of the audio data portion.

14. The storage device or storage disk of claim 13, wherein the instructions are to cause the machine to access the persistent media identification code over a computer network from a registry database, the persistent media identification code including a registry prefix and a registry suffix, the registry suffix including data uniquely identifying the media object from a plurality of other media objects.

15. The storage device or storage disk of claim 13, wherein the audio code components include single frequency code components.

16. The storage device or storage disk of claim 15, wherein none of the single frequency code components representing respective symbols within a first one of the encoding layers represent any other symbol within any other one of the encoding layers.

17. The storage device or storage disk of claim 15, wherein at least one of the single frequency code components representing respective symbols within a first one of the encoding layers represents another symbol within another one of the encoding layers.

18. The storage device or storage disk of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further to cause the machine to embed a first synchronization symbol in a first one of the encoding layers and a second synchronization symbol in a second one of the encoding layers, the first and second synchronization symbols including information to enable synchronization of ones of symbols in the first one of the encoding layers with corresponding ones of symbols in the second one of the encoding layers.

21. The storage device or storage disk of claim 13, wherein the persistent media identification code is a persistent universal media identification code for uniquely identifying the media object across a plurality of media distribution platforms.