Sequentially overlaying media content

• US 9,848,214 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2016
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roku, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sorenson Media, Inc. (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Inventors: Grover, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Randy
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOYD, ALEXANDER L
• Application Number:
  US15/130,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20170099506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/71 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/74 Browsing; Visualisation therefor end-user interfaces for requesting or interacting with video content, e.g. video on demand interfaces or electronic program guides, H04N21/472
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/783 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23109 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2668 Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A method, system, or device to determine when media content has been displayed. The method can include receiving a unique identifier (UID) and fingerprint for a media segment. The method can also include determining a media segment ID for the media segment, generating and submitting a query for the media segment ID in a record database, determining that the media segment ID is not stored in the record database, and identifying an overlay content segment ID. The method can include generating and submitting for the overlay content segment ID in the record database, determining it is not stored in an entry, sending the overlay content segment to the electronic device, and receiving a notification from the electronic device.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions; and

a processing device configured to execute the instructions to;

receive a fingerprint for a media segment of a media content and a unique identifier (UID) from an electronic device via a first network connection;

determine a media segment ID for the media segment using the fingerprint;

generate and submit a first query for the media segment ID in a record database via a second network connection;

determine that the record database is storing a first entry for the media segment ID, wherein the record database stores a plurality of entries;

identify a first overlay content segment ID for a first overlay content segment in a set of overlay content segments;

generate and submit a second query for the first overlay content segment ID in the record database;

determine the first overlay content segment ID is stored in a second entry of the record database;

identify a second overlay content segment ID for a second overlay content segment in the set of overlay content segments;

generate and submit a third query for the second overlay content segment ID in the record database;

determine that the second overlay content segment ID is not stored in the plurality of entries in the record database;

store the overlay content segment IDs associated with the overlay content segments in the set of overlay content segments; and

erase the media segment ID and overlay content segment IDs associated with the UID in response to the record database storing entries for the media segment ID and the overlay content segment IDs of the overlay content set for an associated UID.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions to:

send the second overlay content segment associated with the second overlay content segment ID to the electronic device;

receive a notification from the electronic device, wherein the notification comprises the second overlay content segment ID and the UID; and

record the second overlay content segment ID with the UID into a third entry in the record database.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions to:

generate and submit a fourth query for the second overlay content segment ID in the record database;

determine that the second overlay content segment ID is stored in a fourth entry in the record database;

identify a third overlay content segment ID for a third overlay content segment in the set of overlay content segments;

generate and submit a fifth query for the third overlay content segment ID in the record database; and

determine that the third overlay content segment ID is not stored in the plurality of entries in the record database.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the record database not storing the third overlay content segment ID indicates that the electronic device did not previously display the third overlay content segment.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the first entry, the second entry, the third entry, and the fourth entry are associated with the UID.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions to iteratively generate and submit queries for media segment IDs and overlay content segment IDs in the record database to identify an nth overlay content segment ID associated with an nth overlay content segment that the electronic device has not previously displayed.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the queries are sequential searches of the entries in the record database.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing device is further configured to execute the instructions to correct a sequence of a display order of the media segment and the overlay content segments in an overlay content set.

8. A device comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions; and

a processing device configured to execute the instructions to;

receive a fingerprint for a media segment of a media content and a unique identifier (UID) from an electronic device via a first network connection;

determine a media segment ID for the media segment using the fingerprint;

generate and submit a first query for the media segment ID in a record database via a second network connection;

determine that the record database is storing a first entry for the media segment ID, wherein the record database stores a plurality of entries;

identify a first overlay content segment ID for a first overlay content segment in a set of overlay content segments;

generate and submit a second query for the first overlay content segment ID in the record database;

determine the first overlay content segment ID is stored in a second entry of the record database;

identify a second overlay content segment ID for a second overlay content segment in the set of overlay content segments;

generate and submit a third query for the second overlay content segment ID in the record database;

determine that the second overlay content segment ID is not stored in the plurality of entries in the record database;

send an overlay content segment from a different overlay content set when the record database includes entries comprising each of the overlay content segment IDs for the overlay content segments in the overlay content set, and

send a refund notification to another device associated with a user, wherein the refund notification indicates that the overlay content segments in the overlay content segment set have been displayed on the electronic device prior to a threshold number of overlay slots being used for the user.