Systems and methods to identify target video content

• US 9,984,369 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Zhi, Ou, Canhui, Savoor, Raghvendra, Ghosal, Dipak
• Primary Examiner(s): Qayyum, Zeshan
• Application Number:
  US11/959,905
• Publication Number:
  US 20090165031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,814 Days
• Field of Search: 705 51
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3825 Use of electronic signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• 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 21/835 Generation of protective data, e.g. certificates protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method of identifying target video content is provided. The method includes accessing content metadata of a video content item at a content storage. The method also includes determining at least one content signature based on the video content item and determining whether the video content item includes target content based at least partially on the content signature and the content metadata.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, by a server, a data transmission of video content;

generating, by the server, a content signature that includes a first sequence of coefficients by application of a wavelet transform to a plurality of frames of a time sequence of frames of the video content;

identifying, by the server, a resolution of the video content based on content metadata associated with the video content;

selecting, by the server based on the resolution of the video content, a set of prohibited content signatures from a plurality of prohibited content signatures, wherein each prohibited content signature of the set of prohibited content signatures has a particular resolution that corresponds to the resolution of the video content and includes a corresponding second sequence of coefficients based on a second wavelet transform applied to particular prohibited content associated with a corresponding prohibited content signature;

performing, by the server, comparisons of the first sequence of coefficients to sequences of coefficients of each respective prohibited content signature of the set of prohibited content signatures;

determining, by the server based on the comparisons, that the first sequence of coefficients matches a sequence of coefficients of a particular prohibited content signature of the set of prohibited content signatures; and

terminating, by the server based, on the determination, the data transmission.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content metadata is provided by a transmission of the video content.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the content metadata to a metadata index to identify a prohibited content item that the video content potentially includes;

accessing the prohibited content signature associated with the prohibited content item, the prohibited content signature that includes a particular second sequence of coefficients;

generating a cross-correlation vector based on the first sequence of coefficients and the particular second sequence of coefficients; and

determining that the video content includes the prohibited content item when the cross-correlation vector includes a cross-correlation peak.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the video content includes prohibited content, generating a record of the data transmission, the record including identity information descriptive of a user device transmitting the video content and content information descriptive of the video content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a user profile history, wherein the user profile history includes profile information related to a user associated with the data transmission; and

determining whether the user previously transmitted prohibited video content based on the user profile history, wherein determining whether the video content includes prohibited content occurs in response to a determination that the user associated with the data transmission previously transmitted the prohibited video content.

6. A system comprising:

a network interface to monitor video content included in a data transmission;

a processor coupled to the network interface;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including;

generating a content signature comprising a first sequence of coefficients by application of a wavelet transform to a plurality of frames of a time sequence of frames of the video content;

identifying a resolution of the video content based on content metadata associated with the video content;

selecting based on the resolution of the video content, a set of prohibited content signatures from a plurality of prohibited content signatures, wherein each prohibited content signature of the set of prohibited content signatures has a particular resolution that corresponds to the resolution of the video content and includes a corresponding second sequence of coefficients based on a second wavelet transform applied to a particular prohibited content associated with a corresponding prohibited content signature;

performing comparisons of the first sequence of coefficients to sequences of coefficients of each respective prohibited content signature of the set of prohibited content signatures;

determining, based on the comparisons, that the first sequence of coefficients matches a sequence of coefficients of a particular prohibited content signature of the set of prohibited content signatures; and

terminating based on the determination the data transmission.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the content metadata is provided by a transmission of the video content.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the operations further include determining whether the video content was modified based on the content metadata.

9. A method comprising:

retrieving, by a server from a content storage device, a video content item and content metadata of the video content item;

generating, by the server, a content signature that includes a first sequence of coefficients by application of a wavelet transform to a plurality of frames of a time sequence of frames of the video content item;

identifying, by the server, a resolution of the video content item based on content metadata associated with the video content item;

selecting, by the server based on the resolution of the video content item, a target signature, wherein a first resolution associated with the target signature corresponds to a resolution of the video content item, and wherein the target signature comprises a second sequence of coefficients based on a second wavelet transform applied to target video content associated with the target signature;

performing, by the server, comparisons of the first sequence of coefficients to the second sequence of coefficients;

determining, by the server based on the comparisons, that the first sequence of coefficients matches the second sequence of coefficients; and

removing, by the server based on the determination, the video content item from the content storage device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the target video content comprises prohibited video content.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the target video content comprises age inappropriate content.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the content metadata is provided by a transmission of the video content item.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the server is associated with an Internet service provider.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the content storage device is operated by a first entity and the server is operated by a second entity.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein inhibiting access to the video content item includes modifying an access setting associated with the video content item to prohibit a user, based on an age of the user, from accessing the video content item.

16. A system comprising:

a processor couple to a communication interface;

a memory couple to the processor, the memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including;

retrieving, from a content storage device, a video content item and content metadata of the video content item;

generating a content signature that includes a first sequence of coefficients by application of a wavelet transform to a plurality of frames of a time sequence of frames of the video content item;

identifying a resolution of the video content item based on content metadata associated with the video content item;

selecting, based on the resolution of the video content item, a target content signature, wherein a first resolution associated with the target content signature data corresponds to a resolution of the video content item, and wherein the target content signature data comprises a second sequence of coefficients associated with a second wavelet transform applied to target video content item;

performing comparisons of the first sequence of coefficients to the second sequence of coefficients;

determining, based on the comparisons, that the first sequence of coefficients matches the second sequence of coefficients; and

removing, based on the determination, the video content item from the content storage device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the target content signature corresponds to target content that comprises prohibited video content.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further include removing the video content item from the content storage device when the video content item includes the prohibited video content.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the operations further include modifying access privileges associated with the content storage device when the video content item includes the prohibited video content.

20. A computer-readable hardware storage device storing processor executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:

retrieving, from a content storage device, a video content item and content metadata of the video content item;

generating a content signature that includes a first sequence of coefficients by application of a wavelet transform to a plurality of frames of a time sequence of frames of the video content item;

identifying a resolution of the video content item based on content metadata associated with the video content item;

selecting, based on the resolution of the video content item, a target video content signature for a target video content item corresponding to the video content item, wherein a first resolution associated with the target video content signature corresponds to a resolution of the video content item, and wherein the target video content signature comprises a second sequence of coefficients based on a second wavelet transform applied to the target video content item;

performing comparisons of the first sequence of coefficients to the second sequence of coefficients;

determining, based on the comparisons, that the first sequence of coefficients matches the second sequence of coefficients; and

modifying an access setting associated with the video content item based on the determination.

21. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 20, wherein the operations further include accessing target content signature data, wherein the target content signature data includes a plurality of target video content signatures, and wherein each target video content signature of the plurality of target video content signatures is associated with a different degree of resolution of the target video content item.

22. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 20, wherein determining whether the video content item includes the target video content item comprises:

determining a cross-correlation vector corresponding to the content signature and to the target video content signature; and

identifying a match between the content signature and the target video content signature based on the cross-correlation vector.

23. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 22, wherein the match is indicated by a peak in the cross-correlation vector.

24. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 20, wherein the target video content item comprises age inappropriate content.

25. The computer-readable hardware storage device of claim 24, wherein modifying the access setting prevents minors from accessing the video content item.