DETECTION AND PREVENTION OF INFLATED PLAYS OF AUDIO OR VIDEO CONTENT

• US 20170324819A1
• Filed: 05/03/2016
• Published: 11/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kassis, Ronit
• Granted Patent: US 10,097,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0039 where the data service is provided by a stream of packets which are rendered in real time by the receiving terminal network streaming of media packets H04L65/60
• 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 21/44204 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 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45

Abstract

Some listeners or viewers of online music or video may play the music or video repeatedly without actually listening to or watching the music or video, thereby wasting network resources, reducing bandwidths to other users, and slowing down or creating latency for the downloading of music or video by other users who actually listen to or watch the music or video. In some instances, owners of music or video content may encourage their fans to play the music or video repeatedly to increase their popularity ratings or copyright royalties. Inflated plays of music or video may be detected by applying one or more modifications to the music and monitoring for reactions by users, if any, to the modifications. The lack of a reaction by a user may indicate an inflated playback, whereas the presence of a reaction may indicate that the playback is legitimate.

Claims

1. A method of detecting inflated playbacks of audio content downloaded to a device, comprising:

applying a modification to a portion of the audio content;

transmitting the audio content with the modification to the device;

monitoring the device for a reaction by a user of the device to an audible playback of the modification of the portion of the audio content by the device; and

determining that the audible playback is an inflated playback if no reaction by the user of the device is detected based on monitoring of the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio content comprises an audio portion of a video stream.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising taking an action regarding the user based on a determination that the audible playback is an inflated playback.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the action regarding the user comprises an action selecting from the group consisting of:

terminating downloading of the audio content to the device; and

transmitting a warning to the device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the modification to the portion of the audio content comprises applying an audible distortion to the portion of the audio content.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the audible distortion comprises a distortion selected from the group consisting of:

a muting of the portion of the audio content;

a pause in the portion of the audio content;

a modification to a bit rate of the audible playback of the portion of the audio content;

a modification to a spectral content of the portion of the audio content;

an increase in a volume of the portion of the audio content;

a decrease in the volume of the portion of the audio content; and

an acoustic signal in the portion of the audio content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the acoustic signal comprises a signal selected from the group consisting of:

a beep;

a buzz;

a ringtone; and

a noise.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction by the user comprises a reaction selected from the group consisting of:

an adjustment by the user of an audio playback volume on the device;

stopping by the user of the audible playback on the device;

reversing by the user of the audible playback on the device;

fast-forwarding by the user of the audible playback on the device; and

an input by the user to initiate re-downloading or replaying of the audio content on the device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the device for a reaction by the user of the device to the audible playback of the modification comprises monitoring for a movement by the device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the movement is detected by a sensor in the device, the sensor selected from the group consisting of:

a magnetometer;

an accelerometer;

a gyroscope; and

a piezoelectric device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the device for a reaction by the user of the device to the audible playback of the modification comprises monitoring for a user interface input on the device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user interface input comprises an input selected from the group consisting of:

a key input;

a button input;

a stylus input;

a touchscreen input; and

a voice input.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio content is downloaded through a play store.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio content is downloaded through an Internet browser.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor communicably coupled to the memory, the processor configured to execute instructions to;

apply a modification to a portion of an audio content;

transmit the audio content with the modification to a device;

monitor the device for a reaction by a user of the device to an audible playback of the modification of the portion of the audio content by the device; and

determine that the audible playback is an inflated playback if no reaction by the user of the device is detected based on monitoring of the device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the audio content comprises an audio portion of a video stream.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to take an action regarding the user based on a determination that the audible playback is an inflated playback.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions to apply the modification to the portion of the audio content comprises instructions to apply an audible distortion to the portion of the audio content.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the audible distortion comprises a distortion selected from the group consisting of:

a muting of the portion of the audio content;

a pause in the portion of the audio content;

a modification to a bit rate of the audible playback of the portion of the audio content;

a modification to a spectral content of the portion of the audio content;

an increase in a volume of the portion of the audio content;

a decrease in the volume of the portion of the audio content; and

an acoustic signal in the portion of the audio content.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the acoustic signal comprises a signal selected from the group consisting of:

a beep;

a buzz;

a ringtone; and

a noise.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the reaction by the user comprises a reaction selected from the group consisting of:

an adjustment by the user of an audio playback volume on the device;

stopping by the user of the audible playback on the device;

reversing by the user of the audible playback on the device;

fast-forwarding by the user of the audible playback on the device; and

an input by the user to initiate re-downloading or replaying of the audio content on the device.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions to monitor the device for a reaction by the user of the device to the audible playback of the modification comprises instructions to monitor for a movement by the device.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the movement is detected by a sensor in the device, the sensor selected from the group consisting of:

a magnetometer;

an accelerometer;

a gyroscope; and

a piezoelectric device.

24. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions to monitor the device for a reaction by the user of the device to the audible playback of the modification comprises instructions to monitor for a user interface input on the device.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the user interface input comprises an input selected from the group consisting of:

a key input;

a button input;

a stylus input;

a touchscreen input; and

a voice input.