Methods and apparatus to measure exposure to streaming media

• US 9,209,978 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2012
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Besehanic, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehrmanesh, Amir
• Application Number:
  US13/472,170
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 726 26- 27, 173/168, 173/176
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/062 for key distribution, e.g. centrally by trusted party cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving a central third party H04L9/0819
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 involving random numbers or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/12 Transmitting and receiving encryption devices synchronised or initially set up in a particular manner
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• 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

Methods and apparatus to measure exposure to streaming media are described. An example method includes identifying metadata from media. The media is converted into converted media having a streaming format. The converted media is encrypted using an encryption key. A manifest is created in association with the converted media, the manifest identifying a first location of the encrypted media and a second location of a decryption key.

Claims

1. A method of measuring exposure to streaming media, the method comprising:

identifying, at a service provider, metadata from media;

converting the media into converted media having a streaming format;

encrypting the converted media using an encryption key, the encryption key generated based on the identified metadata;

synchronizing the encryption key and an address of a decryption key with a central facility, the address of the decryption key being based on an identifier of the service provider, the address of the decryption key being an address of a server of the central facility; and

creating a manifest in association with the converted media, the manifest identifying a location of the encrypted media and the address of the decryption key.

2. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising transmitting the manifest to a requesting device.

3. The method as described in claim 2, further comprising transmitting the encrypted converted media to the requesting device.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the media is obtained from a media provider in response to a request from a requesting device.

5. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the streaming format is a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Live Streaming (HLS) format.

6. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising determining if the media is known based on at least one of the encryption key or the metadata.

7. The method as described in claim 6, further comprising requesting the encryption key from the central facility.

8. The method as described in claim 7, further comprising transmitting the metadata to the central facility.

9. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the media comprises live media.

10. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the media is stored media.

11. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the metadata comprises data encoded in a watermark associated with the media.

12. The method as described in claim 11, wherein the watermark is an audio watermark.

13. The method as described in claim 11, wherein the watermark is a video watermark.

14. An apparatus to measure exposure to streaming media, the apparatus comprising:

a media identifier to generate metadata identifying media based on metering data extracted from the media, the metadata formatted as an ID3 tag;

a media encrypter to encrypt the media using an encryption key, the encryption key generated based on the metadata;

a manifest generator to generate a manifest identifying a first location of the encrypted media and a second location of a decryption key, the second location of the decryption key being based on a service provider identifier, the second location of the decryption key corresponding to an address of a server of a central facility;

a transcoder to transcode the media into a streaming format; and

an encryption key synchronizer to synchronize the encryption key and the second location of a decryption key with the central facility.

15. The apparatus as described in claim 14, further comprising a media transmitter to transmit the manifest and the encrypted media to a requesting device.

16. The apparatus as described in claim 14, further comprising an encryption key store to store the encryption key and the second location of the decryption key in association with the media.

17. The apparatus as described in claim 14, wherein the streaming format is a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Live Streaming (HLS) format.

18. A machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

identify metadata from media;

convert the media into converted media having a streaming format;

encrypt the converted media using an encryption key, the encryption key generated based on the identified metadata;

synchronize the encryption key and an address of a decryption key with a central facility, the address of the decryption key being based on a service provider identifier, the address of the decryption key being an address of a server of the central facility; and

create a manifest in association with the converted media, the manifest identifying a location of the encrypted media and the address of the decryption key.

19. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 18, wherein the media comprises live media.

20. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 18, wherein the media is stored media.

21. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 18, wherein the metadata comprises data encoded in a watermark associated with the media.

22. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 21, wherein the watermark is an audio watermark.

23. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 21, wherein the watermark is a video watermark.

24. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to transmit the manifest to a requesting device.

25. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 24, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to transmit the encrypted converted media to the requesting device.

26. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 18, wherein the media is obtained from a media provider in response to a request from a requesting device.

27. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 18, wherein the streaming format is a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Live Streaming (HLS) format.

28. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to determine if the media is known based on at least one of the encryption key or the metadata.

29. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 28, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to request the encryption key from the central facility.

30. The machine-readable medium as described in claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to transmit the manifest to a requesting device.

31. The machine-readable medium as described in claim 30, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to transmit the encrypted converted media to the requesting device.

32. A machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

identify metadata from media, the metadata formatted as an ID3 tag;

convert the media into converted media having a streaming format;

encrypt the converted media using an encryption key, the encryption key generated based on the identified metadata;

synchronize the encryption key and an address of a decryption key with a central facility, the address of the decryption key being based on a service provider identifier, the address of the decryption key being an address of a server of the central facility; and

create a manifest in association with the converted media, the manifest identifying a location of the encrypted media and the address of the decryption key.

33. The machine-readable storage medium as described in claim 32, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to transmit the metadata to the central facility.

34. A method of measuring exposure to streaming media, the method comprising:

identifying, at a service provider, metadata from media, the metadata formatted as an ID3 tag;

converting the media into converted media having a streaming format;

encrypting the converted media using an encryption key, the encryption key generated based on the identified metadata;

synchronizing the encryption key and an address of a decryption key with a central facility, the address of the decryption key being based on an identifier of the service provider, the address of the decryption key being an address of a server of the central facility; and

creating a manifest in association with the converted media, the manifest identifying a location of the encrypted media and the address of the decryption key.