Methods and apparatus for identifying media

• US 9,286,912 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2012
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Venugopal, Topchy, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SIEGEL, DAVID F
• Application Number:
  US13/627,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20140088742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,266 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/54 for retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/31 using in-band signals, e.g. subsonic or cue signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/37 via a different channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/50 characterised by the use of watermarks
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/37 for identifying segments of broadcast information, e.g. scenes or extracting programme ID
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/372 Programme
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/39 for identifying broadcast space-time use of Electronic Programme Guides H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/58 of audio determination or detection of speech characteristics in general G10L25/00; speech recognition in general G10L15/00

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for identifying media and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for decoding identifiers after broadcast. An example method includes a portion of an identifying code from a media signal, determine a partition of the look-up table based on the portion of the identifying code wherein the partition of the look-up table includes reference signatures associated with the portion of the identifying code, and identify the media signal by comparing a signature extracted from the media signal to reference signatures in the partition of the look-up table.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by executing an instruction with a processor, an identifying timestamp that is unreadable or otherwise unavailable, the identifying timestamp associated with an identifying code obtained from a media signal;

determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, an approximate time from the identifying timestamp;

determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, a time range based on the approximate time; and

identifying, by executing an instruction with the processor, entries of a look-up table for inclusion in a partition of the look-up table, the entries including timestamps in the time range;

constructing, by executing an instruction with the processor, based on the entries, the partition of the look-up table including respective reference signatures;

comparing, by executing an instruction with the processor, a signature extracted from the media signal to the reference signatures in the partition of the look-up table; and

identifying, by executing an instruction with the processor, media associated with the media signal based on the comparing.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein identifying the media includes matching a sequence of signatures extracted from the media signal to reference signatures.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the look-up table contains:

timestamps; and

signatures from a reference media signal wherein the signatures are associated with the timestamps.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the partition of the look-up table is determined by decreasing a search space of the look-up table.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further including synchronizing a media presentation device with the media signal using the identity of the media.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the identifying code is source identification data.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the entries include the source identification data.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the media signal contains an audio signal.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the identifying code is determined from an audio watermark.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the look-up table is stored on at least one of a database, a hard disk, a storage facility, or a removable media storage device.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining a partition of the look-up table is performed by:

determining filtering parameters for the partition based on the identifying code; and

executing the filtering parameters to populate the partition.

14. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein a sequence of signatures are extracted from the media signal, wherein the sequence of signatures matches at least two instances of media presentation in the look-up table, and wherein the sequence of signatures matches one instance of the media presentation in the partition of the look-up table.

6. A method comprising:

determining a portion of an identifying code from a media signal, the portion of the identifying code including an identifying timestamp that is unreadable or otherwise unavailable;

determining an approximate timestamp from the identifying timestamp;

determining a time range based on the approximate timestamp;

identifying entries of a look-up table for inclusion in a partition of the look-up table, the entries including timestamps in the time range, the partition of the look-up table including reference signatures associated with the portion of the identifying code; and

identifying the media signal by comparing a signature extracted from the media signal to reference signatures in the partition of the look-up table.

9. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein

the portion of the identifying code contains source identification data and

the entries include the source identification data.

15. A system for identifying media, the system comprising:

a code extractor to determine an identifying timestamp that is unreadable or otherwise unavailable, the identifying timestamp associated with an identifying code from a media signal;

an interface to;

determine an approximate time from the identifying timestamp;

determine a time range based on the approximate time; and

identify entries of a look-up table for inclusion in a partition of the look-up table, the entries including timestamps in the time range;

construct based on the entries, the partition of the look-up table including respective reference signatures; and

a media identifier to compare a signature extracted from the media signal to the reference signatures in the partition of the look-up table and identify media associated with the media signal based on the comparison.

16. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein the media identifier is to identify the media by matching a sequence of signatures extracted from the media signal to reference signatures.

17. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein the look-up table contains:

timestamps; and

signatures from a reference media signal wherein the signatures are associated with the timestamps.

18. The system as defined in claim 15, further including a media manager to synchronize a media presentation device with the media signal using the identity of the media.

19. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein the partition of the look-up table is determined by decreasing a search space of the look-up table.

21. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein the identifying code is source identification data.

22. The system as defined in claim 21, wherein the entries include the source identification data.

24. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein the media signal contains an audio signal.

25. The system as defined in claim 24, wherein the identifying code is determined from an audio watermark.

26. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein the look-up table is stored on at least one of a database, a hard disk, a storage facility, or a removable media storage device.

27. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein determining the partition of the look-up table is performed by:

determining filtering parameters for the partition based on the identifying code; and

executing the filtering parameters to populate the partition.

28. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein a sequence of signatures are extracted from the media signal, wherein the sequence of signatures matches at least two instances of media presentation in the look-up table, and wherein the sequence of signatures matches one instance of the media presentation in the partition of the look-up table.

20. A system for identifying media, the system comprising:

a code extractor to determine a portion of an identifying code from a media signal, the portion of the identifying code containing an identifying timestamp, a portion of the identifying timestamp being unreadable or otherwise unavailable;

an interface to;

determine an approximate timestamp from the identifying timestamp,

determine a time range based on the approximate timestamp, and

identify entries of a look-up table for inclusion in a partition of the look-up table, the entries including timestamps in the time range, the partition of the look-up table including reference signatures associated with the portion of the identifying code; and

a media identifier to identify the media signal by comparing a signature extracted from the media signal to reference signatures in the partition of the look-up table.

23. The system as defined in claim 20, wherein the portion of the identifying code contains source identification data and

the entries include the source identification data.

29. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising machine readable instructions, which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

determine, by executing an instruction with a processor, an identifying timestamp that is unreadable or otherwise unavailable, the identifying timestamp associated with an identifying code obtained from a media signal;

determine, by executing an instruction with the processor, an approximate time from the identifying timestamp;

determine, by executing an instruction with the processor, a time range based on the approximate time; and

identify, by executing an instruction with the processor, entries of a look-up table for inclusion in a partition of the look-up table, the entries including timestamps in the time range;

construct, by executing an instruction with the processor, based on the entries, the partition of the look-up table including respective reference signatures;

compare, with the processor, a signature extracted from the media signal to the reference signatures in the partition of the look-up table; and

identify, by executing an instruction with the processor, media associated with the media signal based on the comparison.

30. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 29, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to identify the media by matching a sequence of signatures extracted from the media signal to reference signatures.

31. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 29, wherein the look-up table contains:

timestamps; and

signatures from a reference media signal wherein the signatures are associated with the timestamps.

32. A computer readable storage medium as defined in claim 29, wherein the machine readable instructions further cause the machine to synchronize a media presentation device with the media signal using a determined identity of the media.

33. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 29, wherein the partition of the look-up table is determined by decreasing a search space of the look-up table.

35. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 29, wherein the identifying code is source identification data.

36. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 35, wherein the entries include the source identification data.

38. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 29, wherein the media signal contains an audio signal.

39. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 38, wherein the identifying code is determined from an audio watermark.

40. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 29, wherein the look-up table is stored on at least one of a database, a hard disk, a storage facility, or a removable media storage device.

41. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 29, wherein determining the partition of the look-up table is performed by:

determining filtering parameters for the partition based on the identifying code; and

executing the filtering parameters to populate the partition.

42. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 29, wherein a sequence of signatures are extracted from the media signal, wherein the sequence of signatures matches at least two instances of media presentation in the look-up table, and wherein the sequence of signatures matches one instance of the media presentation in the partition of the look-up table.

34. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed cause a machine to at least:

determine a portion of an identifying code from a media signal, the portion of the identifying code including an identifying timestamp that is unreadable or otherwise unavailable;

determine an approximate timestamp from the identifying timestamp;

determine a time range based on the approximate timestamp; and

identify entries of a look-up table for inclusion in a partition of the look-up table, the entries including timestamps in the time range, the partition of the look-up table including reference signatures associated with the portion of the identifying code; and

identify the media signal by comparing a signature extracted from the media signal to reference signatures in the partition of the look-up table.

37. A computer readable medium as defined in claim 34, wherein

the portion of the identifying code contains source identification data and the entries include the source identification data.