HK1258987B - Overlay content server device and machine-readable storage medium - Google Patents

Description

Covering content server device and machine-readable storage medium

Background Art

Media consumption devices, such as smart televisions (TVs), can access broadcast digital content and receive data, such as streaming media, from data networks. Streaming media refers to services that allow end users to request media content, such as movies or news, via a phone line, cable TV channels, internet channels, and so on. For example, users can watch movies without leaving their homes. Additionally, users can access various types of educational content, such as video lectures, without having to attend physical classes at a school or educational institution.

As the number of media consumption devices continues to increase, video content production and delivery may similarly increase. As the use of media consumption devices that access broadcast digital content and streaming media increases, content providers or network providers may distribute contextually relevant materials to viewers who are consuming the broadcast digital content or streaming media. For example, local broadcasters may include contextually relevant advertisements and interactive content with the broadcast digital content or streaming media.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description given below and the accompanying drawings of various embodiments of the present invention. However, the drawings should not be considered to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, but are only for explanation and understanding.

FIG1 illustrates a system diagram of a content distribution network according to one embodiment.

FIG2A illustrates a system diagram of a content overlay network according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2B illustrates media content with media segments, according to one embodiment.

3A illustrates a diagram of a method for determining when to replace a media segment that has been previously displayed on an electronic device, according to one embodiment.

3B illustrates a diagram of a method of checking when a media segment has been previously displayed on an electronic device, according to one embodiment.

4 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of machine in the example form of a computer system within which a set of instructions, for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Currently, cable TV (TV) providers and satellite providers offer hundreds of program options. In addition, there are more than one hundred major TV market areas with dozens of local TV channels. Content providers or broadcasters can generate content feeds at a central location and distribute the content feeds to various locations. For example, content providers can distribute TV channels to several network providers. Network providers can be local broadcasters, multichannel networks, and other content owners or distributors.

The term "content" can refer to media or multimedia. The term "content" can also be a specific term that refers to the subject matter of the media rather than the media itself. Similarly, the term "media" and some compound terms containing "media" (such as multimedia or hypermedia) refer instead to the content rather than the channel through which the information is delivered to the end user/viewer. An example of a content type that is often referred to as a media type is a "movie" that is also called a "movie." Another example is a "video," which typically includes video frames and audio samples.

Broadcasting or streaming media content, such as TV programs or Internet broadcasts, can be an engaging venue for promoting products and services, providing information to viewers, or any combination thereof. To generate revenue for offering a wide variety of program choices, content providers (e.g., television networks) can insert advertisements (ADs) into media content. Conventionally, advertisers have relied on sending one media content stream to all viewers of a channel, while local broadcasters have targeted only viewers based on audience analytics and ratings providers (e.g., ratings provided by The Nielsen).

To reach viewers through TV ads, conventional TV ads assume that viewers are watching the same channel for a certain period of time. In this case, the content provider or advertiser will display the TV ad during that period of time. In another example, to reach viewers through TV ads, the content provider or advertiser will use conventional TV ads and repeatedly display the TV ad within a certain period of time. In this case, the content provider or advertiser assumes that viewers will see the TV ad within that period of time.

These assumptions are often incorrect and may cause viewers to miss watching the TV AD entirely. Alternatively, these assumptions may cause viewers to see the same TV AD multiple times, but these multiple views may have a negligible impact on a customer's willingness to purchase the product featured in the TV AD. Therefore, it would be advantageous to determine what program a viewer is currently watching or about to watch and send an identifier associated with the program information to an overlay content server or electronic device. The electronic device or overlay content server can use this identifier to target the viewer with the AD.

Methods, systems, and devices are described herein for limiting the number of times a media segment or overlay content segment is displayed. When a media segment has been displayed a threshold number of times, the overlay content segment can replace the media segment. For example, processing logic of an electronic device can overlay the overlay content segment on top of the media segment to replace the media segment. The processing logic can include hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g., instructions executed by a processing device), firmware, or a combination thereof. In another example, the media segment and the overlay item are items in an overlay content group that includes a plurality of items.

Each time a person has seen a media segment on an electronic device, the viewing of the media segment on the electronic device can be recorded. When the number of times a media segment is to be displayed on the electronic device exceeds a threshold, the processing logic of the electronic device can replace the media segment with an overlay content segment in the overlay content group.

One advantage of replacing a previously displayed media segment with overlay content can be the display of unique content to the viewer. For example, replacing a previously displayed media segment with overlay content can prevent the same media segment from being repeatedly shown to the same person. Another advantage of replacing a previously displayed media segment with overlay content can be the sequential display of media segments within an overlay content group to the viewer. For example, an electronic device can sequentially display overlay content segments from an overlay content group to provide a progressive storyline to the viewer during a viewing period or to allow multiple viewings of media content by a user on the electronic device.

Another advantage of replacing previously displayed media segments with overlay content can be reducing the number of times or time periods that a content provider or advertiser must display media segments from the overlay content group in order to achieve a desired level of confidence that the media segments have been viewed by a viewer. For example, once a media segment has been displayed to a viewer, overlay content from the overlay content group can be displayed to the viewer, reducing advertising costs for advertisers by avoiding the need to pay to display the media segment to the viewer multiple times. Advertising costs can be reduced by reducing the amount of advertising space advertisers need to purchase and reducing the risk that viewers will not see the media segments from the overlay content group. In addition to the media content of the content feed displayed to the viewer, the content overlay segments of the overlay content group can also include overlay content containing advertisements, news alerts, announcements, or other information.

FIG1 illustrates a system diagram of a content distribution network 100 according to one embodiment. In the content distribution network 100, a content provider 102 may broadcast a content feed to a local provider 106. The local provider 106 may include a headend 104 and an ACR fingerprint server 105. The headend 104 of the local provider 106 may receive a data feed from the content provider 102. The headend 104 may generate a local content feed based on the received content feed. For example, the headend 104 may be a local affiliate broadcaster that receives a network channel with broadcast programming and advertisements from a national or global broadcaster. In one example, the headend 104 may be a broadcast feed source before the broadcast facility transmits the broadcast feed. In another example, the headend 104 may be a distribution amplifier. The distribution amplifier may receive a source feed and may create multiple outputs for different devices from the same source feed. The output feed may be routed to various distribution points, such as for over-the-air (OTA) broadcasting, delivery to a cable provider, delivery to a satellite provider, and/or delivery to an online streaming provider.

The headend 104 can communicate local content feeds to an ACR fingerprint server 105, an over-the-air (OTA) broadcaster 108, and/or a multi-channel video programming distributor (MVPD) 110. In one example, the ACR fingerprint server 105 can be a device installed in a broadcast facility. The ACR fingerprint server 105 can receive the feeds from the headend 104. The ACR fingerprint server 105 can fingerprint the feeds and send the fingerprints to a cloud-based web service. In one embodiment, the ACR fingerprint server 105 can be installed inside the broadcast facility to fingerprint the feeds before delivering them to a display device such as a television (TV).

OTA broadcaster 108 and/or MVPD 110 may communicate local content feeds to electronic device 115. Some examples of electronic device 115 include electronic devices 118 and 120, set-top box 114 that streams media content to electronic devices 118 and 120, and other devices 116 through which a user may stream local content feeds, for example wirelessly. In one example, electronic device 115 may include a display, such as a liquid crystal display or a touch screen display, to display information.

In one example, OTA broadcaster 108 may broadcast local content feeds using traditional local television channels or radio channels. In this example, electronic devices 118 and 120 may include antennas (e.g., TV antennas or radio antennas) for receiving local content feeds. In another example, MVPD 110 (e.g., a cable or satellite broadcaster) may communicate local content feeds to set-top box 114. In this example, set-top box 114 may format the content feed for electronic device 118 and may communicate the formatted content feed to electronic devices 118 and 120. Electronic devices 118 and 120 may include display devices, such as television screens or touch screens, to display local content to viewers.

Various components of the content distribution network 100 may be integrated or coupled to electronic devices 118 and 120. For example, electronic devices 118 and 120 may be smart televisions. In one example, the smart TV may include an antenna, a set-top box 114, or an integrated ACR system and a display device in a single unit. In another example, the smart TV may include a processing device and a radio frequency (RF) circuit. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and/or one or more applications, such as an application for accessing video-on-demand (VOD) content. The processing device may use the antenna of the radio frequency (RF) circuit to communicate on a wireless local area network (WLAN). In one example, the processing device may use the RF circuit to connect to the Internet to access online interactive media or on-demand streaming media.

The ACR fingerprint server 105 can analyze the local content feed and determine fingerprint information (e.g., fingerprint). The ACR fingerprint server 105 can communicate the fingerprint to the ACR system 124 or 126. The ACR systems 124 and 126 can be different ACR systems selected by a device manufacturer, such as a smart TV manufacturer. In one example, the ACR system 124 or 126 can include processing logic or processing devices to execute instructions or perform processes. In another example, the ACR systems 124 and 126 can be ACR web services for different ACR vendors.

The ACR fingerprint server 105 may enable the use of indexing clients from multiple ACR vendors. For example, different consumer electronics manufacturers (CEMs), such as TV manufacturers, may independently select ACR vendors to integrate into their electronic devices. In order to enable ACR-based functionality on a particular CEM's device, the ACR system may index the broadcast feed using the ACR vendor that the CEM has selected and integrated on that CEM's TV. One advantage of integrating multiple ACR vendors onto the ACR fingerprint server 105 may be to enable entities such as advertisers, advertising agencies, and content providers to interface with a single platform and deliver advanced advertising and content experiences to electronic devices from multiple CEMs.

In one example, the ACR system 124 may be coupled to a reference database 125. In another example, the ACR system 126 may be coupled to a reference database 127. The reference databases 125 and 127 may store fingerprints and media content. The content management device 122 may be a server component that receives messages from the ACR systems 124 and/or 126. The message may include information indicating what media content is about to be displayed or is currently being displayed by the electronic device 118 or 120. In one example, in response to the content management device 122 receiving the message, the content management device 122 may record an impression or association between the electronic device 118 or 120 and the media content stored in the database 123. In another example, in response to the content management device 122 receiving the message, the content management device 122 may generate and submit a query to the database 123 for available overlay content to be superimposed on top of the media content.

In one embodiment, the ACR system 124 or 126 may send a fingerprint request to the electronic device 118 or 120, respectively, where the fingerprint request includes a frame format for the fingerprint. The electronic device 118 or 120 or the ACR system integrated into the electronic device 118 or 120 may generate a fingerprint in the frame format and send the fingerprint back to the ACR system 124 or 126. The ACR system 124 or 126 may use the fingerprint to identify the media content.

The frame format may include a frame that is subdivided into multiple segments, as discussed in more detail in the preceding paragraphs. In one example, the frame format may exclude the ACR system 124 or 126 from using one or more of the multiple segments to match the content fingerprint with the stored fingerprint. For example, the one or more excluded segments may include a logo, closed caption text, an emergency message, and the like. In another embodiment, the electronic device 118 or 120 may send the complete fingerprint to the ACR system 124 or 126. The ACR system 124 or 126 may reformat the fingerprint to exclude one or more segments of the fingerprint as defined by the frame format. In one example, the ACR system 124 or 126 may request a variety of different fingerprint formats. In another example, the ACR system 124 or 126 may reformat the fingerprint into a variety of different formats for content recognition.

To find a match between the content fingerprint from the electronic device 115 and the stored fingerprints in the reference database, the ACR system 124 or 126 may perform a one-to-one comparison between the content fingerprint and the stored fingerprints. For example, the ACR system 124 or 126 may use an O(n) algorithm (e.g., a linear algorithm) for the comparison, where n is the number of elements in the reference database. When the ACR system uses an O(n) algorithm to search for entries in the database, the ACR system may have to search all or a relatively large number of stored fingerprints in the reference database to find a match.

The content management device 122 uses the device information of the electronic device 118 or 120 to filter the overlay content. The content management device 122 may send the overlay content to the electronic device 118 or 120 via the ACR system 124 or 126. In one embodiment, the electronic device 118 or 120 may display the overlay content to the viewer. In another embodiment, the electronic device 118 or 120 may replace the media content with the overlay content and display the overlay content to the viewer.

In one embodiment, the ACR system 124 or 126 may cause a trigger to be displayed on the electronic device 118 or 120. The electronic device 118 or 120 may recognize the trigger and send a request to the content management device 122 to record an impression or association between the electronic device 118 or 120 and the media content in the database 123. For example, the electronic device 118 or 120 may send a request to the content management device 122 to record whether the viewer changes the channel when the electronic device 118 or 120 displays the selected media content.

Automatic content recognition may be performed in a distributed architecture as described herein. In one embodiment, the ACR system may reside on any of the electronic devices 115, 118, or 120. In one embodiment, the ACR system may perform automatic content recognition. In another embodiment, a local ACR system or a local ACR fingerprint matcher is integrated into the electronic device 115, 118, or 120 to perform automatic content recognition. In another embodiment, the ACR system may perform ACR fingerprint matching as described herein. In another embodiment, the ACR system may be a client-side matching component.

The electronic device 115, 118 or 120 may be a media device, such as a television, a mobile phone or a hardware protection device. The ACR system may be software or firmware executed or run on the electronic device 115, 118 or 120. The ACR system may fingerprint the media content during playback of the media content (such as audio content, video content, closed captions, emergency messages, etc.). The ACR system may communicate with the ACR system 124 or 126 to facilitate identifying content and triggering events to cause the content overlay system to perform dynamic advertising replacement and/or overlay content on top of the media content. The preceding paragraphs describe the interaction of the ACR system with the ACR fingerprint server 105 in more detail.

The ACR fingerprint server 105 can analyze a local content feed, which can include an ordered sequence of frames from the local content feed, and capture a fingerprint. The ACR fingerprint server 105 can communicate the fingerprint to an ACR system 124 or 126. The ACR systems 124 and 126 can be different ACR systems selected by a device manufacturer, such as a smart TV manufacturer. In one example, the ACR fingerprint server 105 can format fingerprints for different ACR systems 124 and 126.

The ACR systems 124 and 126 may establish communication connections with different electronic devices 115. The electronic devices 115 may communicate fingerprint information to the ACR systems 124 and 126, respectively. When the ACR system 124 or 126 receives ACR fingerprint information from the electronic device 115, the ACR system 124 or 126 may match the received fingerprint with the fingerprint generated by the ACR fingerprint server 105. When a match occurs and the ACR system 124 or 126 identifies the content, the ACR system 124 or 126 may communicate an ACR event to the content management device 122.

In another example, the ACR system 124 or 126 may receive ACR fingerprint information from one of the electronic devices 115 and may match the received fingerprint with the fingerprint generated by the ACR fingerprint server 105. When a match occurs and the ACR system 124 or 126 identifies the content, the ACR system 124 or 126 may notify the electronic device 115 of an ACR event. The electronic device 115 may communicate the ACR event information to the content management device 122. Alternatively or in addition, the ACR system 124 or 126 may communicate the ACR event information directly to the content management device 122. The ACR event information may include: information indicating an advertisement in a local content feed; information indicating selection or flagging in a local content feed; or information indicating that a content channel at the electronic device 115 has changed to new media content.

The ACR event information from different ACR systems 124 and 126 may be in different formats, and the content management device 122 may normalize the data into a common format. The content management device 122 may store the normalized data in the database 123. For example, the content management device 122 may receive disparate data sets from the ACR systems 124 and 126, the disparate data sets including similar but not identical data, such as data having the same content but formatted differently. The content management device 122 may process and reformat the disparate data sets to create a single data model or format (e.g., a reformatted data set). The content management device 122 may store the reformatted data sets in the database 123.

In one embodiment, to normalize the disparate datasets from ACR systems 124 and 126, content management device 122 may remove or filter data from the datasets. For example, some datasets may include fields or data that may be irrelevant to content management device 122. In this example, content management device 122 may remove or filter irrelevant data. In another embodiment, to normalize the disparate datasets from ACR systems 124 and 126, content management device 122 may map fields from the datasets. For example, when content management device 122 receives a first dataset from ACR system 124 and a second dataset from ACR system 126, at least some data fields of the first and second datasets may be common to both the first and second datasets. However, the common data fields may be located at different locations in the first and second datasets. In this example, content management device 122 may map different data fields of the first and second datasets to normalized fields. When content management device 122 maps the data fields, the same data fields are mapped to the same data field locations in database 123.

In another embodiment, the content management device 122 may derive data from the datasets to normalize the disparate datasets from the ACR systems 124 and 126. For example, the data from the ACR systems 124 and 126 may not include all the fields needed to populate the data fields in the database. However, the content management device 122 may derive data for these data fields using other fields in the datasets from the ACR systems 124 and 126.

In one example, database 123 may include data fields for the state in a country field, a designated market area (DMA) field, and a county and/or city field, but the data sets from ACR systems 124 and 126 may only include a zone improvement program (ZIP) code. In this example, content management device 122 may use the ZIP code to derive data for the fields in the database. In another example, the data set may not include any geographic location information, but may include the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of ACR systems 124 and 126. In this example, content management device 122 may use a geographic IP lookup service to derive the state, DMA, county, city, and ZIP code information.

In another example, database 123 may include demographic fields, such as age, gender, household income, and the like. However, the data sets from ACR systems 124 and 126 may not include demographic fields or demographic data. In this example, ACR systems 124 and 126 may provide the IP address of electronic device 115 to content management device 122. Content management device 122 may use the IP address to determine demographic data to populate the data fields in the database.

In another example, a field in a first data set from the ACR system 124 may include local time zone information, such as a Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) zone, and a second data set from the ACR system 126 may include information from another time zone, such as a Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) zone. The database may store all data using UTC, and the content management device 122 may convert the local time to UTC before storing the data in the database 123.

In one embodiment, the content management device 122 may use the normalized data to generate reports or data about a user's viewing behavior (viewing data) across different ACR technology providers and smart TVs or other internet-connected video devices. The content management device 122 and the electronic device 115 may include a communication interface to communicate information, such as coverage content, between the electronic device 115 and the content management device 122. In one example, the communication interface may use a cellular network and/or a wireless network to communicate information. In one example, the communication network may be a cellular network that adopts Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. 802.16p, 802.16n, 802.16m-2011, 802.16h-2010, 802.16j-2009, 802.16-2009. In another embodiment, the communication network may be a wireless network that may comply with standards developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (e.g., a network using technology developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance), such as IEEE 802.11-2012, IEEE 802.11ac, or IEEE 802.11ad. In another embodiment, the communication network may implement a connection developed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), such as Bluetooth v1.0, Bluetooth v2.0, Bluetooth v3.0, or Bluetooth v4.0. In another embodiment, the communication network may be a connection developed by the ZigBee Alliance, such as IEEE 802.15.4-2003 (ZigBee 2003), IEEE 802.15.4-2006 (ZigBee 2006), or IEEE 802.15.4-2007 (ZigBee Pro).

In one example, the content management device 122 can instruct the electronic device 115 to replace a segment of a local content feed received from the OTA broadcaster 108 or the MVPD 110 with overlay content. In another example, the content management device 122 can instruct the electronic device 115 to overlay or superimpose the overlay content onto a segment of the local content feed. The content management device 122 can aggregate ACR event information across multiple ACR systems 124 and 126 and can communicate the overlay content to different electronic devices 115 (e.g., electronic devices from different device manufacturers).

The content management device 122 may also establish a communication connection with the other devices 116. In one example, the other devices 116 may communicate with the electronic devices 118 and 120 and provide an additional screen (e.g., a second screen) to display overlay content. For example, the electronic devices 118 and 120 may receive a local content feed from the OTA broadcaster 108 or the MVPD 110 and display the local content feed to the viewer. As discussed in the preceding paragraphs, when an ACR event occurs, the other devices 116 may also communicate ACR event information to the ACR systems 124 and 126. When the content management device 122 receives the ACR event information, the content management device 122 may communicate the overlay content to the other devices 116.

In one example, electronic devices 118 and 120 may continue to display the local content feed while other device 116 displays overlay content. In another example, electronic devices 118 and 120 and other device 116 may all display overlay content. In another example, electronic devices 118 and 120 and other device 116 may display a segment of the overlay content and a segment of the local content feed. In another example, electronic devices 118 and 120 and other device 116 may display different local content feeds and different overlay content.

In one example, electronic devices 118 and 120 and/or other devices 116 may display the overlay content when the electronic devices 118 and 120 and/or other devices 116 receive the overlay content. In another example, electronic devices 118 and 120 and/or other devices 116 may delay displaying the overlay content for a threshold period of time. In one embodiment, the threshold period of time may be a predefined period of time. In another embodiment, content management device 122 may select a period of time for which electronic devices 118 and 120 and other devices 116 delay displaying the overlay content.

Figure 2A illustrates a system diagram of a content overlay network 200 according to one embodiment. The content overlay network 200 may include an electronic device 210, a first ACR system 220, a content database 230, an overlay content server 240, a recording database 250, and an overlay content management system 260. The ACR system 220 provides broadcast digital content to the electronic device 210. The broadcast digital content may include overlay content that the ACR system 220 superimposes or overlays on top of a media segment for the electronic device 210 to display to a viewer. The media segment may be a segment or portion of the media content. For example, the media segment may be a segment or portion of the media content for a TV program or movie, such as a TV program clip or a movie clip. In another example, the media segment of the media content may be a commercial that is part of the media content of the TV program or movie.

In one embodiment, the ACR system 220 is integrated into the electronic device 210. In another embodiment, the ACR system 220 is coupled to the electronic device 210. In one example, the ACR system 220 can be directly coupled to the electronic device 210 using an input port of the electronic device 210. For example, the ACR system 220 is a high-definition media interface (HDMI) hardware protection device that is inserted into the high-definition media interface (HDMI) input terminal of the electronic device 210. In this example, the ACR system 220 may include an HDMI input port, an HDMI output port, and a network interface to receive broadcast content or media clips from a content provider. In another example, the ACR system 220 may be indirectly coupled to the electronic device 210 via another device coupled to the electronic device 210, such as an audio and/or video (A/V) device.

The electronic device 210 can use the ACR system 220 to display targeted or personalized overlay content segments to the viewer. The overlay content segment can be an audio segment, a video segment, and/or a graphic segment of the content. In one example, the overlay content segment can be a media object or file containing an audio segment or a video segment of the content that replaces the AD. In another example, the overlay content segment is an audio segment or a video segment that contains a larger audio object or a larger video object that contains other overlay content segments.

In one embodiment, the ACR system 220 can use digital watermarks to ACR broadcast content. For digital watermarking, a content provider or broadcaster can process the broadcast content before broadcasting to insert watermark data within the content signal. The electronic device 210 or the ACR system 220 can detect the watermark data to identify the media segment and synchronize it with the broadcast content.

In another embodiment, as the electronic device displays media content, the ACR system 220 may use content fingerprinting to identify the media content of the broadcast content. Content fingerprinting may include the ACR system 220 matching the content fingerprint sequence of the media content being displayed by the electronic device 210 with a stored fingerprint sequence in a reference database. The advantage of content fingerprinting may be processing the media segment while the media segment is being broadcast (e.g., real-time processing) or processing the media segment within a threshold time period (e.g., a few seconds) after the broadcast media segment (e.g., substantially real-time processing). As the electronic device 210 displays content, the content overlay network 200 may adjust the overlay content segment based on viewer behavior during the content broadcast (e.g., real-time or substantially real-time adjustment). In one example, viewer behavior may include the electronic device 210 receiving a command from the user device to change the channel or pause the display of media content. In another example, viewer behavior may include the electronic device 210 receiving a command from the user device to display time-shifted content. As the viewer selects or changes content, the content overlay network 200 may switch what overlay content is superimposed on the media content.

Overlay content server 240 is coupled to ACR system 220. Overlay content server 240 may receive overlay content from content providers or advertisers. Overlay content server 240 may store media segments, overlay content segments, and format information for the media segments and overlay content segments. Overlay content server 240 may send the media segments to electronic device 210 in a selected overlay format.

Record database 250 is coupled to overlay content server 240. Record database 250 can maintain a record of media clips or overlay content clips displayed by electronic device 210. In one embodiment, electronic device 210 has a unique identifier (UID) associated therewith that uniquely identifies electronic device 210. The UID can also be associated with a media clip or overlay content clip to indicate what media clip or overlay content clip has been displayed by electronic device 210.

In another embodiment, record database 250 may receive a message from overlay content server 240. In one example, the message may include a media segment ID identifying a media segment and a UID associated with the media segment ID. In another example, the message may include an overlay content segment ID identifying an overlay content segment and a UID associated with the overlay content segment ID. Record database 250 may store various media segment IDs and overlay content segment IDs and their associated UIDs for subsequent lookup by overlay content server 240. Overlay content server 240 may search record database 250 to determine when a media segment or overlay content segment associated with a corresponding media segment ID or overlay content segment ID was previously displayed on electronic device 210 having the UID.

In one embodiment, overlay content management system 260 may include an input device to receive configuration information for the sequence of media segments and overlay content segments. In one example, the input device may be a software interface on an electronic device (e.g., a web portal) where a user can input configuration information to configure the sequence of media segments and overlay content segments at overlay content server 240. For example, overlay content management system 260 may be an end-user accessible website for creating, viewing, updating, and deleting overlay content and replacing videos.

In one example, a user may use an input device to set rules or criteria that overlay content server 240 uses to select overlay content segments for an overlay content group. In one embodiment, the rules or criteria may include a sequence for displaying items in an overlay content group, such as media content and overlay content segments. In another embodiment, the rules or criteria may include displaying different overlay content segments based on the user's demographic information. In one example, if the user is male, electronic device 210 may display a selected overlay content segment. In another example, if the user is female, a different overlay content segment may be displayed. In another embodiment, the rules or criteria may include displaying different overlay content segments based on the time of day. For example, in the morning, electronic device 210 may display overlay content segments related to breakfast, and in the evening, electronic device 210 may display overlay content segments related to dinner. In another embodiment, overlay content server 240 may include an input device for receiving configuration information to sort media content and overlay content segments in a linear sequence. For example, a user may use a graphical user interface (GUI) to send configuration information to overlay content server 240 to sort the sequence of media segments and overlay content segments.

FIG2B illustrates media content 278 with media segments 280 according to one embodiment. Some numbers in FIG2B are similar to some numbers in FIG2A , as referenced by similar reference numbers, unless explicitly described otherwise. In one embodiment, the ACR system 220 may use fingerprinting to identify the media content 278, as discussed in the preceding paragraphs. The media content 278 may include frames 260 to 276. Frames 270 to 274 may be media segments 280 that are fragments of portions of the media content 278. In one embodiment, frames 260 to 268 and 276 may be frames in the media content 278 that are portions of a TV program or movie and frames 270 to 274, and frames 270 to 274 in the media segments 280 may be commercials or advertisements integrated into the TV program or movie. In one example, the media segments 280 are commercials integrated into a TV program or movie that is broadcast or streamed to the electronic device 210. In another example, the media segments 280 may be segments or portions of a TV program or movie, such as a TV program clip or movie clip. In another embodiment, the overlay content server 240 may determine that the media segment 280 has been previously displayed on the electronic device 210, and the ACR system 220 may replace the media segment 280 with an overlay content segment 288, as discussed in more detail in the preceding paragraphs. The overlay content segment 288 may include frames 282 to 286. In one example, the overlay content segment 288 may be a replacement AD that the ACR system 220 overlays or superimposes on top of frames 270 to 274 in the media segment 280. On the other hand, the overlay content segment 288 may be a replacement AD that the ACR system 220 replaces frames 270 to 274 of the media segment 280 with frames 282 to 286. The number of frames in the media content and the number of media segments are not intended to be limiting. For example, the media content 278 may include multiple media segments 280 that may have different numbers of frames.

3A illustrates a diagram of a method 300 for determining when to replace a media segment that has been previously displayed a threshold number of times on an electronic device 310, according to one embodiment. The method 300 may be performed, at least in part, by processing logic comprising hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g., instructions executed by a processing device), firmware, or a combination thereof. The method 300 may be performed by all or part of the content distribution network 100 of FIG. 1 or all or part of the content overlay network 200 of FIG. 2. For example, the method 300 may be performed by processing logic of the electronic device 210 ( FIG. 2 ), processing logic of the ACR system 220 ( FIG. 2 ), or processing logic of the overlay content server 240 ( FIG. 2 ).

3A , method 300 begins with the electronic device 310 determining a fingerprint for a media segment to be displayed on the electronic device ( 312 ). In one example, the media segment may be part of media content received by the electronic device 310 from a broadcaster or content provider. In another example, the electronic device 310 may receive overlay content from an overlay content server 240. In another example, the electronic device 310 may have a first automatic content recognition (ACR) system and be connected to the overlay content server via a first network connection. The electronic device 310 may receive media content from a content source device via a second network connection between a content source device (e.g., a broadcaster) and the electronic device 310. In one embodiment, the network connection may be a wired communication channel for communicating data, such as a communication channel via an Ethernet cable or a coaxial cable. In another embodiment, the network connection may be a wireless communication channel for communicating data, such as a cellular communication channel or a WLAN communication channel.

The method may also include the electronic device 310 sending a message to the overlay content server 340 (314). The message may include a fingerprint and a UID associated with the electronic device 310. The method may include the overlay content server 340 determining a media segment ID for the media segment using the fingerprint (315). For example, the overlay content server 340 may search a database for the fingerprint and identify a media segment ID associated with the fingerprint. The media segment ID may include information associated with the media segment, such as a subject matter of the media segment, a play length of the media segment, a display resolution level of the media segment, and the like. The method may include the overlay content server 340 searching a record database 350 for a media segment ID associated with the UID (316).

The method may include the overlay content server 340 determining a count stored in the record database 350 for the media segment ID associated with the UID (318). The count may be a number indicating the number of times the electronic device 310 has displayed the media segment or content overlay segment. In one example, the count may be the total number of entries in the record database 350 for the media segment ID, wherein each time the electronic device 310 displays the media segment, the overlay content server 340 may store an entry in the record database 350 that may include the media segment ID and the UID. In another example, the count may be a single entry that includes a number that the overlay content server 340 increments each time the electronic device 310 displays the media segment or content overlay segment. The method may include determining, using the overlay content server 340, that the count does not exceed a threshold count (320).

In one example, a system administrator or overlay content provider (e.g., an advertiser) can set the threshold count via an input device. For example, the system administrator or overlay content provider can use a graphical user interface (GUI) on an electronic device to send configuration data for the threshold count to overlay content server 340. In another example, the threshold count can be set when the media clip or overlay content clip is uploaded or stored in a database coupled to overlay content server 340. In another example, the threshold count can be set when the media clip or overlay content clip is uploaded or stored to overlay content server 340. In another example, different threshold counts can be set for different media clips or overlay content clips. For example, overlay content server 340 can use rules or criteria to set different thresholds for media clips or overlay content clips based on viewer demographics (e.g., threshold rules or criteria). For example, a first threshold value can be used to display a media clip a defined number of times when the viewer is male, and a second threshold value can be used to display the media clip a different number of times when the viewer is female. In another embodiment, the rules or criteria can include setting different thresholds based on the time of day. For example, a first threshold may be used in the morning, a second threshold may be used in the evening, and a third threshold may be used during the night.

The method may include the overlay content server 340 sending a notification to the electronic device 310 instructing the electronic device 310 to display the media segment (322). The method may include: in response to the electronic device 310 receiving the notification, the electronic device 310 displaying the media segment on a display of the electronic device 310 (324). When the electronic device 310 does not receive the notification before the media segment is scheduled for display, the electronic device 310 displays the media segment. In one example, the overlay content server 340 may send a configuration setting to the electronic device instructing the electronic device 310 to display the media segment when the electronic device 310 does not receive the notification before the media segment is scheduled for display.

The method may include the electronic device 310 sending a notification (326) to the overlay content server 340 that the media segment has been displayed on the electronic device 310. In one embodiment, the method may include, in response to receiving the notification, the overlay content server 340 incrementing a count associated with the media segment ID and the UID in the recording database 350 (336). For example, each time the electronic device 310 displays the media segment, the overlay content server 340 may increment the count recorded for the media segment ID and the associated UID in the recording database 350.

In another embodiment, the overlay content server 340 may determine that a media segment has been displayed using a trigger. In this embodiment, the method may include the overlay content server 340 sending a trigger to the electronic device 310 when the overlay content server 340 has received a notification (328). The method may include the electronic device 310 displaying the trigger (330). In one embodiment, the trigger may be an invisible overlay displayed by the electronic device 310 in response to the ACR system 220 (Figure 2) determining that the electronic device 310 has displayed a particular media segment or is currently displaying a particular media segment. In another embodiment, the trigger is a web request directed to a specific endpoint on the overlay content server 340 (Figure 2). The method may include the ACR system 220 of the electronic device 310 determining that the trigger is displayed (332). The method may include the electronic device 310 sending a notification with a media segment ID and UID to the overlay content server 340 when the electronic device 310 has displayed the trigger (334). The method may include the overlay content server 340 incrementing a count of the media segment ID and associated UID in the recording database 350 (336). For example, each time a media segment is displayed on the electronic device 310 , the overlay content server 340 may increment the count recorded for the media segment ID and associated UID in the recording database 350 .

3B illustrates a diagram of a method 355 for replacing a media segment with an overlay content segment when an electronic device 310 has previously displayed the media segment for a threshold count, according to one embodiment. The method 355 may be performed, at least in part, by processing logic comprising hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.), software (e.g., instructions executed by a processing device), firmware, or a combination thereof. The method 355 may be performed by all or part of the content distribution network 100 of FIG. 1 or all or part of the content overlay network 200 of FIG. 2 . The method 355 may be performed by processing logic of the electronic device 210 ( FIG. 2 ), processing logic of the ACR system 220 ( FIG. 2 ), or processing logic of the overlay content server 240 ( FIG. 2 ).

3B , method 355 begins with electronic device 310 determining a fingerprint for a media segment to be displayed on electronic device 310 (356). The method may also include sending a message from electronic device 310 to overlay content server 340 (358). The message may include a fingerprint and a UID associated with electronic device 310. The method may include determining a media segment ID for the media segment using the fingerprint (360). For example, overlay content server 340 may search a database for the fingerprint and identify a media segment ID associated with the fingerprint. The media segment ID may include information associated with the media segment, such as the subject of the media segment, the play length of the media segment, the display resolution level of the media segment, and the like. The method may include overlay content server 340 searching record database 350 for a media segment ID associated with the UID (362).

The method may include the overlay content server 340 determining a count for the media segment ID and the associated UID stored in the record database 350 (364). The count associated with the media segment ID and the UID may indicate a number of times the electronic device 310 has displayed the media segment associated with the media segment ID on a display of the electronic device 310. The method may include the overlay content server 340 determining, using the overlay content server 340, that the count exceeds a threshold count (366). The method may include the overlay content server 340 identifying, when the count exceeds the threshold count for the media segment ID, an overlay content segment of the overlay content group to display on the electronic device 310 (368).

The method may include the overlay content server 340 searching the record database 350 for an overlay content segment ID associated with the UID (370). The method may include the overlay content server 340 determining that a count in the record database 350 for the overlay content segment ID and the UID does not exceed a second threshold count. In one embodiment, identifying the overlay content segment to be displayed may include the overlay content server 340 verifying that a count in the record database 350 for the overlay content segment ID associated with the overlay content segment to be displayed on the electronic device 310 does not exceed a threshold count (372). For example, the absence of the overlay content segment ID associated with the UID for the overlay content segment in the record database 350 may indicate that the electronic device 310 has not previously displayed the overlay content segment.

In another embodiment, when the count of overlay content segments to be displayed on the electronic device 310 in the record database 350 exceeds a threshold count, the overlay content server 340 may iteratively search the record database 350 to identify an nth overlay content segment that does not exceed the threshold count. In one example, when the threshold count for a first overlay content segment is exceeded, the overlay content server 340 may sequentially search the record database 350 to obtain a second overlay content segment ID associated with a second overlay content segment in the overlay content group, a third overlay content segment ID associated with a third overlay content segment in the overlay content group, a fourth overlay content segment ID associated with a fourth overlay content segment in the overlay content group, and so on, until the overlay content server 340 identifies an nth overlay content segment ID associated with the nth overlay content segment that does not exceed the threshold count. In this example, the overlay content server 340 may send the nth overlay content segment to the electronic device instead of the first overlay content segment.

In another example, the overlay content server 340 may search the record database 350 for a first entry containing a media segment ID associated with the UID. The overlay content server 340 may determine that a first count in the record database 350 for the media segment ID associated with the UID exceeds a first threshold count. The overlay content server 340 may identify a first overlay content segment and a first overlay content segment ID in a set of overlay content segments to be displayed by the electronic device 310. The overlay content server 340 may determine a second count associated with the first overlay content segment ID associated with the UID. The overlay content server 340 may determine that a second count in the record database 350 for the first overlay content segment ID associated with the UID exceeds a second threshold count. The overlay content server 340 may identify a second overlay content segment and a second overlay content segment ID in the set of overlay content segments to be displayed by the electronic device 310. The overlay content server 340 may determine a third count for a second overlay content segment ID associated with the UID, wherein the second overlay content segment ID is an overlay content segment ID for the second overlay content segment. The overlay content server 340 may determine that a third count in the record database for the second overlay content segment ID associated with the UID does not exceed a third threshold count.

In one embodiment, when a threshold count has been exceeded for each of the n overlay content segments, the overlay content server 340 may send an overlay content segment from another overlay content group to the electronic device 310. In this example, the overlay content server 340 may notify the user or administrator via an input device associated with the user or administrator (e.g., a smartphone or desktop computer) that the individual or company associated with the initial overlay content group should receive a refund for the payment associated with the overlay content server 340 sending the media segment and/or overlay content segment to the electronic device 310 for display. In another example, when a threshold count has been exceeded for each of the n overlay content segments, the overlay content server 340 may send an overlay content segment from a different overlay content group to the electronic device 310. In this example, the overlay content server 340 may send a refund notification to a device associated with the user or administrator. For example, the user or administrator may be an individual or representative of a company associated with the overlay content segment or group. The refund notification indicates that the overlay content segment in the overlay content segment group was displayed on the electronic device 310 more than the threshold number of overlay time slots for the user. In this example, the individual or representative who provided the initial overlay content set may receive a refund of the payment associated with the overlay content server 340 completing the sending of the media and overlay content segments from the overlay content set to the electronic device 310 for display.

In another example, when a threshold count for the media segment and each overlay content segment has been exceeded, the overlay content server 340 may reset the count for the associated media segment ID and overlay content segment ID to zero. When the count has been reset, the overlay content server 340 may restart the sequence of presenting the media segments and overlay content segments in the set of overlay content segments.

The method may include sending the overlay content segment from the overlay content server 340 to the electronic device 310 (374). The method may include the electronic device 310 displaying the overlay content segment (376). In one example, the electronic device 310 may display the overlay content segment by overlaying or superimposing the overlay content segment on top of the media segment. The method may include the overlay content server 340 sending a notification to the overlay content server 340 when the electronic device 310 has displayed the overlay content segment (378). The notification may include the overlay content segment ID and UID. The method may include incrementing a count for the overlay content segment ID and associated UID when the overlay content server 340 receives the notification (380). Alternatively, the overlay content server 340 may increment the count when the overlay content server 340 sends the overlay content segment to the electronic device 310. The foregoing example illustrates displaying the overlay content segment on the electronic device 310. However, this exemplary method is not intended to be limiting. Method 355 can be an iterative method, wherein the media segments and the overlay content segments in the overlay content group can be sequentially overlaid on the media segments and the overlay content segments previously displayed. In addition, the order of the overlay content segments in the overlay content group can be sequential, random or any other defined order.

FIG4 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of an example computer system 400 within which a set of instructions for causing the machine to perform one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. In alternative embodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. The machine may operate as a server or electronic device in a client-server network environment or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular phone, a smartphone, a web appliance, a server, a network router, a switch, or a bridge, or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequentially or otherwise) that specify the actions to be taken by the machine. Furthermore, while a single machine is illustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to encompass any collection of machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

Computer system 400 may correspond to ACR fingerprint server 105 of Figure 1. Computer system 400 may correspond to all or part of content distribution network 100 of Figure 1 or to all or part of content overlay network 200 of Figure 2. Computer system 400 may correspond to at least a portion of a cloud-based computer system, such as discussed herein.

The computer system 400 includes a processing device 402, a main memory 404, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) or DRAM (RDRAM), a static memory 406, such as a flash memory or static random access memory (SRAM), and a data storage device 418. The processing device 402, the main memory 404, the flash memory, the dynamic random access memory (DRAM), the static memory 406, and the data storage device 418 can communicate with each other via a bus 430.

Processing device 402 represents one or more processing devices. For example, one or more processing devices may be a microprocessor, a central processing unit, or the like. More specifically, processing device 402 may be a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, a very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, a processor implementing another instruction set, or a processor implementing a combination of instruction sets. Processing device 402 may also be one or more special-purpose processing devices. For example, a special-purpose processing device may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), a network processor, or the like. In one embodiment, processing device 402 may include one or more processing cores. Processing device 402 may be configured to execute instructions 426 of the mirrored logic stored in main memory 404 to perform the operations discussed herein.

Computer system 400 may further include a network interface device 408 communicatively coupled to a network 420. Computer system 400 may also include a video display 410, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT); an alphanumeric input device 412, such as a keyboard; a cursor control device 414, such as a mouse; a signal generating device 416, such as a speaker; or other peripheral devices. Furthermore, computer system 400 may include a graphics processing unit 422, a video processing unit 428, and an audio processing unit 432. In another embodiment, computer system 400 may include a chipset, which refers to a group of integrated circuits or chips designed to work with processing device 402. The chipset may control communications between processing device 402 and external devices. For example, a chipset may be a set of chips on a motherboard that links processing device 402 to high-speed devices, such as main memory 404 and a graphics controller, and a low-speed peripheral bus, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB), a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), or an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, that links processing device 402 to peripheral devices.

The data storage device 418 may include a computer-readable storage medium 425 storing instructions 426. The instructions 426 may embody any one or more of the methods of functionality described herein. The instructions 426 may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 404 and/or within the processing device 402 during execution by the computer system 400. The main memory 404 and the processing device 402 may be computer-readable storage media.

Computer-readable storage medium 425 may store instructions 426 for utilization logic and/or a software library containing methods for invoking the above application programs. Although computer-readable storage medium 425 is shown as a single medium in the example embodiment, the term "computer-readable storage medium" or "computer-readable medium" is not intended to be limiting. A "computer-readable storage medium" or "computer-readable medium" may be a single medium or multiple media that store one or more sets of instructions, such as a centralized or distributed database and/or associated caches and servers. The term "computer-readable storage medium" may include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructions that is executed by a machine and causes the machine to perform any one or more of the methods of the present embodiments. The term "computer-readable storage medium" may include, but is not limited to, solid-state memory, optical media, and magnetic media.

In the above description, numerous details are set forth. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the present disclosure that the embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form rather than in detail to avoid obscuring the description.

Although embodiments may be described herein with reference to specific integrated circuits (e.g., in computing platforms or microprocessors), other embodiments are applicable to other types of integrated circuits and logic devices. Similar techniques and teachings of the embodiments described herein may be applied to other types of circuits or semiconductor devices. For example, the disclosed embodiments are not limited to desktop computer systems or laptop computers and may also be used in other devices, such as handheld devices, tablet computers, other thin notebook computers, system-on-a-chip (SOC) devices, and embedded applications. Some examples of handheld devices include cellular phones, Internet Protocol (IP) devices, smartphones, digital cameras, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and handheld personal computers (PCs). Embedded applications may include microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), SoCs, network computers (NetPCs), set-top boxes, network hubs, wide area network (WAN) switches, or other systems that can perform the functions and operations discussed in the preceding paragraphs.

While the embodiments described herein may relate to processors or processing devices, other embodiments are applicable to other types of integrated circuits and logic devices. Similar techniques and teachings of the embodiments may be applied to other types of circuits or semiconductor devices that may benefit from higher pipeline throughput and improved performance. The embodiments herein are applicable to any processor or machine that performs data manipulation. However, the embodiments are not limited to processors or machines that perform 512-bit, 256-bit, 128-bit, 64-bit, 32-bit, and/or 16-bit data operations and may be applied to any processor or machine in which data manipulation or management is performed.

The embodiments herein provide examples, and the accompanying drawings show various examples for illustrative purposes. However, these examples should not be considered limiting, as they are merely intended to provide examples of embodiments rather than an exhaustive list of all possible implementations of the embodiments.

Some portions of the detailed description are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are used by those skilled in the art of data processing to most effectively convey the essence of their work to other skilled in the art. An algorithm is generally considered to be a self-consistent sequence of operations that results in a desired result. The operations are those that require physical manipulation of physical quantities. Typically, but not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals that can be stored, transmitted, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. Mainly for common purposes, it is sometimes convenient to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, etc. The blocks described herein may be hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

The terms in the preceding paragraphs and similar terms will be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless otherwise apparent from the preceding paragraphs and the accompanying drawings, discussions utilizing terms such as "detecting," "starting," "determining," "continuing," "stopping," "receiving," "recording," and the like refer to actions and processes of a computing system or similar electronic computing device that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic) quantities within computing system registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within computing system memories, computer system registers, other information storage devices, other transmitting devices, or electronic devices.

The words "example" or "exemplary" are used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as an "example" or "exemplary" is not necessarily to be considered preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, the use of the words "example" or "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or." That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X includes A or B" is intended to mean any natural inclusive permutation. That is, if X includes A; X includes B; or X includes both A and B, then "X includes A or B" is satisfied under any of the foregoing examples. In addition, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to indicate a singular form, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be understood to mean "one or more." Furthermore, the use of the terms "embodiment" or "one embodiment" or "implementation" or "an embodiment" throughout the application is not intended to refer to the same embodiment or implementation unless otherwise described. Furthermore, the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc. as used herein are meant as labels for distinguishing different elements and do not necessarily have ordinal meanings according to their numerical designations.

The embodiments described herein may also relate to an apparatus for performing the operations described herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the desired purpose, or it may comprise a computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of magnetic disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. The term "computer-readable storage medium" may include a single medium or multiple media that stores one or more sets of instructions. The single medium or multiple media may be a centralized or distributed database and/or associated caches and servers. The term "computer-readable medium" may include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructions that is executed by a machine and causes the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein. The term "computer-readable storage medium" may include, but is not limited to, solid-state memories, optical media, magnetic media, or any medium capable of storing a set of instructions that is executed by a machine and causes the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the embodiments herein.

The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other device. Various computing systems may be used with the programs according to the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized equipment to perform the operations. The required structure for various such systems will emerge from the description in the preceding paragraphs. In addition, the embodiments herein are described without reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the embodiments herein.

To provide a good understanding of several embodiments, the foregoing description sets forth numerous specific details, such as examples of specific systems, components, methods, and the like. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that at least some embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known components or methods are not described in detail, or are presented in a simple block diagram format to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments herein. Therefore, the specific details set forth above are merely exemplary. Specific implementations may vary from these exemplary details and still be considered within the scope of the present embodiments.

The foregoing description is illustrative and non-restrictive. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the foregoing description. The scope of the embodiments herein should be determined with reference to the appended claims and the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims (21)

1. A content overlay server device, comprising: A first network connection to a television performing a first automatic content recognition system, wherein the television is used to receive media content comprising multiple media segments from the content source device via a second network connection between the content source device and the television, wherein the first automatic content recognition system generates fingerprints for media segments among the multiple media segments, and wherein the television includes a unique identifier UID. A third network connection to a recording database, the recording database storing entries for media segment identifiers (IDs) and the UIDs; and A processing device coupled to the first network connection and the third network connection, the processing device being used for: Receive the fingerprint and UID for the media segment from the television via the first network connection; The fingerprint is used to determine the media segment ID for the media segment; The query for the media segment ID is generated and submitted to the record database via the second network connection; Determine the count for the media segment ID and the UID stored in the record database; It is determined that the count does not exceed the threshold count; In response to the count not exceeding the threshold count, a first notification is sent to the television via the first network connection, the first notification instructing the television to display the media segment; Receive a second notification from the television set, the second notification indicating that the media segment has been displayed on the television set; and Increment the count in the record database for the media segment ID associated with the UID. 2. The overlay content server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing apparatus is further configured to: The trigger will be sent to the television set; Receive a third notification from the television set, wherein the third notification includes the media segment ID and the UID; and In response to receiving the third notification, the count for the media segment ID and the UID in the record database is incremented. 3. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing means is further configured to receive configuration data for setting the threshold count from a system administrator or overlay content provider via an input device. 4. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 3, wherein the threshold count is set when the media segment is uploaded to the overlay content server. 5. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the television has not received the first notification before the media segment is scheduled for display, the processing apparatus is further configured to send configuration settings to the television, the configuration settings instructing the television to display the media segment. 6. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 1, wherein a zero count for the media segment ID indicates that the television set has not previously displayed the media segment. 7. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 1, wherein the media content is at least a portion of the media content of a television program or a movie broadcast, and the media segment is a commercial advertisement within the television program or movie broadcast. 8. The overlay content server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the television set is a smart television set, the smart television set comprising: The processing device is operable to: Use radio frequency (RF) circuits to access online interactive media or on-demand streaming media; Execute the operating system (OS); and Execute one or more applications; and The RF circuit includes an antenna configured to transmit data over the first network connection. 9. A content overlay server apparatus, comprising: Computer-readable storage media, which contains storage instructions; Processing device, which executes the instructions to: Receive the fingerprint and unique identifier (UID) of a media segment for the media content from an electronic device via a first network connection; The fingerprint is used to determine the media segment ID for the media segment; A first query for the media segment ID is generated and submitted to the database via a second network connection; Determine that the first count in the record database for the media segment ID and the UID exceeds the first threshold count; Identify the first covered content segment in the first group of covered content segments for display on the electronic device; A second query for the first overlay content fragment ID and the UID is generated and submitted to the record database via the second network connection, wherein the first overlay content fragment ID is the overlay content fragment ID for the first overlay content fragment; It is determined that the second count in the record database for the first covered content fragment ID and the UID exceeds the second threshold count; Identify the second covered content segment in the first group of covered content segments for display on the electronic device; A third query for the second overlay content fragment ID and the UID is generated and submitted to the record database via the second network connection, wherein the second overlay content fragment ID is the overlay content fragment ID for the second overlay content fragment; It is determined that the third count in the record database for the second covered content fragment ID and the UID does not exceed the third threshold count; Send the second covered content segment to the electronic device; Receive a notification from the electronic device indicating that the electronic device has displayed the second overlay content segment, wherein the notification includes the second overlay content segment ID and the UID; and Increment the third count in the record database for the second covered content fragment ID and the UID. 10. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first threshold count, the second threshold count, and the third threshold count are set using threshold criteria for the media segment, the first overlay content segment, and the second overlay content segment. 11. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 10, wherein the threshold criteria include the viewer's demographic information, the viewer's gender, or the time of day. 12. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing means is further configured to execute the instructions to: A fourth query for the second covered content fragment ID and the UID is generated and submitted to the record database via the second network connection; Determine that the third count in the record database for the second covered content fragment ID and the UID exceeds the third threshold count; and The record database is iteratively searched to identify the ID of the nth covered content fragment for a count not exceeding a fourth threshold. 13. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 12, wherein the iterative search is a sequential search of entries in the record database that include overlay content fragments. 14. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processing means is further configured to execute the instruction to: reset the count associated with each of the entries in the record database to zero when the corresponding threshold count for each of the media segment and the nth overlay content segment has been exceeded. 15. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 14, wherein the order of the n overlay content fragments in the overlay content group is sequential in time. 16. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing means is configured to execute the instructions to correct the display of the media segment and the sequence of the n overlay content segments on the electronic device. 17. The overlay content server apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processing means is configured to execute the instructions to: A fourth query for the second covered content fragment ID and the UID is generated and submitted to the record database via the second network connection; It is determined that the third count exceeds the third threshold count; When the count for each of the media segment IDs and the coverage content segment IDs in the first coverage content group exceeds its associated threshold count, the third coverage content segment in the second coverage content group is identified to be displayed on the electronic device. Determine that the fourth count in the record database for the third overlay content fragment ID and the UID does not exceed the fourth threshold count, wherein the third overlay content fragment ID is associated with the third overlay content fragment; and The third overlay content segment is sent to the electronic device. 18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to: Receive the fingerprint and unique identifier (UID) for the media segment from the electronic device; The fingerprint is used to determine the media segment ID for the media segment; The first query in the generation and submission record database for the media segment ID and the UID; Determine that the first count in the record database for the media segment ID and the UID exceeds the first threshold count; The identifier covers a portion of the content to be displayed on the electronic device; Send the covered content segment to the electronic device; Receive a notification from the electronic device indicating that the electronic device has displayed the overlay content segment, wherein the notification includes the overlay content segment ID and the UID; and Increment the second count in the record database for the covered content fragment and the UID. 19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the first count for the media segment ID and the UID indicates the number of times the electronic device has displayed the media segment. 20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the processing means is further configured to verify that a second count in the record database for the overlay content fragment ID associated with the overlay content fragment does not exceed a second threshold count. 21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the processing means is further configured to increment the second count in response to an overlay content server sending the overlay content fragment to the electronic device.