HK40005205B - Methods and apparatus to synthesize reference media signatures - Google Patents

Description

Method and device for synthesizing reference media signatures

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to monitoring media using media signatures, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for synthesizing a reference media signature based on constituent media signatures generated by metered media devices.

Background Art

In recent years, the method for accessing media has been developed. For example, in the past, media was accessed mainly via a television connected to a set-top box. Recently, media services deployed via an over-the-top (OTT) device or a device supporting internet streaming (e.g., Amazon Kindle Fire ^™ , Apple media player, etc.) have been introduced, which allow users to request and present media on an OTT device. These OTT devices and other media presentation platforms such as desktop, laptop, and handheld mobile devices (e.g., smart phones, tablets, etc.) allow consumption of media from various content providers and content publishers.

Summary of the Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention, a device is proposed, which includes: a collector for collecting a first component media signature that identifies a first part of a media from a first media device; a collector for collecting a second component media signature that identifies a second part of the media from a second media device; and a synthesizer that combines the first component media signature from the first media device with the second component media signature from the second media device to form a reference media signature sequence representing the media, which is used to compare with a third component media signature collected from a third media device to detect consumption of the media at the third media device.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method is proposed, which includes the following steps: obtaining a first component media signature identifying a first portion of media from a first media device; obtaining a second component media signature identifying a second portion of the media from a second media device; and combining the first component media signature from the first media device with the second component media signature from the second media device to form a reference media signature sequence identifying the media by executing instructions using a processor.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least: obtain a first component media signature identifying a first portion of media from a first media device; obtain a second component media signature identifying a second portion of the media from a second media device; and combine the first component media signature from the first media device with the second component media signature from the second media device to form a reference media signature sequence representing the media, which is used to compare with a third component media signature obtained from a third media device to detect consumption of the media at the third media device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

1 is a block diagram of an example environment in which an example media device asset manager synthesizes reference media signatures based on constituent media signatures generated by metered media devices in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

2 is a block diagram of an example implementation of the example media device asset manager of FIG. 1 in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

3 is a block diagram of an example implementation of the example synthesizer of FIG. 2 in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, and 4F are flow diagrams representative of hardware logic or machine-readable instructions for implementing the example synthesizer of FIGs. 2 and 3 to synthesize a reference media signature based on constituent media signatures generated by a metered media device.

5 illustrates an example processor platform configured to execute the example machine-readable instructions of FIG. 4A through FIG. 4F to implement the example synthesizer of FIG. 2 and/or FIG. 3 .

The drawings are not to scale. Generally, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the accompanying written description to represent the same or similar parts. The connecting lines and/or connectors shown in the figures are intended to represent example functional relationships and/or physical or logical connections between the various elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Many entities are interested in understanding how users engage with media on the Internet. For example, an audience measurement entity (AME) desires to know how users interact with media devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs, and/or the media presented thereon. For example, an AME may want to monitor media presentations made at a media device to monitor advertising exposure, determine advertising effectiveness, determine user behavior, identify purchasing behavior associated with various demographics, and the like.

AME coordinates with advertisers to gain knowledge about the audience of the media. For example, advertisers are interested in knowing the composition, engagement, size, etc. of the audience of the media. For example, media (e.g., audio and/or video media) may be distributed by a media distributor to media consumers. Content distributors, advertisers, content producers, etc. are interested in knowing the size of the media distributor's audience for the media, the extent to which the audience consumes the media, whether the audience pauses, rewinds, fast-forwards the media, etc. In some examples, the term "content" includes programs, advertisements, clips, performances, etc. In some examples, the term "media" includes any type of audio and/or visual content and/or advertisements transmitted via any type of distribution medium. Therefore, media includes television programs and/or advertisements, radio programs and/or advertisements, movies, websites, streaming media, etc. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, for ease of explanation, "media" refers to an entire media (e.g., a movie, a TV show, etc.).

In some cases, AME identifies media by extracting a media identifier such as a fingerprint, signature, and/or media identification metadata (e.g., a code, watermark, etc.) and comparing it to a reference media identifier. For example, fingerprint- or signature-based media monitoring techniques typically use one or more inherent characteristics of the monitored media during a monitoring time interval to generate a substantially unique proxy for the media. This proxy is called a signature or fingerprint and can take any form (e.g., a series of digital values, a waveform, etc.) that represents any aspect of a media signal (e.g., an audio and/or video signal forming the media presentation being monitored). A reference media signature can be a series of constituent media signatures collected sequentially over a time interval. A good signature can be repeated when processing the same media presentation, but is unique relative to other (e.g., different) presentations of other (e.g., different) media. Therefore, the terms "fingerprint" and "signature" are used interchangeably herein and are defined herein to mean any proxy for identifying media generated from one or more inherent characteristics of the media.

Signature-based media monitoring typically involves determining (e.g., generating or otherwise collecting) a signature representing a media signal (e.g., an audio signal and/or a video signal) output by a monitored media device and comparing the collected signature to one or more reference signatures corresponding to known (e.g., reference) media sources. Various comparison criteria (e.g., cross-correlation values, Hamming distances, etc.) can be evaluated to determine whether the collected signature matches a particular reference media signature. When a match is found between the collected signature and one of the reference media signatures, the monitored media can be identified as corresponding to the particular reference media represented by the reference media signature that matches the collected signature. Since attributes associated with the reference media signatures are collected (e.g., identifiers of the media, presentation time, broadcast channels, etc.), these attributes can then be associated with the monitored media for which the collected signature matches the reference media signature. Example systems for identifying media based on codes and/or signatures are long known, and were first disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,294 to Thomas, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The example methods, apparatus, and articles disclosed herein monitor media presentations on media devices. These media devices may include, for example, internet-enabled televisions, personal computers (e.g., desktop computers, laptops, etc.), internet-enabled mobile handheld devices (e.g., smartphones), video game consoles (e.g., tablet computers), digital media players (e.g., Amazon Kindle Fire ^™ , media players, etc.). In the examples disclosed herein, a media device asset manager (MDAM) obtains media device assets comprising one or more constituent media signatures and one or more corresponding media identifiers (e.g., metadata) from a metered media device. As used herein, the term "media device asset" refers to any type of information extracted from media presented on a media device, such as one or more signatures and/or other media identifying metadata (e.g., one or more codes, one or more watermarks, etc.). As used herein, the term "media identifier" refers to any type of media identifying information, such as a source identifier, stream identifier, passive audio signature (PAS) timestamp, media duration, etc., and/or combinations thereof. In some disclosed examples, an MDAM obtains a media asset comprising one or more signatures and one or more corresponding media identifiers from a device other than a media device (e.g., a metering device). In some examples, the term "media asset" refers to any type of information extracted from the media, such as one or more signatures and/or other media identifying metadata (e.g., one or more codes, one or more watermarks, etc.). In some disclosed examples, a media device asset is a collection of two or more signatures from a media device that individually and/or collectively identify the media from which the signatures were obtained. For example, a media device asset may be a sequence of two or more signatures obtained from a meter operating on an over-the-top (OTT) device that monitors the presentation of the Home Box Office (HBO) content "Game of Thrones" on the OTT device. In another example, the meter may operate external to the OTT device. In such an example, the media device asset may be a sequence of two or more signatures obtained from a media meter, a people meter, etc., that monitors the presentation of the media. In some disclosed examples, the media is presented at the media device, and the meter monitoring the media device uses signature generation software to generate the media device asset based on the presented media. In such disclosed examples, media device assets may include unrecognizable data or unmatchable data (e.g., unrecognizable signatures, etc.) due to environmental factors such as audible noise emanating from the media device (e.g., noise from a message alert on a smartphone, noise from an email alert on a tablet, etc.). In some disclosed examples, a qualification process may be applied to unrecognizable signatures to determine whether they can be stored in a reference media signature database. In some disclosed examples, the meter operates on the media device (e.g., a signature generation application executing machine-readable instructions on a laptop computer, etc.). In other disclosed examples, the meter operates external to the media device (e.g., a stand-alone metering device, etc.).

In some disclosed examples, the MDAM determines that a media device asset obtained from a media device is already stored in a database (e.g., a media device asset database, etc.). For example, the MDAM may identify the media device asset as a syndicated media device asset. In such an example, the MDAM may (1) identify the media device asset based on the extracted media identifier, (2) determine that the media device asset has been previously stored in the database, and (3) determine that the previously stored media device asset is not a syndicated media asset. In such an example, the MDAM may store a log indicating that the media device asset is a syndicated media device asset. Additionally and/or alternatively, the example MDAM may increment a syndicated media device asset counter by the number of times the media device asset was obtained and/or determined to be a syndicated media device asset. In some examples, after storing the log and/or incrementing the syndicated media device asset counter, the MDAM may discard the media device asset.

In some disclosed examples, an MDAM identifies a media device asset obtained from a media device as an aggregated duplicate of a proprietary media asset. In such examples, the MDAM may (1) identify the media device asset based on the extracted media identifier, (2) determine that the media device asset was previously stored in a database, and (3) determine that the previously stored media device asset is a proprietary media asset. In such examples, the MDAM may store a log corresponding to the determination that the media device asset is an aggregated duplicate of the proprietary media asset. Additionally and/or alternatively, an example MDAM may replace the previously stored proprietary media asset with the media device asset.

In some disclosed examples, the MDAM determines that a media device asset obtained from a media device is not previously stored in a database (e.g., a media device asset database, etc.). In such disclosed examples, the MDAM identifies the media device asset as a database candidate. For example, the database candidate may correspond to media for which no reference media signature is stored in the database. As a result, a qualification process may be applied to one or more database candidates to determine the best one of the one or more database candidates to be stored in the database as a reference media signature, a reference media device asset, etc.

FIG1 is a block diagram of an example environment 100 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure to synthesize reference media signatures based on component media signatures collected (e.g., generated, formed, calculated, created, etc.) by metered media devices, three of which are designated by reference numerals 102, 104, and 106. In the example shown in FIG1 , the metered media devices 102, 104, and 106 are devices that obtain (e.g., receive) media 108 and present media 108. In the example shown, media 108 is video including audio. However, any other type of media can be processed by the examples disclosed herein. In some examples, the metered media devices 102, 104, and 106 are capable of presenting the media directly (e.g., via a display), while in other examples, the media devices 102, 104, and 106 present the media on a separate media presentation device (e.g., speakers, display, etc.). For example, the metered media device 102 of the example shown is an internet-enabled television capable of presenting media streamed from an over-the-top (OTT) device (e.g., via an integrated display and speakers, etc.). However, the metered media device 102 may be any other type of media device. Furthermore, although three media devices 102, 104, 106 are shown in the illustrated example, any number and/or type of media devices may be used.

In the example shown in FIG1 , each of the metered media devices 102, 104, 106 includes a corresponding meter 110. In the example shown, the meter 110 is a software application that operates on the corresponding media device 102, 104, 106 and includes computer-readable instructions executable to generate media device assets. Additionally and/or alternatively, one or more meters 110 may operate external to the corresponding media device 102, 104, 106 (e.g., a standalone device including a processor that executes machine-readable instructions, etc.). In the example shown, the meter 110 generates media device assets 112 based on the media 108. In the example shown, the media device assets 112 generated by a given meter 110 include signatures 114 calculated or generated from audio output and/or to be output by the media devices 102, 104, 106 by an example generator 110A of the meter 110, and one or more media player metadata 116 collected by an example metadata collector 110B of the meter 110, which can be implemented as a software meter that monitors media players and/or other applications (e.g., web browsers) capable of presenting media 108. In the example shown, the signatures 114 include one or more audio-based signatures. Additionally and/or alternatively, the signatures 114 may include one or more video-based signatures and/or any other type of signature based on media identification information (e.g., media identification metadata, etc.). In the example shown, the media player metadata 116 includes media identification metadata corresponding to the media 108 and metadata describing the operation of the media player used to play the media 108.

In the example shown in FIG1 , the example meter 110 transmits its corresponding media device assets 112 to the example MDAM 118 via an example network 120. In the example shown in FIG1 , the network 120 is the Internet. However, the example network 120 may be implemented using any suitable wired and/or wireless network, including, for example, one or more data buses, one or more local area networks (LANs), one or more wireless LANs (WLANs), one or more cellular networks, one or more coaxial cable networks, one or more satellite networks, one or more private networks, one or more public networks, and the like. The example network 120 enables metered media devices 102, 104, 106, the meter 110, and the like to communicate with the MDAM 118. As used herein, the phrase "in communication with" includes variations thereof (e.g., secure or non-secure communication, compressed or non-compressed communication, and the like), encompasses direct communication and/or indirect communication through one or more intermediary components, and does not require direct physical (e.g., wired) communication and/or continuous communication, but rather includes selective communication at periodic or non-periodic intervals as well as one-time events.

1 , the MDAM 118 coordinates the identification, selection, etc. of media device assets (e.g., sequences of constituent media signatures 114) to be stored in a database (e.g., the example data repository 202 in FIG. 2 ). The MDAM 118 can use the constituent media signatures 114 of the media device assets 112 to synthesize a reference media signature 212.

In the example shown in FIG1 , the example report generator 122 generates and/or prepares reports using information stored in a media device asset database. In the example shown, the report generator 122 prepares a media measurement report indicating exposure of media 108 on media devices 102 , 104 , and 106 . In some examples, the report generator 122 generates a report identifying demographic data associated with the media 108 based on identifying one or more media device assets, including the media device asset 112 . For example, panelists at a media exposure measurement location may have provided panelist demographic data to the AME. The report generator 122 may prepare a report associating the obtained panelist demographic data with the media 108 .

FIG2 is a block diagram of an example implementation of the example MDAM 118 of FIG1 according to the teachings of the present disclosure. The example MDAM 118 of FIG2 manages a composition media signature data repository 202 based on identifying media device assets (e.g., generated composition media signatures 114, collected media player metadata 116, etc.) obtained (e.g., collected, received, etc.) from media devices (e.g., the example media devices 102, 104, and 106 of FIG1) for subsequent measurement and/or monitoring by AME. In the example shown in FIG2, the example MDAM 118 includes an example network interface 204, an example asset collector 206, an example composition media signature data repository 208, an example synthesizer 210, and an example composition media signature data repository 202.

In the example shown in FIG2 , the MDAM 118 includes an example network interface 204 and an example asset collector 206 to obtain information from and/or send information to the network 120 of FIG1 . In some examples, the example asset collector 206 implements a web server 207 that receives media device assets 112 from the media devices 102 and/or the meters 110 . In some such examples, the information included in the media device assets 112 is formatted as HTTP messages. However, additionally and/or alternatively, any other message format and/or protocol may be used, such as the File Transfer Protocol (FTP), the Simple Message Transfer Protocol (SMTP), the HTTP Secure (HTTPS) protocol, etc. In some examples, the asset collector 206 determines whether to continue monitoring the media devices 102 , 104 , 106 . For example, the asset collector 206 may determine that one or more of the metered media devices 102 , 104 , 106 of FIG1 is not presenting the media 108 of FIG1 , is not powered on, etc. In the example of FIG. 2 , media device assets 112 (eg, as component media signatures 114 and media player metadata 116 ) are stored in the example component media signature data store 208 .

To generate reference media signatures 114 that can be used to perform audience measurement, the example MDAM 118 includes an example synthesizer 210. The example synthesizer 210 of FIG2 combines the component media signatures 114 generated (e.g., calculated, formed, etc.) by one or more example generators 110A of one or more example meters 110 with the media player metadata 116 collected by one or more collectors 110B of one or more example meters 110 to form a reference media signature 212. The component media signatures 114 and the media player metadata 116 are collected by the example asset collector 206 in the component media signature data repository 208.

To synthesize a reference media signature 212 using the component media signatures 114 collected by metered media devices (e.g., the example meter 110 of the media devices 102, 104, 106), the example MDAM 118 includes an example synthesizer 210. The example synthesizer 210 of FIG. 2 processes the component media signatures 114 and the media player metadata 116 through a process of considering the component media signatures 114, qualifying them, and then creating a reference media signature 212 from the qualified component media signatures 114. In some examples, the reference media signature 212 represents the complete media 108 from its beginning to its end.

In some examples, the synthesizer 210 of FIG2 uses the media player metadata 116 to qualify the constituent media signatures 114 by associating them with specific portions of the media 108 so that they can then be combined to represent a larger segment of the media 108 and/or the entire media 108. The example synthesizer 210 of FIG2 combines the constituent media signatures 114 to synthesize (e.g., form, generate, create, etc.) a set of reference media signatures 212 (also referred to as a reference asset) (which, in some examples, is the complete sequence of media signatures from the beginning to the end of the media 108) and their corresponding metadata (e.g., title, description, duration, episode, season, artist, owner, provider, etc.), which can be used by a metering system to identify monitored media content by matching meter signatures (e.g., audio signatures) to the reference media signatures 212.

When presenting the media 108, there may be usage behaviors and/or browser/player behaviors (e.g., buffering, etc.) such as fast-forward events, rewind events, pause events, skip events, stop/resume later events, etc. that cause the composed media signature 114 to be incomplete, repeated, overlapping, irregular, discontinuous, etc. In some examples, the composed media signatures 114 are collected and presented to the qualification process as viable composed media signatures 114. Because the metadata collector 110B can obtain and provide media player metadata 116 (e.g., such as position in the content, pause, fast-forward, etc.), the synthesizer 210 can associate the composed media signatures 114 with positions within the media, thereby making the composed media signatures 114 viable and usable for synthesizing the reference media signature 212.

Although an example manner of implementing the MDAM 118 of FIG1 is shown in FIG2, one or more of the elements, processes, and/or devices shown in FIG2 may be combined, divided, rearranged, omitted, eliminated, and/or implemented in any other manner. Furthermore, the example component media signature data repository 202, the example network interface 204, the example asset collector 206, the example reference media signature data repository 208, the example synthesizer 210, and/or more generally, the example MDAM 118 of FIG2 may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, and/or any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. Thus, for example, any of the example component media signature data store 202, the example network interface 204, the example asset collector 206, the example reference media signature data store 208, the example synthesizer 210, and/or more generally, the example MDAM 118, may be implemented by one or more analog or digital circuits, logic circuits, programmable processors, programmable controllers, graphics processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), and/or field programmable logic devices (FPLDs). When reading any device or system claim of this patent covering a pure software and/or firmware implementation, at least one of the example component media signature data store 202, the example network interface 204, the example asset collector 206, the example reference media signature data store 208, the example synthesizer 210, and/or more generally, the example MDAM 118, is thereby expressly defined as comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage device or storage disk, such as a memory, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a compact disk (CD), a Blu-ray disk, etc., comprising software and/or firmware. 2 or in lieu of those shown in FIG2 , the example MDAM 118 of FIG1 may include one or more elements, processes, and/or devices, and/or may include more than one of any or all of the elements, processes, and devices shown. As used herein, the phrase "in communication with," including variations thereof, encompasses direct communication and/or indirect communication through one or more intermediate components, and does not require direct physical (e.g., wired) communication and/or continuous communication, but rather includes selective communication at periodic intervals, scheduled intervals, non-periodic intervals, and/or one-time events.

FIG3 is a block diagram of an example implementation of the example synthesizer 210 of FIG2 . To detect usage and/or browser, player, etc. events 307 (e.g., pause, rewind, fast forward, skip, etc.) that may result in inconsistencies between the media 108 being rendered (e.g., viewed, listened to, etc.) and the collected component media signatures 114, the example synthesizer 210 includes an example event detector 302. In some examples, the example event detector 302 of FIG3 uses any known and/or future method, circuit, software, etc. to detect events, including (but not limited to) an infrared receiver, a computer's software utility usage log, etc. In some examples, the events are detected at the MDAM 118.

To modify the streams of constituent media signatures 114, the example compositor 210 of FIG3 includes an example stream editor 304. The example stream editor 304 of FIG3 maintains a stream 305 (e.g., a collection) of constituent media signatures 114 that are being assembled to form a candidate set of reference media signatures 212 representing the entirety of the media 108. The stream editor 304 can, among other things, add to, remove from, and replace constituent media signatures 114.

To modify the timestamps, the example compositor 210 of Figure 3 includes an example timestamp editor 306. The example timestamp editor 306 of Figure 3 edits the timestamps of the assembled constituent media signatures 114 of the stream 305 so that their timestamps are continuous, to account for, compensate for, etc., any events 307 detected by the event detector 302.

To modify media times, the example compositor 210 of Figure 3 includes an example media time editor 308. The example media time editor 308 of Figure 3 edits media times so that they are continuous and/or consistent with the media signature timestamps.

Although an example manner of implementing the synthesizer 210 of FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. 3 , one or more of the elements, processes, and/or devices shown in FIG. 3 may be combined, divided, rearranged, omitted, eliminated, and/or implemented in any other manner. Furthermore, the example event detector 302, the example stream editor 304, the example timestamp editor 306, the example media time editor 308, and/or more generally, the example synthesizer 210 of FIG. 3 may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, and/or any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. Thus, for example, any of the example event detector 302, the example stream editor 304, the example timestamp editor 306, the example media time editor 308, and/or more generally, the example synthesizer 210 may be implemented by one or more analog or digital circuits, logic circuits, programmable processors, programmable controllers, GPUs, DSPs, ASICs, PLDs, and/or FPLDs. When reading any device or system claims of this patent covering pure software and/or firmware implementations, at least one of the example event detector 302, the example stream editor 304, the example timestamp editor 306, the example media time editor 308, and/or more generally, the example compositor 210 is thereby expressly defined as comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage device or storage disk, such as a memory, DVD, CD, Blu-ray disc, etc., comprising software and/or firmware. Furthermore, the example compositor 210 of FIG. 3 may include one or more elements, processes, and/or devices in addition to or in lieu of those shown in FIG. 3 , and/or may include more than one of any or all of the shown elements, processes, and devices.

FIG4A is a block diagram illustrating example hardware logic and/or machine-readable instructions 400, including machine-readable instructions 402, 404, 406, 408, and 410, for implementing the synthesizer 210 of FIG3 . FIG4B , FIG4C , FIG4D , FIG4E , and FIG4F are flow diagrams illustrating the example hardware logic and/or machine-readable instructions 402, 404, 406, 408, and 410 of FIG4A , respectively. The machine-readable instructions may be a program or portion of a program for execution by a processor (e.g., the processor 510 shown in the example processor platform 500 discussed below in conjunction with FIG5 ). The program and/or portions thereof may be embodied in software stored on a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a CD, floppy disk, hard drive, DVD, Blu-ray disc, or memory associated with the processor 510), although the entire program and/or portions thereof may alternatively be executed by a device other than the processor 510 and/or embodied in firmware or dedicated hardware. Furthermore, although the example procedures are described with reference to the flowcharts shown in Figures 4A to 4F, many other methods of implementing the example synthesizer 210 may alternatively be used. For example, the order of execution of the blocks may be changed, and/or some of the blocks described may be changed, eliminated, or combined. Additionally and/or alternatively, any or all of the blocks may be implemented without executing software or firmware by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., discrete and/or integrated analog and/or digital circuits, FPGAs, DSPs, GPUs, PLDs, FPLDs, ASICs, comparators, operational amplifiers (op-amps), logic circuits, etc.) configured to perform the corresponding operations.

As described above, the example processes of Figures 4A to 4F can be implemented using executable instructions (e.g., computer and/or machine-readable instructions) stored on a non-transitory computer and/or machine-readable medium, such as a hard drive, flash memory, read-only memory, CD-ROM, DVD, cache, random access memory, and/or any other storage device or storage disk that stores information for any duration (e.g., for an extended period of time, permanently, transiently, temporarily buffered, and/or cached information). As used herein, the term non-transitory computer-readable medium is expressly defined to include any type of computer-readable storage device and/or storage disk and does not include propagating signals and does not include transmission media.

"Include" and "comprising" (and all forms thereof) are used herein as open-ended terms. Thus, whenever a claim employs any form of "include" or "comprising" (e.g., includes, comprises, having, etc.) as a preamble or within any type of claim narrative, it will be understood that additional elements, terms, etc. may be present without falling outside the scope of the corresponding claim or narrative. As used herein, the phrase "at least" when used as a transitional phrase, such as in the preamble of a claim, is open-ended in the same manner that the terms "include" and "comprising" are open-ended. When used, for example, in a form such as A, B, and/or C, the term "and/or" refers to any combination or subset of A, B, and C, such as (1) A alone, (2) B alone, (3) C alone, (4) A and B, (5) A and C, and (6) B and C.

The example process 400 of FIG4A begins with the example process 402 of FIG4B . The example process 402 of FIG4B processes the component media signatures 114 collected from the meter 110 by the example asset collector 206 for a piece of media 108 (between blocks 412 and 414) to form a candidate set of reference media signatures 212. In some examples, the component media signatures 114 represent a portion of the media 108, and the set of reference media signatures 212 is an ordered set of component media signatures 114 that collectively represent the media 108. If the example event detector 302 of FIG3 detects a rewind event (block 416), the compositor 210 removes (e.g., discards, deletes, etc.) the component media signatures 114 associated with the rewind event (see example process 404 in FIG4C ). For example, the event detector 302 can determine that a rewind event has occurred by detecting that the media time of a seek event (e.g., start, play, slow play, etc.) (e.g., 12:31 minutes) is less than the media time associated with a pause event (e.g., 15:03 minutes). In some examples, pause/stop and rewind events are reflected in the media player metadata 116. In some examples, media time represents a position in the media 108 (expressed in time).

The example program 404 of FIG4C begins with the example stream editor 304 of FIG3 identifying and removing component media signatures 114 associated with additional (e.g., rewinding) playback of a segment of the media 108 from the set of reference media signatures 212 formed to represent the media 108 (block 430). For example, duplicate sets of component media signatures 114 associated with media between the 12:31 minute mark and the 15:03 minute mark of the media 108 generated at subsequent times when the media 108 is played are ignored or discarded. Alternatively, the previous component media signatures 114 are discarded. In some examples, redundant, additional, etc. component media signatures 114 are also removed from the data repository 208. The example timestamp editor 306 of FIG3 changes the timestamps of the component media signatures 114 in the set of reference media signatures 212 so that the timestamps assigned to the component media signatures 114 are continuous before, during, and after the rewind event (block 432). If necessary, the media time editor 308 adjusts the media time so that the media time is also continuous and consistent with the timestamp (block 434). By discarding the redundant (although possibly different) components of the media signature 114 associated with the replay and adjusting the signature timestamp and media time (e.g., position in the media 108 expressed in seconds, minutes, etc.) to be continuous, the reference media signature sequence 212 being created is as if the rewind event never occurred. In some examples, the viewing duration is updated to include the replay event (block 436). Control returns from the example program 404 of FIG. 4C to block 414 of FIG. 4B.

If the example event detector 302 of FIG. 3 detects a pause or stop event (block 418), the synthesizer 210 removes the pause event (example procedure 406, see FIG. 4D ). For example, the event detector 302 can determine that a pause event has occurred by detecting the use of a pause control on a media device 102, 104, or 106. The example procedure 406 of FIG. 4D begins with the example stream editor 304 ignoring component media signatures 114 that are not applicable to the media 108 because these component media signatures were generated (e.g., as captured in the media player metadata 116) during the pause event (e.g., while the pause control was active) (block 440). The example timestamp editor 306 of FIG. 3 changes the timestamps of the component media signatures 114 in the set of reference media signatures 212 representing the media 108 so that the timestamps assigned to the component media signatures 114 are continuous before, during, and after the pause event (block 442). If necessary, the example media time editor 308 of FIG. 3 adjusts the media time so that the media time is also continuous and consistent with the timestamps (block 444). By discarding inapplicable component media signatures 114 associated with the pause and adjusting the signature timestamps and media times to be continuous, the reference media signature sequence 212 being created is as if the pause event never occurred. In some examples, the viewing duration is updated to include the pause event (block 446). Control returns from the example program 406 of FIG. 4D to block 414 of FIG. 4B.

If the example event detector 302 of FIG. 3 detects an event such as a fast-forward or skip (block 420), the example synthesizer 210 removes the fast-forward event (example procedure 408, see FIG. 4E ). For example, the example event detector 302 may determine that an event such as a fast-forward or skip has occurred by detecting the use of a control such as a fast-forward or skip. The example procedure 408 of FIG. 4E begins with the example stream editor 304 filling all fast-forward segments, e.g., less than 33 seconds, with silence, starting at the media time at the start of the fast-forward or skip (block 450). In some examples, the time period that can be filled is configurable. In some examples, other types of filling are used, the base media signature remains missing, etc. The example timestamp editor 306 of FIG. 3 changes the timestamps of the component media signatures 114 in the set of reference media signatures 212 so that the timestamps assigned to the component media signatures 114 are continuous before, during, and after the pause event (block 452). If necessary, the example media time editor 308 of FIG. 3 adjusts the media time so that the media time is also continuous and consistent with the timestamps (block 454). In some examples, the viewing duration is updated to include the pause event (block 456). Control returns from the example program 408 of FIG. 4E to block 414 of FIG. 4B.

If only a partial set of reference media signatures 212 can be formed from the constituent media signatures 114 of a particular meter 110 (block 422 of FIG. 4B ), the example stream editor 310 of FIG. 3 combines the partial sets of reference media signatures 212 generated using the constituent media signatures 114 from two or more meters 110 (example procedure 410, see FIG. 4F ). The example procedure 410 of FIG. 4F begins with the example stream editor 310 of FIG. 3 combining (e.g., ordering, interleaving, etc.) the constituent media signatures 114 using the media times associated with the constituent media signatures 114 of the two or more meters 110 to form a combined reference media signature sequence 212 (block 460), and removing any overlapping signatures (block 462). The example timestamp editor 306 of FIG. 3 changes the timestamps of the constituent media signatures 114 in the reference media signature 212 sequence so that the timestamps assigned to the constituent media signatures 114 are continuous before, during, and after the pause event (block 464). If necessary, the media time editor 308 of Figure 3 adjusts the media time so that the media time is also continuous and consistent with the timestamp (box 466).In some examples, the viewing duration is updated to include the pause event (box 468).

In some examples, the example compositor 210 determines a counted skip point (CSP) for recording where the view skips to the next episode. In some examples, the compositor 210 averages the CSP points (e.g., the point at which a user can skip to the next episode) of multiple viewers to determine which media time corresponds to the CSP point.

5 is a block diagram of an example processor platform 500 configured to execute the instructions of FIG 4A through FIG 4F to implement the synthesizer 210 of FIG 3. For example, the processor platform 500 may be, for example, a server, a personal computer, a mobile device (e.g., a cellular phone, a smartphone, a tablet such as an iPad ^™ ), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet appliance, a DVD player, a CD player, a digital video recorder, a Blu-ray player, a game console, a personal video recorder, a set-top box, or any other type of computing device.

The processor platform 500 of the illustrated example includes a processor 510. The processor 510 of the illustrated example is hardware. For example, the processor 510 can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, microprocessors, GPUs, DSPs, or controllers from any desired family or manufacturer. The hardware processor can be a semiconductor-based (e.g., silicon-based) device. In this example, the processor implements the example event detector 302, the example stream editor 304, the example timestamp editor 306, the example media time editor 308, the example synthesizer 210, and/or the MDAM 118.

The processor 510 of the illustrated example includes a local memory 512 (e.g., a cache). The processor 510 of the illustrated example communicates with a main memory including a volatile memory 514 and a non-volatile memory 516 via a bus 518. The volatile memory 514 can be implemented by synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), dynamic random access memory, and/or any other type of random access memory device. The non-volatile memory 516 can be implemented by flash memory and/or any other desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory 514, 516 is controlled by a memory controller. In this example, the non-volatile memory 516 implements the example constituent media signature data store 202 and the example reference media signature data store 208.

The processor platform 500 of the illustrated example also includes an interface circuit 520. The interface circuit 520 may be implemented by any type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Near Field Communication (NFC) interface, and/or a Peripheral Component Interface (PCI) express interface.

In the example shown, one or more input devices 522 are connected to the interface circuitry 520. The input devices 522 allow a user to enter data and/or commands into the processor 510. The input devices may be implemented by, for example, an audio sensor, a microphone, a camera (still or video), a keyboard, buttons, a mouse, a touch screen, a trackpad, a trackball, isopoint, and/or a voice recognition system.

One or more output devices 524 are also connected to the interface circuit 520 of the illustrated example. Output device 524 can be implemented, for example, by a display device (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystal display, a cathode ray tube display (CRT), a touch screen, etc.), a tactile output device, a printer, and/or a speaker. Therefore, the interface circuit 520 of the illustrated example typically includes a graphics driver card, a graphics driver chip, and/or a graphics driver processor.

The interface circuitry 520 of the illustrated example also includes communication devices such as transmitters, receivers, transceivers, modems, and/or network interface cards to facilitate exchanging data with an external machine (e.g., any type of computing device) via a network 526 (e.g., an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line (DSL), a telephone line, a coaxial cable, a cellular telephone system, etc.).

The processor platform 500 of the illustrated example also includes one or more mass storage devices 528 for storing software and/or data. Examples of these mass storage devices 528 include floppy disk drives, hard disk drives, CD drives, Blu-ray disk drives, redundant array of independent disks (RAID) systems, and DVD drives.

The encoded instructions 532 (including the encoded instructions of Figures 4A-4F) may be stored in the mass storage device 528, in the volatile memory 514, in the non-volatile memory 516, and/or on a removable tangible machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a CD or DVD).

Any references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

Additional example methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture (e.g., physical storage media) for synthesizing reference media signatures, determining media content based on metadata and media signatures, and implementing the example meter 100 are provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/679,862, filed on Aug. 17, 2017, and entitled “Methods and Apparatus to Generate Reference Signatures from Streaming Media” (Attorney Docket No. 20004/81157095US01), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture have been disclosed for synthesizing reference media signatures based on constituent media signatures generated by metered media devices. Utilizing the teachings of the present disclosure, reference media signatures can be generated without having to know the media before it is presented. From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture have been disclosed for enhancing the operation of a computer by reducing the time it takes to begin metering new media, and allowing new media to be metered before presentation, even if the new media is not watermarked. In some examples, computer operation can utilize the teachings of the present disclosure to meter more media. Furthermore, the example methods, apparatus, and/or articles of manufacture disclosed herein identify and overcome issues with the prior art that prevented the metering of media before watermarking.

Disclosed herein are example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture for synthesizing a reference media signature based on component media signatures generated by metered media devices. Additional examples and combinations thereof include at least the following.

Example 1 is a device comprising:

a collector that collects a first component media signature identifying a first portion of media from a first media device;

a collector that collects a second component media signature identifying a second portion of the media from a second media device; and

A synthesizer combines a first component media signature from a first media device with a second component media signature from a second media device to form a reference media signature sequence representing the media, the reference media signature sequence being used for comparison with a third component media signature collected from a third media device to detect consumption of the media at the third media device.

Example 2 is the apparatus of Example 1, further comprising:

an event detector that detects an event corresponding to at least one of a pause event, a stop event, a skip event, a fast forward event, or a rewind event; and

A stream editor discards a portion of the first component media signature corresponding to the detected event.

Example 3 is the apparatus of example 2, further comprising a timestamp editor that modifies the timestamp of the first component media signature to compensate for discarding the portion of the first component media signature.

Example 4 is the apparatus of example 2 or 3, further comprising a media time editor that modifies a media time in the media associated with the first component media signature to compensate for discarding the portion of the first component media signature.

Example 5 is the apparatus of any one of Examples 1 to 4, further comprising:

a stream editor that deletes the first component media signature when the first component media signature matches the second component media signature; and

A timestamp editor modifies a timestamp of the second component media signature to be continuous with a timestamp of a third component media signature that precedes the first component media signature.

Example 6 is the device of any of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the first media device comprises the second media device.

Example 7 is a method comprising the following steps:

obtaining a first component media signature identifying a first portion of media from a first media device;

obtaining a second component media signature identifying a second portion of the media from a second media device; and

By executing instructions with a processor, a first component media signature from a first media device is combined with a second component media signature from a second media device to form a reference media signature sequence that identifies the media.

Example 8 is the method of example 7, further comprising discarding a portion of the first component media signature from the reference media signature sequence.

Example 9 is the method according to Example 7 or 8, further comprising:

collecting a third media signature from a third media device; and

The third media signature is compared to a sequence of reference media signatures to identify a presentation of the media at a third media device.

Example 10 is the method according to any one of Examples 7 to 9, further comprising:

When the first component media signature matches the second component media signature, deleting the first component media signature; and

The timestamp of the second component media signature is modified to be continuous with the timestamp of the third component media signature preceding the first component media signature.

Example 11 is a method according to any one of Examples 7 to 10, further comprising discarding a first portion of the first component media signature corresponding to at least one of a pause event, a stop event, a skip event, a fast forward event, or a rewind event.

Example 12 is the method of example 11, further comprising modifying a timestamp of the second portion of the first component media signature to compensate for discarding the first portion of the first component media signature.

Example 13 is a method according to example 11 or 12, further comprising modifying a media time in the media associated with the first component media signature to compensate for discarding the portion of the first component media signature.

Example 14 is a method according to any one of Examples 7 to 13, wherein the first media device comprises the second media device.

Example 15 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

obtaining a first component media signature identifying a first portion of media from a first media device;

obtaining a second component media signature identifying a second portion of the media from a second media device; and

A first component media signature from a first media device is combined with a second component media signature from a second media device to form a reference media signature sequence representing the media, which is used to compare with a third component media signature obtained from a third media device to detect consumption of the media at the third media device.

Example 16 is the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of example 15, comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to discard a portion of a first component media signature from a sequence of reference media signatures.

Example 17 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to example 15 or 18, which includes instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to discard a portion of the first component media signature corresponding to at least one of a pause event, a stop event, a skip event, a fast-forward event, or a rewind event.

Example 18 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to Example 17, which includes instructions that, when executed, cause the machine to modify the timestamp of the first component media signature to compensate for discarding the portion of the first component media signature.

Example 19 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to Example 17 or 18, which includes instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to modify a media time associated with the first component media signature in the media to compensate for discarding the portion of the first component media signature.

Example 20 is the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of any one of Examples 15 to 19, comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to:

When the first component media signature matches the second component media signature, deleting the first component media signature; and

The timestamp of the second component media signature is modified to be continuous with the timestamp of the third component media signature preceding the first component media signature.

Although certain example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture have been disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the claims of this patent.

Related applications

This patent claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/546,973, filed on August 17, 2017. U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/546,973 is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Claims (13)

1. An apparatus comprising: The collector, the collector: A first component media signature is collected from a first media device to identify a first portion of the media, wherein the first component media signature forms a stream of the first component media signature; and Collect a second component media signature from the second media device to identify a second portion of the media; An event detector that detects events associated with a portion of the first constituent media signature, the events corresponding to at least one of a pause event, a stop event, a skip event, a fast-forward event, or a rewind event; and A stream editor that discards the portion of the first constituent media signature corresponding to the detected event; and A synthesizer, after discarding the first component of the first composite media signature, combines one or more of the remaining components of the first composite media signature from the first media device with one or more of the second composite media signature from the second media device to form a reference media signature sequence representing the media. The device further includes a timestamp editor that modifies the timestamp of the second component of the first composite media signature to compensate for the discarded first component of the first composite media signature. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the portion of the first constituent media signature is a first portion, and the timestamp editor modifies the timestamp of a second portion of the first constituent media signature to compensate for the discarded first portion of the first constituent media signature. 3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a media time editor that modifies the media time associated with the first constituent media signature to compensate for the discarded portion of the first constituent media signature. 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the timestamp editor modifies the timestamp of the second component of the first composite media signature to be consecutive with the timestamp of the third component of the first composite media signature preceding the first component of the first composite media signature. 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first media device includes the second media device. 6. A method comprising the following steps: Obtain a first component media signature from the first media device that identifies the first part of the media; Obtain a second component media signature from the second media device that identifies a second portion of the media; Discard the portion of the first constituent media signature that corresponds to at least one of the pause, stop, skip, fast forward, or rewind events; and After the first component of the first media signature is discarded, the remaining one or more components of the first media signature from the first media device are combined with one or more components of the second media signature from the second media device by means of instructions executed by the processor to form a reference media signature sequence that identifies the media. The method further includes modifying the timestamp of the second component of the first composite media signature to compensate for the discarded first component of the first composite media signature. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the portion of the first constituent media signature is a first portion, and the method further comprises discarding a second portion of the first constituent media signature from the reference media signature sequence. 8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: Collecting third-media signatures from third-media devices; and The third media signature is compared with the reference media signature sequence to identify the presentation of the media at the third media device. 9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: Modify the timestamp of the second component in the first composite media signature to be consecutive with the timestamp of the third component in the first composite media signature preceding the first component in the first composite media signature. 10. The method of claim 6, wherein the portion of the first constituent media signature is a first portion, and the method further comprises modifying the timestamp of a second portion of the first constituent media signature to compensate for the loss of the first portion of the first constituent media signature. 11. The method of claim 6, further comprising modifying the media time associated with the first constituent media signature in the media to compensate for the discarding of said portion of the first constituent media signature. 12. The method of claim 6, wherein the first media device includes the second media device. 13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 6 to 12.