Apparatus and methods to associate different watermarks detected in media

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11356747-B2
Application number	US-201816231060-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2018
Priority date	Dec 21, 2018
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for associating different watermarks detected in media. An example method disclosed herein includes determining whether a first watermark detected in a media signal is represented in a watermark data structure and associating the first watermark with a first media presentation record associated with a second watermark in response to the first watermark being associated in the watermark data structure with the second watermark. The example method further includes transmitting monitoring data including the first media presentation record to an audience measurement entity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A media monitoring apparatus comprising:
a watermark data structure analyzer to:
determine whether a first watermark detected in a media signal is represented in a watermark data structure, the first watermark being a first watermark type representative of a first type of media presentation record useable to identify a media presentation; and
in response to the first watermark not being in the watermark data structure, determine whether a second watermark detected in the media signal is represented in the watermark data structure, the second watermark being a second watermark type representative of a second type of media presentation record usable to identify the media presentation, the second type of media presentation record being different than the first type of the media presentation record;

a watermark data structure modifier to, in response to the second watermark being in the watermark data structure, modify the watermark data structure to associate the first watermark with the second watermark when the first watermark occurs within an alignment time threshold of the second watermark;
a media presentation identifier to associate the first watermark with a first media presentation record associated with the second watermark in response to the first watermark being associated with the second watermark; and
a monitoring data transmitter to transmit monitoring data including the first media presentation record to an audience measurement entity.

2. The media monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the media presentation identifier is to reset a bridge timer in response to the media presentation identifier associating the first watermark with the first media presentation record, the bridge timer to track a time since detection of a previous watermark associated with the first media presentation record.

3. The media monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the media presentation identifier is to terminate the first media presentation record in response to the first watermark being associated with a second media presentation record.

4. The media monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the watermark data structure modifier is to, in response to the first watermark not being in the watermark data structure, modify the watermark data structure to associate the first watermark with the second watermark when the first watermark satisfies a signal strength threshold.

5. The media monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the media presentation identifier is to associate the first watermark with the first media presentation record in response to the first watermark matching the second watermark.

6. The media monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the watermark data structure is received from a media measurement system.

7. The media monitoring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the media presentation identifier is to terminate the first media presentation record in response to an elapsed time since detection of a later one of the first watermark or the second watermark exceeding a threshold without detection of a subsequent watermark associated with the watermark data structure.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second type of media presentation record is usable to identify the media presentation independently from the first watermark type of media presentation record.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to at least:
determine whether a first watermark detected in a media signal is represented in a watermark data structure, the first watermark being a first watermark type representative of a first type of media presentation record useable to identify a media presentation;
in response to the first watermark not being in the watermark data structure, determine whether a second watermark detected in the media signal is represented in the watermark data structure, the second watermark being a second watermark type representative of a second type of media presentation record usable to identify the media presentation, the second type of media presentation record being different than the first type of the media presentation record;
in response to the second watermark being in the watermark data structure, modify the watermark data structure to associate the first watermark with the second watermark when the first watermark occurs within an alignment time threshold of the second watermark;
associate the first watermark with a first media presentation record in response to the second watermark being associated with the first watermark; and
transmit monitoring data including the first media presentation record to an audience measurement entity.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to terminate the first media presentation record in response to a time since detection of a previous watermark associated with the first media presentation record exceeding a threshold.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to reset a bridge timer in response to associating the first watermark with the first media presentation record, the bridge timer to track the time since detection of the previous watermark associated with the first media presentation record.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to terminate the first media presentation record in response to the first watermark being associated with a second media presentation record.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to, in response to the first watermark not being in the watermark data structure, modify the watermark data structure to associate the first watermark with the second watermark when at least one of the first watermark or the second watermark satisfies a signal strength threshold.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to associate the second watermark with the first media presentation record in response to the second watermark matching the first watermark.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the watermark data structure is received from a media measurement system.

16. A method to monitor media comprising:
determining whether a first watermark detected in a media signal is represented in a watermark data structure, the first watermark being a first watermark type representative of a first type of media presentation record useable to identify a media presentation;
determining whether a second watermark detected in the media signal is represented in the watermark data structure, the second watermark being a second watermark type representative of a second type of media presentation record usable to identify the media presentation, the second type of media presentation record being different than the first type of the media presentation record;
in response to the second watermark being in the watermark data structure, modifying, by executing an instruction with at least one processor, the watermark data structure to associate the first watermark with the second watermark when the first watermark occurs within an alignment time threshold of the second watermark;
associating the first watermark with a first med

Assignees

• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

• Nielsen Christen V
• Gish David
• Frett Ken Joseph
• Cooper Timothy Scott
• Topchy Alexander

Classifications

• H04N21/2547

  Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser · CPC title

• H04N21/44222

  Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programmes or purchase activity (monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33) · CPC title

• H04N21/8456

  by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments · CPC title

• G06F21/16

  Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking · CPC title

• H04N21/44008

  involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream (arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59) · CPC title