Methods and apparatus for affiliate interrupt detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11677996-B2
Application number	US-202117389027-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2021
Priority date	Sep 30, 2019
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for affiliate interrupt detection. An example method disclosed herein includes determining whether a first time period of a first audio signal corresponds to a first affiliate interrupt period based on whether (1) a first type of watermark is detected in the first time period of the first audio signal, and (2) a second type of watermark is detected in the first audio signal outside the first time period but not in the first time period of the first audio signal, and determining whether the first time period of the first audio signal corresponds to the first affiliate interrupt period when watermarks are not detected in the first time period of the first audio signal based on comparison of first signatures with second signatures representing a corresponding first time period of a reference audio signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one memory;
instructions; and
processor circuitry to execute the instructions to at least:
compare a first signature of a first affiliate signal and a second signature of a second affiliate signal to determine whether first media conveyed by the first affiliate signal and second media conveyed by the second affiliate signal match during a time segment; and
determine whether the time segment corresponds to an affiliate interrupt based on a first threshold and a second threshold, the first threshold associated with an amount of difference between the first signature and the second signature, the second threshold associated with a duration of the time segment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to compare the first signature and the second signature based on (a) the first affiliate signal corresponding to a network broadcaster and (b) the second affiliate signal corresponding to the network broadcaster.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first signature and the second signature correspond to the time segment.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the amount of difference between the first signature and the second signature corresponds to a percentage difference between the first signature and the second signature that is indicative of the affiliate interrupt.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the determination is a first determination, and the processor circuitry is to identify the time segment as the affiliate interrupt in response to a second determination that (i) the amount of difference between the first signature and the second signature satisfies the first threshold, and (ii) the duration of the time segment satisfies the second threshold.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the time segment is a first time segment, and the processor circuitry is to:
aggregate the first time segment and a second time segment adjacent to the first time segment into a third time segment; and
determine whether the third time segment corresponds to the affiliate interrupt based on whether the first threshold and the second threshold.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the affiliate interrupt represents a time period during which a local station may insert media different than that which is provided by a network broadcaster.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is to determine whether the time segment corresponds to the affiliate interrupt in response to a determination that the first media and the second media do not match.

9. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause processor circuitry to at least:
compare a first signature of a first affiliate signal and a second signature of a second affiliate signal to determine whether first media conveyed by the first affiliate signal and second media conveyed by the second affiliate signal match during a time segment; and
determine whether the time segment corresponds to an affiliate interrupt based on a first threshold and a second threshold, the first threshold associated with an amount of difference between the first signature and the second signature, the second threshold associated with a duration of the time segment.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions cause the processor circuitry to compare the first signature and the second signature based on (a) the first affiliate signal corresponding to a network broadcaster and (b) the second affiliate signal corresponding to the network broadcaster.

11. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the first signature and the second signature correspond to the time segment.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the amount of difference between the first signature and the second signature corresponds to a percentage difference between the first signature and the second signature that is indicative of the affiliate interrupt.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the determination is a first determination, and the instructions cause the processor circuitry to identify the time segment as the affiliate interrupt in response to a second determination that (i) the amount of difference between the first signature and the second signature satisfies the first threshold, and (ii) the duration of the time segment satisfies the second threshold.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the time segment is a first time segment, and the instructions cause the processor circuitry:
aggregate the first time segment and a second time segment adjacent to the first time segment into a third time segment; and
determine whether the third time segment corresponds to the affiliate interrupt based on whether the first threshold and the second threshold.

15. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the affiliate interrupt represents a time period during which a local station may insert media different than that which is provided by a network broadcaster.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions cause the processor circuitry to determine whether the time segment corresponds to the affiliate interrupt in response to a determination that the first media and the second media do not match.

17. A method comprising:
comparing, by executing an instruction with at least one processor, a first signature of a first affiliate signal and a second signature of a second affiliate signal to determine whether first media conveyed by the first affiliate signal and second media conveyed by the second affiliate signal match during a time segment; and
determining, by executing an instruction with the at least one processor, whether the time segment corresponds to an affiliate interrupt based on a first threshold and a second threshold, the first threshold associated with an amount of difference between the first signature and the second signature, the second threshold associated with a duration of the time segment.

18. The method of claim 17 , further including comparing the first signature and the second signature based on (a) the first affiliate signal corresponding to a network broadcaster and (b) the second affiliate signal corresponding to the network broadcaster.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first signature and the second signature correspond to the time segment.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the amount of difference between the first signature and the second signature corresponds to a percentage difference between the first signature and the second signature that is indicative of the affiliate interrupt.

Assignees

• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

• Davis Jeremey M
• Wright David H
• Topchy Alexander
• Ponraj Cherisse
• Curtis Chris
• Chazen Jonathan
• Cremer Markus Kurt
• Gupta Sharmishtha
• Scott Jeffrey

Classifications

• H04N21/26283

  for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic programme guide data · CPC title

• H04N21/8456

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

• H04N21/23424

  involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement · CPC title

• H04N21/8358

  involving watermark {(protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467)} · CPC title

• H04N21/222

  Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end {(provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56)} · CPC title