Systems, apparatus, and methods to improve watermark detection in acoustic environments

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12256121-B2
Application number	US-202318498618-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2023
Priority date	Sep 20, 2021
Publication date	Mar 18, 2025
Grant date	Mar 18, 2025

Abstract

An example apparatus includes at least one processor circuitry to execute or instantiate instructions to identify a media file is scheduled to be accessed by a media device within a first time period after a publishing of the media file was published by a media provider; select a first symbol to be inserted at a first symbol position and a second symbol to be inserted at a second symbol position to identify an access of the media file is to be accessed by the media device within the first time period, the first symbol position in a first bit sequence, the second symbol position in a second bit sequence; encode the first bit sequence in the media file on a first encoding layer of a multilayered watermark, and encode the second bit sequence in the media file on a second encoding layer of the multilayered watermark.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computing system for decoding a multilayer watermark, the computing system comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising:
determining that a media file is accessed by a media device, wherein the media file is encoded;
extracting the multilayer watermark from the media file based on determining that the media file was accessed by the media device, wherein the multilayer watermark comprises a first encoding layer and a second encoding layer, and wherein the first encoding layer and the second encoding layer comprise a plurality of symbol positions;
identifying a first symbol and a second symbol in the media file, wherein the first symbol is inserted at a first symbol position on the first encoding layer and the second symbol is inserted at a second symbol position on the first encoding layer;
determining, based on the identification of the first symbol at the first symbol position and the second symbol at the second symbol position, a media state; and
outputting the media state.

2. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the media state corresponds to media associated with the media file being accessed within a time period after an initial publishing of the media.

3. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein at least a third symbol position is disposed between the first symbol position and the second symbol position; and wherein the third symbol position is empty.

4. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein determining that the media file is accessed by the media device occurs in response to detecting the multilayer watermark.

5. The computing system of claim 1 , the set of operations further comprising:
determining a time period associated with media access of the media file based on the first symbol at the first symbol position and the second symbol at the second symbol position; and
outputting an indication of the time period.

6. The computing system of claim 5 , wherein determining the media state of the media file is based on determining the time period associated with media access.

7. The computing system of claim 1 , wherein the first encoding layer of the multilayer watermark comprises a first bit sequence; wherein the first bit sequence comprises one or more first bits associated with a timestamp of the multilayer watermark; and wherein the set of operations further comprises determining a time period associated with media access based on the timestamp.

8. The computing system of claim 7 , wherein the second encoding layer of the multilayer watermark comprises a second bit sequence; wherein the second bit sequence in the media file on the second encoding layer of the multilayer watermark comprises one or more second bits associated with the timestamp and one or more third bits; and wherein the one or more third bits are one or more parity bits.

9. A method for decoding a multilayer watermark, the method comprising:
determining that a media file is accessed by a media device, wherein the media file is encoded;
extracting the multilayer watermark from the media file based on determining that the media file was accessed by the media device, wherein the multilayer watermark comprises a first encoding layer and a second encoding layer, and wherein the first encoding layer and the second encoding layer comprise a plurality of symbol positions;
identifying a first symbol and a second symbol in the media file, wherein the first symbol is inserted at a first symbol position on the first encoding layer and the second symbol is inserted at a second symbol position on the first encoding layer; and
determining, based on the identification of the first symbol at the first symbol position and the second symbol at the second symbol position, a [first] media state.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
outputting the media state, wherein the media state corresponds to media associated with the media file being accessed within a time period after an initial publishing of the media.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining whether that the media file is accessed by the media device occurs in response to detecting the multilayer watermark.

12. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining a time period associated with media access of the media file based on the first symbol at the first symbol position and the second symbol at the second symbol position; and
outputting an indication of the time period.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein determining the media state of the media file is based on determining the time period associated with media access.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
determining a time period associated with media access based on a timestamp,
wherein the first encoding layer comprises a first bit sequence; and
wherein the first bit sequence in the media file on the first encoding layer of the multilayer watermark comprises one or more first bits associated with a timestamp of the multilayer watermark.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second encoding layer comprises a second bit sequence; wherein the second bit sequence in the media file on the second encoding layer of the multilayer watermark comprises one or more second bits associated with the timestamp and one or more third bits; and wherein the one or more third bits are one or more parity bits.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising:
determining that a media file is accessed by a media device, wherein the media file is encoded;
extracting a multilayer watermark from the media file based on determining that the media file was accessed by the media device, wherein the multilayer watermark comprises a first encoding layer and a second encoding layer, and wherein the first encoding layer and the second encoding layer comprise a plurality of symbol positions;
identifying a first symbol and a second symbol in the media file, wherein the first symbol is inserted at a first symbol position on the first encoding layer and the second symbol is inserted at a second symbol position on the first encoding layer; and
determining, based on the identification of the first symbol at the first symbol position and the second symbol at the second symbol position, a media state.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , the set of operations further comprising:
outputting the media state.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 ,
wherein the media state corresponds to media associated with the media file being accessed within a time period after an initial publishing of the media.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , the set of operations further comprising:
determining a time period associated with media access of the media file based on the first symbol at the first symbol position and the second symbol at the second symbol position; and
outputting an indication of the time period.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein determining the media state of the media file is based on determining the time period associated with media access.

Assignees

• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

• Lynch Wendell D
• Nielsen Christen V
• Topchy Alexander
• Karazoun Khaldun
• Davis Jeremey M

Classifications

• H04N21/238

  Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams {(hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60)} · CPC title

• H04N21/262

  Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists {(scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62)} · CPC title

• G10L19/018

  Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal · CPC title

• H04N21/4398

  involving reformatting operations of audio signals (details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173) · CPC title

• G06F21/105

  Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level · CPC title