Apparatus and methods to associate different watermarks detected in media

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12464200-B2
Application number	US-202418766797-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2024
Priority date	Dec 21, 2018
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

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 method comprising:
detecting a first watermark corresponding to a first media presentation; associating the first watermark with an ongoing media presentation record in a watermark data structure when the ongoing media presentation record corresponds to the first media presentation; detecting a second watermark; determining that the second watermark corresponds to a second media presentation different than the first media presentation; updating, based on the determining, the ongoing media presentation record in the watermark data structure to end at a time corresponding to the first watermark being detected to form a previously-presented media presentation record; generating, based on the determining, a new ongoing media presentation record associated with the second media presentation and the second watermark; and starting a bridge timer for the new ongoing media presentation record,
wherein the bridge timer tracks a bridge time which corresponds to a duration of time since the detecting of the second watermark, and
wherein the bridge timer is used to determine when the new ongoing media presentation record ends.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the ongoing media presentation record corresponds to the first media presentation by:
comparing identification information of the first watermark with identification information of the ongoing media presentation record.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining that the ongoing media presentation record corresponds to the first media presentation by:
determining that the first watermark is a master watermark associated with the ongoing media presentation record.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting, to a server, the watermark data structure.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining that the second watermark corresponds to the second media presentation different than the first media presentation comprises comparing identification information of the second watermark with identification information of the ongoing media presentation record.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the second watermark is a different type of watermark than the first watermark.

7 . The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the bridge timer includes a bridge timer threshold, and wherein the bridge timer threshold indicates a maximum duration between matching watermarks that is considered to correspond to a same underlying media presentation.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
detecting a third watermark, wherein the third watermark is a different type of watermark than the second watermark; and updating the new ongoing media presentation record to associate the third watermark with the new ongoing media presentation record when:
the bridge time is between the detecting of the second watermark and the detecting of the third watermark is within the bridge timer threshold, and
the third watermark corresponds to the second media presentation.

9 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
detecting a third watermark, wherein the third watermark is a same type of watermark as the second watermark; determining that the third watermark corresponds to the second media presentation; and updating the new ongoing media presentation record in the watermark data structure to end at a time corresponding to the second watermark being detected when the bridge time between the detecting of the second watermark and the detecting of the third watermark exceeds the bridge timer threshold.

10 . A 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:
detecting a first watermark corresponding to a first media presentation;
associating the first watermark with an ongoing media presentation record in a watermark data structure when the ongoing media presentation record corresponds to the first media presentation;
detecting a second watermark;
determining that the second watermark corresponds to a second media presentation different than the first media presentation;
updating, based on the determining, the ongoing media presentation record in the watermark data structure to end at a time corresponding to the first watermark being detected to form a previously-presented media presentation record;
generating, based on the determining, a new ongoing media presentation record associated with the second media presentation and the second watermark; and
starting a bridge timer for the new ongoing media presentation record,
wherein the bridge timer tracks a bridge time which corresponds to a duration of time since the detecting of the second watermark, and
wherein the bridge timer is used to determine when the new ongoing media presentation record ends.

11 . The computing system of claim 10 , wherein the determining that the second watermark corresponds to the second media presentation different than the first media presentation comprises comparing identification information of the second watermark with identification information of the ongoing media presentation record.

12 . The computing system of claim 10 , further comprising:
transmitting, to a server, the watermark data structure.

13 . The computing system of claim 10 ,
wherein the bridge timer includes a bridge timer threshold, and wherein the bridge timer threshold indicates a maximum duration between matching watermarks that is considered to correspond to a same underlying media presentation.

14 . The computing system of claim 13 , further comprising:
detecting a third watermark, wherein the third watermark is a different type of watermark than the second watermark; and updating the new ongoing media presentation record to associate the third watermark with the new ongoing media presentation record when:
the bridge time is between the detecting of the second watermark and the detecting of the third watermark is within the bridge timer threshold, and
the third watermark corresponds to the second media presentation.

15 . The computing system of claim 13 , further comprising:
detecting a third watermark, wherein the third watermark is a same type of watermark as the second watermark; determining that the third watermark corresponds to the second media presentation; and updating the new ongoing media presentation record in the watermark data structure to end at a time corresponding to the second watermark being detected when the bridge time between the detecting of the second watermark and the detecting of the third watermark exceeds the bridge timer threshold.

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:
detecting a first watermark corresponding to a first media presentation; associating the first watermark with an ongoing media presentation record in a watermark data structure when the ongoing media presentation record corresponds to the first media presentation; detecting a second watermark; determining that the second watermark corresponds to a second media presentation different than the first media presentation; updating, based on the determining, the ongoing media presentation record in the watermark data structure to end at a time corresponding to the first watermark being detected to form a previously-prese

Assignees

• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

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

Classifications

• 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

• H04H60/56

  Arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54 · CPC title

• H04H60/31

  Arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services · CPC title