Watermark detection and metadata delivery associated with a primary content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016148334-A1
Application number	US-201514951302-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 24, 2015
Priority date	Nov 25, 2014
Publication date	May 26, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods, devices, systems and computer program products enable enhances delivery and use of metadata that is associated a primary multimedia content. Watermarks that are detected by a watermark extractor produce an indication as to astute of the watermark detector as being in one of a an unmarked content state, a marked content state or a gap state, and cause the watermark extractor to transition from one state to another state based on event that are recognized based a failure or a success in detecting watermarks, an indication of low content activity and a previous state of the watermark extractor. The events and states associated with the watermark extractor further allows retrieval of new metadata associated with the primary content, use of an existing metadata in a modified manner or a change in presentation of a secondary content that is associated with the primary content.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device comprising:
a processor; and a memory including processor executable code, the processor executable code, When executed by the processor, causes the device to:
configure a watermark extractor to process digital samples of a primary content to extract a plurality of watermark messages from the primary content and to produce an indication as to a state of the watermark detector, wherein one or more of the plurality of watermark messages include information that identifies a resource on a remote server to retrieve metadata associated with a section of the primary content, and the state of the watermark extractor includes one the following states:
(a) an unmarked content state indicating that at least a first section of the primary content that is processed by the watermark extractor does not include detected watermarks messages,
(b) a marked content state indicating that at least a second section of the primary content that is processed by the watermark extractor includes one or more embedded watermark messages or parts thereof, or
(c) a gap state indicating that at least a third section of the primary content that is processed by the watermark extractor immediately subsequent to the second section of the primary content does not include watermark messages or parts thereof,

wherein the watermark extractor transitions from a one state to another state upon occurrence of an event that is based on one or more of: (1) failure to detect a watermark message, or part thereof, subsequent to detection of at least one watermark message, (2) detection of a watermark message, or part thereof, subsequent to a failure to detect at least one watermark message, (3) detection of a section of the primary content with low activity, or (4) failure to detect embedded watermark messages for a predetermined interval of time, and wherein retrieval of the metadata is enabled, or use of the metadata is modified, based one or more events or pattern of events.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the information included in the one or more of the plurality of watermark messages includes a server code and an interval code.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, upon initialization of the device or the watermark extractor, the watermark extractor enters the unmarked content state.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the watermark extractor remains in the marked content state upon occurrence of an event that is based on detection of a change in value of a watermark message extracted from the primary content in comparison with a value of a previously detected watermark message from the primary content.

5 . The device of claim 1 , the third section of the primary content has low content activity.

6 . The device of claim 5 , wherein amplitude or energy values of the third section are zero or are below corresponding predefined threshold values.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, while the watermark extractor is in the unmarked content state, detection of a watermark message signals a watermark start segment event that causes the watermark extractor to transition to the marked content state.

B. The device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of watermark messages extracted by the watermark extractor includes a trigger field that indicates a change in the metadata associated with the primary content, and, while the watermark extractor is in the marked content state, detection of a watermark message having the trigger field with a particular value or status signals a trigger event that causes the watermark extractor to remain in the marked content state.

9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, while the watermark extractor is in the marked content state, detection of a watermark message with a value that does not conform to an expected value signals a watermark start segment event that causes the watermark extractor to remain in the marked content state.

10 . The device o claim 9 , wherein the expected value is determined based on a value of a previously detected watermark message.

11 . The device of claim 9 , wherein the value of the watermark message that does not conform to the expected value includes an interval code value that does not conform to an expected change in an interval code value of a previously detected watermark message.

12 . The device of claim 9 , wherein the value of the watermark message that does not conform to the expected value includes a server code value that is different from a previously detected server code value.

13 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, while the watermark extractor is in the marked content state, failure to detect a watermark message that is accompanied by an indication of low content activity signals a gap start event that causes the watermark extractor to transition to the gap state.

14 . The device of claim 13 , wherein the indication of low content activity is obtained by processing the primary content to detect amplitude or energy values associated with the primary content that are below corresponding predefined threshold values.

15 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, while the watermark extractor is in the marked content state, failure to detect a watermark message that is not accompanied by an indication of low content activity signals a watermark segment end event that causes the watermark extractor to transition to the unmarked content state.

16 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, while the watermark extractor is in the gap state, failure to detect a watermark message that is not accompanied by an indication of low content activity signals a gap end event that causes the watermark extractor to transition to the marked content state.

17 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, while the watermark extractor is in the gap state, detection of a watermark message signals a gap end event that causes the watermark extractor to transition to the marked content state.

18 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, while the watermark extractor is in the gap state, failure to detect a watermark message for a predetermined period of time that is not accompanied by an indication of low content activity signals a gap end event that causes the watermark extractor to transition to the unmarked content state.

19 . The device of claim 1 , wherein one or more states of the watermark extractor and the occurrence of one or more events allow identification of a particular interruption in presentation of the primary content.

20 . The device of claim 19 , wherein the particular interruption is a change in a source of the primary content that is identified by:
a first transition of the watermark extractor from the marked content state to the gap state, followed a second transition from the gap state to the marked content state and a third transition from the marked content state to the unmarked content state.

21 . The device of claim 19 , wherein the particular interruption is a pause in presentation of the primary content that is identified by:
a first transition of the watermark extractor from the marked content state to the gap state, followed by a second transition from the gap state to the marked content state, third transition from the marked content state to the unmarked content state and a fourth transition to the unmarked content state to the marked content state, wherein the fourth transition is based on detection of a watermark value that is expected to occur immediately prior to the first transition.

22 . Th

Assignees

• Verance Corp

Inventors

• Petrovic Rade
• Zhao Jian
• Winograd Joseph M

Classifications

• H04N21/4627

  Rights management {associated to the content (security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08)} · CPC title

• H04N21/2353

  specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata · CPC title

• G10L19/018 Primary

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

• H04N21/435 Primary

  Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream · CPC title