Media correlation by feature matching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9301019-B1
Application number	US-201313844289-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

A media correlation method, executed by a processor, determines an identity of a program. The method includes detecting a sign-in by a first media device; determining a location of the first media device relative to a second media device; receiving from the first media device, content clips emanating from the second media device; and identifying a program displayed on the second media device based on the received content clips.

First claim

We claim:

1. A media correlation method for determining an identity of a program, comprising:
detecting, by a processor of an audience measurement server, a sign-in by a mobile device;
determining, by the processor, a location of the mobile device relative to a first media device different from the mobile device;
receiving, by the processor, from the mobile device, content clips emanating from the first media device;
identifying, by the processor, a program output from the first media device based on the received content clips;
receiving, by the processor, content clips from a second media device in proximity to the mobile device, the second media device different from the mobile device and the first media device;
identifying a program output from the second media device based on the content clips emanating from the second media device;
determining, by the processor while receiving the content clips from the second media device, a second location of the mobile device different from a location of the first media device; and
identifying, by the processor, the content clips from the second media device as not received from the first media device, responsive to the determination of the second location of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the program output from the first media device comprises comparing information contained in the received content clip to a reference source.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the reference source comprises a database of predetermined reference information.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the database is stored with the mobile device, wherein the mobile device determines an identity of the program output from the first media device, and wherein identifying the program output from the first media device comprises receiving the determined identification from the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the database is stored in an independent device remote from the mobile device, and wherein identifying the program output from the first media device comprises the independent, remote device determining an identity of the program output from the first media device.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the reference source comprises a monitored, real-time output of the program at an independent device remote from the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying, by the processor, the content clips from the second media device as not received from the first media device, responsive to not receiving content clips from the first media device while receiving the content clips from the second media device.

8. A system for correlating media to determine an identity of a program, comprising:
a processor; and
a computer readable storage medium comprising a program of instructions executable by the processor for media correlation, wherein when the instructions are executed, the processor:
detects a sign-in by a mobile device;
determines a location of the mobile device relative to a first media device different from the mobile device;
receives from the mobile device, content clips emanating from the first media device;
identifies a program output from the first media device based on the received content clips;
receives content clips from a second media device in proximity to the mobile device, the second media device different from the mobile device and the first media device;
identifies a program output from the second media device based on the content clips emanating from the second media device; and
identifies the content clips from the second media device as not received from the first media device, responsive to not receiving content clips from the first media device while receiving the content clips from the second media device.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein identifying the program output from the first media device comprises comparing information contained in the received content clip to a reference source.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the reference source comprises a database of predetermined reference information.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the database is stored with the mobile device, wherein the mobile device determines an identity of the program output from the first media device, and wherein identifying the program output from the first media device comprises receiving the determined identification from the mobile device.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the database is stored in an independent device remote from the mobile device, and wherein identifying the program output from the first media device comprises the independent, remote device determining an identity of the program output from the first media device.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the reference source comprises a monitored, real-time output of the program at an independent device remote from the mobile device.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor:
receives content clips from the second media device in proximity to the mobile device; and
identifies a program output from the second media device based on the content clips emanating from the second media device.

15. A processor-implemented method for identifying a program output from a first media device by feature extraction using a mobile device, comprising:
determining, by the processor, that the mobile and first media devices are in proximity to each other, the first media device different from the mobile device;
capturing at the mobile device, using the processor, feature information from the program during output of the program on the first media device;
processing the feature information to provide an identification of the program;
subsequently capturing at the mobile device, using the processor, feature information from a second program during output of the second program on a second media device, the second media device different from the first media device and the mobile device; and
identifying, using the processor, the second program as not output from the first media device, responsive to not receiving feature information from the second program from the first media device while capturing the feature information at the mobile device.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising;
sending the extracted feature information to a remote service; and
executing the feature information processing at the remote service.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein executing the feature information processing comprises comparing the extracted feature information to at least one reference value determined for the program.

Assignees

• Arini Nick Salvatore
• Charlebois Owen Arthur
• Chennavasin Elissa Lee
• Google Inc

Inventors

• Arini Nick Salvatore
• Charlebois Owen Arthur
• Chennavasin Elissa Lee

Classifications

• H04N21/637 Primary

  Control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components · CPC title

• H04N21/812

  involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02) · 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

• H04N21/6582

  Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number (arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38) · CPC title

• H04N21/25841 Primary

  involving the geographical location of the client (retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00) · CPC title