| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 725020000 | By data encoded in video signal (e.g., VBI data) | 25 |
| 20080222672 | Monitoring of a Broadcast Signal - A method of monitoring a broadcast signal ( | 09-11-2008 |
| 20080288972 | CODED/NON-CODED PROGRAM AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM - An audience measurement system identifies a program which is broadcast from a signal source and to which a receiver is tuned. The audience measurement system includes a code reader for reading an ancillary code of the program to which the receiver is tuned, a channel status detector for determining channel status relating to channels to which the receiver is tuned, a memory for storing ancillary codes read by the code reading means and for storing channel status determined by the channel status determining means if ancillary codes are not readable by the code reading means, and a communicator for communicating the ancillary code and/or the channel status to a central office computer. | 11-20-2008 |
| 20090055855 | INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD AS WELL AS SOFTWARE PROGRAM - The present invention concerns an information processing apparatus, a method thereof, and a program for allowing the audience to easily search for intended television programs. A server stores characteristic words extracted from television program information in a characteristic word file | 02-26-2009 |
| 20090070799 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRACKING ACTUAL CHANNEL CONTENT PLAYOUT IN THE EVENT OF AN ENCODER FAILURE - A system and method includes an automation system receiving a content signal and generating a run log in response to the content signal, an encoder and a monitoring system monitoring an encoder and generating an encoder status signal. The automation system updates the run log in response to the encoder status signal. | 03-12-2009 |
| 20090083781 | Intelligent Video Player - Systems and methods for managing digital video data are described. The digital video data maybe managed by employing a computing device to extract metadata from the video file and calculate a unique video signature associated with the video file. The computing device then uploads the metadata and unique video signature to a server which stores the metadata in a lookup table according to the unique video signature. | 03-26-2009 |
| 20090260027 | Monitoring TV Viewing with Programs from Cable/Satellite Providers - A technique is disclosed for monitoring viewership of programs being performed on reproduction equipment in response to a received broadcast signal. The technique comprises receiving the broadcast signal to provide a received output signal, adding a selected monitoring code to the received output signal to provide a combined output signal, inputting the received output signal to reproduction equipment for performing programs in the broadcast signal and for transmitting the monitoring code, detecting the transmitted monitoring code with a code detector positioned in proximity to the reproduction equipment; and providing viewership information based on the monitoring code. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20090260028 | VIDEO BUFFER FOR USE IN ADVERTISEMENT DISPLAYS - A video buffer system and method for use with advertising display systems. Programming packets are stored at the video buffer and displayed in a continuous loop until the next programming packet has been received and stored. The video buffer system allows for displays to continuously display advertisements during data stream interruption or delay. The video buffer system also records the number of times an advertisement has been played to ensure accurate billing for the advertisement. | 10-15-2009 |
| 20090282430 | Systems and Methods for Collecting Media Broadcast Audience Participation Data - Systems and methods for collecting viewership data of television and radio broadcast programs. The methods include receiving an AV signal of a broadcast program and supplementary content which contains a tag identifying the broadcast program. The supplementary content is combined with the AV signal to form a data-augmented signal which is subsequently modulated with a carrier signal to form a transmit signal for broadcasting to receivers. Each receiver includes a decoder for extracting the supplementary content and recording the tag identity and time the tag is received. The recorded information is subsequently output to an electronic device or sent directly to a viewership data collection entity. | 11-12-2009 |
| 20090293080 | Systems and Methods for Measuring Interest Levels of Audience in Broadcast Program and Providing Information Based On the Interest Levels - Systems and methods for measuring interest levels of audience in a broadcast program and providing extra information based on the interest level. The methods include receiving an AV signal of a broadcast program and supplementary content which contains broadcast program related information and a tag identifying the broadcast program. The supplementary content is combined with the AV signal to form a data-augmented signal which is subsequently modulated with a carrier signal to form a transmit signal for broadcasting to receivers. Each receiver includes a decoder for extracting the supplementary content and means for computing interest levels and providing extra information based on the interest levels. | 11-26-2009 |
| 20100162287 | DELIVERY OF FEEDBACK INFORMATION TO SCHEDULING SERVICE TO DETERMINE OPTIMUM BROADCAST TIMES BASED UPON CLIENT PLATFORM TUNER CONTENTION - Delivery of feedback information to a scheduling service to determine optimum broadcast times based upon client platform tuner contention is described. A usage pattern of an electronic media device is recorded. The usage pattern is communicated to a scheduling server. Media content is received during a time period selected by the scheduling server based upon the usage pattern. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20120011532 | Confirming Video Transmissions - In an interactive broadcasting system, television programming may be broadcast with interleaved web content information. The progress in broadcasting the web content information over one or more transports and over one or more channels within those transports, may be monitored to provide a time based indication of what content has been broadcast. In one embodiment, markers may be inserted into the data transmission flow and a method may be utilized to associate a handle with a particular marker. A method may be called which obtains the handle and another method may be utilized to invoke the handle to obtain current information about broadcast transmissions. This information may be used within a broadcast encoder or may be provided to a content provider, for example, through a log-in server. | 01-12-2012 |
| 20120124607 | Method And Arrangements For Analysing Multimedia Content - A method and arrangements at a multimedia distribution network for estimating a present user constellation of a household are suggested. A sequence of textual descriptors that are associated with a multimedia sequence that is presently provided to the household is monitored. By acquiring a set of parameters of a statistical model that is based on textual descriptors that have previously been provided to the household, and by estimating a present user constellation by correlating the sequence of textual descriptors with the parameters of the statistical model, the estimated information may be used for customization of content that is provided to the household. | 05-17-2012 |
| 20130007794 | MONITORING STREAMING MEDIA CONTENT - Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to monitor streaming media content are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein to monitor streaming media content comprises extracting first metering data from media content to be provided to a content presentation device via a transport stream, the first metering data identifying at least one of the media content or a source of the media content, combining the first metering data with second metering data obtained independently of the media content, the combined metering data not being decodable by a meter associated with the content presentation device, and transcoding the combined metering data to form transcoded metering data having a format decodable by the meter associated with the content presentation device. | 01-03-2013 |
| 20130031575 | SYSTEM FOR MONITORING A VIDEO NETWORK AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH - A monitoring system includes a video network analyzer processes the packet data to generate network and media session data relating to the distribution of video content via the data distribution network in at least one media session, wherein the network and media session data includes at least one session metric, location data, protocol identification data, video encoding parameter data, and audio encoding parameter data. An analytics database stores the network and media session data for generation of report data. | 01-31-2013 |
| 20130232522 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REAL-TIME UNIFIED MEDIA PREVIEW - A centralized media device accesses media sources via a networked system to display a unified preview of media contents stored on different devices. The unified previews are provided in real-time, pushing previews to multiple user devices. The centralized media device can employ user profile information to tailor the unified previews to individuals. It can also employ external sources to obtain relevant content images and information to provide to a user. The centralized media device can operate independently of the type of media, media source and/or viewing devices. | 09-05-2013 |
| 20130276013 | Using Multimedia Search to Identify what Viewers are Watching on Television - A television program currently being watched can be identified by extracting at least one decoded frame from a television transmission. The frame can be transmitted to a separate mobile device for requesting an image search and for receiving the search results. The search results can be used to identify the program, and the user's social networking friends can be notified of the program identification. | 10-17-2013 |
| 20130291001 | METHODS AND APPARATUS TO MEASURE EXPOSURE TO STREAMING MEDIA - Methods and apparatus to measure exposure to streaming media are disclosed herein. An example method includes extracting metering data from media obtained from a media provider. Metadata identifying the media based on the extracted metering data is generated. The media is transcoded into a transport stream, the transport stream having a streaming format. The metadata is embedded in a timed text track accompanying the transport stream. | 10-31-2013 |
| 20140040934 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING AND/OR COLLECTING VIEWERSHIP STATISTICS - Methods and apparatus for collecting program viewership information are described. A viewership monitoring module is provided access to decrypted program content allowing program information to be recovered without having to capture output program content using a microphone or camera. The monitoring module is loaded onto a secure device, e.g., a home network device, such as a router used to deliver content to a secure playback device. Alternatively the secure device which performs the monitoring maybe the secure playback device. Since a user of the secure device or a company implementing the viewership monitoring process loads the monitoring module onto the secure device, the network used to deliver the secure content need not be informed of which network customers are contributing to the viewership information which is being collected. | 02-06-2014 |
| 20140082651 | Systems and Methods for Live Media Content Matching - Systems and methods for matching live media content are disclosed. At a server, obtaining first media content from a client device, herein the first media content corresponds to a portion of media content being played on the client device, and the first media content is associated with a predefined expiration time; obtaining second media content from one or more content feeds, wherein the second media content also corresponds to a portion of the media content being played on the client device; in accordance with a determination that the second media content corresponds to a portion of the media content that has been played on the client device: before the predefined expiration time, obtaining third media content corresponding to the media content being played on the client device, from the one or more content feeds; and comparing the first media content with the third media content. | 03-20-2014 |
| 20140130077 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR GENERATING AND DETECTING A FINGERPRINT FUNCTIONING AS A TRIGGER MARKER IN A MULTIMEDIA SIGNAL - A device is configured to perform a method that detects a trigger marker for an action corresponding to a segment of a multimedia signal. A fingerprint is generated based on the segment of the multimedia signal at a trigger time point. The generated fingerprint is stored in a database and communicated to the device. During playback of the multimedia signal, fingerprints of segments of the multimedia signal are generated and matched against fingerprints in the database. When a match is found, one or more associated actions for the segment are retrieved by the device. The trigger time point may be determined as a time point near or at the segment of the multimedia signal with the matched fingerprint. In this way, trigger markers for actions may be enabled without modifying the multimedia signal. | 05-08-2014 |
| 20140325551 | METHODS AND APPARATUS TO CORRELATE CENSUS MEASUREMENT DATA WITH PANEL DATA - Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to correlate census measurement data with panel data. An example method disclosed herein includes instructing, via a first computing device of a monitoring entity, a media provider to embed a tag in media, the tag to cause a device accessing the media to send a message to the monitoring entity when the media is accessed by the device, the message to identify a geographic location of the device. The example method also includes accessing the message with a second computing device of the monitoring entity. The example method also includes identifying, with the second computing device of the monitoring entity, a panelist identifier based on the geographic location of the device. The example method also includes associating media identifying information included in the message with panelist data associated with the panelist identifier. | 10-30-2014 |
| 20140351841 | METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR MONITORING AND/OR COLLECTING VIEWERSHIP STATISTICS - Methods and apparatus for collecting program viewership information are described. A viewership monitoring module is provided access to decrypted program content allowing program information to be recovered without having to capture output program content using a microphone or camera. The monitoring module is loaded onto a secure device, e.g., a home network device, such as a router used to deliver content to a secure playback device. Alternatively the secure device which performs the monitoring maybe the secure playback device. Since a user of the secure device or a company implementing the viewership monitoring process loads the monitoring module onto the secure device, the network used to deliver the secure content need not be informed of which network customers are contributing to the viewership information which is being collected. | 11-27-2014 |
| 20150020087 | System for Identifying Features in a Television Signal - A computer system is disclosed in which features can be identified in a live television signal. A keyword extractor is arranged to identify keywords in the received television signal or to identify characteristic features in the signal. A content retrieval unit can then retrieve additional content that is related to selected keywords. An output unit can output keywords initially in an expanded format which may include the keyword and the retrieved additional content. The keywords are then displayed in a contracted format after a predetermined period of time has elapsed in order to make space on for newer keywords in the expanded format. | 01-15-2015 |
| 20160044349 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING CONTENT DISCOVERY BASED ON VIEWER RATINGS - Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided to assist users to locate content of interest based on viewer ratings. First information enabling unique identification of a first user may be processed. Indications of ratings of television programming may be processed, the indications being received from a first media device associated with the first user. Ratings information associated with the first user may be retained in repositories, the ratings information being based on the indications. The first user may be matched to a category that represents a classification of a set of viewers and/or of a set of content based on a set of attributes. Descriptive content indicative of the first user and/or content rated by the first user may be selected and may be transmitted via the network to a second media device associated with a second user. | 02-11-2016 |
| 20160073166 | Methods and Systems for Identifying a Media Program Clip Associated With a Trending Topic - An exemplary method of identifying a media program clip associated with a trending topic includes receiving a plurality of media content streams representative of a plurality of media programs, detecting, while the media content streams are being received, caption data included in the media content streams and associated with the media programs, identifying, based on the detected caption data, a trending topic associated with the plurality of media programs, and identifying a media program clip associated with the trending topic. Corresponding systems and methods are also described. | 03-10-2016 |
