# US 11,122,315 B2 · Systems and methods to identify video content types > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,122,315 B2 - Document ID: US11122315B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/679,755 - Filed: 2015-04-06 - Published: 2015-11-19 - Granted: 2021-09-14 - Earliest claimed: 2014-05-13 - Assignees: Wideorbit LLC - Applicants: Wideorbit LLC - Inventors: Robert D. Green; John W. Morris; James M. Kott; Brian S. Bosworth - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11122315B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/2668: Creating a channel for a dedicated end-user group, e.g. insertion of targeted commercials based on end-user profiles {(information retrieval from the Internet by querying with filtering and personalisation G06F16/9535; arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast H04H20/10; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/063)} - H04N 21/222: Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end {(provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56)} - H04N 21/231: Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion - H04N 21/23418: {involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics (television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59)} - H04N 21/23424: {involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement} - H04N 21/23439: {for generating different versions} - H04N 21/235: Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors - H04N 21/2665: Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite - H04N 21/4622: {Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet (web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859)} - H04N 21/6125: {involving transmission via Internet (transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82)} - H04N 21/812: {involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02)} - H04N 21/84: Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors {(systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Mediacast video content detection systems and methods that analyze the image content data of mediacast source data flows that include a variety of replaceable video content segments and a variety of non-replaceable video content segments to detect one or more characteristics of the video content segments. Detection regions may be utilized to detect visual elements in the video content segments that provide information regarding one or more properties of the video content segments, such as program type, start times, end times, video content provider, title, and the like. Replacement video content segments may replace video content segments determined to be replaceable. A buffering scheme may be employed to inherently adjust asynchronicity between a broadcast or Webcast and a mediacast. Actual insertion of replacement video content segments may occur upstream of a content consumer device or at the content consumer device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operation in a content insertion system, the content insertion system comprising at least one processor and at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, the method comprising: receiving an electronic mediacast source signal which comprises a plurality of replaceable content segments interspersed with a plurality of non-replaceable content segments, the replaceable content segments including one or more sections of replaceable content material which includes entire frames of image content data, and the non-replaceable content segments including one or more sections of non-replaceable content material which includes entire frames of image content data; reviewing only a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data for a presence or absence of at least one defined graphic element contained within at least one of the replaceable content material or the non-replaceable content material to determine whether a portion of the received electronic mediacast source signal corresponds to a non-replaceable content segment, which comprises one or more sections of non-replaceable content material comprising a plurality of entire frames of image content data that are entirely non-replaceable, or a replaceable content segment, which comprises one or more sections of replaceable content material comprising a plurality of entire frames of image content data that are entirely replaceable, based on at least one of a presence or an absence of the defined graphic element in the defined region of the rendering surface, wherein the defined region is a pre-defined detection region that comprises only a portion of the spatial rendering surface that is smaller than the entire spatial rendering surface, and the defined graphic element is a pre-defined graphic element; in response to determining the portion of the received electronic mediacast source signal corresponds to a non-replaceable content segment, retaining the non-replaceable content segment; in response to determining the portion of the received electronic mediacast source signal corresponds to a replaceable content segment, selecting a replacement content segment from a store of replacement content segments of the content insertion system, the replacement content segment comprising one or more sections of replacement content material, each of the one or more sections of replacement content material comprises a plurality of entire frames of image content data; and replacing the one or more sections of the replaceable content material within the replaceable content segment with the one or more sections of replacement content material within the replacement content segment. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the defined region includes a plurality of pixels, and reviewing at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data comprises ignoring at least some of the plurality of pixels in the defined region. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein reviewing at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data comprises detecting a content provider identifier tag in the at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein reviewing at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data comprises detecting at least one of a lower third graphic, a chyron graphic, an information ticker graphic, an edge graphic, a score graphic, or text in the at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein reviewing at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data comprises reviewing at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data to detect a temporally spaced pattern indicative of at least one of a start of at least one of the content segments or an end of at least one of the content segments. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein reviewing at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data comprises detecting a color intensity of the at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 wherein the one or more sections of replaceable content material and the one or more sections of non-replaceable content material each include audio content data, the method further comprising: reviewing at least a portion of the audio content data for a presence or absence of at least one defined auditory content element contained within at least one of the replaceable content material or the non-replaceable content material to determine whether a portion of the received electronic mediacast source signal corresponds to a non-replaceable content segment or a replaceable content segment based on at least one of a presence or an absence of the defined auditory content element. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 wherein reviewing at least a portion of the audio content data comprises reviewing at least a portion of the audio content data for a period of silence, and reviewing at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data comprises detecting a low color intensity. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein reviewing at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data comprises reviewing at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data for a presence or absence of a plurality of defined graphic elements contained within at least one of the replaceable content material or the non-replaceable content material to determine whether a portion of the received electronic mediacast source signal corresponds to a non-replaceable content segment or a replaceable content segment based on at least one of a presence or an absence of the plurality of defined graphic elements, the plurality of defined graphic elements indicative of at least one of a start of at least one of the content segments or an end of at least one of the content segments. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein reviewing at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data comprises detecting a presence or absence of at least one edge in the at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein reviewing at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data comprises detecting a presence or absence of a continuous lower third graphic in the at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein reviewing at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data comprises detecting a presence or absence of a content source provider graphic in a lower third portion of the at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: verifying whether an identified presence or absence of the defined graphic element occurs during a defined expected time period; and determining whether a portion of the received electronic mediacast source signal corresponds to a non-replaceable content segment or a replaceable content segment based on the verification of the identified presence or absence of the defined graphic element. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein reviewing the at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data of the received electronic mediacast source signal for a presence or absence of at least one defined graphic element further comprises: determining a start of at least one of the content segments of the electronic mediacast source signal; and determining an end of at least one of the content segments of the electronic mediacast source signal. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: causing delivery of a modified electronic mediacast source signal that comprises the replacement content segment over a network by at least one component of the content insertion system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein selecting a replacement content segment comprises selecting a replacement content segment based at least in part on at least one of a geographic location of a content consumer, a browsing history of the content consumer, a buying history of the content consumer, or a piece of self-reported information provided by the content consumer. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: encoding the replacement content segment as content fragments; and providing the content fragments to a number of content delivery networks for retrieval of the content fragments by content consumers. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: reviewing the at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data of the received electronic mediacast source signal for a presence or absence of at least one defined graphic element to determine metadata related to at least one of the replaceable content segments or related to at least one of the non-replaceable content segments. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18 wherein reviewing the at least a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data of the received electronic mediacast source signal for a presence or absence of at least one defined graphic element to determine metadata comprises detecting a title associated with at least one of the replaceable content segments or the non-replaceable content segments. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein receiving an electronic mediacast source signal comprises receiving an electronic mediacast source signal which comprises a plurality of non-replaceable programming content segments interspersed with a plurality of replaceable advertising content segments. ### Claim 21 A content delivery system, comprising: at least one communications port communicatively coupleable to receive an electronic mediacast source signal from a broadcaster or a Webcaster, the electronic mediacast source signal at least including a plurality of replaceable content segments comprising image content data and a plurality of non-replaceable content segments comprising image content data; at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium which stores a number of processor-executable instructions; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one communications port and communicatively coupled to the at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium to execute the processor-executable instructions, which execution causes the at least one processor to: receive the electronic mediacast source signal from the broadcaster or the Webcaster; for each of a number of the content segments of the electronic mediacast source signal, detect whether the respective content is non-replaceable or replaceable, whereby the at least one processor: reviews only a defined region of a rendering surface of the image content data for a presence or absence of at least one defined graphic element contained within at least one of the replaceable content segments or the non-replaceable content segments to determine whether a portion of the received electronic mediacast source signal corresponds to a non-replaceable content segment, which comprises one or more sections of non-replaceable content material comprising a plurality of entire frames of image content data that are entirely non-replaceable, or a replaceable content segment, which comprises one or more sections of replaceable content material comprising a plurality of entire frames of image content data that are entirely replaceable, based on at least one of a presence or an absence of the defined graphic element, wherein the defined region is a pre-defined detection region that comprises only a portion of the spatial rendering surface that is smaller than the entire spatial rendering surface, and the defined graphic element is a pre-defined graphic element; retains content segments of the received electronic mediacast source signal identified as being non-replaceable content segments; and replaces one or more sections of the replaceable content material within each of at least some of the content segments of the received electronic mediacast source signal identified as being replaceable with a respective one or more sections of replacement content material within at least one replacement content segment, wherein the one or more sections of the replacement content material has a duration that is one of greater than or less than a duration of the one or more sections of the replaceable content material replaced by the replacement content material.