# US 11,445,226 B2 · Method and system for use of network affiliation as basis to determine channel rendered by content presentation device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,445,226 B2 - Document ID: US11445226B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/450,610 - Filed: 2021-10-12 - Published: 2022-01-27 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2019-07-19 - Assignees: Roku, Inc. - Applicants: Roku, Inc. - Inventors: Raghavendra Sunku; Jaehyung Lee; Virginie Debelair; Peter Dunker - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11445226B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/23424: {involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement} - H04N 21/44008: {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)} - 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 21/2343: involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements {(video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762)} - H04N 21/25891: {being end-user preferences (retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)} - H04N 21/266: Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel - H04N 21/44204: {Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31)} - H04N 21/4756: {for rating content, e.g. scoring a recommended movie} - H04N 21/64: Addressing {(network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00; support for multicast or broadcast of one-way stream services H04L65/611)} - H04N 21/6582: {Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number (arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38)} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A computing system detects a channel multi-match with non-matching programs, based on fingerprint-based ACR analysis of digital fingerprint data representing a channel rendered by a content presentation device. The system then responsively determines a channel rendered by the device through a process including (a) determining that channels of the multi-match group are all affiliate channels of the same network as each other and (b) determining, as the channel, which affiliate channel of that network serves a location of the content presentation device. The system then uses the determined channel as a basis for carrying out of at least one channel-specific operation, such as recording audience-measurement data and/or invoking dynamic content modification. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising: detecting by a computing system a channel multi-match with non-matching programs, wherein detecting the channel multi-match with non-matching programs includes (i) detecting, based on digital-fingerprint comparison, a channel multi-match in which query fingerprint data representing a channel rendered by a content presentation device matches multiple instances of reference fingerprint data corresponding respectively with multiple channels, the multiple channels defining a multi-match group, and (ii) detecting that, at a time of the detected channel multi-match, the channels of the multi-match group were scheduled to be presenting different programs than each other; and responsive to at least detecting the channel multi-match with non-matching programs, carrying out by the computing system a channel-determination process to determine the channel rendered by the content presentation device, the channel-determination process including: (a) determining that channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of a same network as each other, and (b) based on the determining that channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of the same network as each other, determining, as the channel rendered by the content presentation device, an affiliate channel of that network based on a determination that the affiliate channel serves a location of the content presentation device, wherein the determined channel is useable as a basis for carrying out at least one channel-specific operation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining that channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of a same network as each other comprises determining that 100% of the channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of the same network as each other. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein determining that channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of a same network as each other comprises determining that at least a predefined threshold percentage of the channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of the same network as each other. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the channel-determination process further includes determining the location of the content presentation device, wherein determining, as the channel rendered by the content presentation device, the affiliate channel of the network based on a determination that the affiliate channel serves a location of the content presentation device comprises determining, as the channel rendered by the content presentation device, the affiliate channel of the network based on a determination that the affiliate channel serves the determined location of the content presentation device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein determining the location of the content presentation device is based on location information provided by the content presentation device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein determining the location of the content presentation device is based on a network address of the content presentation device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one channel-specific operation comprises providing a record of the content presentation device rendering the determined channel, for use in channel ratings. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one channel-specific operation comprises using an identity of the determined channel as a basis to invoke dynamic content modification. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the dynamic content modification comprises dynamic advertisement insertion. ### Claim 10 A computing system comprising: at least one a network communication interface; at least one a processing unit; at least one non-transitory data storage; and program instructions stored in the at least one non-transitory data storage and executable by the at least one processing unit to carry out operations including: receiving from a content presentation device, via the at least one network communication interface, query fingerprint data representing a channel of content rendered by the media presentation device, detecting a channel multi-match with non-matching programs, wherein detecting the channel multi-match with non-matching programs includes (i) detecting, based on digital-fingerprint comparison, a channel multi-match in which the received query fingerprint data matches multiple instances of reference fingerprint data corresponding respectively with multiple channels, the multiple channels defining a multi-match group, and (ii) detecting that, at a time of the detected channel multi-match, the channels of the multi-match group were scheduled to be presenting different programs than each other, and responsive to at least detecting the channel multi-match with non-matching programs, carrying out a channel-determination process to determine the channel rendered by the content presentation device, the channel-determination process including (a) determining that channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of a same network as each other and (b) based on the determining that channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of the same network as each other, determining, as the channel rendered by the content presentation device, an affiliate channel of that network based on a determination that the affiliate channel serves a location of the content presentation device, wherein the determined channel is useable as a basis for carrying out at least one channel-specific operation. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The computing system of claim 10, wherein determining that channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of a same network as each other comprises determining that 100% of the channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of the same network as each other. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The computing system of claim 10, wherein determining that channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of a same network as each other comprises determining that at least a predefined threshold percentage of the channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of the same network as each other. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The computing system of claim 10, wherein the channel-determination process further includes determining the location of the content presentation device, wherein determining, as the channel rendered by the content presentation device, the affiliate channel of the network based on a determination that the affiliate channel serves a location of the content presentation device comprises determining, as the channel rendered by the content presentation device, the affiliate channel of the network based on a determination that the affiliate channel serves the determined location of the content presentation device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computing system of claim 13, wherein determining the location of the content presentation device is based on location information provided by the content presentation device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The computing system of claim 13, wherein determining the location of the content presentation device is based on a network address of the content presentation device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The computing system of claim 10, wherein the at least one channel-specific operation comprises providing a record of the content presentation device rendering the determined channel, for use in channel ratings. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The computing system of claim 10, wherein the at least one channel-specific operation comprises using an identity of the determined channel as a basis to invoke dynamic content modification. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The computing system of claim 10, wherein the dynamic content modification comprises dynamic advertisement insertion. ### Claim 19 A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processing unit to carry out operations including: detecting a channel multi-match with non-matching programs, wherein detecting the channel multi-match with non-matching programs includes (i) detecting, based on digital-fingerprint comparison, a channel multi-match in which query fingerprint data representing a channel rendered by a content presentation device matches multiple instances of reference fingerprint data corresponding respectively with multiple channels, the multiple channels defining a multi-match group, and (ii) detecting that, at a time of the detected channel multi-match, the channels of the multi-match group were scheduled to be presenting different programs than each other, and responsive to at least detecting the channel multi-match with non-matching programs, carrying out a channel-determination process to determine the channel rendered by the content presentation device, the channel-determination process including (a) determining that channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of a same network as each other and (b) based on the determining that channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of the same network as each other, determining, as the channel rendered by the content presentation device, an affiliate channel of that network based on a determination that the affiliate channel serves a location of the content presentation device, wherein the determined channel is useable as a basis for carrying out at least one channel-specific operation. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein determining that channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of a same network as each other comprises determining that 100% of the channels of the multi-match group are affiliate channels of the same network as each other.