# US 12,114,040 B2 · Methods and apparatus to monitor streaming media content > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,114,040 B2 - Document ID: US12114040B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/489,121 - Filed: 2023-10-18 - Published: 2024-02-08 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-12-18 - Assignees: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Applicants: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Inventors: Kale Smith; Ben Ropke - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12114040B2 ## CPC - 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)} - G06F 21/16: Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking - G06Q 30/0201: Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data - G10L 19/018: Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal - H04L 43/045: for graphical visualisation of monitoring data - H04L 43/062: related to network traffic - H04L 63/10: {for controlling access to devices or network resources} - H04L 65/1033: Signalling gateways - H04L 65/611: for multicast or broadcast (systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06) - H04L 65/612: for unicast - H04L 65/65: Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP] - H04L 65/762: {at the source (reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355)} - H04L 65/764: {at the destination (reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355)} - H04L 67/535: {Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34)} - H04N 21/42203: {sound input device, e.g. microphone} - H04N 21/4394: {involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams (arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58)} - H04N 21/44209: {Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network (arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896)} - H04N 21/44213: {Monitoring of end-user related data (arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33)} - H04N 21/44224: {Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing} - H04N 21/8358: 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)} - H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] - H04L 2463/101: applying security measures for digital rights management - H04N 21/4667: {Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to monitor streaming media content. Example apparatus disclosed herein include means for determining whether a streaming media flag is asserted in a payload of a watermark detected in media presented by a media presentation device, the streaming media flag to indicate whether the media was distributed to the media presentation device as streaming media. Disclosed example apparatus also include means for discarding the detected watermark from collected data in response to a determination that the streaming media flag is asserted. Disclosed example apparatus further include means for reporting the collected data to a remote server via a network. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a processor, cause performance of operations comprising: detecting a streaming media flag in a payload of a watermark detected in media presented by a media presentation device, the streaming media flag comprising at least one of a first value or a second value, the first value indicating that the media was streamed to the media presentation device; based on determining that the streaming media flag in the payload of the detected watermark comprises the first value, discarding the detected watermark from data collected from a household; and based on the data, generating a media presentation report indicating that the media was presented at the household. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the collected data comprises panel data collected by a first meter at the household. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the panel data associates the detected watermark to a media exposure event, the operations further comprising: receiving, over a network, the panel data from the first meter; and receiving, over the network, from a second meter at the household different from the first meter, a network traffic report indicating the media exposure event. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, the operations further comprising: based on determining that the streaming media flag in the payload of the detected watermark comprises the first value, selecting the media exposure event indicated by the network traffic report for use in generating the media presentation report. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second value indicates that the media was not streamed to the media presentation device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the watermark is encoded in audio data of the media. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the payload of the watermark further comprises information that identifies the media. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the watermark is a first watermark encoded in a first watermarking layer of the media, and wherein a second watermark is encoded in a second watermarking layer of the media, the second watermark comprising information that identifies the media. ### Claim 9 A system comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by the processor, cause performance of operations comprising: detecting a streaming media flag in a payload of a watermark detected in media presented by a media presentation device, the streaming media flag comprising at least one of a first value or a second value, the first value indicating that the media was streamed to the media presentation device; based on determining that the streaming media flag in the payload of the detected watermark comprises the first value, discarding the detected watermark from data collected from a household; and based on the data, generating a media presentation report indicating that the media was presented at the household. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the collected data comprises panel data collected by a first meter at the household. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the panel data associates the detected watermark to a media exposure event, the operations further comprising: receiving, over a network, the panel data from the first meter; and receiving, over the network, a network traffic report from a second meter at the household, different from the first meter, wherein the network traffic report indicates the media exposure event. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, the operations further comprising: based on determining that the streaming media flag in the payload of the detected watermark comprises the first value, selecting the media exposure event indicated by the network traffic report for use in generating the media presentation report. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the second value indicates that the media was not streamed to the media presentation device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the watermark is encoded in audio data of the media. ### Claim 15 A method comprising: detecting a streaming media flag in a payload of a watermark detected in media presented by a media presentation device, the streaming media flag comprising at least one of a first value or a second value, the first value indicating that the media was streamed to the media presentation device; based on determining that the streaming media flag in the payload of the detected watermark comprises the first value, discarding the detected watermark from data collected from a household; and based on the data, generating a media presentation report indicating that the media was presented at the household. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the collected data comprises panel data collected by a first meter at the household. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the panel data associates the detected watermark to a media exposure event, the method further comprising: receiving, over a network, the panel data from the first meter; and receiving, over the network, from a second meter at the household different from the first meter, a network traffic report indicating the media exposure event. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: based on determining that the streaming media flag in the payload of the detected watermark comprises the first value, selecting the media exposure event indicated by the network traffic report for use in generating the media presentation report. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the second value indicates that the media was not streamed to the media presentation device. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the watermark is encoded in audio data of the media.