# US 12,652,425 B2 · Methods and apparatus for affiliate interrupt detection > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,652,425 B2 - Document ID: US12652425B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/826,532 - Filed: 2024-09-06 - Published: 2024-12-26 - Granted: 2026-06-09 - Earliest claimed: 2019-09-30 - Assignees: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Applicants: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC - Inventors: Jeremey M. Davis; David H. Wright; Alexander Topchy; Cherisse Ponraj; Chris Curtis; Jonathan Chazen; Markus Kurt Cremer; Sharmishtha Gupta; Jeffrey Scott - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12652425B2 ## CPC - H04N 21/23892: {involving embedding information at multiplex stream level, e.g. embedding a watermark at packet level} - 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 21/233: Processing of audio elementary streams {(monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58)} - H04N 21/23424: {involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement} - H04N 21/25866: {Management of end-user data (customer care in data networks H04L41/5077)} - H04N 21/26283: {for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic programme guide data} - 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 21/6582: {Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number (arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38)} - H04N 21/812: {involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02)} - 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)} - H04N 21/8456: {by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments} - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed for affiliate interrupt detection. An example method disclosed herein includes determining whether a first time period of a first audio signal corresponds to a first affiliate interrupt period based on whether (1) a first type of watermark is detected in the first time period of the first audio signal, and (2) a second type of watermark is detected in the first audio signal outside the first time period but not in the first time period of the first audio signal, and determining whether the first time period of the first audio signal corresponds to the first affiliate interrupt period when watermarks are not detected in the first time period of the first audio signal based on comparison of first signatures with second signatures representing a corresponding first time period of a reference audio signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A computing 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 a set of operations comprising: receiving, from a monitoring device, a first signature associated with an affiliate media signal; receiving a second signature associated with a reference media signal, wherein the reference media signal corresponds to a network feed associated with the affiliate media signal; selecting a time segment of a plurality of time segments; comparing the first signature and the second signature to determine that the first signature and the second signature do not match during the time segment; identifying, based on the comparing, that the time segment is a non-matching interval between the first signature and the second signature; determining that the non-matching interval satisfies a threshold; identifying, based on the non-matching interval satisfying the threshold, the non-matching interval as an affiliate interrupt; and outputting a report including information regarding the affiliate interrupt. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The computing system of claim 1, wherein the information regarding the affiliate interrupt comprises at least one or more of: a duration of the affiliate interrupt, a start time of the affiliate interrupt, an end time of the affiliate interrupt, or an indication that the affiliate interrupt was expected. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The computing system of claim 1, wherein the first signature and the second signature are audio signatures. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The computing system of claim 1, wherein the first signature and the second signature are video signatures. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The computing system of claim 1, wherein the threshold is a difference quantity threshold, and wherein the difference quantity threshold is determined by a percentage of difference between the first signature and the second signature. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The computing system of claim 5, the set of operations further comprising: determining that the non-matching interval satisfies a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a duration threshold. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The computing system of claim 6, wherein the duration threshold is a minimum duration of the time segment. ### Claim 8 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a processor, cause performance of a set of operations comprising: receiving, from a monitoring device, a first signature associated with an affiliate media signal; receiving a second signature associated with a reference media signal, wherein the reference media signal corresponds to a network feed associated with the affiliate media signal; selecting a time segment of a plurality of time segments; comparing the first signature and the second signature to determine that the first signature and the second signature do not match during the time segment; identifying, based on the comparing, that the time segment is a non-matching interval between the first signature and the second signature; determining that the non-matching interval satisfies a threshold; identifying, based on the non-matching interval satisfying the threshold, the non-matching interval as an affiliate interrupt; and outputting a report including information regarding the affiliate interrupt. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the information regarding the affiliate interrupt comprises at least one or more of: a duration of the affiliate interrupt, a start time of the affiliate interrupt, an end time of the affiliate interrupt, or an indication of whether the affiliate interrupt was expected. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first signature and the second signature are audio signatures. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the first signature and the second signature are video signatures. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the threshold is a difference quantity threshold, and wherein the difference quantity threshold is determined by a percentage of difference between the first signature and the second signature. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, the set of operations further comprising: determining that the non-matching interval satisfies a second threshold, wherein the second threshold is a duration threshold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the duration threshold is a minimum duration of the time segment. ### Claim 15 A method, comprising: receiving, from a monitoring device, a first signature associated with an affiliate media signal; receiving a second signature associated with a reference media signal, wherein the reference media signal corresponds to a network feed associated with the affiliate media signal; selecting a time segment of a plurality of time segments; comparing the first signature and the second signature to determine that the first signature and the second signature do not match during the time segment; identifying, based on the comparing, that the time segment is a non-matching interval between the first signature and the second signature; determining that the non-matching interval satisfies a threshold; identifying, based on the non-matching interval satisfying the threshold, the non-matching interval as an affiliate interrupt; and outputting a report including information regarding the affiliate interrupt. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the information regarding the affiliate interrupt comprises at least one or more of: a duration of the affiliate interrupt, a start time of the affiliate interrupt, an end time of the affiliate interrupt, or an indication of whether the affiliate interrupt was expected. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the first signature and the second signature are audio signatures. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the first signature and the second signature are video signatures. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the threshold is a difference quantity threshold, and wherein the difference quantity threshold is determined by a percentage of difference between the first signature and the second signature. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, further comprising: determining that the non-matching interval satisfies a second threshold, the second threshold associated with a duration of the time segment.