US 8,898,714 B2Granted

Methods for identifying video segments and displaying contextually targeted content on a connected television

AssigneeCognitive Media Networks, Inc.

InventorsZeev Neumeier, Edo Liberty

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Abstract

Systems and methods for identifying which video segment is being displayed on a screen of a television system. The video segment is identified by deriving data from the television signals, the derived data being indicative of the video segment being displayed on the screen. This feature can be used to extract a viewer's reaction (such as changing the channel) to a specific video segment (such as an advertisement) and reporting the extracted information as metrics. The systems and methods may further provide contextually targeted content to the television system. The contextual targeting is based on not only identification of the video segment being displayed, but also a determination concerning the playing time or offset time of the particular portion of the video segment being currently displayed.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A method, performed by a centrally located computer system, for automatically providing contextually targeted content to a remotely located television system comprising a video screen, while a video segment is being displayed on the video screen, said method comprising the following steps:

(a) storing in a database a respective reference cue data set for each of a multiplicity of reference video segments, each reference cue data set comprising:
(i) a respective sample set of reference data points derived from television signals for respective portions of a respective reference video segment having respective offset times relative to a starting point of said respective reference video segment;
and (ii) a respective set of associated location data, each set of associated location data comprising segment identity data identifying said respective reference video segment and offset time data comprising a respective offset time of a respective portion relative to a starting point of said respective reference video segment;
(b) receiving cue points and respective time stamps from the television system during display of a video segment on the video screen, each cue point comprising a respective sample set of data points derived from television signals for a respective portion of said video segment being displayed on the video screen;
(c) for each received cue point, searching the database for sample sets of reference data points which are a sufficiently close match to the received cue point;
(d) storing suspect location data in a history data structure, said suspect location data comprising segment identity data and time offset data associated with the sufficiently close sample sets of reference data points found in step (c);
(e) calculating a respective certainty probability for each of said suspect locations, each certainty probability representing a degree of certainty that a respective portion of a reference video segment corresponding to a respective suspect location is the same as the portion of said video segment that was displayed on the video screen;
(f) summing said certainty probabilities;
(g) determining whether the sum of said certainty probabilities exceeds a preset probability threshold;
(h) in response to a determination in step (g) that the sum of said certainty probabilities exceeds said preset probability threshold, retrieving from said database content associated with the portion of the reference video segment corresponding to said suspect location having said certainty probability in excess of said preset probability threshold;
and
(i) sending said retrieved content to the television system while said video segment is still being displayed on the video screen.

9 more elements

A system for providing contextually targeted content to a television system comprising a video screen while a video segment is being displayed on the video screen, said system comprising a database and a processing system,

wherein said database contains a respective reference cue data set for each of a multiplicity of reference video segments, each reference cue data set comprising:
(i) a respective sample set of reference data points derived from television signals for respective portions of a respective reference video segment having respective offset times relative to a starting point of said respective reference video segment;
and (ii) a respective set of associated location data, each set of associated location data comprising segment identity data identifying said respective reference video segment and offset time data comprising a respective offset time of a respective portion relative to a starting point of said respective reference video segment, and
wherein said processing system is programmed to perform the following operations while the video segment is being displayed on the video screen:
(a) receiving cue points and respective time stamps from the television system during display of a video segment on the video screen, each cue point comprising a respective sample set of data points derived from television signals for a respective portion of said video segment being displayed on the video screen;
(b) for each received cue point, searching the database for sample sets of reference data points which are a sufficiently close match to the received cue point;
(c) storing suspect location data in a history data structure, said suspect location data comprising segment identity data and time offset data associated with the sufficiently close sample sets of reference data points found in step (b);
(d) calculating a respective certainty probability for each of said suspect locations, each certainty probability representing a degree of certainty that a respective portion of a reference video segment corresponding to a respective suspect location is the same as the portion of said video segment that was displayed on the video screen;
(e) summing said certainty probabilities;
(f) determining whether the sum of said certainty probabilities exceeds a preset probability threshold;
(g) in response to a determination in step (f) that the sum of said certainty probabilities exceeds said preset probability threshold, retrieving from said database content associated with the portion of the reference video segment corresponding to said suspect location having said certainty probability in excess of said preset probability threshold;
and
(h) sending said retrieved content to the television system while said video segment is still being displayed on the video screen.

10 more elements

(a) storing in a database a respective reference cue data set for each of a multiplicity of reference video segments, each reference cue data set comprising:
(i) a respective sample set of reference data points derived from television signals for respective portions of a respective reference video segment having respective offset times relative to a starting point of said respective reference video segment;
and (ii) a respective set of associated location data, each set of associated location data comprising segment identity data identifying said respective reference video segment and offset time data comprising a respective offset time of a respective portion relative to a starting point of said respective reference video segment;
(b) receiving cue points and respective time stamps from the television system during display of a video segment on the video screen, each cue point comprising a respective sample set of data points derived from television signals for a respective portion of said video segment being displayed on the video screen;
(c) for each received cue point, searching the database for sample sets of reference data points which are a sufficiently close match to the received cue point;
(d) storing suspect location data in a history data structure, said suspect location data comprising segment identity data and time offset data associated with the sufficiently close sample sets of reference data points found in step (c);
(e) calculating a respective certainty probability for each of said suspect locations, each certainty probability representing a degree of certainty that a respective portion of a reference video segment corresponding to a respective suspect location is the same as the portion of said video segment that was displayed on the video screen;
(f) summing said certainty probabilities;
(g) determining whether the sum of said certainty probabilities exceeds a preset probability threshold;
and
(h) in response to a determination in step (g) that the sum of said certainty probabilities exceeds said preset probability threshold, retrieving from said database segment identity data identifying the portion of the reference video segment corresponding to the suspect location having said certainty probability in excess of said preset probability threshold.

8 more elements

wherein said database contains a respective reference cue data set for each of a multiplicity of reference video segments stored, each reference cue data set comprising:
(i) a respective sample set of reference data points derived from television signals for respective portions of a respective reference video segment having respective offset times relative to a starting point of said respective reference video segment;
and (ii) a respective set of associated location data, each set of associated location data comprising segment identity data identifying said respective reference video segment and offset time data comprising a respective offset time of a respective portion relative to a starting point of said respective reference video segment, and
wherein said processing system is programmed to perform the following operations while the video segment is being displayed on the video screen:
(a) receiving cue points and respective time stamps from the television system during display of a video segment on the video screen, each cue point comprising a respective sample set of data points derived from television signals for a respective portion of said video segment being displayed on the video screen;
(b) for each received cue point, searching the database for sample sets of reference data points which are a sufficiently close match to the received cue point;
(c) storing suspect location data in a history data structure, said suspect location data comprising segment identity data and time offset data associated with the sufficiently close sample sets of reference data points found in step (b);
(d) calculating a respective certainty probability for each of said suspect locations, each certainty probability representing a degree of certainty that a respective portion of a reference video segment corresponding to a respective suspect location is the same as the portion of said video segment that was displayed on the video screen;
(e) summing said certainty probabilities;
(f) determining whether the sum of said certainty probabilities exceeds a preset probability threshold;
and
(g) in response to a determination in step (g) that the sum of said certainty probabilities exceeds said preset probability threshold, retrieving from said database segment identity data identifying the portion of the reference video segment corresponding to the suspect location having said certainty probability in excess of said preset probability threshold.

9 more elements

A web-based server system for automatically providing contextually targeted video or audio content for display on a video screen of a client television system, comprising:

one or more databases for storing a reference cue data set and associated content for each of a multiplicity of reference video segments;
a reference cue data generation computer system programmed to act on a multiplicity of television program sources for generating a multiplicity of reference cue data sets, each reference cue data set comprising:
(i) a sample set of reference data points derived from a respective reference video segment, (ii) a time code derived from the respective broadcast time of said respective video segment, and (iii) a respective set of associated metadata, each set of associated metadata comprising segment identity data identifying said respective reference video segment;
a remotely located client television system comprising means for generating cue data sets during display of a video segment on said video screen of said client television system, each cue data set comprising a respective sample set of data points derived from television signals for a respective portion of said video segment being displayed on said video screen in a manner consistent with the reference cue data generation computer system and associated time codes;
a video matching computer system programmed to match cue data sets from unknown video segments from said client television system against said reference cue data sets to search the database for reference cue data sets which are a sufficiently close match to the received cue data sets;
and
wherein said video matching computer system is programmed to determine a closest match by executing the following operations:
a content retrieval computer system programmed to retrieve content associated with the reference cue data sets which are a closest match to the received cue data sets, and send said retrieved content to said client television system while said video segment is still being displayed on said video screen of said client television system;
storing suspect location data in a history data structure, said suspect location data comprising segment identity data and time offset data respectively associated with reference cue data sets which are a sufficiently close match to the received cue data sets;
calculating a respective certainty probability for each suspect location identified by said suspect location data, each certainty probability representing a degree of certainty that a respective portion of a reference video segment identified by a respective suspect location is the same as the portion of said video segment that was displayed on said screen of said client television system;
summing said certainty probabilities;
and
determining whether the sum of said certainty probabilities exceeds a preset probability threshold.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/089,003Filed 25 Nov 2013 · continuation
Priority: 27 May 2010
Published: US 2014/0082663 A120 Mar 2014
Granted: 25 Nov 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

H04N 21/44204
Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times…
H04N 21/23418
Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs: involving operations for…
H04N 21/4316
Involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations: for displaying…
H04N 21/4394
Processing of audio elementary streams: involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio…

Family

Application12/788,721Parent of this continuation · filed 27 May 2010
US 2014/0082663 A1Pre-grant publication · published 20 Mar 2014
US 8,595,781 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2010/0306808 A1Published application
US 8,898,714 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.