Patents Examined by Christine A Kurien
  • Patent number: 11558661
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to identify media sources are disclosed. Example apparatus disclosed herein include an exclusivity determiner, a unique asset identifier, and a signature matcher. The exclusivity determiner is to determine whether media is exclusive to a provider. The unique asset identifier is to associate a first signature of the media with the provider if the media is exclusive to the provider. The signature matcher is to identify the provider based on a second signature, the second signature matching the first signature, the second signature extracted from media presented at a media presentation location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Sandeep Tapse, Jason Olmsted, James Petro, Albert T. Borawski, Brian Fuhrer
  • Patent number: 11558648
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method, including identifying recommended video clips for a user of a communication device according to a video viewing profile for the user and video subject matter information associated with a plurality of video clips, identifying an edge cloud server for facilitating network access by the communication device at a location, determining a reduced activity period for a data path between a video content server and the edge cloud server by comparing activity information for the data path and an activity threshold, directing the video content server to store the recommended video clips at the edge cloud server during the reduced activity period, and providing a listing of the recommended video clips to an application, where the communication device receives a video clip of the recommended video clips from the edge cloud server responsive to a selection of the video clip via the application. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Yali Liu, Zhengye Liu, Donglin Hu, Jin Wang
  • Patent number: 11538119
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to identifying a user consuming content so that the user can share information on a social network communication service. Aspects of the disclosure relate to detecting reactions to the content and transmitting information to a social networking service associated with the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Thirunarayanan Srinivasan, Andrew LaGrossa, Corey Farrell, Mehul Patel
  • Patent number: 11516543
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to assign viewers to media meter data are disclosed. An apparatus includes memory, and a processor to execute instructions to: determine first probabilities for first panelists in a first household based on a first number of minutes of first media presented by a first media presentation device monitored by a first meter, determine second probabilities for second panelists in a plurality of second households based on a second number of minutes of second media presented by second media presentation devices monitored by a plurality of second meters, compare the first probabilities and the second probabilities to identify a candidate household from the plurality of second households to associated with the first household, and impute respective portions of the first number of minutes to corresponding ones of the first panelists when monitored behavior of the candidate household matches monitored behavior of the first household.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Samantha M. Mowrer, Molly Poppie, Balachander Shankar, Ieok Hou Wong, Choongkoo Lee, Xiaoqi Cui, David J. Kurzynski, Richard Peters, Remy Spoentgen
  • Patent number: 11509945
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for presenting media content capable of being dynamically adapted. One method involves analyzing content of a media program to identify a replaceable object at a spatial location within the content at a temporal location within the content, analyzing the spatial location of the content corresponding to the replaceable object within the content to identify one or more attributes of the replaceable object, identifying a substitute object based at least in part on the one or more attributes associated with the replaceable object, augmenting the temporal location of the content to include the substitute object at the spatial location within the content in lieu of the replaceable object, and providing the augmented version of the content to a media player for presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Inventor: Vineet Govil
  • Patent number: 11503366
    Abstract: When a device is playing out a first media stream, the device determines a target time for beginning playout of a second media stream in place of the first media stream. The device then starts a stream-transition process that is expected to take anywhere from a minimum expected transition duration to a maximum expected transition duration, and the device starts the transition process in advance of the determined target time by the maximum expected transition duration, to help ensure timely starting of playout of the second media stream. Further, for an uncertainty period that extends from the minimum expected transition duration after the starting to the maximum expected transition duration after the starting, the device generates and plays a sequence of transition frames to help mask transition from the first media stream to the second media stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: ROKU, INC.
    Inventors: Chung Won Seo, Seunghyeong Lee
  • Patent number: 11496804
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method of receiving, by a processing system including a processor, viewership data for a plurality of viewers watching a program; identifying, by the processing system, an anomalous event from the viewership data, wherein the viewership data includes data points per viewer logged on a per second basis, and wherein the processing system identifies the anomalous event using a pattern recognition algorithm; analyzing, by the processing system, the viewership data to determine a reason for the anomalous event; and providing, by the processing system, a user interface that presents a comparison of the anomalous event versus a standard and indicia for the reason for the anomalous event. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Jianxiong Dong, Eric Zavesky, Jean-Francois Paiement
  • Patent number: 11496802
    Abstract: A media stream is delivered to a searcher by identifying a desirable emotional state for the searcher; identifying a current emotional state of the searcher; and estimating a target emotional trajectory that begins with the current emotional state and concludes with the desirable emotional state. Then the target emotional trajectory is matched to an aggregate emotional trajectory of the media stream; the media stream is recommended to the searcher in response to the matching; and a bit stream of the media stream is rendered to the searcher in response to the searcher's acceptance of the recommendation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ashley D. Gritzman, Toby Kurien, Naweed Aghmad Khan, Ismail Yunus Akhalwaya, Komminist Weldemariam
  • Patent number: 11470381
    Abstract: Examples of the systems and methods described herein relate to reducing latency issues associated with playing online digital video on client devices. An example method includes: determining that a client device of a user is displaying a web page; determining a likelihood that the user will select content on the web page, the content being associated with a digital video; determining that the likelihood exceeds a threshold and, based thereon: identifying the digital video associated with the content; obtaining a copy of a video file including the digital video and an initial portion that precedes the digital video; initiating a video player for displaying the digital video; determining a start location in the video file where the initial portion ends and the digital video begins; and configuring the video player to begin playing the video file from the start location when the user selects the content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Xandr Inc.
    Inventors: Eric M. Hoffert, Jeffrey Weiss, Vikki Pitts, Alexander Krassel, Yevgeniy Nisman, Radhika Shivapurkar
  • Patent number: 11463772
    Abstract: Advertisements for brands that are to be aired during media programs are selected based on similarities between the brands and creators of the media programs. As a media program is being aired, data representing content of a media program is processed to identify words being spoken or sung during the media program and sentiments associated with the media program. The media program is classified based on the words and sentiments, and a classification of the media program is compared to attributes of advertisements to determine which of the advertisements is best suited for airing during the media program. Additionally, a set of words that, if spoken or sung during a media program would establish conditions favorable to a given advertisement may be identified and provided to a creator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Harshal Dilip Wanjari, Sanjeev Kumar, Ayman Mahfouz, Thomas Albert Faulhaber, Pratik GuhaRay, Robert Eicher Simmering, Hsuan-Cheng Lai, Ramasubramanian Balagurunathan, Juan Martin Borgnino
  • Patent number: 11457251
    Abstract: Disclosed are various systems and methods for fault tolerant video packaging and transmission. A video packager may receive one or more video content transmissions from a transcoder, and may identify deficient segments, packets, or other portions of the video content transmission. The video packager may also maintain or have access to a default video output that is free of the identified deficiencies. For example, the default video output can include one or more segments of video data comprising a blank or solid color frame, or a still image. The deficient data may be determined based on validation parameters. If the validation parameters are satisfied, the received data is packaged and transmitted. Otherwise, the default video output is packaged to replace deficient portions, and transmitted instead of the received video content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: COMCAST CABLE COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Neill Kipp, Michael Reedell, Blake Orth
  • Patent number: 11451873
    Abstract: One or more videos are presented to a user. The videos include a plurality of hidden artifacts. The videos also include advertisements. The user looks for the hidden artifacts in the videos. Whenever the user finds the hidden artifacts in one of the videos, the user selects locations in the videos that correspond to the hidden artifacts. A computing device performs different actions depending on which ones of the hidden artifacts the user is able to find. For example, the computing device can provide different rewards to the user depending on which ones of the hidden artifacts the user is able to find.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: uSeek, Inc.
    Inventors: Huntley Stafford Ritter, Matthew Ambert Hartle
  • Patent number: 11451859
    Abstract: Techniques for real-time audience measurement are provided. The techniques include instant message protocol in a DVR environment to obtain real-time audience measurement data to modify the scheduled recording time of a media content in real-time, to bookmark in real-time, and to gather audience ratings on commercials and viewership in real-time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: TIVO SOLUTIONS INC.
    Inventor: James M. Barton
  • Patent number: 11405680
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for obscuring a presence of a media object in a video after a user fulfills an interaction requirement with a related media object. The system detects, an interaction with a media object and determines characteristics of the interaction. The system correlates characteristic of the interaction with an exclusion window and stores a record that links the exclusion window, user, and attribute of the media object. The system detects that a second media object will be displayed during playback of a video and determines an attribute of the second media object. The system retrieves the record by matching the attribute of the first media object from the record to the attribute of the second media object. In response to determining the exclusion window applies to the second media object, the system obscures the second media object while playing back the video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael McCarty, Glen E. Roe
  • Patent number: 11388480
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus according to the present technology includes a reception unit, a first generation unit, a collection unit, and a second generation unit. The reception unit receives a content. The first generation unit analyzes the received content and generates one or more pieces of analysis information related to the content. The collection unit collects content information related to the content on a network on the basis of the one or more pieces of generated analysis information. The second generation unit generates an utterance sentence on the basis of at least one of the one or more pieces of analysis information and the collected content information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Inventor: Hideo Nagasaka
  • Patent number: 11381861
    Abstract: A method for pushing a barrage includes: clustering a plurality of historical barrages in a target database to obtain barrages to be displayed; determining an interested vector based on evaluation records of the historical barrages; determining a similarity between a vector of each of the barrages to be displayed and the interested vector; and pushing the barrage to be displayed to the user based on a determined similarity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Xiang Wang
  • Patent number: 11381860
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to correct for deterioration of a demographic model to associate demographic information with media impression information are disclosed. An example method includes estimating first and second ages of audience members based on demographic information; estimating a third age of an audience member who is not included in the audience members; applying a window function to the second ages to determine a distribution of ages based on the third age; multiplying window values by the first ages to determine corrected first age components; dividing a total of the corrected first age components by a sum of the window values to determine an estimated age of the audience member at a first time; and determining the corrected age of the audience member at a second time based on the estimated age of the audience member at the first time and a time difference between the first and second times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Michael Sheppard, Jonathan Sullivan, Matthew B. Reid, Alejandro Terrazas
  • Patent number: 11381872
    Abstract: Examples of the systems and methods described herein relate to reducing latency issues associated with playing online digital video on client devices. An example method includes: determining that a client device of a user is displaying a web page; determining a likelihood that the user will select content on the web page associated with a digital video; and determining that the likelihood exceeds a threshold and, based thereon, performing at least one of the following steps before the user selects the content: initiating a mediation process to identify the digital video associated with the content; unwrapping a video tag associated with the digital video; storing at least a portion of the digital video on the client device; stitching the digital video together with a second digital video; and/or initializing a video player for displaying the digital video on the client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Xandr Inc.
    Inventors: Arel I. Lidow, Eric M. Hoffert, Alexander Krassel, Vikki Pitts, Jeffrey Weiss, Andrew Sweeney, Matt Kendall, Heran Yang, Jose Antonio Cabal-Ugaz
  • Patent number: 11379448
    Abstract: A method for cold matching by automatic content recognition includes receiving, at data processing hardware, broadcast fingerprints indicative of broadcast frames of a broadcast media stream. The method also includes receiving, at the data processing hardware, media device fingerprints indicative of media device frames of a media device stream at a corresponding media device. The method further includes determining, by the data processing hardware, that a search block comprising a plurality of media device fingerprints corresponding to sequential media device frames of the media device stream includes at least one media device fingerprint having a match correlation to at least one broadcast fingerprint. The match correlation is based on a Pearson correlation coefficient. The method also includes identifying, by the data processing hardware, the at least one media device fingerprint having the match correlation to the at least one broadcast fingerprint as corresponding to a match media device frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Roku, Inc.
    Inventor: Juikun Chen
  • Patent number: 11368759
    Abstract: Remote control devices to interface with audience measurement meters are disclosed. An example remote control device to interface with an audience measurement meter includes an audience management controller to, responsive to a gender value input via a user interface of the remote control device, store the gender value, responsive to an age value input via the user interface of the remote control device, store the age value, generate a message including the gender value and age value, and a transmitter to transmit the message to the audience measurement meter, the message including a sequence of infrared codes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Eric Barone, Joseph Wyatt Brewer, Matjaz Finc, Robert Byrne