Patents Examined by Omar S Parra
  • Patent number: 11445226
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Roku, Inc.
    Inventors: Raghavendra Sunku, Jaehyung Lee, Virginie Debelair, Peter Dunker
  • Patent number: 11438655
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method receives a plurality of distribution areas. A distribution area is defined by one or more geographic primitives and associated with a distribution area identifier. Also, a geographic primitive is defined by one or more location identifiers. The method stores distribution area identifiers for the plurality of distribution areas in a first data structure. Information for media content is received and the method generates a content bundle for the media content based on the information for the media content. The content bundle is associated with a distribution area identifier and metadata that describes characteristics of the media content. The content bundle is stored in a second data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Dallas Mahrt, Brandon Lonac, Hank Hwang, Stephen Brown, William Daly, Yingan Wang
  • Patent number: 11438662
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to generate synthetic respondent level data. Example apparatus disclosed herein are to identify locations corresponding to monitored panelists, and when a first one of the identified locations corresponds to two or more affiliates, sum tuning minutes of the two or more affiliates. Disclosed example apparatus are also to generate an affiliate probability based on the sum, and convert first data of households in the first one of the locations to a candidate receivability session based on the affiliate probability. Disclosed apparatus are further to generate a seed panel, the seed panel to include at least one of the monitored panelists selected based on a population associated with return path data, and donate second data associated with a donor pool of first panelists to second panelists included in the seed panel, the second panelists associated with faulty media monitoring equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan Sullivan, Michael D. Morgan, Balachander Shankar, Edward Murphy, Michael Sheppard, Frank Downing
  • Patent number: 11418843
    Abstract: Provided are a method and a device for forwarding a video-on-demand flow, which may be applied to a network with virtualization of network functions. In an example of the method, for a Virtual Broadband Remote Access Server (vBRAS) Service Orchestrator (vBRASSO) managing at least one vBRAS in a vBRAS resource pool in the network with virtualization of network functions, if a particular vBRAS completes user authentication, the vBRASSO determines a Point Of Presence (POP) switch for forwarding a video-on-demand flow to the user based on the user information from the vBRAS, and notifies the POP switch of a route for forwarding the video-on-demand flow to the user in such a way that the POP switch advertises the route to a core router configured to receive the video-on-demand flow from a video-playing source in the network with virtualization of network functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: New H3C Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kai Sun, Jiajia Liu
  • Patent number: 11418827
    Abstract: A client device includes a display device and one or more image capture devices configured to capture video data of a local area surrounding the client device. Different users of an online system are identified from the captured video data, provided privacy settings maintained for the users authorize their identification from the video data, and the client device transmits a request for content to the online system that identifies each of the identified users. The client device receives content items selected for each of the identified users from the online system. From the received content items, the client device generates a feed of content that includes at least one content item selected for each of the identified users and presents the generated feed of content via the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc.
    Inventors: Vincent Charles Cheung, Olivier Sebastien Joseph Bartholot, Girish Patangay, Viresh Rustagi, Sergiu Dogaru, James Glessal Pearce
  • Patent number: 11405697
    Abstract: A programmable and universal video platform enabling digital ads from ad sales teams, online digital exchanges, demand side platforms or other digital video advertising aggregators, to be inserted into linear television cable programming feeds. Content programmers distribute a programming schedule file for each linear programming feed. This data is then combined in the traffic and billing system with the advertising insertion orders from the various sales channels to create a local ad insertion schedule file. This schedule file includes a planned ad spot, but a time-based approach to ad insertion allows the schedule file to be modified such that the planned ad spot can be replaced with a replacement ad selected using the VAST digital ad selection protocol. Detection of the standard cue message in the programming feed triggers insertion of the replacement ad from the modified schedule file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Viamedia, Inc.
    Inventors: Randy Lykes, Wendell Decker, James T O'Neill, Adam Lynch, Paul Cavins
  • Patent number: 11388470
    Abstract: A set-top box with enhanced behavioral controls and system and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment of the set-top box, a wireless transceiver is located within a housing, which also interconnectedly includes a television input, a television output, a processor, and memory. The set-top box may pair with an electronic door locking apparatus coupled to a door that is room-collocated with the set-top box in a hospitality establishment. The set-top box may then receive a status signal from the electronic door locking apparatus relative to the open/closed status of the door and locked/unlocked status of the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Enseo, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas R. Miller, Vanessa Ogle
  • Patent number: 11381852
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for altering or otherwise obscuring a progress bar to prevent spoilers in a media asset. A media asset is generated for display and an input is detected from a user during playback of the media asset. A determination is made whether the input comprises a command to display a progress bar. In the affirmative, a determination regarding a current point of playback of the media asset and the type of segment is made. An entry is retrieved from a database that maps the type of segment to a range of time. A determination is made whether the remaining time of the media asset is within the range of time. In the affirmative, a determination whether displaying the progress bar would spoil the media asset is made. In response to determining that displaying the progress bar would spoil the media asset, the progress bar is refrained from generating display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Kang-Po Yan, Hong-Qi Jia, Peter Boonstra, Kerui Chen
  • Patent number: 11375279
    Abstract: A system and method for determining a similarity measure between a first network broadcast time segment and a second network broadcast time segment. The method includes generating first training data comprising groupings of similar broadcast networks and groupings of dissimilar broadcast networks, extracting second training data comprising audience data and genre data for time segments of network broadcasts, and training an encoder neural network based on the first and second training data. The method includes executing the trained neural network with input data comprising the first network broadcast time segment and determining a similarity measure relative to the second network broadcast time segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: VIACOM INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventor: Adeyemi Arogunmati
  • Patent number: 11375294
    Abstract: A server system receives a digital media asset captured by a media capture device along with a dataset associated with the digital media asset. The server system generates a modified digital media asset by overlaying or embedding a glyph that encodes information pointing to the network location of the information page onto the digital media asset. A requesting device scans the glyph from the modified digital media asset and decodes from the glyph the information pointing to the network location. The information includes a certification that the digital media and the dataset associated with the digital media asset are unaltered. The requesting device may transmit communications to the server system to indicate approval or disapproval of the digital media asset, or to edit the digital media asset. The server system receives the communication and may modify the information to reflect comments, approvals, disapprovals, or edits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: ImageKeeper LLC
    Inventors: Jerry Speasl, Mike Patterson, Marc Roberts
  • Patent number: 11350169
    Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include accessing media segments that correspond to respective media items. At least one of the media segments may be divided into discrete video shots. The method may also include matching the discrete video shots in the media segments to corresponding video shots in the corresponding media items according to various matching factors. The method may further include generating a relative similarity score between the matched video shots in the media segments and the corresponding video shots in the media items, and training a machine learning model to automatically identify video shots in the media items according to the generated relative similarity score between matched video shots. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: Netflix, Inc.
    Inventors: Dong Liu, Lezi Wang, Rohit Puri
  • Patent number: 11343566
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method sends a first instance of a media presentation description including first status information to a client. The first status information identifies a break from a stream of a media presentation for insertion of supplemental content. The method receives a request for a second instance of the media presentation description. The request includes information from the first status information that reverted the client back to the stream of the media presentation after insertion of the supplemental content. Then, the method sends the second instance of the media presentation description based on receiving the request from the client including the information from the first status information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: HULU, LLC
    Inventors: Zachary Cava, Shaunak Shah, Yeon Joon Jin, Alexander Herbert, Allison Deal, Joe Lin
  • Patent number: 11336937
    Abstract: A reception apparatus includes receiver and processing circuitry. The receiving circuitry is configured to receive a broadcast stream. The processing circuitry is configured to extract a service list table (SLT) from the broadcast stream. The SLT includes service information for each of a plurality of services in the broadcast stream. The processing circuitry is configured to determine whether the broadcast stream includes a digital rights management (DRM) service that is supported by the reception apparatus based on service category information in the service information for the plurality of services in the broadcast stream. The processing circuitry is configured to acquire DRM-related information, which is associated with the reception apparatus and delivered in the DRM service, based on a determination that the broadcast stream includes the DRM service that is supported by the reception apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: SATURN LICENSING LLC
    Inventors: Mark Eyer, Tatsuya Igarashi, Brant Candelore, Paul Hearty
  • Patent number: 11323750
    Abstract: A video system, a video processing method, a device and a computer readable medium are disclosed. The system includes: a front-end device and a cloud server; the front-end device is configured to collect video stream data, and set a video identifier and a service scenario identifier for the video stream data, upload the video identifier, the video stream data and the service scenario identifier to the cloud server; the cloud server is configured to generate a video file corresponding to the video identifier according to the service scenario identifier, the video identifier and the video stream data; and store the video file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: BEIJING BAIDU NETCOM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
    Inventors: Minglu Li, Huifeng Shen, Feifei Cao, Li You, Hongbai Dong
  • Patent number: 11321720
    Abstract: A consumption probability metric may be generated for a media asset. An aggregated forecast predicting user consumption of a media asset is received. A plurality of probabilities, each corresponding to a user of a plurality of users, is received, each indicating how likely a respective user is to consume the media asset. A weight for the plurality of users is calculated representing a ratio of the total number of users to a number of users in the plurality of users. A disaggregated forecast predicting user consumption of a media asset is determined based on the weight for the plurality of users and the plurality of probabilities. A modification factor is computed based on the aggregated forecast and the disaggregated forecast. A metric is generated that includes a plurality of user identifiers associated with the plurality of users and a plurality of modified probabilities each modified by the modification factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Rovi Guides, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven Bennett
  • Patent number: 11310554
    Abstract: The disclosure includes a method of generating and presenting non-processed streaming audio data and non-processed streaming video data to a first viewer and a second viewer. The method may include presenting, via a commercial television display unit, the non-processed streaming video data to at least one of the commentator, the first viewer, and the second viewer. The method may include generating the non-processed streaming audio data related to the live event by the commentator, and transferring the non-processed streaming audio data via an Internet to the first viewer and the second viewer. Also, the method may include providing the first viewer and the second viewer with a capability to synchronize a video presentation time of the non-processed streaming video data with an audio presentation time of the non-processed streaming audio data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Inventor: Gideon Eden
  • Patent number: 11303974
    Abstract: A method for flagging advertisement frames for automatic content recognition is provided. The method includes receiving broadcast fingerprints indicative of broadcast frames of a media stream comprising a series of broadcast scenes. The method also includes receiving advertisement fingerprints indicative of ad frames of ad scenes. The method further includes determining a scene change between a first broadcast scene and a second broadcast scene. The scene change is based on a Pearson correlation coefficient between an initial broadcast fingerprint of an initial broadcast frame of the second broadcast scene and a last broadcast fingerprint of a last broadcast frame of the first broadcast scene. The method also further includes determining whether the second broadcast scene is one of the ad scenes. When the second broadcast scene is one of the ad scenes, the method associates an identification of the second broadcast scene as the one of the ad scenes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Roku, Inc.
    Inventor: Juikun Chen
  • Patent number: 11290791
    Abstract: A customized highlight sequence depicting multiple events, and based on a user's personal characteristics, interests, and/or preferences, is generated and presented. The events can be sporting events, entertainment events, and/or the like. For example, in the context of sporting events, a determination is made as to what types of sports, teams, leagues, players, plays, and/or the like are of interest to the user. In at least one embodiment, the amount of time available to the user can be obtained, so that the length of the highlight sequence can be tailored to the available time. A customized highlight sequence is then generated and presented, containing those specific portions of the sporting events that are likely to be of interest, arranged in a manner that is likely to be entertaining to the user and comports with the time restrictions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: STATS LLC
    Inventors: Warren Joseph Packard, Dan Lythcott-Haims, Alan Levin
  • Patent number: 11284134
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computing devices are described herein for request and transmission, to a computing device, of media content based on the importance of a portion of the media content. Media content may comprise baseline media content and enhancement data. Based on determining that an importance of a portion of the media content meets a threshold, the computing device may retrieve the enhancement data. The computing device may retrieve the enhancement data via a separate interface than the baseline media content. Information about baseline media content, enhancement data, and the importance of a portion of the media content may be contained in a manifest. The threshold for importance may be based on the media content and/or user preferences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
    Inventors: Yasser F. Syed, Patrick Ladd, Derik Yarnell
  • Patent number: 11284131
    Abstract: A computing system identifies multiple matching points between (i) query fingerprints representing a media stream being received by a client and (ii) reference fingerprints, each identified matching point defining a respective match between a query fingerprint timestamped with client time defined according to a clock of the client and a reference fingerprint timestamped with true time defined according to a timeline within a known media stream. Further, the computing system performs linear regression based on the timestamps of the matching points, to establish a mapping between true time and client time. The computing system then uses the mapping to determine a client-time point at which the client should perform a content revision or other action with respect to the media stream being received by the client. And the computing system causes the client to perform the content revision or other action at the determined client-time point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Roku, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Dunker, Markus K. Cremer, Shashank C. Merchant, Kurt R. Thielen